A Mukalakasa of Truth: A Tribute to Pastor John MacArthur

July 15, 2025

By Humphrey Kutosi

A mukalakasa’s batteries have run out, but his voice still proclaims the truth that will never die. Pastor John MacArthur has gone to be with the Lord, but his teaching, conduct, faith, patience, love, and his steadfastness will remain alive in the hearts of his countless students, like me. His uncompromising voice was a bullhorn that will continue to ring loud through his books, sermons, and the lives he has shaped.

My First Encounter

I first encountered Pastor John in 2019 while studying Law at Makerere University in Uganda. At that time, I wasn’t committed to a local church, having wandered hopelessly from church to church for six years since I had been saved. If you have been there, you know what I‘m talking about. But I had fed on A.W. Tozer’s writings since 2015, and one day, sitting in the university’s main library, I wondered if faithful pastors like Tozer still existed. ”Surely, it can’t be that all the faithful guys are dead,” I reasoned. So, with curiosity and hope, I typed into my Google search-box: “Pastors today like A.W. Tozer.” And guess who came up in the results? John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, and John Piper. That search changed my life. From that day onward, I began to devour their sermons and writings, but none shaped my theology more profoundly than Pastor John.

A Zeal for God’s Word

Pastor John was fiercely committed to the text, faithfully unpacking it verse by verse. I can still hear his voice declaring,“The meaning of the Scripture is the Scripture.” This conviction, that we are to faithfully handle the Word of God, transformed how I read and interpreted my Bible. Instead of chasing for meaning outside the text, I began seeking it from the text itself, endeavoring to interpret every passage on its own terms, rather than imposing meanings alien to the author’s intent. Choosing a favourite sermon of John is difficult. It’s like picking a favorite star from the sky. They were all so bright! But here are a few that I will never forget: 

1. Why Every Calvinist Should Be a Premillennialist: In this series, John argues that Calvinists, who believe in God’s sovereignty and election, should  logically hold to futuristic premillenialism.
2. Fundamentals of the Faith: A thirteen-lesson curriculum designed to ground new believers in the essential doctrines and practices of Christianity. 
3. Fundamentals of Expository Preaching: A lecture series of expository preaching by John MacArthur from the Master’s seminary. They explain the reason for expository preaching.

My wife suggested that I also add:

4. Strange Fire Conference: She’s not sure whether it was this conference, but she says it was a sermon on spiritual gifts, and that was what Strange Fire was all about.
5. Does the Bible Permit a Woman to Preach?: She also can’t remember the exact sermon (oh please!) but she says the topic was on women-pastors.

Faithful, Yet Human

Of course, there are areas where I disagreed with Pastor John, such as his cessationism, or his views on divorce and remarriage. He was not perfect. Yet, even in those differences, I never doubted his sincerity and diligence in seeking the true intent of Scripture. In his ministry, he modelled the life of a hardworking farmer (2 Timothy 2:6), labouring tirelessly to present God’s Word to his people with care and humility.

Conclusion

Pastor John’s voice was heard by millions, from packed auditoriums to my little cubicle at the university. I am blessed to be one of them—hidden in this obscure unknown country Uganda. His ministry through Grace to You, The Master’s Seminary, and The MacArthur Study Bible will continue to impact countless believers and pastors world over. I never got to meet him in this life, but I look forward to meeting him in the next, in the presence of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

I know he cannot read this, but allow me to say: Goodbye, Pastor John. Thank you for teaching me how to faithfully handle the Word of Truth. And above all, to God be the glory, who has continued to build his Church with such men as John. May he raise up an army of Johns to carry his torch. Amen.