Ernest Lee’s long time buddy, John MacArthur has went to glory. He was 86 and had been in bad health for a while. No word on when the funeral will be. John had pastored Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA since 1969. He went to that church after he graduated from Talbot Seminary. Mac was also President of the Masters College and Seminary. He wrote over 150 books, pastored a church of thousands, and spoke at conferences all the time. John was a busy guy.
I thought I would just highlight some memories of John that come to my mind.
First and foremost, he was headstrong- in a good and bad way. That’s true of all of us, but Mac wouldn’t budge when he made his mind up. I’m sure Patrica and his four kids know that better than anyone. One time, we were arguing about mental illness being treatable with scripture. Ernest Lee takes the stand sometimes folks need trained medical help with their mental illness. Mac was adament scripture was enough. We had to agree to disagree, but John would dredge the dispute in on occasion and the debate would resume. Mac was like a dog with a bone.
Ernest Lee’s conviction is that a believer has a responsiblity to be involved in his government. Mac thought being politically active was a waste of time. “It’s temporal Ernest Lee- your home is not this world,” Mac would chide. I told him voting is not the only thing a believer should be doing when it comes to their government. Mac would fire back most politicians have a wrong world view, which I agreed with. I would counter Christ called us to be a light in the world. Mac’s interest in politics changed one day back in September 2021 when the government tried to shut down Grace Community and not allow Mac to hold services. Ernest Lee was one of Mac’s first calls because he thought I could help him. I couldn’t, but I did try. John never conceded he was wrong about political involvement, but after 2021, the scolding stopped.
Mac was steadfast in his theology. He held the same views when he died as when he was in seminary. The problem was many of our professors and leaders were legalists. They taught grace, but practiced works. Mac knew that- we talked about it. While John would preach liberty, he didn’t always extend it to those who disagreed with him. I will always appreciate his willingness and boldness to call out false teachers by name. Few, if any, had Mac’s courage to do that. Here is a link to a sermon he preached about false teachers. It’s worth the time to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ol_SscYtFc
Second, he was loyal. Ernest Lee has every one of Mac’s books- signed right after he got his copies. Other friends of John’s got them too. You got them sent to you whether you agreed with what he had wrote or not. In fact, Mac took great delight in gigging his friends, in print or in person. He delighted in having his friends at his Shepherd’s Conference- always a good time of fellowship and spiritual food.
He and another of Ernest Lee’s friend, R.C. Sproul had a great relationship. R.C. passed away back in 2017. When Mac spoke at R.C.’s funeral, Ernest Lee got something in his eye. John’s remarks were so approrpiate. Here is a link to the eulogy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv_6natO-JY
Third, Mac wasn’t perfect. He might not ever admit it (haha), but John knew he was a sinner saved by grace. He could be cocky and arrogant. He could be unkind. He was a man with feet of clay. He had quite a lot of followers and he told me once: “Ernest Lee, I worry about people blindly following a man. Authentic loyalty is not blind devotion to a mere man. It is, first of all, an allegiance to truth and duty. But it also involves devotion to the obligations of love and friendship as well.” Amen.
Mac was all about the truth. He wrote a book about it. Buy it and read it. It’s as relevant today as it was in 2007 when Mac wrote it. Here’s a link: https://shop.gty.org/store/books/451158S/the-truth-war
Ernest Lee is going to miss Mac. He was a trusted confidant, a kindred spirit and a mentor. He is singing before the heavenly throne today- he isn’t resting in peace. Mac had a great voice- most people don’t know that. Save me a seat John- it won’t be long until Ernest Lee will be there.
Ernest Lee Contendin 