FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS FOR JOHN MacARTHUR’S 40 YEARS OF MINISTRY
I just wanted to understand the Bible – I wanted a place where I would have to be disciplined to study it every week.
I wanted to understand the New Testament – it’s never been about preaching, but to know about Scripture – what does it say and what does it mean?
Things that began to take shape early in his ministry at GCC –
- you’ve got to get the gospel right – his first sermon was on false Christians in the church
- His second Sunday he preached on the components of a Biblical church
- an early sermon series was on the glory of God
- it was a Trinitarian view of the church – God the Father, Christ, and the Spirit’s role in the church…
Forty years later and the church is the same in terms of its convictions. Everything has changed around us and nothing has changed within us. Things have come and gone, but we pay no attention to it all – this is not our church, it is Christ’s church.
We’re far from perfect; we’re at various stages of immaturity. We haven’t reached perfection, but we know our direction.
Some non-negotiables for the ministry of the church –
1. The absolute authority of Scripture
2 Thess. 2:13 – this has been the very foundation of the church. Insights and intuitions never change the interpretation of Scripture. You can only draw out the true interpretation, but the interpretation never changes. If you can’t preach your sermons from 10 years ago, there is something wrong with them, because what you have in your hand is an unchanging authority.
2. The church is an assembly of believers who are a congregation of worshippers.
The dominant idea of the church gathered is worship. We are worshippers. We don’t hear of evangelism along that line – the invitation to salvation is an invitation to become a worshipper of Christ, giving Him the adoration and obedience He is due. This will be our eternal activity.
These people need to understand what it means to worship. To do that, they have to be informed Biblically – to know the fullness of His person and work. Word-informed worship is what we wanted. Ignorance cripples worship. You have to take people down before they can go up.
3. Doctrinal clarity.
“The Lord hard-wired me for this. I need answers….I need clarity.” Clarity translates into conviction. Interpret Scripture and elicit from that interpretation principle and that becomes conviction (belief) and then affection.
Doctrinal clarity became the vehicle for affection and love. The Scripture is clear and it is consistent.
4. Spiritual discernment.
Note 1 Thess. 5:19-22. This is clearly a call for discernment. Cf. Acts 17:11. Discernment is absolutely critical. The people needed convictions that would allow them to protect themselves and then others.
5. The church was to pursue holiness.
In all honesty, I hadn’t seen a whole lot of it in the church, and I still don’t. I’ve seen a lot of legalism and anti-nomianism. I was over-exposed to fundamentalism. I didn’t like it because legalism cannot suppress the flesh.
This led to the implementation and practice of church discipline at GCC. Had never seen Matthew 18 practiced – “you’ll empty the church…” “Fine, but what does the Bible say????”
6. The need to develop godly leaders.
Somebody has to develop the leaders; it was in my heart not to take leaders from other churches, but to provide leaders for other churches.
There is also to be a plurality of leaders, not a hierarchy – an equal calling.
7. The need to be devoted to discipleship.
8. The need to teach them the unity that arises from honest love and affection. (1 Pt. 4:8)
Came to grips with passages on spiritual gifts and the one anothers of Scripture.
9. The church needed to be marked by faithful prayer.
10. The church needed to be marked by sacrificial giving.
11. All this is for the purpose of evangelism – to equip people to evangelize.
The whole purpose of this church is for evangelism.
Conclusion:
I’m not trying to reproduce the world in here! Follow the manual – the Book – and nothing changes. We take advantage of the technology, but not grabbing every silly trend that passes by.
Why I never had a fleeting thought about leaving this church. Why? Because this is my church – this is where I go to church, this is my people, the place where my wife and children love the people…
Words of Grace 