By Pastor Rocky

As Evergreen Church prepares to hear from special guest Pastor John MacArthur this Sunday, 2/27, we thought it would be great for Pastor Rocky to share more about his relationship with Pastor John MacArthur and how much of an encouragement Pastor John MacArthur has been to him personally and to our church.

Please share how you first got to know Pastor John MacArthur?

Providentially, our Lord was providing a mentor and friend for me as He would know that I would be called into pastoral ministry. In the 2000’s, I had known about Pastor John MacArthur because someone had gifted me a MacArthur Study Bible and I was listening to “Grace to You” on the radio. Back in 2009, when I served as a coach at the University of Southern California (USC), a portion of my recruiting area was in the San Fernando Valley. Therefore, I decided to stop by Grace Community Church to drop off a copy of our “Marriage Pyramid” that Sharla and I had developed. Weeks later, Pastor John wrote me telling me how he liked it because it was biblical. Providence would move our family to coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 and in 2012 the Ligonier’s Westcoast Conference happened to be held in Seattle and John MacArthur was one of the speakers. Since he is a football guy, I decided to extend an invitation to visit our Seattle Seahawks training facility. Troy and I were able to give him and Steve Lawson a tour of our training facility. From that point on, he has graciously allowed me to contact him for advice or for a visit. In fact, in 2016, as we were wrestling over the decision to enter full time pastoral ministry, I had consulted him about how to discern the call of the preacher.

How were you able to maintain a relationship with Pastor John MacArthur over the years?

Providence would keep connecting both of us. In 2017, another Ligonier’s conference was hosted at Evergreen Baptist Church and we were able to meet up in the office in between his sessions. During our visit, he had asked me if I had any formal ministry training. I told him that I had begun an online master’s degree in theology while I was coaching. He would extend an invitation for me to sit in the Doctor of Ministry in Expository Preaching program at the Master’s Seminary. Therefore, I audited the program since the summer of 2017 and officially enrolled in the summer of 2021. Being able to be on the campus of the seminary on a regular basis has helped deepen my relationship with Pastor John as well as other leaders of Grace Community Church.

How has Pastor John MacArthur been an encouragement personally to you? To the church?

I can trace back the hand of the Lord moving providentially in my life through the people He has surrounded me with. Even at an early age, I always looked for role models in my life. During my formative years, the Lord provided great role models for me through my own father and mother, the greatest influences in my life. Sharla’s parents have always been a positive model for me as they are an example of generosity. As I began my football journey, the Lord provided the greatest coaching influences. I could not have asked for a better football mentor in Coach Pete Carroll and the other assistants as they have left a massive imprint upon me that would shape the way I approach challenges. Relationships with outside coaching influences such as Coach John Wooden served as a unique source of encouragement to me during my USC days.

It is true that the Lord equips the called. Since calling me to serve Him in a pastoral role, I have been provided a great role model in pastoral ministry through Pastor John. He is always available for a question, but the greatest encouragement that Pastor John has been to me on a personal level is the mutual friendship that we share. As a man who has gone the way before me, he understands my joys and pains. Looking at his life provides me with perspective.

The church can be encouraged by knowing how the Lord is caring for His church by equipping me with so much support from the Body.

2020 - Shepherd’s Conference with Evergreen Pastoral Staff

What do you respect most about Pastor John MacArthur as a person?

When I think of Pastor John, his enduring commitment to be an expositor of God’s Word comes to mind. This is what our Lord calls His under shepherds to be about. However, the thing that I respect the most about Pastor John is that he is a genuine man of God. As a person he genuinely reflects what he teaches. I love him as preacher, but I love him more as a person. As I get to spend time with him in informal settings, I can see the work of the Word in his life. He reminds those around him what the Apostle Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:5, “the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart.” He genuinely loves Christ, and people. As I have gotten to know him and see him interact with his family and other church members, I can see the love of Christ in him. The word “encouraging” come to mind as I see him interacting with people. He is one of the most gracious and generous people that I have had an opportunity to know.

Please share how it came about that Pastor John MacArthur is going to preach at our church on Sunday, 2/27.

Pastor John had wanted to preach at our church for a few years, but the COVID-19 season hit and things got very busy for him. Last Monday, I woke up thinking that I should check in with him to see if he would be able to fill the pulpit this year. He responded and asked if February 27th would work. He apologized for the short notice but would explain to me that this may be the only time in the foreseeable future, as the elders of Grace Community Church had given him that week off from preaching so he could prepare for the Shepherd’s Conference (takes place in early March for the equipping of pastors). Instead of resting, he has made a special effort to serve our local church.

What are your hopes for Pastor John MacArthur’s time with Evergreen on Sunday, 2/27?

The Lord loves His church at Evergreen! He has shown His great love and care by providing people to encourage and equip us. My biggest hope for Pastor John’s visit is that our Lord will be glorified by our people being able to see His providential care for us by providing a unique gift to the church like Pastor John MacArthur. I am eager to hear God’s Word preached by him from our pulpit that Tommy Yamada built for our church, and I am excited for our people to see how our Lord has been working behind the scenes to care for us. For the investments he has intentionally made in us, I am hoping that Pastor John leaves feeling the affection and appreciation that Evergreen Church has for him. This will be a significant moment in the life of our church family.