Ask Pastor John
2,078 episodes - English - Latest episode: 20 days ago - ★★★★★ - 3.3K ratingsJohn Piper answering tough theological and pastoral questions.
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Episodes
How Do I ‘Wrestle’ in Prayer?
June 13, 2022 10:00 - 14 minutesPaul speaks of wrestling in prayer, and many of us use his phrase. But what might our prayer lives actually feel like if we wrestled like the apostle?
Counsel for Wives with Harsh Husbands
June 10, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutes“Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them,” Paul writes. But what can a wife do if she finds herself with a harsh man?
Eight Essentials for Christian Living
June 08, 2022 10:00 - 18 minutesHow does God bring us from the grace of new birth to the glory of heaven? Pastor John explains eight essentials for Christian living from 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12.
Did Jesus Tell Us to Give to Every Panhandler?
June 06, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesJesus tells us to give to those who ask, but Paul warns the church against giving to the lazy. How might we apply these teachings when we meet a panhandler?
Did Jesus Disregard the Sacrificial System?
June 03, 2022 10:00 - 12 minutesIf there is no forgiveness without shed blood, how could Jesus forgive sins apart from the sacrificial system and prior to his own death?
Prayer in the Age of Global Hate
June 01, 2022 10:00 - 17 minutesIn an age of hate, Christians testify to God’s grace by praying for all kinds of people: high and low, white and black, Democrat and Republican, friend and enemy.
How Will I Find My Ministry Calling?
May 30, 2022 10:00 - 11 minutesWhen God grants us a ministry, does his leading come to us through internal impulses, external affirmation, or some combination of the two?
Should We Pray for Unbelievers or for Evangelists?
May 27, 2022 10:00 - 12 minutesDoes Scripture ever command us to pray for unbelievers, or does it only command us to pray for the evangelists who speak to them?
The Easiest Step of Love
May 25, 2022 10:00 - 11 minutesPrayer is the easiest step of love, and it is also the most powerful. God can do far more for others in response to our prayers than we could ever do on our own.
Have I Sinned If I Fall Short of Excellence at Work?
May 23, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesGod is honored when we do our jobs with technical excellence, and he is also honored when we give ourselves to the kinds of excellence that cannot be measured.
How Do I Not Provoke My Children?
May 20, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesHow can we require obedience of our children without provoking and discouraging them? Pastor John offers eight pitfalls for fathers.
Do Answered Prayers Depend on My Holiness?
May 18, 2022 10:00 - 11 minutesThroughout Scripture, God warns that he will not hear the prayers of the disobedient. So do answered prayers depend on our holiness?
For Christians Whose Testimony Seems Boring
May 16, 2022 10:00 - 11 minutesWe will never plumb the depths of sin and grace merely from past experience. Only God’s word can tell us how lost and dead we were, and how found and alive we are.
Would You Have Supported Prohibition in 1913?
May 13, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesIn the early twentieth century, many Christian leaders lent their approval to the cause of Prohibition. Would Pastor John have done the same if he lived back then?
How Greatly Am I Loved?
May 11, 2022 10:00 - 17 minutesIn Christ, God has chosen us from eternity, and called us in time, so that we would boast no longer in ourselves, but only in him and his great love.
How Do I Make Christian Hedonism My Own?
May 09, 2022 10:00 - 14 minutesSome teachers influence us so deeply that we find ourselves imitating them without trying. So how can we move past imitation to make biblical truth our own?
Why Dead Men Must Die
May 06, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesPaul says we all were dead apart from Christ, but he also says we died when we were united to Christ. In what sense, then, do dead men die?
God Saves to Make Much of Himself — Doesn’t That Lessen His Love?
May 04, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesNothing but God can forever satisfy hearts that are made for God. And so, in great mercy, God loves us in a way that makes much of himself.
Should Gospel Disagreements End a Friendship?
May 02, 2022 10:00 - 11 minutesChristians can disagree over many doctrines and stay friends. But what should we do when a friend rejects a doctrine central to the gospel?
My Spouse Died Prematurely — Was It My Fault?
April 29, 2022 10:00 - 14 minutesHow might Christians process feelings of guilt over the death of a loved one? Pastor John offers counsel to a new widow struggling not to blame herself.
How God Makes Much of You
April 27, 2022 10:00 - 16 minutesIn Christ, God makes more of us than we could ever imagine. And he will go on doing so forever.
Does Faith Cause Regeneration?
April 25, 2022 10:00 - 14 minutesDoes faith bring about the new birth, or does the new birth bring about faith? Pastor John offers three reasons why getting the order right matters.
Does God Delight in Justification or Holiness?
April 22, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesDoes God delight in his people based on Christ’s work alone, or does his delight also depend on our own holiness?
Why God Makes Much of You
April 20, 2022 10:00 - 11 minutesWhen God makes much of us, he does it for his sake, not ours. And that makes his love far greater than we could have imagined.
Shame: Its Uses and Abuses
April 18, 2022 10:00 - 12 minutesSome shame condemns and destroys, and some shame heals and restores. So how can we tell the difference between misplaced and well-placed shame?
What Are Church Traditions?
April 15, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesIn his letters, Paul speaks not only of teachings he delivered to the churches, but also of traditions he passed on. What kind of traditions does he have in mind?
The Heart of Fake Happiness
April 13, 2022 10:00 - 14 minutesMany nominal Christians go to church, believe God loves them, and yet are on their way to hell. So what marks the born again from those who only think they are?
Should Pro-Lifers Embrace Embryo Adoption?
April 11, 2022 10:00 - 12 minutesIn America, there are hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos, left over from in vitro fertilization. How might Christians weigh the decision to adopt one of them?
Does Romans 7 Describe a Christian?
April 08, 2022 10:00 - 16 minutesWhat kind of person does Romans 7:14–25 describe? Pastor John offers nine reasons to read Paul’s description as part of the Christian experience.
What’s Lost When We Only Pray Alone?
April 06, 2022 10:00 - 14 minutesThe church of Acts often gathered together to praise God and intercede for his people. So what might we lose if we pray only by ourselves?
Should We Dramatize Jesus’s Life for Television?
April 04, 2022 10:00 - 14 minutesGod gave us a book about Jesus, not a video. So how might Christians think about dramatic portrayals of Jesus’s life in television or movies?
Do Christians Still Have Evil Desires?
April 01, 2022 10:00 - 14 minutesIf God’s wrath comes against evil desires, and not only evil behaviors, why will his wrath not come against Christians, who still battle evil desires?
How Fleeting Pleasures Sidetrack Our Love
March 30, 2022 10:00 - 10 minutesA lack of love for other people doesn’t show that we’re trying too hard to please ourselves — it shows that we’re far too easily pleased.
I’m Too Distracted with Life to Meditate on Christ
March 28, 2022 10:00 - 12 minutesHow can we turn our attention away from regrets, dreams, and other consuming thoughts so that we can set our minds on things that are above?
On Permanent Birth Control
March 25, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesIf two spouses agree that they do not want to have more children, would it be sinful to pursue permanent forms of birth control?
How Does God Lead Us in Daily Decisions?
March 23, 2022 10:00 - 10 minutesHow do I follow God’s lead in my daily decisions? I know he’s my shepherd, and that he’s leading me, but how do I know if I am following him?
In Our Racial Differences, How Is Christ ‘All’ and ‘in All’?
March 21, 2022 10:00 - 11 minutesTo be a Christian is not only to trust Christ and treasure Christ, but to be indwelt by Christ. And that new identity transforms all our relationships.
What Should We Make of Healing Ministries?
March 18, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesGod still answers prayers for physical healing today. But how should Christians evaluate the claims of so-called healing ministries?
When Will Christ Heal My Body?
March 16, 2022 10:00 - 11 minutesWe know that Jesus has purchased both our forgiveness and our physical healing at the cross. But what kind of healing can we expect in this life?
All My Sins Were Canceled — So Why Continue to Confess?
March 14, 2022 10:00 - 13 minutesIf all our sins are forgiven — past, present, and future — does ongoing confession show that we doubt Christ’s finished work?
My Flesh Was Crucified — So Why Do I Still Sin?
March 11, 2022 11:00 - 14 minutesIf our sinful flesh was crucified with Christ when we first believed, why do we keep sinning like we do?
How Do I Know If My Good Deeds Are Worthless?
March 09, 2022 11:00 - 11 minutesHow do we make sure the good we do is not done in vain? Listen to Pastor John’s answer more than thirty years ago, just weeks after becoming a pastor.
If God Is Sovereign, Why Is His World Full of Suffering?
March 07, 2022 11:00 - 15 minutesWhen we look around at our world of horrific suffering, how can we keep believing in an all-good, all-wise, totally sovereign God?
Is There a Place for Asceticism in the Christian Life?
March 04, 2022 11:00 - 12 minutesSome self-denial exalts self and feeds sin, and some self-denial exalts Christ and kills sin. So how can we practice the right kind?
How Do I Handle My Disordered Desires?
March 02, 2022 11:00 - 12 minutesEvery Christian battles excessive and distorted desires. And in Christ, God gives every Christian daily forgiveness, hope, and strength to keep fighting.
How Did the Cross Disarm the Devil?
February 28, 2022 11:00 - 12 minutesAt the cross, Paul says, God “disarmed the rulers and authorities.” So what weapons are no longer in Satan’s hands?
How Can I Avoid Worldly Thinking in My Studies?
February 25, 2022 11:00 - 13 minutesHow can Christians pursue education without being taken captive by worldly thinking? Pastor John reflects on Paul’s warning against “philosophy” in Colossians 2:8.
God’s Providence in the Ministry of Crossway Books
February 23, 2022 11:00 - 22 minutesIn 1938, a small publishing ministry began distributing gospel tracts. Today, that ministry has spread millions of tracts, books, and Bibles all over the world.
How Did God Reconcile ‘All Things’ to Himself?
February 21, 2022 11:00 - 13 minutesPaul says that God has reconciled to himself “all things” in heaven and on earth. Does that mean even unbelievers and demons will be saved in the end?
Are Divisions in the Church Necessary?
February 18, 2022 11:00 - 15 minutesHow should Christians respond to divisions in the church? Don’t make light of them, for they are tragic. And don’t make death of them, for they are predicted.