Pastor John MacArthur: Longtime Pastor, Mentor, and Friend!

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the Word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7). “Imitate me, (in so much) as I imitate Christ.” The Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 11:1.

When it comes to ministry mentors and pastoral role-models: Choose wisely!  For “the student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will become like their teacher.” Luke 6:40.

Dr. John MacArthur became my pastor in 1991.  I still consider him to be my primary ministry mentor, my faithful shepherd, and my humble friend.  Pastor John has been the lead shepherd at Grace Community Church steadily leading the same flock for over fifty years now; (he began his ministry at GCC in 1969)!  When my entire family moved from Wisconsin Rapids to Los Angeles in the early 90’s, little did I know the impact Pastor John MacArthur would have on my life, my wife/family, and on my own future pastoral ministry.  How could I? Seeing I was not genuinely converted until Jr. High (and only God knows the future).  Looking back, one of the greatest privileges in my life was growing up at Grace Community Church, sitting under the expository preaching ministry of John MacArthur, and attending the Master’s University and Seminary.  Here I learned the in’s and out’s of biblical Christianity and the ABC’s of pastoral ministry and expository preaching.  At this faithful church, under this faithful preacher, everything my Christian parents taught me from Scripture was reinforced and fortified (2 Timothy 3:15-4:5).

Over the past thirty years I have corresponded back and forth with Pastor MacArthur often via handwritten letters.  Despite an unbelievably demanding ministry schedule, Pastor John has always taken time to write me back (albeit sometimes through his church secretary).  As a child/teenager many of my chicken scratch notes included "difficult" bible questions, such as, “Pastor, how do you explain the discrepancies with regard to numbers recorded in the same bible verse in different bible translations?”  “Dear Pastor John, if God is absolutely sovereign, how do we reconcile ____.”  After many gracious and thoroughly biblical responses I realized that it was unlikely that I would be able to stump (my) Pastor John.   

In the 90’s my (pastor) father had the privilege of serving as missions/outreach pastor (while attending seminary) and I had the honor of serving as a deacon (a decade or so later).  During college, when the Lord changed my career trajectory from sports broadcasting to pastoral ministry/preaching, my love and appreciation for Pastor John MacArthur increased a hundred-fold.  He was now not only my favorite preacher, he was also a ministry hero in the faith.  Like Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Pastor John was a lion in the pulpit and a lamb outside of it when interacting with his beloved congregation.  As I was able to see him live out his faith in private (doing life with his children and grandchildren) my respect for him only grew.  Like my own father, he was the same godly man at home as he was behind the pulpit.

One of the most memorable highlights of our married life is when Pastor John and Patricia visited our 1-bedroom dorm apartment (see picture above) for dinner before I graduated from seminary and moved to the Midwest to pastor a local church.  

Suffice it to say, no “jar of clay” has had a greater impact on my pulpit ministry, my theological convictions, and my (biblical) philosophy of ministry than Pastor John MacArthur.  This partially explains why Andrea and I named our son Jude MacArthur Kolstad. 

Many people who find/visit the churches I joyfully pastor do so via the Master’s Seminary church finder or by calling “Grace to You.”  It's a tremendous stewardship and honor to receive referrals from any of Pastor John’s ministry volunteers, staff pastors, or university/seminary professors (1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:11).  To be called a "Master's man" is a great privilege and a great responsibility.

In view of the massive influence of The Master’s Seminary/University and Pastor John MacArthur on me (and all of our pastors) we believe it is quite fitting to highlight this special relationship on my ministry blog page and church website.

Included are a few of my favorite memories/pictures with Pastor John; (Unfortunately, I did not save any letters from my childhood/teen years).

Article originally posted 5/11/23

The Future of Pastoral Training

"What was one of the most powerful sermons Martyn Lloyd-Jones ever gave? According to his biographer, Iain Murray, it was ML-J’s address at London Bible College on May 10, 1958. His text from his AV was 2 Timothy 2:15-16: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” Some may think this merely the uncritical reflection of a hagiographer, yet the great OT scholar E. J. Young, who was present, told some students later that he had heard nothing equal to it since the death of Gresham Machen.

The mood leading up to this event was rife with tension because ML-J disagreed sharply with founding principal—and his host—Ernest Kevan, who led the school from 1946–65. ML-J believed that the uncritical acceptance of unbelieving and liberal studies did not equip students for the pastorate. It is one thing to expose students to such beliefs, yet another to raise critical questions without bequeathing the biblical and critical apparatus that dismantles such foolish and tired speculations. Kevan, for his part, promoted this widening theological posture of academic training that would be accepted by more liberal-minded denominations. For ML-J, this poison in the classroom would eventually mean death to the churches, a mistake that seminaries today continue to propagate in the name of academic acceptance.

The Doctor’s address took aim at the complete lack of concern over error in the religious world raising Paul’s warning that it “will eat as doth a canker” (2 Tim 2:17). Raising his voice to the issue at hand, “It kills, robs of life and leaves a festering mass at the end. The church today is a travesty of the word ‘church’ all because of this cancer.” The only way out, ML-J counseled, is for the seminaries to concentrate on “the word of truth,” underscoring that the name of the institution was London Bible College.

He concluded with the question, “How may the College know if it is attaining this object and rightly dividing the word of truth?” Those who are trained by such institutions, he pressed, should ask themselves these questions upon graduation:

• Are the men more certain of the truth at the end of their studies than at the beginning?
• Are they more steadfast?
• Do they know God better and desire to serve God better than when they came in?
• Have they a greater zeal for God?
• Do they have a greater love for the lost and the perishing?
• What is the purpose of doctrine and knowledge if it is not to know God? 

He then issued a warm pastoral reminder to the students,

Make Much of Christ: Proclaim the Four Gospels (John MacArthur)

Photo Credit: godsbreath.net

In the final summer D. Min lecture at TMS Pastor John MacArthur shared a brief word on making much of Christ especially as we preach through the four gospels.  In this lecture MacArthur noted that the gospels are historical narratives written with a theological purpose.  In view of this, MacArthur recommended that we all read Dr. Abner Chou's opening chapter (Did God Really Say...?  Hermeneutics and History in Genesis 3) in What Happened in the Garden.  In this chapter Chou demonstrates that history is the ground of theology.  "The biblical writers do not see history as merely a means of communicating theology; rather, they see history as the means of actualizing theology" (p. 29).  In the gospels Divine truths about God, Christ, Man, the Kingdom, and Salvation are taught.  The historical Gospels are especially Christological which makes them a treasure trove for preaching and Christian worship.

MacArthur went on to say that one of the most theologically rich chapters in the Bible is John 3 which highlights the doctrine of Divine regeneration ("the new birth").  Jesus' doctrinal instruction in John 3 does not compliment Billy Graham's book title, "How to be born again" as the new birth (regeneration) is monergistic (a work of One).  God alone can make dry bones come alive.  He alone can bring a spiritually dead sinner (Eph. 2:1-10) to life again.  In short, don't miss the rich theology of Christ as you work your way the four gospels!

Preaching Revelation: "Folks, Don't Ignore the End of the Story!" (John MacArthur)

John MacArthur on the how and why of preaching the end of the story (Revelation).

 (D. Min lecture delivered on 7/19/16 at TMS):  

"My Premillennialist convictions can be summarized in one sentence.  Their will be future salvation of national Israel after the unrepentant rebels are purged (Zech. 12-14) and their will be a future reign of Christ upon the earth (Psalm 2; Rom. 9-11; Rev. 20)."

If you reject the literal grammatico-historical method of interpretation the book of Revelation is going to take on a thousand different interpretations.  This partially explains why commentaries written by non-Premillennialists interpret Revelation so many different ways.

If you think Christ is glorified in the Old Testament, the gospels, and the epistles you would be absolutely correct.,,But the place Christ's glory shines brightest and fullest is in the book of Revelation.

To ignore this book is unacceptable.  It's to have a story without an ending.

MacArthur is convinced the book of Revelation is one of the easiest book to interpret if you maintain a consistent hermeneutic.  Dr. Floyd Hamilton himself admitted that if you employ a (consistent) hermeneutic to Revelation that you will be a premillennialist.

A question was posed to John MacArthur, "Why is their such hostility against premillennialism?"  Pastor John believes Antisemitism has been the driving factor towards rejecting premillennialism (see Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must Be Challenged).  He also admitted that some of the unnecessary baggage has come from the old Scofield study bible.  In light of some unnecessary interpretations many people threw the baby out with the bathwater.  Wacky Dispensationalism needs to rejected; (such as the errant view that Matthew 5-7 is all about future kingdom living); or  "My hope is built on nothing less than Scofield's notes and Moody Press."

"Nothing Is As Important As This: A Good Church is a ______"

It was a blessing to sit under Pastor Alistair Begg this past January during our Winter Doctoral sessions at The Master's Seminary.  

It is always good to be reminded of the essential components of pastoral ministry:  Love God. Shepherd your people.  Preach the Word (all of it).  Let Scripture mold and shape your ministry.  Call sinners to faith and repentance (repeat)!

Continued Education at TMS

One of the highlights of the D. Min program at TMS is being able to sit under so many godly pastors and professors (Drs Lawson, Begg, Beeke, Block, Essex, Chou, Ferguson, etc).  It is also a special joy to receive classroom instruction from my former pastor John MacArthur.