The wife of the first pastor who was jailed in Canada for keeping his church open during the COVID-19 lockdowns wrote a statement honoring the legacy of the late John MacArthur and thanking him for supporting her and her husband during his imprisonment.
Erin Coates, whose husband James Coates spent more than a month in prison in 2021 after he reopened his GraceLife Community Church in Edmonton, Alberta, despite public health restrictions, also said MacArthur’s teaching gave her the courage to endure the loneliness she felt when government authorities were persecuting her husband.
“I needed a minute to get my bearings on this one. I knew this moment was going to come but part of me isn’t ready. I have read so many testimonies of how people can’t put into words the impact Pastor John has had in their lives and I’m right there with them,” she wrote in a Tuesday Instagram post.
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Her post featured a slideshow of pictures that included her husband graduating from The Master’s Seminary, founded by MacArthur, who died Monday at age 86 after being hospitalized with pneumonia.
“Next to my husband, Pastor John has had the greatest influence in my life, but James is the man, preacher, and shepherd he is today because of how the Lord has used pastor John in his life. The ministry of GraceLife Church stands on his shoulders (2 Timothy 2:2),” she continued.
“I honestly don’t know where we would be today without John’s example of faithfulness. Yesterday we lost our former pastor, mentor, and friend. The greatest thing Pastor John taught me was Christ is everything. He always pointed me to His greatness and that His greatness demanded absolute allegiance.”
Going on to note how MacArthur’s ministry and preaching was always based in the Word of God, Coates said the late pastor “taught me to stand for Christ even if I was standing alone.”
“[I]ronically when James went to jail and I felt like I was standing alone, Pastor John came to my aid,” she said. “He taught me that nothing matters more than standing for Christ in the purity of my own private and secret life. He taught me to love the Church even when she wounds you or walks away.”
“And finally, he taught me to always keep my eyes on Christ and the believers judgment. How did he teach me all of these things? Because he faithfully preached the Word in season and out of season. I will never forget him.”
Erin concluded by looking at what she sees as MacArthur’s testimony of being faithful no matter the consequence.
“May Pastor John’s faithfulness put steel in our spines to live a faithful life so that Christ is glorified,” Coates added. “Pray for his precious family, GCC, and all the ministries that relied so heavily upon John’s wisdom and grace.”
“Well done, my dearest friend, it will not be long before we are worshipping our King together for all eternity. Thank you, Lord, for using him to point us all back to Sola Scriptura for Your glory alone,” she added.
James Coates made international headlines in 2021 when Canadian federal law enforcement raided GraceLife’s building at dawn, locked it and barricaded it behind three layers of fencing. Coates, who was ultimately acquitted, spent five weeks in prison and was dragged before a judge while wearing an orange-and-black jumpsuit.
Coates told the judge at the time he was not trying to be a “political revolutionary,” but simply endeavoring to obey the Lord.
“I realized that’s the way society is going to perceive what’s happening here,” Coates told the judge. “[But] I’m simply here in obedience to Jesus Christ, and it’s my obedience to Christ that has put me at odds with the law.”
While Coates was imprisoned, MacArthur prayed for him, Erin and their church from the pulpit, asking that God would use Coates’ ordeal to advance the Gospel and “would bring down those who are evil and honor your Son, Lord Jesus Christ.”
Our Chancellor John MacArthur on the unwavering resolve of our very own, Pastor James Coates. The faculty, staff, and students of The Master’s Seminary stand in solidarity with James and his church. pic.twitter.com/JHqZLN2XBv
— The Master’s Seminary (@MastersSeminary) February 23, 2021
MacArthur and Grace Community Church similarly defied government authorities by resuming in-person church services weeks into the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. The extended legal battle led to the state of California and Los Angeles County settling and agreeing to pay $800,000 in legal fees.
During an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News in March 2021, while her husband was still imprisoned, Erin Coates explained that jail was hard on him, and that she no longer recognized her native Canada.
While stopping short of claiming government authorities were deliberately targeting her husband, she did acknowledge her belief that spiritual forces of evil often work through them unwittingly.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
