Death of John MacArthur

People will be beginning to hear about the death of the great preacher and commentator John MacArthur, great loss. My connections with John MacArthur and the Masters Seminary. etc, are almost non-existent but I am a talking head in that documentary film Grace To You made (The Essential Church) and in 2007 I met him when he spoke at the Banner Conference in Leicester and I appreciated his ministy at that time.

Tom Drion, a MacArthur man and now pastor of a MacArthur church here in London was at the conference and was then trying to get together some good brief audio-visual material for us on the Internet. He very kindly (though perhaps misguidedly) thought I could help and o he invited me over to his room (a student room in the university accommodation) where he had a makeshift studio set up. I remember his giving me choice of subjects then siting me in front of the camera where I burbled for a minute or two until Tom announced that he could see someone else he had asked heading to the room.

That someone else was, of course, John MacArthur, who had been staying off campus in order to keep up with his various regular duties withe Grace To You. So there are four us in a tiny room - the great and always immaculately dressed John MacArthur, his minder, Tom and me. I am briefly introduced to Dr MacArthur then he sits down and speaks clearly, succinctly and edifyingly into the camera on whatever subject Tom gave him. Of course, he had done it many times before and knew how to seize the moment to best advantage. So impressive.

When he had gone, Tom gave me another go but if anything I was worse again. How thankful we should be that God gave us such a gifted man for so long.