Ask the Pastor with J.D. Greear

We have an extra special episode of Ask Me Anything for you. Pastor J.D. wrote a short evangelistic book this year called,  Searching for Christmas: What if There’s More to the Story than You Thought? , to put a gift in the hands of Christians for those they’re reaching out to. A lot of the normal Christmas Eve services, you might not be able to invite someone to, but this book creates...

Pastor J.D. discusses how the Summit approaches multisite and what the Bible has to say about it. A glimpse inside this episode and some bonus material: I continue to get questions about the “multi-site” strategy on a regular basis. It’s not nearly as bizarre as it was when we began, but is still controversial for a lot of people. In light of that, I’ve revisited and expanded a post from a few yea...

Pastor J.D. reflects on his two-sermon series on Ecclesiastes—his underrated favorite. A glimpse inside this episode: Well, like a typical pastor, I just can’t narrow it down to one–I say whatever I am preaching at moment– and so many have spoken and challenged me directly in real, tangible ways before they ever made their way onto the stage. A few years ago, I did preach a short, two-...

Pastor J.D. talks about the importance of time with God, even in dry seasons, and some tools that can help along the way. A glimpse inside this episode: It may surprise you, but sometimes this is still a struggle for me. And I’m a pastor and have a Ph. D. in theology. But that doesn’t mean I automatically have a rich, rewarding time with God each morning. Sometimes my “quiet times” (which, by the...

Pastor J.D. discusses three common objectives people have surrounding the death penalty. A glimpse inside this episode: Three objections people have: 1. It is immoral (this is contradicted by ample biblical support both Old and New Testament) Some will say, “One of the 10 commandments is, ‘Thou shalt not murder.’ So, we shouldn’t administer the death penalty, either.”  But Dr. Wayne Grudem, who I...

Pastor J.D. shares three words that should guide our post-election posture—empathy, charity, and unity. A glimpse inside this episode: Politics matter, but they are not an issue of first importance. I want to give you three words that should guide our posture after this election (that I learned a few years ago from 1 Peter). Three words that should characterize the church and every follower of Jes...

I’ll answer your question with a question—the same question I ask every college graduate at The Summit Church: You’ve got to get a job somewhere. Why not get a job in a place where God is doing something strategic? Whatever you do, do it well for the glory of God, and do it somewhere strategic for the mission of God. We challenge our college graduates to let the mission of God be the most signific...

Pastor J.D. talks about why it’s time we kick our bucket lists and do the one thing now that we can’t do in eternity—share the gospel. A glimpse inside this episode: I often hear people today talk about “bucket lists.” You know, all those things you want to do before you kick the bucket because you assume you’ll never have a chance to do them again. The handful of experiences that have lived up to...

Pastor J.D. shares how God called him to the mission field before calling him to be a pastor of a church that sends and supplies the mission field in extravagant ways. A glimpse inside this episode: When God called me to be a pastor, he did so by first calling me to the mission field. I spent the first two years of my ministry as a church planter among Muslims overseas. God never relinquished that...

Pastor J.D. is joined by Pastor Bryan Loritts for a special edition of Ask Me Anything where they look at the events of the past week. A glimpse inside this episode: Immediately: Bear one another’s burdens, grieve with those who grieve. Love your neighbors as yourself. Pursue empathy. Relieve yourself of the burden of having to come up with answers, and take a posture of humility. Even in the face...

Pastor J.D. discusses the three most important things for new believers to do as they begin their relationship with Christ. A glimpse inside this episode: #1: Learn how to spend time with God. There’s absolutely nothing that will benefit you more than spending time with God every single day. Find a time that works for you, and set aside time. Start with 10-15 minutes if you need to, but make sure...

Pastor J.D. talks about the importance of doctrine, values, and mission when aligning with a denomination and shares some of his convictions. A glimpse inside this episode: I am Southern Baptist, not by birth but by choice. There is no group whose doctrine, values, and mission I line up with more than Southern Baptists. A lot of people wonder what the usefulness of denominations is, especially whe...

Pastor J.D. discusses the different types of promises we see in Scripture and how God’s promises are still true for us today. A glimpse into this episode: I’m for taking promises more seriously–the Bible has 3000! In short: Yes. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says that all of the promises of God are “yes” in Christ Jesus. But not always in the same way as to Israel, so it’s important to understand what...

Pastor J.D. explains why the seemingly obvious lives vs. livelihood answer is more complicated than we think. A glimpse inside this episode: When you phrase it, “Lives vs. livelihood” the answer seems obvious. But it’s more complicated than that. To be honest, it’s really easy to say, “Let’s keep the economy closed for however long this takes,” while you’re sitting at home collecting a paycheck wh...

Pastor J.D. talks about how times of suffering, like the current coronavirus pandemic, should be viewed in connection to God’s judgment. A glimpse inside this episode: We’ve been asking some questions that are pretty specific to our current situation with the coronavirus. Is it ever right to see coronavirus as evidence of specific judgment from God on a person or a people? In one sense, all misery...

Pastor J.D. shares some of his thoughts about doing church online, especially in light of the current coronavirus pandemic. A glimpse inside this episode: J.D., most churches are now recording or live-streaming their church services so their people can watch from their homes in light of the coronavirus pandemic. What do you think about that? Is church online really church? In some ways, you’d like...

With the cancellation of the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, Pastor J.D. Greear briefly answers what that means for him over the next year. Resources: Why canceling the 2020 SBC Annual Meeting is putting ‘Gospel Above All’ 2020 SBC Annual Meeting canceled Baptist Press COVID-19 coverage

Pastor J.D. talks about some key advantages and disadvantages to each type of schooling and how Scripture guides our decision-making. A glimpse inside this episode: My friend Joby Martin says if you want some entertainment, get a home-school mama and a public school mama together and ask what the best educational approach is and then just get some popcorn and sit back and prepare for a UFC bout. H...

During this uncertain time, Pastor J.D. addresses a common question Christians have about prayer. He makes it clear that God not only hears our prayers but moves as a result. A glimpse inside this episode: Here are some false answers: Maybe prayer is about changing me? Not true. Lewis. Not, ask and you’ll be changed, knock and the experience makes you different. The parables (Luke 13, Luke 18) abo...

Pastor J.D. shares four main ways Christians should respond in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. A glimpse inside this episode: The coronavirus is now, according to the World Health Organization, a “world pandemic.” We’ve seen some unprecedented public responses to stop the spread of the virus here in the United States—things most of us have never personally experienced. States (like our own...

Pastor J.D. and Matt are joined by special guest, Brian Fikkert, author of the new Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty Isn’t the American Dream and When Helping Hurts . A glimpse inside this episode: The answer is clearly no. The gospel is not just for western culture. But the evangelical church’s truncated understanding of the gospel has often resulted in the mixture of the go...

Pastor J.D. talks about the need to care for the earth but also remember the purpose of God creating it, especially when it comes to matters like climate change. A glimpse inside this episode: Two Poles: We are responsible to care for creation and … The earth was created for the benefit of humans. We’re not a virus or a cancer. These come from two mandates in Genesis 1: Dominion mandate: ear...

Pastor J.D. discusses what’s important to keep in mind when it comes to leaving a church and choosing one. A glimpse inside this episode: There are two tensions to manage here: The no-commitment consumer culture is not appropriate for the church. Consumer culture works for some things. But not for church. Church is a family: The best parts of church come from that; it’s not a show. It is better to...

Pastor J.D. talks about the nuances of cold-call evangelism and why evangelism is vital to the church today. A glimpse inside today’s episode: This is something very familiar to me. In the church where I grew up, Wednesday-afternoon soul-winning was your first act of sanctification! Not kidding. I got saved on a Friday and went on my first soul-winning cold-call that next Wednesday. For vari...

Pastor J.D. walks through various views of spiritual gifts today and discusses some general guardrails to keep in mind when approaching gifts like speaking in tongues. A glimpse inside this episode: Now, a little lay-of-the-land: There’s generally 4 positions when it comes to spiritual gifts like tongues and prophecy: Cessationist : gifts (like prophecy, tongues and healings) have ceased. On the o...