On Sunday (Oct. 20), Pastor John MacArthur appeared during an evening service at Grace Community Church (GCC). This was MacArthur’s first appearance since his latest medical procedure, which has kept him out of the pulpit for a considerable length of time.
MacArthur received a standing ovation before starting his Q&A, which was moderated by Nathan Busenitz, who is executive vice president of The Master’s Seminary and an elder at GCC.
“I had to appear so people knew I wasn’t dead. I mean, I’ve been reading about my death, and it’s highly exaggerated,” MacArthur joked.
During the service, MacArthur provided an update about his health and answered questions about Steven Lawson, the upcoming presidential election, and when MacArthur might start preaching again.
John MacArthur Gives an Update Regarding His Health
In 2023, MacArthur underwent a procedure to have four stents put in the arteries around his heart, something he said “was very successful.” MacArthur said that following the surgery, his “heart was doing very well.”
However, a few months after the procedure, doctors noticed an “aberrant rhythm in my heart, so they did another procedure…and it was successful,” MacArthur said. About a year after that, the pastor’s cardiologist told him that he needed to have his aorta replaced. “And they did that,” MacArthur continued, “and it was successful.”
“But through all of that, I’m always trying to recover,” he added. “So it’s been a long siege, and the issue that seems to have been the most difficult for me—you can probably tell by the way I’m talking—is breathing.”
An X-ray showed that MacArthur’s breathing issues were a result of fluid in his lungs, which required surgery less than two months ago.
“The recovery from that is requiring a lot of patience,” MacArthur shared. “I’ve never really been good at rest.”
