This week John MacArthur, long-time pastor of the Grace Community Church of Sun Valley, California passed into eternity after suffering declining health for the past several months. He served as the primary teaching pastor at GCC for 56 years and founded Grace To You, a radio and television ministry that spanned the globe. He also served as president and later chancellor of The Master’s University and Seminary extending his influence through the training of thousands of young men and women to serve the Lord in all areas of life and ministry.
Few American evangelicals can be ignorant of Pastor MacArthur’s teaching and influence. His NT commentaries continue to be used by pastors and laymen alike to understand and apply God’s word, and his more than 150 books are read in dozens of countries and languages. He was well-known for his commitment to expository preaching and public opposition to the charismatic movement and the state of California’s heavy-handed regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. While his life and ministry have not been without controversy, his legacy as a faithful and godly pastor is well-established. When he breathed his last on earth, he no doubt heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” from the Lord in heaven.
But another faithful servant of Jesus departed this life and entered his rest just about two weeks ahead of Dr. MacArthur. In many ways, this man was the opposite of Pastor John. He did not preach to thousands, nor are his words broadcast around the globe. He never attended college, let alone graduated with any sort of advanced degree. He did not serve as president of any Christian mission or training school. He never wrote a book, nor were any of his words translated into a foreign language. Other than the members of his local church and his family and friends, no one is likely to have heard of him. His impact on the broader Christian world is negligible, at least by any of the means by which such things are measured.
Jim Dempsey was born just over a year after John MacArthur, in southeastern Wisconsin instead of southern California. His passion in life involved cultivating crops and raising livestock instead of preaching God’s word and training pastors and missionaries. But make no mistake, “Grandpa Dempsey” (as my children knew him) left a legacy of faithfulness to Christ and service to the church. He spent many years as a deacon and treasurer of the Emmanuel Baptist Church of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, a congregation numbering in the dozens rather than hundreds or thousands. Even when he no longer held an official title in the congregation, Jim continued to offer wisdom and support to his pastor. He gave of his time and money to support the work of the gospel in this small town and kept the faith to the end.
Humanly speaking, only one of these men will be remembered outside of a small corner of southern Wisconsin, yet I firmly believe that each man is known and recognized by our Savior. Jesus taught that even a cup of water given in his name would be remembered and rewarded (see Matthew 10:42 & Mark 9:41), and the apostle Paul encouraged us with these words: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The day of resurrection is coming in which both Jim Dempsey and John MacArthur will be raised up bodily from the dead to stand beside the Savior with all the saints, but even now each man is enjoying his well-deserved rest.
It is right and good for us to recognize the tremendous contribution made by Pastor MacArthur. His legacy will continue to reverberate throughout evangelical Christianity likely for many decades to come, as his sermons and books remain available online and in print. But it is also good for us to remember that the lowliest saint serving in relative obscurity in a small local church will likewise receive the praise of God as he finishes his term of service. In fact, I am confident that Pastor MacArthur would affirm this wholeheartedly. It is not just great preachers and theologians whose lives count for Jesus, but faithful saints who labor, each in his own corner of the Master’s vineyard, who are worthy of honor, and to this we should all aspire.
Let no one aspire to be the next John MacArthur or the next Jim Dempsey, but let us commit to serve Christ faithfully in the arena to which we have been called. Our goal should not be to build a lasting legacy among men but to earn the praise of our Master, because we have been found faithful. As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:2, “it is required of stewards that one be found faithful.” As different as these two men were outwardly, their lives reflect the same inward commitment to love Jesus and serve him faithfully.
“Much more could be said,” wrote Pastor Victor Koshir, “but the bottom line is this: I became a better man and a better Christian because of my friend, Jim Dempsey [and many can and will say the same about Pastor MacArthur]. He will forever hold a special place in my heart. I look forward to the GREAT REUNION when I will see my friend once again. Godspeed my friend.” Amen.
