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John Piper

John Piper is founder and teacher of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Foundations for Lifelong Learning: Education in Serious Joy.

The Pastor as Theologian

The Pastor as Theologian

Life and Ministry of Jonathan Edwards

My topic is "The Pastor as Theologian, Reflections on the Life and Ministry of Jonathan Edwards." One of Edwards' books, written back in 1742, was recently reissued with an Introduction by Charles Colson. Colson wrote The western church –…

Monday Morning Meditation on Thirst

A spring satisfies thirst not by removing the need you have for water, but by being there to drink from when you get thirsty.

The Danger of Dull Hearing

Either we press on toward the inheritance or we drift back toward destruction. There is no third option.

We Need to Talk and Pray

An Invitation to an Open Forum and a Reminder to Pray

Great things continue to happen at Bethlehem but, of course, that doesn’t mean everything is easy or that everything is as it should be. A week ago Tuesday we took a day away as a staff and spent some time…

He Must Reign

Easter Sunday

The great word of the resurrection is OPEN! Therefore write in capital letters over every closed door in your life, OPEN!

Being Loved by Christ

Maundy Thursday

Jesus' love for his people is wonderfully durable, distinct, and deep.

Why Do You Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead?

Why is “because the Bible tells me so” less acceptable these days than “because the scientists tell me so”?

The Gallows and the Gift of Life

The Gallows and the Gift of Life

Palm Sunday

An allegory of a man in a prison called “conviction” and how he got out.

Char Ransom Returns Next Fall to Public School Teaching

Char and I have talked about this for months. A couple of times I think I succeeded in persuading her that staying was best. But this time she was more sure about the wisdom of returning to public school teaching…

He Who Sows Bountifully Will Reap Bountifully

God is the Giver, not Taker, on both sides of our giving.

What Is Success on Commitment Sunday?

We should give as radical as we can in pursuit of our best biblical judgment.

How Much Do You Own?

We boast in ourselves because we are selfish and don't believe all things are ours in Christ.

Let Christ Be All in This Building!

Let us be vigilant to keep Christ as the foundation of our church.

Why Cluster Meetings? Why an All Church Dinner?

The Cluster Meetings are mainly for information and interrogation The All Church Dinner is mainly for inspiration and adoration. Cluster Meetings Starting with the Deacon Council, Board chairmen and spouses on Friday, March 4, there will be 12…

Let God Be All in This Building!

It's the absence of the centrality of the biblical God in all of life that is leading to the collapse of our civilization.

Conference Message

The Gift of Preaching: The Power of the Holy Spirit

The Sunday sermon isn’t just another lecture, but a Spirit-empowered, Scripture-saturated heralding of good news to God’s people.

Conference Message

The Ground of Preaching: The Cross of Christ

The Ground of Preaching

The Cross of Christ

God’s passion for his glory and our longing to be satisfied are not in final conflict only because God displayed his righteousness in the cross of Christ.

Conference Message

The Gravity and Gladness of Preaching

Biblically balanced pastoral ministry requires the joyful gravity and brokenhearted gladness, especially in the pulpit.

Conference Message

The Goal of Preaching: The Glory of God

The Goal of Preaching

The Glory of God

The goal of preaching is to glorify God in glad submission to his authority.

Rethinking the "Carnal Christian"

The difference between the spiritual Christian and the carnal Christian is one of degree.

The Danger of Being Merely Human

There is a group of people whom Paul calls not spiritual and not natural, but "fleshly," or "babes in Christ."

Putting the Ministries Fair in a Missions Context

Last week I spoke in four daily chapels at Western Seminary in Portland. It was part of their missions emphasis week. The topic they gave me was: How to Bring Missions Vision and Life to a Local Church. There…

Natural People and Spiritual People

Without the Spirit, we are so rebellious against the Lord that we cannot recognize the truth and beauty of a crucified Christ.

Conference Message

The Tension Between Domestic Ministries and Frontier Missions

Before we can distinguish frontier missions from domestic ministries and talk about the tensions and relationship, we need to define them. Discovering the meaning of frontier missions is one of the most important discoveries I have made in the last…

Conference Message

How the Missions Movement is Growing at Bethlehem and a Challenge to Western

(Note: the following is a slightly modified copy of John Piper's speaking notes, not a full manuscript of the message.) Mustering Missions with Christian Hedonism 1. I preach to show that God wills the pursuit of our deepest joy, and…

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