John MacArthur and Me

It was the spring of 1990. I was a high school senior planning to go to college to study the Bible, with a view toward entering pastoral ministry. So when my church brought in John MacArthur to do a preaching conference for pastors, my youth pastor scored me a ticket, and I skipped school to attend.

I remember sitting in the front row, equal parts starstruck and grateful for the opportunity, hanging on every word. MacArthur was an exegete’s exegete, and I had already decided what kind of preacher I wanted to be - one who did the hard work of study and preparation, and who preached without compromise. MacArthur was my hero, and here he was, standing not 6 feet away. I felt like I was watching a master at work.

So of course I took the chance during a break to introduce myself and ask a question. “Dr. MacArthur, I’m going to college next year to study the Bible and prepare for ministry. Do you have any advice for me?” I half expected to receive a gentle admonition for not going to California to study as his school, but what I got back was life-changing. “I’ll give you a charge, and a recommendation. The charge: Always preach the text. Always. The recommendation: Take Greek as soon as you can, as much as you can.”

I took the recommendation to heart, signing up for Greek 100 the fall semester of my freshman year, and I took 3 more semesters in my undergraduate studies. Of everything I learned during my undergrad years, learning Greek was the most impactful.

I didn’t go straight to seminary after school as I had originally planned. (I didn’t get a seminary degree until my 50’s!) I ended up married with children, with a lucrative career in software, but I always would volunteer in my local church, occasionally getting to preach or teach Sunday School. (I even did a stint as a bivocational pastor, which meant I was preaching every week for a while.) But in every sermon, I preached the text. I don’t get many opportunities to preach nowadays, but when I do, I preach the text.

As I grew older and studied more, I left behind the dispensationalism of my youth. Other influences had a larger sway in my life. And MacArthur took some stances that I simply didn’t agree with. We grew apart, if you can say that where one party doesn’t know the other exists! Still, I am grateful for those years under MacArthur’s influence, learning from his example what it means to exegete a text of Scripture. I am thankful for the charge he gave me, and the advice about learning Greek. It shaped my ministry and changed my life.

Rest in peace, Pastor John.