Grace Community Church, Get Your House in Order: How the Firing of Michael Mahoney, the Impending Media Storm, and Case Will Bring Shame to the Name of Jesus Christ PART 1
I’ll be honest. This will be short. I have a couple of ideas I want to share, but then I also have a number of goodies from Costco sitting on my table calling me. You know how it is. The spirit is willing…but the cinnamon roll doth call me. Let’s take a moment and just assess if you will, what is going on. I chose the following graphic because it sums up a lot of churches like Grace where your job is just to “attend, sing, worship, tithe, go home, rinse and repeat”. Begin to ask questions and you’ll definitely not be welcomed there for very long. I’ve seen it done.
So, Grace is embroiled in two legal battles. Two cases. They contend that they “won” this last battle, but it was won on a technicality. Legal stuff aside (please), the amount of preening that is occurring at Grace Community Church and at John’s home in Sand Canyon is astounding.
A couple of days I had reported that there was an upset at Grace Community Church and it was confirmed just recently that “they” had fired Michael Mahoney. He was in charge of Administration and Spanish ministries, a Head Elder, and a popular mainstay at Grace Community Church. In fact, if you watched the Livestream, you would see him give the announcements and direct the services. He was the #2 guy. No one is higher.
Here is the unfortunate thing, Mr. Mahoney had in the years that he had drawn a rather large salary from Grace had purchased a few luxury cars and a stunning house in Sunland, CA. Everything about this gentleman demonstrated that he was happy in his position and not going anywhere. From all accounts, I was told that he was a well-liked, fair, very witty man who loved the Lord. I’ve personally known Michael since 2004 when he first came to Grace, so I cannot imagine how he could have been let go.
Why is this important? Grace Community Church is in the middle of two cases and to have a major dust-up like this is going to incite the media talking heads to sniff around and see that there is trouble in the MacArthur camp. Michael Mahoney was in charge of things like the conferences (Truth Matters, Strange Fire, and most notable Shepherd’s Conference), the day-to-day on Grace campus (staff, personnel, projects, $), and his declaration was submitted in the recent case against Grace. He was the point of contact for the LADPH and other officers to inspect the premises.
They claim that he was fired for “deception” and that “whatever you’re thinking it is, it is far worse”. The elders investigated and let him go. Everything pertaining to him was cleared from gracechurch.org, shepherdsconference.com, and tmus.edu. As if he had never been there. At Grace, when you’re gone, you’re gone.
I want to want to believe that the Elders “investigated”, but considering that he was working on Tuesday and Wednesday and did not show up on Thursday is suspect. In fact, I did ask two Elders and they stated that they had no idea he was let go.
So, the story continues…this will be another item in a long string of undiscussed and ignored topics. John MacArthur always takes the position that the members and employees (not to mention student, ref. accreditation probe) are not “owed” an explanation. They are meant to clock in, have their coffee, shut up, and go home. He contends that the City is after him, the County is after him, and ultimately, Satan is after the church and what they’re trying to do there. He had the same mentality when he was speaking to the seminary students regarding the accreditation probe in 2018.
Have you ever noticed that MacArthur…often puts emphasis on the negative and ultimately, on himself? I was raised by a Narcissistic parent, so I honestly hear so much of that in his speech. It’s the gaslighting of others who question him. The television appearances he lives for. The utter oblivion that what he is doing and, especially, what he is saying is causing families and friends to fight. In his own words, he has stated that God has “chosen” him for this moment. Yet, if Copeland, Hinn, or Paul Crouch, would have something so off the wall, we’d have a good laugh, but if John MacArthur says it…must be so.
To recap —
- Thomas Moore Society has paid over $400,000 in legal fees and we are only in week 3 of representation.
- Jenna Ellis continues her tirade against the Los Angeles authorities, even though she is not the counsel on record and her pro hac vice hearing is in October. (It is a hearing where an out-of-state attorney may petition the court to be added to a case). I am not sure what out-of-state counsel can add to what is a local ordinance and state guidelines. I have been a litigator longer and looking at how unprofessional she is to opposing counsel, I am sure they are not worried. I have worked for the State before and at the County level, there are some very impressive litigators.
- John MacArthur contends that the SEC indictment against his son, Mark MacArthur, is again a pack of lies meant to go after…wait for it…him. Right. The SEC just randomly goes after innocent people because they have that kind of time.
- And…yes, God is still Sovereign and there are still hurting people living without Christ, many of whom will be facing eviction, joblessness, food instability. Families who have no idea who Grace Community Church is or this mess (I do envy that).
Remember, that in the end…all that matters is that Justice will be served and we win. If you claim Christ as your loving Savior and Lord, know that as dark as it gets and in whatever situation you’re in, he is there. He is all you will ever need. What goes on at Grace, unfortunately, occurs in many churches where the power is concentrated on one man. John MacArthur has made a career out of stomping out his competition and detractors, circling the wagons, and cleaning house. He has gone on several firing sprees as long as I have known him. When Grace School was still in operation, they only gave those teachers one week’s notice before they closed the school, but they gave Tom Chaffin, the principal who molested the female teachers and young students, received a rather large severance. They were crying among themselves as they were laid off without any hope of unemployment checks.
I have been told recently that several people had been on the campus, asking questions. They claimed to be reporters. I had to laugh as to what they might find out. There isn’t a whole lot known among the little people. No, everything is on a need to know basis and if you have to ask, you did not make the cut. I have joked in the past that I too could write a book regarding MacArthur. I had the title, “100 Lies MacArthur Told Me” because 95 Theses is a little on-the-nose and 100 is such a nice number.
The other day, I was reminded of this story from the book, “Our Sufficiency in Christ” by John MacArthur (really Phil Johnson, but hey…potato, po-tot-o), pages 236–237. Remember my narcissistic comment.
“One night several years ago I was called to the church office to deal with an emergency. I arrived to find one of our elders struggling with a girl who was demon possessed. She was evidencing supernatural strength; she had flipped a heavy steel desk over onto its top. The two of us together were unable to restrain her physically. Voices that were not her own were speaking out of her. I was unsure of what to do, having never encountered anything like that before”.
“When I arrived, I heard a demon scream, “Not him! Anyone but him! Get him out! Get him out! We don’t want him here.” It encouraged me to know they realized I was not on their side.”
“We tried to speak to the demons. We commanded them to tell us their names, and we ordered them in Jesus’ name to go into the pit. We spent two hours trying to send those demons out of her.”
“When we finally stopped trying to talk to the demons and dealt directly with that young woman, we began to make some headway. We told her that she needed to confess her sins, and she began to pour her heart out. She had been involved in unimaginable filth and was living a hypocritical life. She confessed her sins with tears and affirmed the truth of Jesus Christ, then asked the Lord to cleanse her from every sin in her life. Again in her prayer, she articulated every sin she could think of having committed and prayed earnestly with a repentant heart. Afterward she was a changed woman.”
That was riveting. Few things…
- Notice that he says it was a girl, not a woman.
- Why was an elder alone on that campus with a girl at all? There’s always security 24/7, could he not have radioed one of the young gents who patrol the campus?
- He was struggling with a girl who was “evidencing supernatural strength”, but he had the wherewithal to call John MacArthur, pause to explain the emergency, wait the 32 minutes it takes to go from John’s house to the church? You see what I’m getting at, right?
- And, when he got there the “demons” screamed:
15And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; [John MacArthur, you bet] but who are ye? 16And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. (Acts 19:15–18)
A thousand times, no. This “girl” was not given the Gospel, just confessing one’s sins and poof — the devil is gone?
Nothing about this story seems real, but this is the same kind of story replete in his sermons and books that not only thrill and titillate the reader but once more draw your attention to his preeminence among the spiritual realm. It is entirely fictional. It places him in the ranks of Paul, and the apostles who were given the power to cast out devils. I submit there is more power in the prayers of a faithful grandmother with an open heart and Bible then there is anywhere at Grace. God opposeth the proud.
