Ask Pastor John

In the midst of a busy life, how can we find the time to read great Christian books? We might begin by setting aside just fifteen minutes a day.

God does not give us a list of foods and drinks we can and cannot consume. Instead, he gives us his words and his Spirit to shape how we see all of life.

If we are going to find lasting satisfaction in the beauty of Christ, despite the pain of rejection, four massive changes need to happen in our hearts.

Headship calls a man to put away his anger and initiate reconciliation — no matter how much of the fault lies with his wife or with his children.

The movement from orthodoxy to demon theology happens sometimes slowly and sometimes suddenly — but always because love for Christ has grown cold.

“Nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” Paul says. So can Christians enjoy pot if they thank God for it?

What is the deepest source of your joy — what God gives to you, or who God is for you?

Will a professing Christian go to hell if he never shares the gospel? Pastor John gets to the heart and offers practical suggestions for growing in evangelism.

Paul desired that “in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands.” Should men in the church today still lift their hands when they pray?

At the core of Christian Hedonism is the glorious reality that the duty God requires of us is the path to our greatest joy.

Should parents allow children to cross-dress? Pastor John explains why this cuts across the grain of God-created reality and how to offer counsel to Christian parents.

Jesus promised that his followers would be “hated by all,” but Paul said pastors must be “well thought of by outsiders.” So should the world like us or hate us?

Jesus could have healed the man born blind with a simple command; instead, he used spit and mud. Why?

If a man has a history of fornication, is he disqualified from the office of pastor — or can he still be considered “the husband of one wife”?

If God has really given us “a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control,” then why do we still struggle with fear and anxiety?

In the face of every fear and insecurity, the gospel says, “In Christ, God is for you — always and forever, with all of his heart and soul. So what can man do to you?”

In Psalm 15, David tells us to despise the vile; in Matthew 5, Jesus tells us to love them. How can we do both?

God “desires all people to be saved,” Paul tells us — but clearly not all people are saved. Does this mean God cannot do what he wants to do?

Christ’s global purpose to ransom people from every tribe and tongue can be summed up in his words, “I have other sheep. I must bring them also.”

God gave work as a blessing in the beginning, but we live now on the other side of the fall. So is our work today a blessing or a curse?

Alongside his personal study of Scripture, what whole-Bible commentaries has Pastor John found most helpful over the years?

If you want to settle the question of personal identity, don’t ask “Who am I?” Ask, “Whose am I?”

We know the devil can tempt us and attack us and try to deceive us, but can he put thoughts into our heads?

At every moment, God knows the thoughts and intentions of every human heart. Pastor John explores six vast implications of this foundational truth.

The book of Romans interprets life — and it also transforms life. Pastor John shares how Romans has shaped him, from conversion to the pastorate.

How can a Christian business leader speak about his success in a way that makes God, not him, look great?

Is there really a difference between complaining about our problems and venting about them — or are we just kidding ourselves?

What is the simplest, shortest definition of Christian Hedonism? Pastor John explains in two minutes why pursuing joy in God is essential to the Christian life.

Women, Paul says, “will be saved through childbearing.” How does childbirth save women — and what about women who never have children of their own?

Those who play the victim to their sexual lusts act like slaves, like dogs eating their vomit, like washed pigs rolling in mud. But in Christ, they don’t have to stay that way.

Even if you remember only one sentence of a book, that one sentence can create an immeasurable moment, a flash of insight that shapes you forever.

What might Scripture say to a woman who desperately wants to become a man? Pastor John offers six reasons why attempting to “de-gender” is a tragic act of sin.

Are Christians who have the opportunity to vote obligated to do so — or can we abstain from the whole process for righteous reasons?

Seven times in the book of Hebrews, the author captures the heart of Christianity in a simple, wonderful command: draw near.

No angel, no saint, and not even Mary herself can improve the access to God we already have through Christ and his finished work.

In 1 Timothy 1:15, the apostle Paul claims to have been “the foremost” of sinners. Is Paul speaking in hyperbole here, or was he really the world’s worst sinner?

How can we become bolder in evangelism? Pastor John shares a story of his stumbling attempts to love a neighbor, and God’s patient persistence through it all.

When we look with eyes of faith on our pre-conversion life, we find abundant reason to thank God for his mercy, and abundant reason to give others hope.

The jealousy of God shows his zeal for his own worth — and it also shows his zeal for our deepest joy.

The biblical mindset puts God and his glory, not man and his desires, at the center of the universe. And grasping this blazing center unlocks the greatness of the gospel.

Is there any hope for the recovery of a shipwrecked faith? Pastor John offers four reasons shipwreck need not be final.

Should we speak of Christians as saints or sinners? Pastor John explores why Paul addresses Christians as saints dozens of times — and as sinners almost never.

What drove the apostle Paul to win people to Christ? He longed to taste the joy of the gospel not only in his own heart, but in the hearts of countless others.

Sound preaching comes from those who live in the presence of God-centered glory and long to echo his infinite worth.

“The law is good, if one uses it lawfully,” Paul says. But how can we tell if we are using the law in the way that God intends?

How can we guard against drifting in the Christian life? By looking and looking and looking at Jesus.

You do not need to walk in sinless perfection in order to have a good conscience. You just need to walk in the light.

The apostle Paul strongly warned Timothy and Titus against the “myths” of his day. What might he have to say about the fictional stories in our own day?

If we’re going to listen to Jesus and not drift away from him, we likely will need to turn down the noises that capture so much of our attention.

Where should pastors and other Christians draw lines for ministry partnerships? Pastor John shares the degree of unity he has pursued in six ministry settings.