Tributes
George Lawson
I can still remember the first time I heard Grace to You around 30 years ago. I was a new believer who was struggling with the interpretation of Hebrews 6 and wondering if I could lose my salvation.
In God’s providence, the next day I heard Grace to You for the very first time and John MacArthur was preaching on that same section of Scripture! Ever since then, the teaching of John MacArthur has been a steady part of my spiritual diet.
When I knew that I wanted to go to seminary, there was only one seminary that I applied to. I wanted to be trained to handle God’s Word faithfully and teach it expositionally. I saw in John MacArthur and the men who were trained under his leadership at The Master’s Seminary (including Pastor Thomas Leake and Pastor Clay Miller) a model for the kind of ministry I aspired to have. Pastor John’s unwavering commitment to the truth of Scripture was not only demonstrated by proclaiming what a text means, but also by contrast what it can’t mean. Many teachers are willing to say things that are true, but very few are also willing to point out what is false.
My time at The Master’s Seminary and Grace Community Church was filled with many unexpected blessings. One of the greatest blessings was the opportunity to personally interact with Pastor John, join him for a ministry trip to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, and later serve with him on the board of TMUS. Pastor John made himself available when I had questions, he supported our church plant with a personalized video, he took a personal interest in our children and even gifted my daughter a bible, and the night before he suffered his AFib attack, he was on the phone with me for about 20 minutes to encourage a brother from our church, whose daughter was violently attacked. Pastor John was a true shepherd.
I thank God for the example that Pastor John has been for me and for the many lessons I have learned from him, both in person and from a distance. Pastor John has been a spiritual father figure to me. It would be no exaggeration to say that every week that I study, preach, counsel and model the Christian life, I am in some way indebted to God for giving me his faithful pattern to follow. Our congregation benefits from the influence of his ministry every week.
Today, we join with believers around the world who mourn the loss of a faithful servant. We pray with fervency for Pastor John’s beloved family (his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren) and Grace Community Church. We thank God for the tremendous legacy that has been left behind in the family of ministries associated with Pastor John (Grace to You, The Master’s University and Seminary, The Master's Academy International, The Master’s Fellowship, Grace Ministries International and Grace Advance). We rejoice that our brother’s faith has now become sight and he has entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior.
May God help us all to finish well!
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7–8)
In Christ Alone,
Pastor George Lawson, Baltimore Bible Church
