Pastor John MacArthur taught me to sleep… and more

What more could a nobody from an island pictured as a haven talking lions and penguins bring to the chorus of thankfulness to God for the longevity, depth, breadth, and fruitfulness of John MacArthur’s ministry? Not much. But I wanted to join in anyway and add to everything that has been said in the past few days because I am grateful.

I first benefited from someone who benefited from MacArthur’s ministry, so I am like a grandchild of sorts. Coming from a French-speaking country I knew very little of him in my early Christian life. Then, in 2010, I was blessed to attend the T4G conference in Louisville and heard him live for the first time as he preached on the “Theology of sleep”. My favorite line from that sermon (maybe not verbatim) was “I don’t sleep a lot, but I sleep well, knowing that God is in control and causes the growth”. Amen to that!

Afterward, I started to avidly listen to his sermons and read a good few of his books. I was puzzled by the fact that all he said or wrote seemed so obvious as it could be drawn from the biblical text and yet so profoundly thought through and so powerfully delivered.

It was at that conference that the Lord confirmed in my heart and mind the growing desire I had to study His Word. I could not think of another place to do so than the Master’s Seminary from which I graduated in May 2017; still wondering how that happened until now. I am astonished at the Lord’s provision that also enabled me to be ordained and for our family to be sent out by Grace Community Church as missionaries back to my own country! Our lives have been so profoundly impacted by pastor John’s ministries; we praise the Lord for what He has done through him.

So here are 5 things I have had the blessing to take away from my interactions with Pastor John, from sitting under his teaching and from observing all the other pastors that are connected to his ministry. These are 5 things that I will endeavor to emulate for as long as the Lord grants me to be in ministry:

1- Fervency

No matter the occasion, a conference, a Sunday evening at Grace Community Church, a luncheon or a private meeting, his passion for Scripture exudes from every word he uses and undergirds his delivery. He has often said that he never prepared a sermon for the sake of it but always to grow in his knowledge of God and love for Him. Well, both are so evident in his life. He is not only an example at the pulpit, but every preacher ought also to learn from his keenness to study and his drive to share the truth to all around him.

 

2- Faithfulness

We are celebrating how God has kept him faithful for 50 years. This speaks to both his steadfastness in ministry and his authenticity. He genuinely believes all that he has preached and hasn’t changed his approach nor his strategy for ministry over these years. Someone attended the church 20 years after their first visit and said after the sermon: “Well, nothing has changed.” In this day and age, everyone is after novelty; we can celebrate the values of dedication, persistence, and loyalty to Scripture displayed in the life of pastor John.

3- Focus

Having the apostle Paul as his model for ministry, John MacArthur can definitely say with him “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (1 Cor 2:2, NASB) He is striving to exalt the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ at every sermon. It is so remote from the rampant anthropocentrism of our days. It is also so remote from the attempts by many pastors to draw attention to themselves. Being single-minded allows you to be stable (James 1:8), and so he has been for 50 years and counting.

4- Fraternity

He set as a priority early in his ministry to meet with men every Saturday morning to train and disciple them. The fruits of these weekly meetings will only be fully ascertained when we are in glory. This 2 Timothy 2:2 approach is still applied through the different ministries that have been founded since such as the Master’s Seminary and the Master’s Academy International, and it is what binds us together. The priority given to training men is now not applied only in an office building on Roscoe Boulevard, but in close to 70 countries worldwide impacted by his stand for male spiritual leadership and maturity. A band of brothers, that is what we are, sharing a commitment for the church, personal holiness, love for the lost and expository preaching.

5- Family

Many of us have heard the famous quote from his son: “Dad, when you are at home, you are not that special.” Or maybe have you heard him talk about the deal he made with his children, “you come to my sermons, I come to your games.” John MacArthur is a family man. He has modeled over the years putting his family first. He has faithfully loved Patricia and has raised his children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. He is a sweet grand-father, remaining available for his family despite the incredible amount of responsibilities he carries. He speaks kindly to them, never raises his voice and never loses patience.

He is also such a man to his friends and long-time church members. One of our greatest shared memory is the day when we celebrated the 92^nd birthday of Charles Miller, a member of the church who was bed-ridden and who Lily and the kids visited weekly at the time. As they came in with balloons and a cake to surprise Charles, they were the one surprised to find John and Patricia there to also greet Charles for his birthday. John asked Charles what he wanted for his birthday, and Pastor John went himself to get the green tamales and milkshake he asked for. What an amazing display of kindness and care.

For all of this and so much more, I celebrate the Lord’s goodness for enabling pastor John to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58, NASB). Soli Deo Gloria!