“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”
That’s how many of us feel in the wake of John MacArthur’s home going. The title of this post may indicate that we were close. We weren’t. Although we met a few times and had several mutual friends, MacArthur most likely would not have recognized my name had someone mentioned it to him.
Still, this remarkable man has had a shaping influence on my life. Though I probably had heard of John MacArthur prior to my years in Bible college, it was during my junior year (1988-89) that someone handed me MacArthur's newly published book, The Gospel According to Jesus. In this book, which became a Christian classic, MacArthur tackled the idea of "easy believism," challenging Christians to re-evaluate their commitment to Christ by examining their fruits. He urged readers to understand that their conversion was more than a mere point in time, that, by definition, it includes a lifetime of obediently walking with Jesus as Lord. To call him “Lord” and not obey him is a farce, a false Christianity, a failure to really grasp the gospel and so be saved. So, that book motivated me “to make [my] calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10).
The Gospel According to Jesus had a tremendous impact on me, not only because I more fully understood the rightful claims of the Lord upon my life, but also because every one of John MacArthur's arguments and assertions were grounded in Scripture. Time and time again he kept taking me back to the text. I understood that the authority behind this teaching was not John, but Jesus. As I continued to prepare for pastoral ministry, I made a commitment to make God's Word the foundation and center of my ministry.
Four years later, when I was in my second year of pastoral ministry, another book by MacArthur influenced me deeply. It was titled, Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World. In this volume, MacArthur challenged the seeker-sensitive movement, which shapes church ministry and worship services based on what people want rather than what God wants and has made known to us in his Word. God knows better than we do what kind of worship serves us best and glorifies him most. John’s biblical corrective of pragmatism in the church steeled my resolve to shepherd the flock of God according to the timeless truth of Scripture rather than the troubling trends of consumeristic churches that do “whatever works” to grow.
That same year (1992), I got to meet John MacArthur for the first time while attending the Shepherds Conference. I was 23 years old and was intimidated to be standing in the presence of this expository giant whom I greatly admired. As I shook his hand, I said, "It's so nice to finally meet you, Dr. MacMarthur." Read that again. It's not a typo. I really said, "MacMarthur." But John was so kind and gracious. He immediately asked me where I was from and how my ministry was going, and told me how glad he was to have me there for the conference. My admiration for him only grew more.
Photo of John MacArthur and me taken at the 2002 Shepherds Conference at Grace Community Church (Sun Valley, CA)
Now I'm in my 35th year of ministry, and I can't tell you how many times I have consulted MacArthur's Study Bible, New Testament commentaries, and dozens of other books which occupy my library. I have listened to countless sermons by MacArthur, thanks to the Grace to You media ministry. "Though he died, he still speaks" (Heb. 11:4). That's because John believed in the power and priority of God's Word.
John MacArthur was not flawless, but he was faithful. Apart from John's family, probably no one could attest more to the quality of John's life and ministry than Phil Johnson, Executive Director of Grace to You, who worked side-by-side with John for nearly 45 years. Phil said,
In the pulpit he was fierce, forceful, and full of earnest courage. In person, he was always kind and gentle -- one of the most gracious men I have ever met. He was an extraordinary man of God.
[John's homegoing] is a painful loss for the church, but a glorious triumph for John.
May John's enduring testimony spur on each of us in our devotion to Christ, remembering that "when Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:4).
Maranatha!