John MacArthur’s Church Defies California 
Orders To Close Doors
M121R4HhDGGyNsZUTm5nZhEe2t-AK9HFuXlCqXuGMbXGaeq8s18DPptQYTvJ6o3yMmutM7o9qUipmJN2yWe0SBYNTp2IzKzwfsPWXzscCFLd1A6MyReYfL-O57rcDFHmijfbG5Zpa6Xepq7MMqMEkoT5Fbayi_cyF34=s0-d-e1-ft#?profile=RESIZE_584x
by Elle Reynolds ~{ thefederalist.com } 


John MacArthur, evangelist and pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, defied state orders to limit worship gatherings in a statement released Friday.

“In response to the recent state order requiring churches in California to limit or suspend all meetings indefinitely, we, the pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, respectfully inform our civic leaders that they have exceeded their legitimate jurisdiction,” the statement said. “Faithfulness to Christ prohibits us from observing the restrictions they want to impose on our corporate worship services.”

On July 13, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new restrictions, requiring certain counties on a “monitoring list” to stop indoor worship services. Los Angeles County, where Grace Community Church is located, was one of 30 counties on the monitoring list as of July 13.

“In these counties, we have added a requirement that we close indoor operations” for certain sectors which include worship services, Newsom said in an announcement. He also suggested that restrictions would not end anytime soon. “Until there is a vaccine or effective therapy, we will be mitigating the spread of COVID-19 for the long term,” read one of the slides Newsom presented. “Californians must adapt to new behaviors if we are to slow the spread.”

In response, MacArthur and the elder board of Grace Community Church have a clear message for the state of California. “We cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship or other regular corporate gatherings,” they said.

When officials restrict church attendance to a certain number, they attempt to impose a restriction that in principle makes it impossible for the saints to gather as the church. When officials prohibit singing in worship services, they attempt to impose a restriction that in principle makes it impossible for the people of God to obey the commands of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. When officials mandate distancing, they attempt to impose a restriction that in principle makes it impossible to experience the close communion between believers that is commanded in Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, and 1 Thessalonians 5:26. In all those spheres, we must submit to our Lord.

The statement represents a shift for MacArthur and his church, which previously issued a statement acquiescing to a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court that barred churches from meeting in late May. “The Ninth Circuit decision is sadly the law of the land in California, and we gladly submit to the sovereign purposes of God,” the church had said.

But now, after more than 20 weeks of restrictions, Grace Community Church is letting Newsom know they’ve had enough. “Roughly forty percent of the year has passed with our church essentially unable to gather in a normal way,” MacArthur and the elders said, noting that the lockdown measures they originally conceded to were supposed to be short-term. “The church by definition is an assembly. … A non-assembling assembly is a contradiction in terms.”

MacArthur’s church isn’t the only one to defy California’s restrictions on worship. Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, California, held an in-person service on Sunday and is suing the state for the right to continue assembling. “We’ve been essential for 2,000 years,” said Pastor Ché Ahn.

Calvary Chapel of Ukiah, Calvary Chapel of Fort Bragg, and River of Life Church in Oroville are suing the state over its ban on congregational singing. South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista renewed a lawsuit over the state’s decision to shutter churches, noting that government favoritism toward the George Floyd protests while churches are forced to stay shut “has caused amazing harm in the form of a general loss of confidence by the American people in the merits of the pandemic restrictions at all.”

MacArthur and his church firmly noted the importance of respecting the rightful authority of government. “Insofar as government authorities do not attempt to assert ecclesiastical authority or issue orders that forbid our obedience to God’s law, their authority is to be obeyed whether we agree with their rulings or not,” their statement said.

They also noted, however, that government authority does not extend over Christians’ freedom to assemble as the church. “We do not need the state’s permission to serve and worship our Lord as He has commanded,” they insisted. “Freedom of worship is a command of God, not a privilege granted by the state.”

MacArthur and the elders of Grace Community Church encouraged other congregations to join them in their decision to gather for worship. “It has never been the prerogative of civil government to order, modify, forbid, or mandate worship,” they said. “When, how, and how often the church worships is not subject to Caesar. Caesar himself is subject to God.”

 

You need to be a member of Command Center to add comments!

Join Command Center

Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • Right on folks...! Recall Newsom Schiff and Pelosi!

    • Michael

      scumbag/liar-Schiff and liar-Pelose are doing their best to lie and remove our president. They will do anything to do just that. I do hope and pray the House and the Senate

      will be over run by republicans. in November.

  • What part of the First Amendment does the Governor not understand."The government shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion ". The government exhaults the right of the free press, the right to assemble to protest, But wants to restrict a persons right to worship freely. What's the real reason? Beware of big governance. All marxist goverments were Godless. Are we being pushed in this direction? Now you can see why they wanted theTEN COMMANDMENTS removed from all public buildings. Do they want to Remove the belief in God from the U.S. Do you serve God or Mamon?

    • Richard

      I do believe he doesn't care what the first amendment says. I doubt he has even read it. Will he direct the marxist government in his wishes or will he fall. I don't think he will success in that move.

      People of Calif need to remove him and elect a good leader who will do the will of the people.

  • Well, that makes 3 that I know of, churches that saw through the lies and schemes of the enemies. 

    Dr. Rodney Howard Browne in FL never applied for the 501C(3) as he saw through that, too. This spring, he never shut down, was arrested, fined $500, taken to jail for 5 minutes, let out and never did shut down. He has since, purchased a huge tent-type structure that can hold throusands, so he is prepared for both inside and outside. He is a man of God, truly. 

    Oasis Church in Middletown, OH, led by Pastor Tim Sheets, another true man of God, also never shut down. When police came to his door, he handed them his Constitutional stance and they left, and they never tried to interfere again with his services. He is brother to Dutch Sheets, a major evangelical prophet and seer. 

    So, MacArthur is the 3rd, as one who can and does read the signs and the times and seasons. This catastrophe and scheme of man's making is designed to first and foremost, muzzle the church of God in America so that they will not know what is going on or pray against the planned coup and anarchy,  Even though the pastors who do see a thing and say a thing and teach a thing, are few and far between, word does get around eventually.

    As far as CA is concerned, they need more breatkthrough, and it has happend. Revival broke out in CA on Huntington Beach. 

    https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/milton-quintanilla/...

    This is good news!!

    California Beach Revival Draws Hundreds to Christ, Likened to 'Jesus People Movement'
    Hundreds, if not thousands, of people are gathering at Huntington Beach in Orange County, California to be a part of a growing spiritual revival.
    • Jea9

      I am very glad that we are still going to church services no matter what this idiot says. I just knew he was not going to be a leader but a follower of the far lelf when he was elected. The people of 

      Calf need to wake up.

    • I wish more Pastors would lead their flocks, teach their flocks, what is going on, advise them to learn to stand up against federal and local and state tyranny.

      After the masks, the vaxx. Then what? God gave us a chance to learn to stand against a stupid face diaper and that tyranny. Most have learned not one thing. Imho.

    • Jea9

      Pastors don't tend to get into politcs but only on the word of God. But some do in some odd events do mentions what is going on in this world in how it will effect the last days on this earth.

    • The Church is called to be the salt and light. This refers to the church as the governing authority. The church is not to be separate from government, education, arts/education, media, business/economy, family and the last is church. Not s that we are not to get into politics. That is a lie of the enemy (no offense intended, most churches do not fulfill this).

      The early ekklasia met at the 'gate', the symbol and place of authority. The Hebrews met, this is where inheritance was claimed, punishments determined, contracts made, with the exchange of a shoe as testament to the contract. Read Ruth as one example. 

      Modern day Evangelists are called, not to be religionists who sit in pews and who goes to church one hour a week. We are instead, to take on the above 7 mountains of culture. We are called to perform Matthew 16:19. "Whatsover We bind on earth shall (a legal term) be bound in heaven and whatsoever We loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."" We are called to Genesis 1:28.   To Go, Subdue. Take Dominion. Be Fruitful and Multiply, today, not just then. Those are all active, not passive. The OT is just as much for us as for then. The foundation for everything is in Genesis. We are called to Matthew 11:12, "The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent takes it by force."  That's the power of prayer in the hands/mouth of those who are politically engaged. Plus, we actually go into those mountains and speak rigteousness into situations. 

      Examples of modern day Evandelical Pastors who DO take on the culture in some form or another, ast the very least, teaching their flock and subscribers:

      Lance Wallnau, a brilliant 7 mountains prophet who prophesied Trump's win and that Trump is Cyrus in the Bilble. He is also an interntionsl business advisor and speaker and author. 

      Chuck Pierce, a major Pastor who leads his flock to pray politically. He is a true leader and he knows how to pray to take the country back. Author and leader.

      Dutch and Tim Sheets, both anointed for this. Author and leader.

      They all research our history, stay up on current events, tie things together, read the signs of the times, teach, preach, lead.

      That is salt and light. Not pew sitting. Obeying. Jesus threw over the tables, remember? The property functioning Ekklesia is a church all on the same page politcally and governmentally. They know they are not allowed to vote NOT according to God, so no abortion, no BLM, no SJW, no diversity, no thing.

      They use their gifts differing, support and encourage each other, and get active politically somehow, craft prayers to Take the Country back. They are salt and light. Not passive. They are light with love and salt to wrong schemes. The Bible is our foundation always. 

      The church was never meant to be passive. The church is meant to overcome anything that gets in the way of Thy Kingdom Come and NOW. More than conquerors through Christ, not ourselves but we are the hands, feet, eyes, ears and mouth. This is the decade of PEH, in Hebrew, which means mouth. What we say goes. We cannot begin to speak well when we don't know a thing, and that is the problem with the church today. Pastors do not teach that we are to dominate the mountains with a biblical world view, which encompasses patriotism, loyalty, honesty, equality. 

      There can be no good government without a moral and religious people. Our founders knew this and declared it in our Mayflower Compact, Declaration, Washington's Farewell Address and the NW Ordinance, and all 50 State preambles refer to God. All politcal documents, civil documents and they all acknowledge God primarily. Not secondarily. And certainly, not last. But First. 

  • I was a member of John MacArthur church in 1974 and I continue to honor and watch his services event if I don't live in Calif.

This reply was deleted.