Ask Pastor John

How do we enjoy pizza, friendship, or any other good gift without committing idolatry? Not only by enjoying God more than his gifts, but also by enjoying him in them.

How do Paul’s travel plans relate to the Trinitarian depths of God’s love? Pastor John shows how ultimate reality undergirds the love between the saints.

Christians have not only the right but the calling to speak truth to power. But such speech differs greatly from mere political flag-waving.

The wrath of God is gone for those who are in Christ. But does God still sometimes bring physical suffering in response to unconfessed sin?

What factors should Christian students consider when choosing a college or major? Pastor John gives five guidelines for those who don’t want to waste their lives.

How can we know if our heart is hard toward God? Pastor John diagnoses hardness of heart, and gives a remedy for remaining soft to God’s Spirit.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Do these haunting words from Jesus suggest he was confused by the horrors of the cross?

We live in a time of mounting global tensions, of wars and rumors of wars. What hope do we have for the future of missions should conflict continue to build?

In a day starving for transcendence, how might church leaders arrange every element of the Sunday gathering to promote joyful Godward reverence?

How might churches move away from casual culture toward heartfelt, happy reverence on Sunday morning? Pastor John shares five steps for preachers.

Is it wrong to drink coffee during corporate worship? Pastor John moves beyond mugs to the heart of the issue.

From college grads to retirees, many people love to keep bucket lists. Should Christians? Pastor John puts rest and recreation within a biblical mindset.

How can we discern the main point of not only a single verse, but an entire paragraph, section, or even chapter of the Bible?

God’s faithfulness to God may not sound like good news. But the foundation of our hope rests on God’s zeal to display the worth of his name.

On the first day of a new year, Pastor John commends a yearlong Bible-reading plan and invites listeners to join him from Genesis to Revelation.

Sometimes, perhaps even often, we read Scripture with our eyes, grasp its truth in our minds, yet feel little pleasure in our hearts. What can we do in such moments?

Christmas is a day for marveling. Pastor John shares four earth-shaking, soul-satisfying reasons to glory in the coming of the Son of God.

As a new year nears, Pastor John marvels at God’s grace from 2023 and shares exciting plans for the months ahead.

What makes regular Bible intake not only helpful for the Christian life, but crucial? Pastor John gives ten reasons to make the Bible part of your everyday.

The word “therefore” appears almost five hundred times in the New Testament. And every one of them is a doorway to life and love.

Pastor John never reads a book — even novels — without a pencil in hand. What does he do with it, and why won’t he use a pen?

How can teens make their lives count? From dating wisely to failing well, Pastor John offers twelve rules for teenage followers of Christ.

We know God inspired the Bible, but we sometimes forget that he also spoke creation into existence. How might we begin to learn from both of God’s books?

How can normal Christians learn to study the Bible on a topic? Pastor John models his own approach as he prepares answers for ‘Ask Pastor John.’

The apostle Peter calls Christians to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. But how might we grow in knowledge if we don’t enjoy the process of learning?

At the heart of our unbelief lies not only our refusal to glorify God, but our refusal to thank him. Apart from grace, we take the gifts and ignore the Giver.

What role should emotions play in Christian education? If we take our cue from Scripture, appropriate feelings will be central, not peripheral, to all our learning.

God communicates through not just his word, but also his world. Christian learning presses deeply into the Bible, but the stars have something to say as well.

How can youth leaders lead teens deeper into their Bibles? By teaching with an eye on language, a heart for reality, and a knack for question-asking.

Seasons of affliction, however painful or even deadening they may feel, do not last forever. God will restore the souls he has saved.

Godly pastors and leaders are a tremendous gift to Christ’s church. So, how do we keep hoping in God when our spiritual heroes die?

If you want to kill your selfishness, focus on more than your selfishness. Fill your soul to overflowing with Christ.

Over five hundred years after Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, what do we celebrate on Reformation Day? Pastor John traces five of the Reformation’s greatest recoveries.

When do our hobbies glorify God, and when do they become a wartime waste? Pastor John offers three guiding questions to ask of any hobby.

What do the Scriptures say about communicating with dead ancestors? Pastor John explains four truths about God and the sufficiency of his revelation.

With so much at stake in the fight against abortion, can pro-life advocates use doctrinal falsehoods to persuade parents to keep their babies?

Intelligence without affection is barren, mechanical — even artificial. Pastor John reflects on his ministry in the light of developing AI technologies.

Given Paul’s command to “rejoice always,” do we sin when we lack joy? Pastor John offers a simple answer with three crucial qualifications.

Genuine joy in God is far deeper than a choice we make. Even so, our actions can help or hinder the spontaneous experience of joy.

Can new-covenant Christians claim old-covenant promises? As long as we keep some key distinctions in mind, we not only can, but should.

God has not left us without evidence for the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. But evidence alone will never open the eyes of the blind.

God-centered theology can raise all kinds of questions about God’s love for us. Pastor John asks and answers nine of them.

If the penalty for sin is eternal punishment, how could Jesus’s finite sufferings pay the price of our redemption?

Why did Jesus leave earth after his resurrection? Pastor John gives six reasons for Jesus’s ascension to the Father’s right hand.

If Christ has not been raised, Paul says, then Christians are “of all people most to be pitied.” But why should we be pitied when we live with such joy?

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” What does Pastor John mean when he talks about “satisfaction in God”?

Christ is our rest on Monday as well as Sunday. But how do we experience the peaceful rest of Jesus in the midst of our labors?

The doctrines of grace are designed to destroy human boasting. So, what can we do if we find our theology becoming a platform for pride?

At least six biblical pointers give us reason to expect some kind of work in the age to come. But whatever eternity holds, it will be a future beyond disappointment.

Rich doctrine makes the heart sing. So, where might Christians start if they want to read time-tested, soul-deepening books?