Featured Speaker

Missions Conference 2012

Doug Nichols is the founder and International Director Emeritus of Action International, based in the Greater Seattle, Wash. area, focusing on leadership development of the mission, specifically for Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Doug and his wife Margaret first went to the Philippines in 1970 with Overseas Missionary Fellowship on loan to Christ for Greater Manila, from which ACTION began in 1974. The focus of their work was among the poor through evangelism, discipleship, and development. Doug and his wife Margaret continue to travel in ministry worldwide.

Missions Conference 2012

Dr. Elias dos Santos Medeiros is the Harriet Barbour Professor of Missions at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Miss. Ordained in 1975, he and his wife Fokjelina worked in pioneer church planting in the Amazon and in Recife, Brazil. He also taught at several theological institutions in Brazil, including the Presbyterian Seminary of the North and was Dean at the Evangelical Missions Center. He is a member of the Lausanne Global Diaspora Network Advisory Board and of the Brazilian Evangelical Diaspora movement. Dr. Medeiros is deeply committed to evangelism through every member of the body of Christ.

These satanic tactics began in the Garden of Eden, where he portrayed God as a liar (Genesis 3:1-5) — but we know the truth about God’s character (Romans 3:4; Titus 1:2). Satan is THE liar and the father of lies (John 8:44)! In fact, he seeks to make sure that all of his wicked actions are centered upon luring people (especially God’s people) away from the one thing that is really necessary (Luke 10:42) — worshiping God alone in spirit and in truth (John 4:19-24). In other words, his intended purpose is to always turn men away from the pursuit of “loving God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).

However, his largest act of deception can be seen is his diligence to convince people that hell is either God’s sadistic idea of fun or that it is a place of carnal partying with all of our friends who are really cool, and thereby not to be taken seriously. But how does the Bible describe hell? The Bible consistently depicts hell as: a place of devouring fire and everlasting burning (Isaiah 33:14); a place where no one can repent (Matt 12:32); a place of everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46); a place of eternal torment (Luke 16:23); a place where we would not want our loved ones to go (Luke 16:28); a bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1); a lake of fire (Revelation 20:15), a place of outer darkness along with weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). Yet, despite those passages, former Michigan pastor Rob Bell in his recent best-selling book “Love Wins,” conveyed just the opposite view of hell. Yes, his unscriptural universalism (everyone goes to heaven) totally ignored God’s Word and spun a new angle on hell. Here is one shocking phrase from his book: “History is not tragic, hell is not forever, and love, in the end, wins.”

Well, the medieval poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), author of “The Inferno,” was at least somewhat more scripturally accurate than Mr. Bell when he figuratively described a sign above the gates of hell as saying: “Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here”. Indeed, hell is a place of utter hopelessness (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Nevertheless, belief in a half-Biblical, half-whatever kind of hell is at an all-time low in the US. Out West (i.e. on the “left” coast), only 61% believe in some kind of hell; in the Northeast, only 64%; in the Midwest, only 66%; and in the Bible-belt South, a low 83%.

May God soon give us preachers who will rise up and preach once again this all-important but currently neglected doctrine. Then, maybe then, the church of our day will live as if hell is a real place! We need to ask God for preachers like old Thomas Brooks from 17th century England, who once gave the following illustration: “The greatest and the hottest fires that ever were on earth are but ice in comparison with the fire of hell.”

I leave you with the loving words of our Lord Jesus: “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire” (Matthew 18:7-9).

Jerry Marcellino is pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel. He can be reached by e-mail at pastorjerry@audubonchurch.org

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One of the most wonderful experiences that one can partake of this side of heaven is becoming a parent … especially a Christian parent! From its precious beginning when the budding father hears those unforgettable words, “Honey, I’m pregnant!” to our very last breath, parenting is one of the greatest blessings and personal awakenings one can experience this side of heaven.

In regard to personal awakenings (I am referring to what each parent learns incrementally about himself or herself during every stage of their child’s development), children are God’s heaven-sent sanctifiers who reveal to us the sinfulness (especially the selfishness) of our own heart. In pertaining to the parental blessings, this wonderful pilgrimage is one of constant realization of how God amazingly uses sinners like us, to be the very means of bringing never-dying souls into this fallen world (and hopefully into heaven itself).

Let us never forget that these blessed souls are fashioned by God Himself to adore and worship Him both now and forever (Psalm 139:15-16; Isaiah 43:7; Revelation 7:9-10)! But if we, as Christian parents, only see in our Christian parenting the need for our own personal sanctification (1 Peter 2:4-5; 2 Peter 3:18), we are sadly missing the point of this unique calling. Such a calling, if properly understood and lived out by God’s grace, will make a difference in our Children’s lives (1 Corinthians 7:14-16).

Therefore, let us never forget that these little (and soon-to-be big) gifts from the Lord (Psalm 127:3) are still spiritually fallen sons and daughters of Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12) – no matter how cute they are! They were conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5), born in sin (Psalm 58:3), and sin because they are sinners (Ephesians 2:1-3). Yes, they began their lengthy earthly lives as smoldering volcanoes of sin (Jeremiah 17:9), and we must now raise them for God’s glory. How?

Firstly, God says that we must raise them by loving them like a nursing mother and by caring for them like a tender father (1 Thessalonians 2:7,11) – that means, our love must be patient and kind, affectionate and compassionate, and above all, unwavering and sacrificial (1 Corinthians 13).
Secondly, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says that we are to bring the thought of God, His goodness, and kindness, even His greatness and mercy before them each day in the normalcy of life – showing them how to know Him by faith and love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength (Matthew 22:37-40).

Thirdly, we must unceasingly and wisely wield God’s Holy Law at them (Romans 3:20; Ephesians 6:1-4), while lovingly serving them the balm of the gospel (Matthew 11:28-30). This will show them their need for God’s grace and the hope of eternal life. Our Lord said in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

So then, let us reprove them consistently (Proverbs 3:12, “for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights”) and diligently (Proverbs 13:24, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him”). Let us drive sin from them through a proper use of the rod (Proverbs 22:15, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him”), so that they may learn wisdom (Proverbs 29:15, “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother”). All of this discipline should be carried out while knowing that “Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see” (Neil Postman).

Lastlty, let’s make sure that the gift of Biblical parenting is one of the most important gifts we give to our precious little gifts this Christmas season – this will, no doubt, please our King (Isaiah 9:1-7)! Merry Christmas!!

Jerry Marcellino is pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel. He can be reached by e-mail at pastorjerry@audubonchurch.org

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The Apostle Paul once told the Corinthian Church, “I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos…that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written…” (1 Corinthians 4:6). In other words, follow our example of being Biblicists – i.e., those who aim to live their daily lives by the Word of God alone and not by the religious traditions or sincere emotions of men. But if we begin to look honestly at the modern-day evangelical church (which includes our own lives, families and churches), we must confess that Christendom is moving along at a very low ebb, spiritually-speaking.

Why so? Well, there are obviously many factors leading up to this phenomenon. However, the following ones are probably the most prominent: Our own indwelling sin (Romans 7:14-25), the man-centeredness in our pulpits and corporate worship services (2 Timothy 4:2-5), the Scriptural reality of religious self-deception (Jeremiah 17:9), the plague of prayerlessness (Luke 18:1), an overall lack of spiritual discipline (1 Timothy 4:7), and the absence of “true” revival in America ever since the New York prayer revival of 1858 (Psalm 85:6).

Put simply, a shell of religion usually overshadows the visible church during these times because we become weary in the everyday spiritual battle(s) of living in a fallen world. At such a crossroad, genuine repentance, holy resolve, and the pursuit of godliness become hollow exercises — even though many protestant church-goers today would say that nothing is more precious to them than God’s Word, yet they often live their lives as if God has never spoken (Matthew 7:21-23).

Sadly, many religious people have learned to live double lives – one life which says “Jesus is Lord!”, while the other life rarely consults God’s Word for living in this sin-soaked world, Monday through Saturday (2 Timothy 3:1-5). As a result, as soon as they or their child become depressed or dysfunctional, they either run immediately to the “professional” instead of to the one who will have to one day give an account for their soul (Hebrews 13:17) or to their spiritual leader who will instead direct them to the “professional” (2 Timothy 4:3). At such a time, their first thought is not Scripturally, “I must go to God’s Word for counsel,” but rather therapeutically and subliminally, “which path should I take that will not make me feel that I have not been a consistent and repentant Christian, spouse, or parent.”

This morally, spiritually, and Scripturally unfounded practice of giving God’s Words mere lip-service while exchanging them for a lie (Romans 1:25), is no more clearly seen than in the modern church’s reception and integration of modern psychology into its regular counseling ministry. And what is the result? – A practical rejection, in nearly every sphere of its ministry, of the absolute authority of God’s Word for its personal, family and local church life. Pragmatism trumps Biblicism in such cases. What is pragmatism? – “If it works, do it” – or “the end justifies the means.”

How long ago did this shift begin to take place? It began when pastors, church leaders and those in the pews, most everywhere, began to think that the immaterial part of a human being (the non-physical) can be better understood by psychology than by God’s Word. The result has been spiritually-crippling to the evangelical church of today. Biblical counselor David Powlison summed up this problem best when he said, “The Church [has] lost that pastoral skill … [which] knows people, how they change, and knows how to help them change.” O dear believer, let’s begin today to return to such Biblical thinking and practice by embracing afresh our Lord’s penetrating yet hope-filled words in Matthew 4:4, “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Jerry Marcellino is pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel. He can be reached by e-mail at pastorjerry@audubonchurch.org

So then, God’s unmistakable purpose in giving us His Word, is to call the lost to believe in Jesus Christ as the ONLY Savior of mankind (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). And this calling of all men to Himself (Matthew 22:14; Acts 17:30; John 12:32) has an aim — namely, to work upon the hearts and minds of men so that they might believe (John 3:16). This is none other than the work of God itself (See John 6:29 which says, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He has sent”). This saving message about Jesus Christ is a message of salvation from our sins! It is the whole gospel, offered freely to the whole world, from the whole of Scripture (Acts 13:38; 26:18)!

But the Bible is also a book about our sanctification. Everything in the Bible has been written for our specific instruction that we may learn to do God’s will, through prayer (Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 1:5) and the diligent study of His precious, inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word (1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18; Acts 17:11). Take special note of the following examples from Scripture that illustrate for us God’s deep concern for our sanctification: “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). This is why Paul proclaimed to young Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Are you a person of this book? Are you reading or just dabbling in it? Is your Bible gathering dust? If so, start reading it today with a heart of hunger for God. For God has given you His wonderful Word, in your own language, so that it might have its rightful place in your personal life, that you might truly live in this life … and especially live in the life to come (John 10:10; cf. 5:24). So, discipline yourself now for the purpose of Godliness (1 Timothy 4:7)! Only by the grace of God will you make progress here (1 Timothy 4:16).

So let’s go on and read it today, and then learn humbly to meditate upon its precious truth as well (Psalm 1:1-3; Joshua 1:8; John 17:17). And may your pastor’s sermon this Sunday be shot-through and overflowing with God’s Word; both for you and for all who hear it (2 Timothy 4:1-5)! For, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4).
Jerry Marcellino is pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel. He can be reached by e-mail at pastorjerry@audubonchurch.org

Shortly after this election, those who have intentionally not spoken with their vote will continue their endless whining about how the government has failed them, even though they are the ones to blame for choosing the path of civil apathy. Listen carefully — a citizen of a free land who treats his liberty to vote as no more important than eating a bag of potato chips, gets what he deserves (Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan”).
In 1992, when only 30% of Americans exercised their right to vote, Bill Clinton won with 42% of the vote, while George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot garnered 39% and 19% respectively. This meant that Bill Clinton captured the presidency with slightly fewer than 15% of the possible vote. In the 2000 presidential election, I discovered that a little more than 50% of all professing American Christians passed on exercising their freedom to vote at that crucial time (We all know how unnecessarily close that election was).

If Christians had been politically responsible in 1992 and 2000, what a difference it would have made! Very conservative estimates taken shortly after the 2004 presidential election revealed that roughly 50% of all Americans who were eligible and registered to vote actually did so. Fortunately, voter participation for the 2008 presidential election and 2010 mid-term elections were much-improved from previous years for both the Democrats and Republicans, respectively. However, the November 8, 2011 and the November 2012 elections must see voter responsibility exercised at the highest level on record if we are to truly garner the collective voice of our great nation.

Dearly beloved, how will this be possible? We must first repent of our personal and political apathy and then confront the American church’s similar sin. The time is NOW for us all to repent of our utter failure to be salt and light to our decaying culture (Our Lord said in Matthew 5:13-16: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”).

O dear citizen of Mississippi, we must also pray fervently for God’s mercy upon this Tuesday’s outcome and that of the first Tuesday of November in 2012 (Habakkuk 3:2: “O LORD, I have heard the report of You, and Your work, O LORD, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy”)! If you are an American citizen, and especially a Christian from Mississippi, you have no other choice but to do your best to inform yourself of the issues and people on the ballot, and then vote. Why? Because it is your sacred duty (Deuteronomy 16:18: “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment”)!

In conclusion, please carefully and prayerfully consider the following words of wisdom from the great German Reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546):
“If I profess with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him.”

See you at the polls this Tuesday!

Jerry Marcellino is pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel. He can be reached by e-mail at pastorjerry@audubonchurch.org

This great King will have His people to be always doing His most holy will. That will is to make His name known in their Jerusalem, in their Judea & Samaria, and also unto their uttermost part of the earth, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Wow! What an awesome privilege every Christian has been given – the call to testify of the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – wherever he or she may reside! Our success in this blessed calling is assured (Psalm 2:8; Hebrews 2:8), and our success is secured (Matthew 16:18; Revelation 5:9).

But there are other believers, in addition to having the same calling as the one I have just laid before your eyes, who also have a calling from God that requires them to leave their earthly and native homeland to bear the good tidings of salvation to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). These missionaries are made, not born. The Holy Spirit calls them through both the homes in which they are raised and through the churches in which they are nurtured. Typically they come from godly homes, just like the 19th-century missionary to the cannibals in the South Pacific, John Paton. Every day, John and his siblings would hear the tearful prayers of their father for the salvation of the heathen peoples in faraway lands…and John wanted to be the answer to his father’s prayers. Such homes always have the world’s true need before them – the soul-needs of lost men – driving them to their knees before “their great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Oh God, give us countless homes like the Paton home in 19th-century Scotland, which would not stop wrestling with You until they saw the heathen and pagan worlds confess your Son, Jesus, as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10).

May our lives, homes, and churches also reflect that same heart – one that is concerned about the salvation of all nations! Such a heart seeks to be like Christ; right where He has been placed (Acts 17:26)! This was the heart of the great missionary to India and Persia, Henry Martyn, as was so clearly revealed in his following words, “The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of missions, and the nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.”

Jerry Marcellino is pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel. He can be reached by e-mail at pastorjerry@audubonchurch.org

The Scottish-born American industrialist and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), once said, “Man’s reading program should be as carefully planned as his daily diet – for that is food without which he cannot grow mentally.” The Christian is commanded by God to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Matthew 22:37).

In this context, let us consider our minds and how it is peculiarly offensive to neglect using them in the service of Christ.  The Christian who is constantly aiming for his spiritual growth to be both linear and deeper, will not only saturate himself principally in the ONLY perfect book, the Bible, but will also not disparage the reading of great books written by both Christians and non-Christians alike.  His reading diet will include solid Christian titles through plundering the Christians for all of their gold (i.e., by reading books that are: theological, doctrinal, historical, biographical and practical), as well as non-Christian titles through plundering the Egyptians for all of their gold (i.e., by reading books that are: ethical, fictional, political, poetical, historical, biographical, and technical).

In fact, Ephesians 4:11 seems to imply that Christian biography might just be the most spiritually-helpful genre for God’s people of all non-Biblical books! Why?  Because God has given “gifts” to His church — men who “equip His saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until…” (Ephesians 4:12-13a). These “gifts” were not only for their own age, but are for ours as well. They were not only ministerial gifts from Christ for those who would hear them, but also for those who would only be able to read them!

Albert N. Martin has rightly said, “The Christian who providentially has access to Christ’s gifts to His church … and does not use them, is guilty of arrogant, prideful presumption, believing that he does not need these gifts for his spiritual maturation, and … he’ll end up crippled with … spiritual immaturity!” Do not forget the words of our Lord, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required…” (Luke 12:48b).

So, assuming you are already faithful in the study of God’s Word, why not supplement that today by picking up a solid book to read — especially a biography of some great believer from yesteryear — and learn more about God by seeing how He worked in the life of that child of God. The following quote from the early nineteenth-century missionary to India and Persia, Henry Martyn, underscores my point:  “Blessed be the memory of that holy man David Brainerd [he was referring to the classic missionary biography of his life by Jonathan Edwards]! I feel happy that I shall have his book with me in India and thus enjoy, in a manner, the benefit of his company.”

But perhaps the unforgettable words of the British Puritan, Thomas Brooks, said it best, “Books may preach where the author cannot, when the author may not, when the author dares not, yea, and (which is more), when the author is not.”

Jerry Marcellino is pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel. He can be reached by e-mail at pastorjerry@audubonchurch.org

Join us as we hear from James White ofAlpha & Omega Ministries in Phoenix, Arizona and Ken Jones, co-host of theWhite Horse Inn radio show and pastor ofGlendale Missionary Baptist Church in Miami, Florida.

ADBC will provide complimentary snacks and drinks in between all of our sessions, and meals for the Jr. High, High school and College students, Women’s and Men’s (including young men and boys) sessions on Saturday. Please join us for this life-changing conference!