On February 9, 1969, John MacArthur preached his first sermon as pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. In the fifty years since, John’s sequential exposition of Scripture has continued unabated—always with the same relentless passion and desire to know God’s Word and explain its true meaning.
In deciding what to say from the pulpit, and how to say it, John has never followed the “exciting” trends that have characterized evangelicalism over the past fifty years. And with very rare exceptions (e.g., 9/11, the Northridge earthquake, riots in Los Angeles, the Gulf War), news headlines have not influenced his choice of Bible passages to preach on. Instead, he has cultivated a methodical approach to studying and teaching the Word of God—verse by verse, passage by passage, book by book. As a result, his expository preaching is evergreen—perpetually relevant.
And while the content of John’s sermons has stayed the same, the technological advances over the last half century have radically expanded the reach and impact of his teaching ministry. Through tapes, CDs, books, radio, and the Internet, Grace to You has now grown exponentially into the global ministry you know today.
Phil Johnson recently sat down with John MacArthur to reflect on Grace to You’s growth over the last five decades. The result is an interview we’ve titled, “Fifty Years of Unleashing God’s Truth, One Verse at a Time: An Interview with John MacArthur.” John—who rarely speaks about himself—discusses his formative years as a Christian, as well as the convictions and experiences that set the course for his teaching ministry. From there, John and Phil take a fascinating and encouraging trek through the remarkable history of Grace to You—an audio tour that we know will be a blessing to ministry friends like you.
Click here to listen to “Fifty Years of Unleashing God’s Truth, One Verse at a Time: An Interview with John MacArthur.”
