He fought the fight of faith with all his might. He ran the race for the Glory of the Lord and finished the course. He was a man who knew his calling, and without compromise or detour, answered the call of his Lord with all his might, in all his days.
The man was John Fullerton MacArthur. Born in 1939, and for 86 years laid his all on the alter, committed and devoted his life to Jesus Christ. John MacArthur, for him to live was Christ and to die was gain. On July 15, 2025, the unswerving faith of this man became sight as he entered into the presence of his Savior. MacArthur was a hero, a leader, beloved by his flock, and his ministry at Grace Community Church was indispensable to the 5,000-member congregation who loved him dearly.
John Fullerton MacArthur was a theological conservative, a natural polemicist, a culture warrior, a Biblical believer and a never-compromising champion of the Gospel, the real Gospel. He defied conventional wisdom if it in any way conflicted with the Gospel. He both loved and respected his Savior, always wearing a suit and tie to preach. His sermons were learn-ed, inspired, and long, but always without any complaint from any of the 5,000 privileged to hear him speak the Gospel.
MacArthur was athletic. He loved football and he played at Los Angels Pacific College, and other sports, as well. Whatever he did, he did with all his might. In 1963, he met and married Patricia Sue Smith and they together parented four children, and then fifteen grandchildren, and at MacArthur’s death at 86, nine great-grandchildren.
MacArthur was called by the Lord and by the congregation at Grace Community Church in February 1969. He told the congregation that he and they would boldly proclaim the Truth of the Gospel no matter what, and no matter how the world would perceive them. The church, he said, must be the conscious of the world:
“THE CHURCH MUST BE SO WELL-DEFINED, THAT IT BECOMES THE ANTAGONIST OF THE WORLD.”
He was their pastor for 56 years, and that loyal congregation was always his first priority. He preached the same sermon three times Sunday morning, a different sermon Sunday night, and yet an even more different sermon on Wednesday evening. The ministry of John Fullerton MacArthur was greatly expanded by his excellent use of the great medium of radio. His excellent broadcast GRACE TO YOU was one of the finest of its time. The slogan of this Christ-honoring program:
UNLEASHING GOD’S TRUTH ONE VERSE AT A TIME.
The ministry of John Fullerton MacArthur, affectionately known in evangelical circles and by his congregation as J-Mac, was worldwide, and the books he authored have been translated into at least 40 languages. He himself earned a Masters degree and founded the MASTERS SEMINARY to train men to become pastors, in his mold, strongly conservative and evangelical, real-Bible teaching pastors.
MacArthur’s preaching style was deceptively simple. He would speak for about 45 minutes, walking his congregation line-by-line through a single passage. When the sermon ended, that congregation would never forget that lesson learned from that intense study of Gods Word.
We, the Crawford Broadcasting Company, have been privileged for many, many years to broadcast on our radio stations his great program GRACE TO YOU, and it has been a blessing for us to know this great man of God, to participate in his ministry, and that ministry is by no means finished. All that MacArthur was will go on, for:
HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH.
John Fullerton MacArthur brought the same, fierce, kingdom-focused mindset to every issue. He knew what Gods Word said, and he knew how to apply it. Once formed, no one could move him from that position. He finished the course well done, he proclaimed the Gospel to millions his entire life, he endured the temptations of fame and the trials of criticism and never lost his faith and trust in the saving grace of his Savior Jesus Christ. He never compromised.
It is interesting that he, even as a young child, always believed in God. But, he could not pinpoint a particular moment when he was saved, a moment of Christian conversion. That never deterred him for he knew that he was washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. He was only 29 when he assumed the pulpit of Grace Community Church and for 56 years that church and its congregation became one of the finest in all America, and perhaps even the world at large. Well done, John Fullerton MacArthur, well done.
This great man of God was never ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for he knew personally that it was the power of God onto salvation. Another, hopefully called by our Lord Jesus Christ, will fill the pulpit as MacArthur spends eternity with his Lord. We can only hope that the right minister of the Gospel, one who essentially believes like MacArthur did, will lead this great church, preserve its spiritual strengths, and grow it for the glory of the Lord and in the memory of John Fullerton MacArthur.
Well done, thou good and faithful servant, very well done. May you dwell eternally with your Lord, rejoicing in the promise of Jesus Christ:
THERE (IN HEAVEN) YOU SHALL BE WITH ME, ALWAYS!