LOS ANGELES COUNTY THREATENS PASTOR JOHN MACARTHUR WITH ARREST & FINES FOR HOLDING WORSHIP SERVICES
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:
In what is quickly devolving into a Church vs State showdown between pastor of Grace Community Church, John MacArthur and the state and local governments of Los Angeles, California, it appears that MacArthur has now been threated with the possibility of arrest for continuing to hold worship services against the state and county’s mandate against gatherings.
MacArthur has been under fire from the governments who continue to threaten to shut down his church or take other actions such as shutting off the utilities to his church — which have already happened — and he’s also been under fire from those whom he’s called friends.
John MacArthur recently took a stand against government tyranny when he released a statement declaring that his church would not succumb to the intrusion of government into the right to freely worship unhindered. In the wake of MacArthur’s stand, he has taken a lot of heat from government that has not only threatened to shut off utilities, but has apparently followed through with it.
Now, according to Franklin Graham, he’s being threated with fines and arrest.
“After Pastor John MacArthur announced that his congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, would be assembling in obedience to the Word of God,” Graham writes in a Facebook post, “he received a letter from Los Angeles county government officials threatening repercussions such as fines and even possible arrest.”
He continues,
But Pastor MacArthur said he isn’t worried about that—he and the church elders voted unanimously that the church will be open this Sunday and every Sunday. He said, “It has never been the prerogative of civil government to order, modify, forbid, or mandate worship.” They will not render to Caesar what is God’s, so they will continue to meet as the church every Sunday. I agree with Pastor MacArthur and appreciate his call for “the church to be the church in this world.” If I were in Southern California this weekend, I would love to attend their service tomorrow—and if you live anywhere in southern California, I urge you to get up tomorrow morning and go! It will be worth the drive. Not only will you hear a great message from the Bible, but this would be taking an important stand for our religious freedom. They have a tent set up and additional seats outside. The service begins at 10:30 AM, and the address is Grace Community Church, 13248 Roscoe Blvd., Sun Valley, CA 91352. If you’re like me and live on the other side of the country and can’t join them tomorrow, take a moment to share a word of support with Pastor MacArthur in the comments below.
This is much more than a war on the rights and liberties afforded us by the Constitution — this is now an outright war against God and His people. The Church is being attacked — cloaked in “public safety” attire — but nonetheless, devoured by power-hungry politicians and liberals who would like nothing more than to see her die. But God promises that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church.
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John MacArthur Says Southern Baptist President JD Greear Doesn't Know What a Church is, Doesn't Know How to Shepherd His People
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:
John MacArthur has been one of the few glimmers of light as a biblical shepherd during the coronavirus pandemic. As most churches are caving to the demands of the state to shutdown or limit worship, MacArthur has declared that his church will obey God rather than man.
MacArthur has been under fire from the governments who continue to threaten to shut down his church or take other actions such as shutting off the utilities to his church — which have already happened — but he’s also been under fire from those whom he’s called friends. Namely, other church leaders.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Southern Baptist president, JD Greear has now proclaimed that his church will be dismantled until at least January, prompting a response from MacArthur and his staff. One of MacArthur’s elders, Phil Johnson, appeared to imply that JD Greear was a wolf in sheep’s clothing for doing so.
MacArthur released a video statement last night explaining his strong stance for continuing to keep his church open and then declared that those who refuse to do so, mentioning those leaders (JD Greear) who have shut down their churches until January, either don’t know what a church is or don’t know how to shepherd their people.
Watch:
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Gospel Coalition Author Rebuked by His Pastor, JD Greear, For Opposing Social Justice
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:
Neil Shenvi is one of a rare breed at The Gospel Coalition who consistently writes less favorably against the social justice movement in the Church. Shenvi, who is also a member of Summit Church in Raleigh, NC where Southern Baptist Convention president, J.D. Greear, is the pastor, has taken a decisive stand against secular social justice ideologies in the Church, particularly, Critical Race Theory.
It seems, however, that Shenvi has consistently stood in stark opposition to his own pastor and done so vocally. While Shenvi has defended his pastor in the past, his positions have clearly been against social justice while Greear heavily promotes it.
Greear has been a staunch proponent of the Black Lives Matter movement — though he says he doesn’t support the organization, his church has marched alongside them while chanting their Marxist slogans.
Greear has stated that it’s fine for Christians to vote for pro-abortion Democrat candidates as he patronizes black people. And, in the wake of the George Floyd riots, he has urged Christians to ignore facts and statistics and instead, stand in solidarity with the faux Black Lives Matter movement.
Greear has compromised on homosexuality, giving standing ovations to an ex-lesbian lady-preacher who has no other qualifications to the ministry except for her sin, has stated that homosexuality isn’t as big of a deal to God as greed, has called on Christians to stand up for LGBTQ rights, and says we should use the “preferred pronouns” of people who are confused about their sexuality, referring to it as “pronoun hospitality.” J.D. Greear has single-handedly caused conservative churches to leave the denomination.
Shenvi, while an author at The Gospel Coalition, appears to disagree with the majority of these positions his pastor has stood for and now, his pastor is letting him know publicly.
In a recent tweet, Shenvi rightly declared that Jesus was not a social justice warrior and Jesus did not come to “dismantle” unjust systems, but to preach the gospel. Greear, however, attempted to refute him with his pragmatic logic by suggesting that by Christians doing what Jesus didn’t do, we make the world a better place.
