During the Covid-19 era, Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church stood tall and kept his church open, defying civil law in favor of God’s law. His pastorship goes back decades and his impact on American Christianity has been significant, with many top Pastors today citing MacArthur as one of their biggest influences.
While MacArthur planned on coming back after a recent bout with illnesses, that would prove not to be the case. The Pastor caught pneumonia and died at the age of 86. MacArthur’s central gospel message was one he spoke until the end. Speaking of the job of Pastor, MacArthur said, “Being a pastor means you’re a truth-teller. The whole purpose of the Christian message is to confront the sinner’s sin so you can call the sinner to repentance and forgiveness… The true gospel is a call to self-denial. It is not a call to self-fulfillment.”
John MacArthur: A fearless preacher who never wavered– www.theblaze.com
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Los Angeles megachurches often resemble their Hollywood neighbors — grand stage sets with top-tier lighting and sound, carefully produced services complete with scripts, soundtracks, and a live audience. They usually plant themselves in the “nice parts of town” — Hollywood Hills, Santa Monica, Pasadena. Perfect if you’re after a Sunday pep talk and a little feel-good music to carry you through the week.
But that was never Grace Community Church with John MacArthur at the pulpit.
MacArthur never chased applause or tailored sermons to flatter the mood of the age.
Unlike many pastors leading congregations of similar size, MacArthur, who died Monday at the age of 86, didn’t preach to people hoping to make them “feel better” about themselves. He preached to dying souls, convinced he held the only message that could save them: the gospel — the real, unvarnished gospel of Scripture.
