John MacArthur's 50th Anniversary

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bookslover

Puritan Board Doctor
On Saturday, February 9, 2019, John MacArthur celebrated his 50th anniversary as pastor of Grace Community Church of the Valley, in Sun Valley, California.

No, he's not completely Reformed (his soteriology is solid) but he's done a lot of good for the cause of Christ over the last half-century, especially in teaching against the charismatic movement and in upholding Christ's Lordship. His sermons are very edifying.

He'll turn 80 on June 19th of this year, so he, doubtless, has finished his last full decade (ages 70-80) of ministry. As I understand it, he preaches only the morning services now, leaving the evening service to others.

It'd be interesting to know what his plans are for the next few years, although I'm sure he probably keeps those to himself.
 
Tonight on Moody radio, on my way home from church, I heard him preach the first sermon he gave at Grace Church. February 9th, 1969 the text being Matthew 7:21-23. 'How To Play Church.' Remarkable how at 29 years old he preached with power and authority even then. Here is a youtube presentation of the sermon.
 
I already thought he hit that mark! He is younger than my grandma who looks even younger!
Nevertheless, thanks to my MacArthur-esque church I was introduced to him through many books. As a result, he guided me toward Reformed (at the time just Calvinism) theology, especially since he mentioned RC Sproul regarding creation.
 
I admire John MacArthur's courage in the face of blistering attacks from all comers. I was a student at a well-known dispensationalist Bible college when he penned The Gospel According to Jesus. MacArthur was a regular speaker at the school but was disinvited after TGATJ was published. Grace to You was also taken off of several Christian radio stations. As his belief in Calvinistic soteriology became more well-known the attacks continued. MacArthur never once backed down. His appearances on the Larry King Show were always consistent. He provided a clear contrast between a secular worldview and a biblical worldview.
 
On Saturday, February 9, 2019, John MacArthur celebrated his 50th anniversary as pastor of Grace Community Church of the Valley, in Sun Valley, California.

No, he's not completely Reformed (his soteriology is solid) but he's done a lot of good for the cause of Christ over the last half-century, especially in teaching against the charismatic movement and in upholding Christ's Lordship. His sermons are very edifying.

He'll turn 80 on June 19th of this year, so he, doubtless, has finished his last full decade (ages 70-80) of ministry. As I understand it, he preaches only the morning services now, leaving the evening service to others.

It'd be interesting to know what his plans are for the next few years, although I'm sure he probably keeps those to himself.
I always laughed at when he and Dr Sproul would agree to discuss on certain aspects of Christianity , as they modeled how to do that in love of Christ.
 
I suspect he will continue to preach as long as he’s able.

I agree. He'll continue to preach as long as he (1) wants to and (2) his health (which I think is excellent) allows.

I just hope that (1) he's preparing his congregation for his inevitable departure (his not preaching in the evening service helps with this, I think) and (2) he doesn't decide that he gets to choose who his successor is (that's the job of the church's leadership, not a former pastor).
 
On instagram, Steven Lawson posted a picture of Johnny Mac's 50th Anniversary gift. It was Martyn Lloyd-Jones prayer bench. What a nice gift? I'm pretty sure that Lloyd-Jones family and/or Iain Murray was involved in that transaction.
 
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