Last night ended with a sad news: John MacArthur went home to be with the Lord. His battles with sickness and bodily infirmities are over. He is enjoying joy unspeakable, full of glory.
There are some valuable lessons we can learn from his life.
- His love for God and His Word: His ministry motto says it all: unleashing God’s truth, one verse at a time. He was passionate about exploring every word of the scripture. While I may not agree with all of his interpretations of the scriptures, I love most of his expositions.
- His Christ-centric life and ministry. Very few preachers of our time exalted Lord Jesus Christ in their sermons like John.
- His practical Christian life. He led a good life free of sex scandals and financial scandals.
- His humility. One day, through a common friend’s connection, I spoke to him over the phone for a few minutes. He told me, ‘Paul, I appreciate what you are doing for the Lord’. He enlightened and encouraged small ministries like our God & Science Foundation. He sent me a signed copy of his MacArthur Study Bible, a treasure trove of Biblical wisdom, free of charge.
- His prophet-like ministry. He was not carried away by who is in the White House. He was not carried away by the cultural currents of our chaotic world. ‘Thus sayeth the Lord’ was his thundering in all circumstances.
- His courage in the face of trials: when heart disease and other sicknesses moved him away from his beloved pulpit to hospital, he did not lose his composure. He maintained steadfast focus on the mission God gave him.
Until we see you again in heaven, good bye John MacArthur.