The Story of How John MacArthur Became the World's Premier Expository Preacher. Listen at:
How did John MacArthur’s ministry become synonymous with expository preaching? And what does an expository preaching ministry look like? To answer that question, The MacArthur Center Podcast went back to John’s childhood in a pastor’s home and to the year 1969 when he became the teaching pastor at Grace Community Church. It told the remarkable, providential story of how Grace Church grew, how suffering has shaped John’s ministry, how he’s responded to threats to his church, and how he’s entrusted the gospel to the next generation of preachers. In these personal, profound stories, there are lessons for all pastors, and believers, who believe in the transforming power of an expositional ministry.
Pastor as shepherd. It’s the most common motif for men in the ministry. But pastors are also sheepdogs. They guard the flock that the Chief Shepherd entrusts to them. Throughout his 50 plus years of pastoral ministry, John MacArthur has taken on the role of sheepdog, defending the truth against those who oppose it and protecting God’s people from those who would harm them. This episode focuses on the years 2007-2013, when the flock faced a particular threat, and John defended it in a public way. In this story, pastors will see when, and how, they must take on the role of sheepdog in service of their Master.
John Donne called them Job's sick days. They are days of unexpected, and often unimaginable, suffering. They are part of life in a fallen world, both for believers and nonbelievers. And they are a constant reality in the life of a preacher. John MacArthur is certainly no stranger to suffering. This episode describes a dark day in the MacArthur family, and how that suffering shaped his life and ministry. And it looks at how John's life and preaching have cared for those in what Samuel Rutherford called the cellar of affliction."
For 52 years and counting, John MacArthur has pastored Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. Today, he is an example to all of us—particularly pastors—of perseverance. How has he remained in the arena for all those years? And why hasn’t he thought of retirement? In this final episode of season one, we’ll consider the sum of it all: the portrait of faithful endurance. And we’re going to find out how each of us can have a life and ministry of faithfulness, no matter the length of our days.
John MacArthur thought it was an ordinary Tuesday staff meeting, a chance to connect with his friends and fellow pastors at Grace Community Church. But this day in the fall of 1979 was actually the beginning of the greatest crisis of his ministry. Blindsided by betrayal, how did John respond? And how did he survive the coup d'etat? As this bonus episode examines Black Tuesday, it has lessons for all ministry leaders who have faced opposition.
When John MacArthur was coming of age in the 1950s and 60s, what person, Christian institution, or movement entrusted him with the work of the ministry? And in turn, how has he entrusted the truth to the next generation? Explore who influenced John, and how he's influenced the church, in season 2 of The MacArthur Center podcast. This season is titled The Entrusted: The Convictions and Legacy of John MacArthur. Listen to the trailer and subscribe today. Season 2 launches on Tuesday, March 8th.
