Ask the Pastor with J.D. Greear

In this podcast, Pastor J.D. explores the question of how to know God's will for our lives. He emphasizes that God's will is not a mysterious target, but it's about whom God guides. The discussion covers the struggle of seeking God's guidance, discerning His will, and the characteristics of a guided person.

This podcast explores why God sometimes doesn't answer prayers, using the life of Jacob to understand God's silence. It discusses five common reasons for unanswered prayers and provides helpful tips for prayer.

Each week, we’ll be posting a special short version of each 12 Truths and a Lie podcast on Ask Me Anything. To listen to the full version and subscribe, just visit AccessMore at www. accessmore.com/pd/12-Truths–A-Lie-Podcast-by-JD-Greear Show Notes:  In this episode of 12 Truths & A Lie, Pastor J.D. answers the question, “How could God have ordained the Old Testament conquest?” You’ll see why the morals of the Bible, while offensive to many, are actually the most liberating, just, and transformative rules ever written. Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question. We’ll pick Ask Me Anything back at the end of the year. As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast! Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Exploring the bigness of God and embracing doubts, Pastor J.D. delves into the question of why there is so much evil and suffering. Understanding God's vastness and the significance of doubt in faith are key themes addressed.

Each week, we’ll be posting a special short version of each 12 Truths and a Lie podcast on Ask Me Anything. To listen to the full version and subscribe, just visit AccessMore at www. accessmore.com/pd/12-Truths–A-Lie-Podcast-by-JD-Greear Show Notes:  Have you ever been in the midst of some task-something lifegiving, challenging, and exciting all at once-and thought, “Man, it seems like I was made for this!”? What if that feeling wasn’t just a fleeting thought, but a picture of reality? What if God actually has given you a specific task, some way to reflect his kingdom? In this episode of “12 Truths & A Lie,” Pastor J.D. teaches us what God thinks about our work. Many of us haven’t given that a lot of thought. What does God have to do with my job? Actually, quite a bit! Through your work, God can fulfill promises, display his redemption, and advance his mission. Whether you’re a builder or a banker, a student, or a stay-at-home mom, you’ll learn the five ways you can approach your work from a uniquely Christian perspective. Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question. We’ll pick Ask Me Anything back at the end of the year. As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast! Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Each week, we’ll be posting a special short version of each 12 Truths and a Lie podcast on Ask Me Anything. To listen to the full version and subscribe, just visit AccessMore at www. accessmore.com/pd/12-Truths–A-Lie-Podcast-by-JD-Greear Show Notes:   With everything that goes on in church, do you ever wonder, “What exactly is the most important thing we’re doing here?” Most churches keep themselves-and their members-really busy. They judge their success by how many people attend or how many baptisms they’ve done. But heaven doesn’t celebrate any of those numbers. It only celebrates disciples. In this episode of “12 Truths and a Lie,” Pastor J.D. shows us the heart of Jesus’ mission. It’s found right in the Great Commission. But it’s not “going,” “teaching,” or “baptizing.” At the center of it all is one command: “Make disciples.” Disciple-making wasn’t a special assignment for a select few, but the central calling for every follower of Jesus. You’ll learn all about Jesus’ call to become a disciple, along with the five identities of every follower of Jesus-worshiper, family member, servant, steward, and witness. Most importantly, you’ll learn how you can discover your role in the disciple-making process. Because God’s method for reaching the world isn’t big ministries with uber-talented preachers, but everyday Christians, filled with the Spirit, making disciples everywhere they go. In other words, God’s method … is you. Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question. We’ll pick Ask Me Anything back at the end of the year. As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast! Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Discover how to have assurance of salvation by understanding that it is not based on our behavior but on God's love. Learn that when God sees us, he sees the perfect life of Jesus, bringing peace and confidence. Stay tuned for the next episode about discipleship.

Each week, we’ll be posting a special short version of each 12 Truths and a Lie podcast on Ask Me Anything. To listen to the full version and subscribe, just visit Access more at  www. accessmore.com/pd/12-Truths–A-Lie-Podcast-by-JD-Greear About 12 Truths and a Lie Podcast:  Whether you’re a new Christian or have walked with God for decades, life is filled with difficult questions that can feel impossible to answer. In the 12 Truths & A Lie Podcast, Pastor J.D. Greear confidently tackles some of the most perplexing issues, including our purpose, the afterlife, how to handle political differences, and more with profound insight, empathy, and scriptural application. J.D. Greear serves as the Lead Pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC. He is the author of several books, including “Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart,” “Essential Christianity,” and his most recent work, “12 Truths and a Lie.” Additionally, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of Chick-fil-A since January 2022 and previously held the position of the 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Our prayer for you is that this podcast will help draw you closer to God and be bold in asking hard questions. Here’s the promise: with each question, we will pursue the answers according to what God’s Word says…the ultimate truth. Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question. We’ll pick Ask Me Anything back at the end of the year. As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast! Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

This week, Pastor J.D. answers a listener question from Cameron who asked, “Why does James say we’re justified by works?” Show Notes: That’s a great question and one that I hear a lot and it’s one that I used to ask a lot as a young college student.  Just so we’re all clear and you seen where the tension is, Paul says in Romans 3:28, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” And yet, James 2:24 says: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” So a lot of people read that and they think it’s a contradiction. What James is teaching is actually not a contradiction to what Paul had said. It actually harmonizes the discussion. It shows us what faith that saves really is. The key point in this whole discussion is that works are the evidence of a decision to follow Jesus and make him Lord of your life. I always compare it to sitting down in a chair… how do you know that you made a decision to sit down in that chair?  It’s probably not because you remember the mental process it took to sit down. The best evidence that you made a decision to sit down in the chair is that you’re seated there now—that’s proof that at some point you made a decision to or not. In the same way, the best evidence that you put your faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior is that you are living a life of works that demonstrate that he is Lord. What Jame is saying is that if what my mouth says about what I decided and my posture says differ, my posture is a more reliable indicator. Your posture is the evidence of your decision to sit. In the same way, your obedience is your evidence of faith in Christ and recognition of his Lordship. You are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone As we’re recording this, our church is in a series on the book of James, and coincidentally, one of our teaching pastors–Curtis Andursko–just addressed this question in his sermon on James 2. I thought he did a great job explaining this, and he even addressed the “Paul in Romans versus James” confusion directly. For Paul, justified: made right with God, For James, it means the the reality of your faith is proven before others Paige Benton Brown talked about how Paul was writing more like an OBGYN—he was talking about how we are born into true faith.  James is writing like a pediatrician—his goal is to talk about how we are living out that faith. Both Paul and James both point to a couple places in Abraham’s life where we see this kind of obedience. In Genesis 15, God covenants with Abraham And in Genesis 22, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac (and of course, God takes him right up to the point of obedience and then he provides a ram) Paul points out that Genesis 15:6 occurred before that dramatic act of obedience. All there was a promise and Abraham believed it. James points to Genesis 22 as the proof that Abraham had really decided to really trust God and follow him because now he is willing to sacrifice his son in obedience. Bottom line: James and Paul do not contradict—they harmonize. And that’s actually a really good principle to take whenever the Bible seems to contradict itself. Usually the greatest spiritual truth is found beneath something that looks like a contradiction. Want to ask J.D. a question? Head to our Ask Me Anything hub to submit your question. As always, don’t forget to rate and review this podcast! Find Pastor J.D. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

The podcast explores the reality of the occult, discussing practices like witchcraft and pagan worship. It highlights the increase in people believing in the occult in America. The hosts caution against flirting with the occult and discuss its global presence. They also delve into the struggles of finding common ground with occultists and address controversy around the Harry Potter series. The chapter explores Satan's influence in daily life and emphasizes the importance of scripture in combating his lies and temptations.