John MacArthur was named as one of the top 25 most influential preachers of the 20th century by Christianity Today in 2008. He is famous for, among other things, the MacArthur Study Bible. At a panel discussion at the “Truth Matters” conference at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, Oct. 18, 2019 he and others were asked to give their gut reactions to one- or two-word phrases .
His phrase was “Beth Moore” and his response was “Go home.”
For those who do not know, Moore is a Southern Baptist evangelist, author, and Bible teacher. She is the founder of Living Proof Ministries, a Bible-based organization for women based in Houston, Texas. The ministry focuses on aiding women who desire to model their lives on evangelical Christian principles.
MacArthur’s comment was really not about Moore per se, but rather about women in ministry in general. This is consistent with his overall disdain for women’s role in society and all matters of social justice.
Needless to say to anyone who has been paying attention to me, almost everything John MacArthur says I find not only distasteful but un-Biblical and dangerous. To be fair, I do not have much use for the SBC in general either.
However, I am not here to dwell on that, but rather the issue this brings up.
Serving God.
Not “women serving God”, but serving God.
Do not now nor ever let someone else tell you not to serve God to the best of your ability. Nor let them tell you how.
Sure, advice and instruction from you fellow believers is absolutely important; but in the end you must determine what God is calling you to do and how best to achieve that.
You need only look to Peter’s sermon at Pentecost in Acts for my Biblical justification of that.
It does not matter who you are or what you are. Man, woman, boy, girl, gay, straight, black, white, green, purple, or plaid. We follow God’s call in the context of community, but no single voice, nor group of voices should dissuade us from trying to answer the call of God.
Someone, somewhere, right now is telling you not to serve God. They are telling you that you cannot because of a variety of reasons. Your gender, age, or background. Or because it will be too hard, too dangerous, too scary.
Do not listen. Do not give up. Do not turn around. Do not stop. Go no where God has not called you to go. You are not alone. God is with you. We are with you.
Your response to such voices is simple enough.
Say, over your shoulder with your back to them as you kick the dust off your feet, two simple words.
“Go home.”