Ask Pastor John

Is the term “reckless” too reckless? Pastor John offers pastors, worship leaders, and congregations ways to think about the popular lyrics.

Our enjoyment of God is not only a response to God’s glory — it is the way we glorify him. Therefore, joy in God is not optional.

Eighteen years after OneDay 2000, Pastor John reflects on a sermon that roused thousands of young people to not waste their lives.

Is there an ideal sermon length? Pastor John gives five factors to consider when trying to decide how long to preach.

From alliteration and assonance to metaphors, imagery, and illustrations — what role does creativity, imagination, and rhetoric have in preaching?

Good sermons and good Bible reading push into a writer’s words, grammar, and logic to embrace all the glorious realities behind them.

After writing over fifty books, Pastor John explains his six-stage process, from gathering the initial idea to seeing the project come to life.

How does God’s sovereignty not make us robots? Pastor John explores the relationship between God’s sovereignty and the human will in seven steps.

True freedom from body hatred does not come from finally liking what we see in the mirror. It comes from being swept up in the greatness of God.

Enjoying God and loving our neighbors are not competing goals. True love is the overflow of joy in God that meets the needs of others.

Christian community is a precious gift from God. But our love for the community must never replace our love for the Lord of the community.

There were fewer miracles in the Bible than many of us think, and there are more miracles today than many of us know.

Protestants insist that God imputes Christ’s righteousness to believers, while the Catholic Church claims that he imparts it. What’s the difference?

Paul’s missionary journeys do not mandate how we should do missions today, but we can certainly learn from the methods he used.

There will be no envy in heaven. Perfect love will reign. Those who have more will have humility; those who have less will rejoice in others’ gifts.

Crude language won’t transform the culture. It won’t convict sinners. It may make us more relatable, but in the end it will backfire.

The first manuscripts of the Bible no longer exist, but that doesn’t need to shake Christians’ faith. Pastor John gives three reasons why.

The aim of wartime simplicity is not to be as poor as possible, but to use all of our resources for the advancement of the gospel.

The sign of forgiveness is not that you forget the pain another caused you, but that you relinquish the desire to punish, and instead seek their good.

Self-examination can quickly turn into self-condemnation. Pastor John offers three strategies to keep introspection in its proper place.