BLESSED IN HIS SIGHT IS THE DEATH OF HIS SAINTS - A TRIBUTE TO JOHN MACARTHUR

Courtesy of IslandsEdge, posted on Wikipedia

 Becky and I have been talking about going out west sometime and visit friends in California and Arizona, and one thing Becky wanted to do was to hear John MacArthur preach at Grace Community Church.  That plan got scrapped when MacArthur was called to his heavenly home, July 14, 2025, at age 86 (the same age my Dad was when he passed in 2019).

My first introduction to him was at Bible College. In '79, Professor David Nicholas gave the Charismatic movement as a term paper subject in Hermeneutics (Biblical Interpretation) class, but said that anyone who did that subject (I did) needed to get MacArthur's book "The Charismatics" (I did). At that same time, a series based on the book was published in Moody Monthly.

Even though I moved back to Southern California after that for a short period time, I didn't follow him much, but when I pastored a church in Nebraska, a friend mentioned his tape ministry. Then, when I moved to Nashville, TN a year later, I listened to him occasionally on radio.

In '90, I got a copy of "The Gospel According To Jesus" from a friend. I didn't start reading it till four years later, but that book impacted my life. So did "Ashamed of the Gospel," which focused on pragmatism in the church.

As you may know, MacArthur didn't shy away from controversy, but one underlying thing is he stood solidly on the authority of Scripture and on expository preaching, and these items had a connection to his stand on those disputes. Two of those debates have been alluded to above. I had a friend at church who said he had a problem with MacArthur, because of their differing stands on the Charismatic movement. The funny thing is when I gave a quote from the MacArthur Study Bible (which I referred to as the Big Mac - if you saw a copy, you could see why), that friend usually admitted he agreed with MacArthur on that point. The other was with "The Gospel According To Jesus," which basically said that if a person is born again, there will be changes in his life.

Two recent things that MacArthur did which I agree. One was how he handled COVID. Some of the church felt the Biblical command to assemble together (Hebrews 10:24-25) was more important than keeping California Governor Newsom's lockdown. The church was fined by the government, but MacArthur was ready to go to court about it, and asked the state to give proof the lockdown measures worked. The state dropped the case, agreeing to drop the fines, pay the court fees and to not file any subsequent charges. The other was his support of the Legacy Standard Bible, which was consistent in transliterating Yahweh instead of using "The Lord" or "God" in all caps. 

After his death a couple of weeks ago, I've read some posts and a couple of videos about his death. All of which were mostly positive, pointing out his solid stand on the Bible and expository preaching though one of the videos brought out the differences between MacArthur and his friend/fellow minister John Piper in a way that was definitely unnecessarily overdramatic. The article from Daniel Silliman in Christianity did balance the positive with some questions on the issues mentioned above and his views on women in the church (particularly Beth Moore). I did find it interesting it seemed to overlook the COVID issue.

Like J. Vernon McGee, MacArthur is in heaven but will continue to minister on earth. Grace to You has stated they will continue airing MacArthur's sermons. I'm glad. 

BOOK REVIEW - HOW TO KEEP YOUR HEAD ON STRAIGHT IN A WORLD GONE CRAZY; DEVELOPING DISCERNMENT FOR THESE LAST DAYS BY RICK RENNER

 

Do you think this world has gone berserk, especially watching the entertainment media or listening to politicians? Is there a way to escape that lunacy?

I agree with the answer Rick Renner gives in "How To Keep Your Head On Straight In A World Gone Crazy:" We need to return to Scripture and practice spiritual discernment.

This isn't the first book I've read on the subject, but it is unique in perspective. Renner puts himself in the Pentecostal/Charismatic camp, and most discernment ministries I'm familiar with are very wary of that segment of the church. Renner states he believes speaking in tongues is evidence of the Holy Spirit, which I strongly disagree with. In fact, some of the authors recommending this book are part of movements that most Discernment ministries identify as proof we need discernment: namely the Laughing Revival and the Word of Faith movement.

Even with the disagreements, I believe he's on the money on the need to get back to Biblical thinking.

INTRODUCTION - A LOOK AT PROPHECY PART 1 OF 5

The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich

Are there modern day prophets? 

Has the gift of prophecy ceased? 

How do we determine if a prophecy/prophet is really of God?

Today, I'm going to be starting a series on prophecy. These questions and others will be dealt with.

Concerning the issue of Spiritual Gifts, which includes prophecy, there are three views. These are:

1. Charismatic/Pentecostal - not only are all the gifts still in operation today, but are also an indication of God being at work today.
2. Continuist - while not emphasizing them as much as the Charismatic, they believe that all gifts still exist, as God chooses to use them.
3. Cessationist - believe that some of the gifts were given for the purpose of establishing the church and have ceased upon the completion of the Biblical canon and the death of the apostles. Examples of those are tongues and prophecy.
   

Which am I? Good question. Though my theological training is primarily cessationist, I'm not convinced. I'd probably fall into the continuist camp, though I believe God can according His will cause a gift to cease in a region/local church or for a period of time or permanently.

What reasons are there for prophecy to have ceased? Primarily, because prophecy involves special revelation. I've heard some state that if a prophecy/new revelation is in agreement with Scripture, it's unnecessary, and if it doesn't it's unbiblical. One reason for this view is the belief that the Canon was closed with the completion of the New Testament books and the death of the Apostles. But does that mean that God never uses the gift of prophecy?

Do I see someone raising their hand? Do I hear someone asking if I believe the gift has ceased? I guess I haven't seen or heard the above, partially because I'm typing this in a room I'm occupying by myself, and partially because you're guessing I have my doubts. You'd guess correctly. If prophecy has ceased, then:

• Why is it included as one of the four or five gifts given to help equip the saints (Ephesians 4:11)?
• Why does Paul spend a whole chapter (1 Corinthians 14) to convince us one ceased gift is more preferable to another ceased gift? 
• Why is prophecy one of two gifts mentioned in all three lists of spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12; and Ephesians 4:11) if it is going to be absent at least 95% of the church age? (The other gift is teaching, which is not considered a gift that will cease.)
• Why does Paul tell us not to despise prophecies (1 Thessalonians 5:20) if there aren't going to be any to despise?

While this study will not ignore other gifts, my focus is on the gift of prophecy. Part of it is that there are, as there always have been, those who claim to be speaking for God who are merely claiming their opinions are God's. The other part is that we may not be listening for God when we should. 

Now, some of you already have made up your minds and are already outlining the many ways I'm wrong. Hey, I could be. Or I could be right. Why not let me continue and let you decide where I've got a point and where I don't based on what I write, not preconceived notions? 

BOOK REVIEW - VOICE OF A PROPHET: WHO SPEAKS FOR GOD? BY A. W. TOZER

 

I found this book challenging in a good way. It does encourage one toward a closer walk with God. I placed it in my ten favorite non-fiction list I read in 2021. This is definitely going on my re-read list.

Prophecy (as in the existence of modern day prophets) is a debated issue. My upbringing is in groups that believe there are no prophets after the New Testament was completed, while others believe it is going on today. Tozer's focus doesn't quite fit either camp perfectly. The writing of this book seems to give the impression God still calls prophets, but it doesn't look like what I see in the modern movements that believe prophecy is still going on.

This book was published and edited post-humously by James L. Snyder from sermons and other writing of Tozer. This may not be as strong as Tozer's classics like The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy, but I still recommend it. (I learned about it by seeing it listed in the bibliography of Another Gospel by Alisa Childers.)

Let me get back to the issue of prophecy. I am interested in studying the role of a prophet, and I would find myself somewhere between the cessationists who say the gift of prophecy vanished after the completion of the canon and those who are on the Charismatic side. I'll be dealing with that subject later in the year in my blog (I'll announce that later).

I will admit that I do find myself a little frustrated by the two post-humous Tozer books I've read. However, while I'm not sure I agree with everything in this book, I'm definitely planning on reading it again.