Live from the Shepherds' Conference 2019!

Stu Epperson I am in panorama city, California. I am on the campus of Grace Community Church right now you're here in the show probably late at a later date. Scanning in the midst of dreams all these jobbing vinegar and just guy just walked up to me who was on my basketball team in college who is now a separate pastor in Indiana is all right. That's right, jerk Welch told Channing set us upwards surrounded by about 4500 pastors on the same place were to sit under the preaching God's word all week and seeing and worshiping. Enjoy great fellowship did reconnect with old friends like Stu Epperson unbelievable, so I just walked into this thing, John Cox, who I've known forever. We went to mass or similar you're here to you pastor in Fresno right describe the feelings of inner John well after grown up here and being impacted by God's truth here. It's amazing to come back and to be able to be encouraged to continue that in our lives as well.

That's what you need. You gotta be able to not just this just receive it were not just givers of grace were receivers of grace and pastors need to receive it. And so that's one of the blessings we have this week so the guy kind of passion the church like that years of small. You're what's is John something, what's his name is like a the pastor here easiest to ease the ways that the senior Shepherd. I think his name is John MacArthur's recent work that you are close, yet it how about that guy. Amazing man to be under his influence for so many years. Going back to when we were kids, 18, 19 years old and been trained in a place like this. Under his leadership gift, its impact my life ever since John Kurt and I have some in common.

We both came from North Carolina right right Greenville North Carolina Greenberg on Winston-Salem and and then come on over David.

This is another national talk shows this guys ratings are like three times more than mine and mine about God just as he walked up so people but week so we weaving you came here to the college and it really changed your life. I guess tells a little bit about like some of you can identify with just the impact of John MacArthur. This is deep look at the word. I know on unleashing God's word wonders at time yeah I mean I came here with the plan is studying to become a pastor. I grew up in the church is a pastor's kid that really was not exposed to expository preaching much until I got here and just the commitment to that the fierce deep study of the word of God, making sure the you you interpret correctly you communicated faithfully with boldness and love really set the course for my whole life and my my ministries' last 25 Years Is Something Pl. of altered place of all yeah I like spot up now in the three-point line. That's about it. You can draw from three senior officers to read your pastoring were now because we are carried through talk we can is carried on the Wilkins radio network tell us where in Indianapolis right in Annapolis Ertl cornerstone Bible church on the north side of Indianapolis and the guy the coaches. Does your church right. He lives right there next to the church. Yes, I know James, I'm Coach Mel Hankinson and the reason he came to Masters was John McCarthy just heard that Bible do you like me I could get offers from the box yet offer some NBA teams because teams and coach ancient if you were here stand with us each day the same thing to me. I could go Sen. John MacArthur in coach basketball and recruit guys like Stu Epperson and even better shooters like whatever I practice a lot. You played I practice so but anyway what it what an awesome heritage and is so significant now I want you guys to meet Kirk this is this is David Wheaton was a national talkshow host with a program called the Christian worldview and it's interesting you would think David would be out here no roaming around the mic and no jockeying and didn't book signed with Jesus. You told me saying you just use budgeted arch brother very much, but my brother have been coming here for about the last 12 years. Every year, but the funny thing is when I was playing pro tennis way back in the day in my previous life.

I'm almost 50 now this is back my late 20s I will come out to California to train up in Bakersfield, just north of hearing our that's working with a coach of Hank Pfister and on weekends I will come down here church and our family been impacted by the preaching of Dr. MacArthur since my youngest days my my mother met my father mean Rob Proctor influences he's really influence our family so I will come down to go to church on Sundays and there is something going on called the shepherds, I had no idea what the shepherd's conference was. I was young and I didn't know really what was but talk about it on Sundays.

I never attended it. Lo and behold, years later, hearing the shepherd's conference. You are so you we had you on our show. You had me on your show.

Many times this love your program played on the Truth Network and knows a lot of stations and carry through talk we can the Christian worldview. Just a quick shout out to 20 seconds on that show. The emphasis of that supposed to know about what this is our 15th years and works correctly. The Lord's been blessed us for sure to still be able to do every weekend and really a program focuses on you, the believer has a lot of things coming at us in life and whether it's just more social things relational like family, whether it's theological issues going on, the church, the culture of the country, you name it we have to have a biblical worldview and understand how to think biblically about all the issues of our day so that we can then live accordingly. And as we try doing the program every week. Whether interviewing someone like you on your two books that we had the unfortunate really liked a lot or other issues going on in our culture. So it's been privileged to be part of your networks to well will thank you, man will tell you the book you wrote University destruction is a must read for every could come out of high school preparing for college right effectively. It is colleges like a killing field. There can be a killing field for kids to grow up in a Christian home but it also can be a great time of growth to it's a really testing environment, you have to be prepared.

You can't go and do it not grounded with the biblical worldview. Otherwise, you're going to be short work for the professors, whether on secular college campuses. By the way, Christian college campus as well. If you go to a liberal Christian college that's even more consumer consuming are confusing for young people highly Christian in name only, but may not have a true might appeal maybe a little.

See not a big secret is out there right and so I really recommend that book to the parents to go through it. Not after their senior year of high school. Something want to go through Jan 910 starting early right yes very much fantastic so David Wheaton tennis Pro talkshow host University destruction euros second book tells Avril Glick about your dog a great hurry, but also great way to people of dogs to be with Christ.

Yeah, my boy Ben is a second book to buy you a yellow lab that I had back in my tennis plane days in the book.

The book is ostensibly a dog book but really what it is. It's a book about God's grace in our trials told through the story of having a dog and so I would commend it to someone who's a dog lover or someone who's ever gone through a hard trial in life is tremendous.

David Wheaton I got John Cox your pastor from Fresno both influenced by John MacArthur deeply Kirk Welch's been pastoring how long the pastoring pastor Kirk 25 years we will man. I mean, were used to mixing up on the court, but you know your your original word every week. I want to do this click I want to do a quick corral wrap up your a lot of folks listening are able to make it to the shepherd's conference. They a lot of her John MacArthur preach and whatnot what your challenge right now to both pastors out there about the shepherds and see their flocks studying the word, feeding their flock, being men of integrity and a people out there looking for a church with her to get set.

I hear that all time. I love my church but I'm just not said to start with you Kirk, and I want to go to John Pastor John Cox and into David Wheaton will wrap up the segment just tell your challenge out there in the deep hunger is being said here but all these guys come in under the I think you know it it's easy to take for granted that there's a good church everywhere but if you find one where you have a pass-through serious about study and he's really giving himself to the work in the labor to know the word and and be faithful and communicating it and that's a place you got a stay and we all need to be taught. We all need to be encouraged through the word is with this week is about for me it's it's hearing God's word priest in my soul being fed, which makes me then more equipped to feed the people in my church under my care today was great. Just then challenge regarding humility and not promoting myself and branding myself get caught up and that's all that stuff but really just understanding the priority of the word of God in my my role to preach and feed the flock so I would challenge any pastor make that the primary effort of your labor. There so many things you can do and you can get distracted with all kinds of other things that are secondary. But don't neglect the careful study the word of God being ready feature people from past John Cox, your quick work.

Yeah, I think I think I think our quest for significance people are looking for significance in the end, and God is working just as much where you are is he is right here and one of the one of the big things here is that understanding that we are defined by Christ. I think when the biggest promises we live or how Howard described as opposed how are defined and in our description, we live more by you know if I'm a pastor or what I'm doing what I found in this world, but the reality is that we be defined by Christ not enough is our identity in him is sufficient and in a being in a church and being in a place that preaches Christ alone and not not not any and not just giving you treatment shepherding truth is is is so key to a faithful gate where the 50 year anniversary. John MacArthur's pulpit ministry were the shepherd's conference at Grace new church in Southern California where it all began. David Wheaton take so we only have like 30 seconds and then we got it we got to go on the segment hard you finish after these guys I allowed to say as someone who's been involved in the church for a long time. I think what true believers want is what Paul told Timothy in second Timothy four. Preach the word be ready in season and out of season and then hears that this repetition reprove report rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine going to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires that that is that is the situation today in the American evangelical church and need to get back on thing that changes people's Holy Spirit working through the preaching of the word, how will they hear is not a preacher. Faith comes by hearing Christ, David Wheaton, John Cox three-minute on one talkshow host two pastors are Kirk Welch, thank you guys and stay in the word as this is so important in thank you for government like Joe McCarthy may not love him. He may may may maybe not let him there's people out there. You know the whatever but a be grateful for the contribution he's made challenges all to be men of the book right maybe.

I know you are Amanda book you know when you when you speak on our program, I hear you say you make a point. You say you back up with a word in Scripture that mean Scriptures filtering through you and that's what we all need to be more men in the book, and that's a MacArthur's been is a very gracious person. He's been a person is shown a lot of biblical convictions against the drift is going on today. A man on floor moral to a podcast out there and learn more into the truth that were.com and about to talk. We can and follow us on Twitter, will put something on Facebook to of this youth conference Stu Epperson Southern California and I'm sitting in a seminary. That's right folks similar no cemetery seminary. There's there's living, breathing anointing and the power got here. John MacArthur started his work in a pulpit not too far from here Mark MacArthur your John son John MacArthur's been a regular guest on to talk weekend to talk live Truth Network many the station to carry this program but this is an interesting moment is worth the shepherd's conference. Both of you have this program on podcast on the network run over awesome affiliates will be through network will be gone.

We will be home but were here right now it's just fasting all these guys walking by with wood Bibles and stuff in this room the word of God. We can tell you're feeling this is a little brat, little guys nose is going on yeah know my daddy got here.

I was literally newly born might have been here 50 years so it's really all I've ever known. Lastly, all the time with some like to be part of all this was it like to be John MacArthur's son and my responses. Well I don't know what it's like not to be given Greek response that he response and no I don't you know it's it's very normal to me and dad always made our life in his his work here seamless between how we lived our life church. The church life. Family life on life sports life was never different. There was no different. There was never a different language. There was never a different expectation. There was never anything different. So for us being on the campus growing up around the church being around people of the church. All of our friends were primarily from the church that was normal to us and never felt awkward and never felt forced and it never felt required because like I said it was never different than the rest of her life and we were to Masters University together message calls and no special university, you are a baseball guy was a bashful guy and you actually you actually I wrote you many times to and from Grace Church Bogart.

So your grace is that you know Julie and myself all our friends ran around together but use it mean to be here in this moment just celebrating 50 years Martin Lloyd Jones and took a picture open on my on my Instagram Karen, okay, what in the world that his highness told him what that is.

So on the on the actual Sunday of the 50th anniversary, the grandson or one of the grandchildren of Mark Martin or Jones came in actually gifted dad in our family what they call a prayer table and this is the very small table that clearly was designed to hold the Bible and from what we understand, that I met Mr. Cather would who came from the dark that Martin or join trust family and donated the small desk and it was a prayer desk and it was something that he use regularly from what we understand to just basically get on his knees and prayed for the Lord and read the work read scriptures so really and un-invaluable gift card even calculate what that means to their family and now any stars paint a picture were inside of a lobby.

Very beautiful floors. There's a library with volumes and volumes of books. I guess theological jokes and volumes and then you got this a big screen and there's there's little Mark yeah so so what they've done anymore that one of the legacies of of for dad that whether it was intentional or unintentional is now. This training of men so one of the things that's clearly established on the church is just it's infused with this idea of study, research training, and it's all part of what dad's legacy is built up, so they've been a really phenomenal job of simply captivating that through media, through videos, through pictures, through some of the immuno paraphernalia I'm looking at the microphone from probably one of his like 6 millionth tape that they sent out consent to not tell the younger folks like our kids and younger they don't know what that is. That's a foreign object to them.

Yet when I tell my kids that we actually had to turn the tapes over dictates of a second side member and an account that was a plated reversing a good actually right. Yeah Pincus I know you're listening to a cassette tape. This is really crazy. You listen to a song you know you know Steve Green so I don't know whatever and you push reverse angle started in the middle of whatever song you decide you yeah so every risk. I think Keith Karine was like like that. The first tape I ever bought in that was like so awesome you know it in a place much thought, but so your dad had some somewhat when they stop doing cassette tapes. He had some one or 2 million. What was all I think it's yet to or maybe more familiar. There's 4500 people solicitors like 4000 people don't know the number.

There's just a massive amount of there's a sea of pastors carrying these books I entered Groningen in their pack, and there's an overflow someone to show me the back of the badge is like a seating chart so the way they do it is is that there's actually more guys here than the sanctuary can functionally hold and so what they do is the color coded so that essentially every guy gets to be in the main session for I think two thirds of the sessions and they rotate them. They've got video overflow and they've got another video video to video overflow that you can basically watch live feed of the session okay so this is the shepherd's conference is an annual event, and it literally is that shepherds from all over RC's role, he was living would speak his ministry is here.

A lot of the guys a lot of the pastor Steve Lawson a lot of major Al Mohler's been here all these guys come in up effectively.

What happens here over the next couple days. Mark said Mark MacArthur son John MacArthur talk about this legacy to celebrate 50 years in the pull of grace to me church teaching the word of God. Verse by verse faithfully what it what is the essence of what happened.

So it when it first started. You know the shepherd's conference was really designed to be a pastors conference and then over the years.

What happened is guys with some and they say what I want to bring some of my men for my church.

So my deacons my elders own ring my youth guy is over the years.

This is the 46 shepherd's conference, but not 46 years so they used to do them multiple times year lease to do regionally so I don't know exactly what number in a row. I'm sure it's 20+ but are more but in essence what it is. It becomes a kind of a fraternity of guys that are like-minded than love the word of God love preaching expository really love studying us positive orally insulated come together and in they built friendships over the years. So for a lot of these guys, it's a chance to come back and be with their good friends, like-minded men, it recharges him you let some of the guys they get so busy talking to it that you don't even go to the sessions because the church here will have over thousand volunteers this week so thousand people from our church will take a week to get off of work early from their families or the bring their kids to serve the food is incredible. It's for some guys I think is the pinnacle of their year because they come from a small rural area that they just don't have this kind of fellowship at that level in their observing and ministering to get to come here and this is like a big break like a big no fun for you guys. It's fun.

So many stations listening to my voice right now carry Grace to you and John MacArthur's been on the radio.

For years Jocelyn 50 years, the pulpit, my mom and dad would bring her church has a little guidance. He knew the youth group was a lot of fun a lot smaller than you know psych is interesting how it's it's as if taken over this whole area but a real tribute to the word of God. But Mark MacArthur describe for me if you would. So when I see the name John MacArthur unit and who knows what reaction I get for simple design all my soul a bit.

Listen I got in the words and he told me copies. These my spiritual father no way shepherding us and you get 4000+ years, you know, just just actually eat every work but other people you know they like all that guy you know he's a little bit raw freeze bestows those shot over the bow once in a while right. It's a charismatics over here. It's the guys over here that are seeker friendly note. There's no point you grew up in a home with this guy right so you you grew up. So tell me about John the cartel what pictures you are portraying John MacArthur, your dad from Alyssa Mark like in terms of describing other people just just in his heart as well. I've explained to people 60 said that had a chance to think about that with 50th and we've had a lot of various things happen you know within the family with kids getting married.

Her grandkids getting married in dad and I are are are pretty close. I talked to try try talk to almost every day and just check in with him you know is not a young young chicken anymore. You know he's he's going to be 80 this summer and so you know, for me to have a have a person in my life who is both my pastor might my dad, my mentor and some guys really enjoy being around in the knowing that I have access to someone that frankly, most don't that's very special to me. I am exceptionally thankful for that. But the way you described the people is you know if you've never had a chance to meet him in person or you don't know growing up. It was very what I consider to be normally nice to know introduced dad to some my unsaved friends and I played a lot of baseball/clay modeling baseball going to come and visit my buddies would get really nervous because they knew he was a man of the cloth way really didn't know what to think. But in either one of my when my friend sitting on time while he's really nice in next really normal and I Civil War you expect the site is one I felt like I was getting really uncomfortable and and I wasn't so glad explained the people is if I could describe it I would say that that dad is a person with exceptionally deep conviction based on the word of God, but extremely wide grace and in people tend to fall on one side of the other of those it takes a lot of maturity and a lot of lack of fear of man right if you really fear God you don't fear man then that probably is is the goal. Lord, I want to be really strong in my understanding of you and my convictions around Scripture, but I want to give really a lot of grace and let the word of God do the work is to ask described. That is a man of exceptionally deep conviction. You are in not going to get him to change his mind to make you happy. I can happen so but he's the most nonjudgmental person I've ever been around as an adult he just is not judgmental programs called Grace to you and if you want to Grace, and John MacArthur's life first and as a kid I was hard for her to say that about his dad. Like I said we had rules and if you broke the rules you got punished was very black and white you know it was and so we always knew that there were certain lines just don't cross. And when you do, there was a penalty, but it was never, it was never demeaning or punitive.

And so when I described that I describe it is an extremely kind person who has extremely deep convictions. Stu Epperson from the shepherd's conference on the campus of creation. The master seminary, not just her the account of John MacArthur's son Mark with his youngest son tell you theirs for this four of us is for this on number three of the four so there is a ghost boy girl boy girl my my older brother older sister and I were younger sister. So these are pastors from all over the world are coming here to this. And then there's deacons is Lehman's pastors in the coming from all over the world and we can talk to and I said David on some expected him to have a kid accrue cameras see no basis to I got my Bible. I got my hat on his brother every year is groundwork for my talk show there's another passenger name Sean Harrelson.

Sean went to the master University with me today to come over and tells a quick Mark Carson story got God wants to give you another one here will it's you know it's a legend at the Masters college one of our great rivals is Westmont College up in Santa Barbara, California. Postseason soccer play. My buddies and I show up to the game were decked out ready to go in there in the middle of Westmont's field is the Masters college announce University that was a college. The Masters college logo in the middle of Westmont field. We started chuckling. Everybody loved it Westmont fans were obviously very peeved and course. The rumor started spreading through the crowd, Mark MacArthur, and I know who you are. I don't know the crew statute of limitations route that Mark was the I'm just upside down and I don't know that we ever ever know who did it, but we went up in the middle of the night in pain huge in my pocket a small it was like half the size of the middle of the field. Blue M. Yet it was great.

We lost the game.

I member we lost that game as a playoff game of man alive. That was a letter.

Dad was at the game. If I recall, I think he probably was young so dishonorably you pastor wherein we what so what sauce motherships numbers for your quick you know I will. I pastor in the Seattle area Crossway Fellowship in Lynnwood, Washington this I went to seminary here went to the Masters college course, this is great to be here.

John MacArthur's had a great impact on my life and my ministry, starting from when I was a freshman in high school.

Even my dad listen to Grace to you was really hungry to understand the truth. He gave me a set of tapes. The believers armor from Ephesians 6 and I just ate it was a geeky high school student who spent his Friday nights with a little Panasonic recorder taking notes and listen John MacArthur so anyway it's it's been a long time not offered a lot of sermons via messages that just glad to be here legacy really and your dad would say this point blank a decent writer reason say this isn't about John MacArthur. This is about God's work and I want you in that spirit, Mark MacArthur, Sean even as we wrap up this podcast here this this interview what your challenge out there pastors got note the book of was it a rose is scissors a family with a famine for lack of word of God and in the end guys to start studying what you think about the answer Mark Sean Jesus spoke what your challenge passes out there didn't open that book teaching books about the Bible teach in your own little application would teach the word priest were which account yeah I think it is to have an unwavering commitment to the authority of Scripture… Is fundamental and to me it's that is the heart. John MacArthur's ministry and in the seminary and the college market would you say the pastors which is what you see the boat pastors out there about shepherding feeding the flock, and also people looking for church icon multimodal to find a church and not being fed what your challenge out there why I grew.

Sean, you know, we are at it we had a little meeting yesterday and I was in. Dad was was talking about different things any any, made a comment and in a kind of a throwaway comment, but I think you said a lot and it was some of the fact that that you have to believe that the power of God's word is the most power to change a life and in turn if you're not a believer, the words of Scripture, God will use those to ignite the work of the Spirit in your life and if you if you understand illumination and you believe that God still allows people to see God in Scripture by the truth of Scripture.

It doesn't really matter what I think it says what God say what is God wanted to say what is it mean from God in I think for a lot of us. We have to include his his reminder self as we go to Scriptures.

There is power in the word of God that the truth of Christ, in the words of God in Scripture can transform a table to tapirs. You know marrow from bone. I mean it in and you know I don't know that we always believe that because we have so many tools were talk about this with me earlier. No really I was.

I was with young guides and seminarian. He wanted to see dad's office and yet has no computers. They just got Wi-Fi at their house recently and just do anything through computers and he said he's I feel really convicted because today I can Google things and not really ever contemplate what I'm doing is really neat. So I would challenge guises is spent time in the word and in no a long time in the word and let let God do his work in your mind and your heart through the word, not reading a thousand things about never heard John MacArthur teacher preach just turning to minority stations that will network the Truth Network station security.

This program, you also have other stations in northern Florida Jacksonville 1.7 FM carry Grace to you and John MacArthur.

Verse by verse teaching to God's were given herein for long time anymore. Yeah my whole life, literally, you can probably present. Ephesians chapter 6, regardless yeah you know what I I have some favorites that is mentioned. A friend of mine this last week I I don't say this a lot, but dad actually very seldom recycles his sermons even now at 80 will be 80 this summer and we preach today and I and I'm I listen to the sermon this morning. I've never heard this from yet so he doesn't recycle him he might use information but he likes the study part more than he likes the preaching part and I've I've heard your dad say from upfront that part of the reason he doesn't recycle his a consequence of being in the same place for as long as he's been three if you have received three sermons will be audio. I know they'll they'll want to go on some different company to the college and just light us up over there to actually get so this is a celebration 50 years Nipomo John MacArthur and this is the shepherd's conference which is really this this get-together. There's a little bit more intense interest this year because of all this anniversary and all that and it's been fun. You know that the church has been wonderfully kind dad's family through that when you're all for the fact that two of the charter families of this church. The church was about 12 years old when dad got here 13 years old and so there's there's families that have been here there's elders that have been on the other board for a good chunk of that time and still biblically qualified. It's all I rented a guy that bought this property. The man that but he was a construction guy. This was a chicken farm. He bought this property before dad got here and he's out there serving food to the pastors 90 and here's your every single week. That's here somewhere. I can give her. She was my mom's best friend.

My mom got saved in your your granddad's church and your dad in them all ran around together with the Bob Josie yeah that's a whole other story. Yeah, absolutely still thinking about the University of yeah right now is something else is greatly God bless you man what a deal from the campus of Grace Lutheran Church Master seminary celebrating the legacy of God's word and the challenge there were out there is read the word study the word memorize and meditate on it will preach the word value value yeah evaluate and all those things will happen is a high view of God's word, believing that it is really the word of God and the word of God can change the soul is quick and powerful sharpening to sourcing a picture by that plaque talked about the work of the word and then will in all truth about everybody on my oh my, oh my social media page. This social media work