Resolved Church Plants
The Resolved Church is part of the Acts 29 Network. Acts 29 exists to “band together Christian, Evangelical, Missional & Reformed churches, who, for the sake of Jesus and the gospel, plant churches across the United States and the world.” Part of our Acts 29 covenant is to devote 10% of our resources (time, talent & treasure) to planting new churches.
We believe that many people need Jesus and that planting churches is the most effective strategy for reaching people with the gospel. It has been said that, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.” We take that to be true.
Currently (Fall 2010) there are two brand new church plants launching this fall whom The Resolved Church is supporting and a third one in the wings. Please take a second to check out their websites and pray for the church planter who is leading them.
Leader Development
Do you sense a call to be a leader in Jesus’ church? Have others witnessed leadership skills in you? Are you desirous of discovering and developing your natural and spiritual giftings?
Everyone Christian has been given gifts which are for the building up of Jesus’ church. “Grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift…the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Eph 4:7,16).” Everyone who is a member of a church is a minister.
Two particular giftings or ministry callings Jesus gives are the roles of elder and deacon. Both serve under the head pastorship of Jesus in local churches. Elders are the male leader shepherds of the church who are also called “pastors” “bishops” and “overseers” throughout the Bible (Acts 20:28; Eph 4:11; 1 Pet 5:2). Deacons are the male and/or female leaders of the church who serve as helpers to the elders in practical matters.
We take seriously the Bible’s call to train up and develop elders & deacons in the church (1 Tim 3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9). The way we do this is through leader development. Leader development now has two tracks. One track is for those who believe they may be called to be an elder. It is 3 years and led by Pastor Duane. One track for those who believe they may be called to be a deacon. It is 1 year and led by Deacon Dan. Both groups meet a couple times a month, go through a book together, talk and pray together, and work through heart issues involved and the specific ways giftings are being exercised and established.
Leadership development this fall is every other Wednesday from 6:30-8:00am beginning September 15th. If you are not yet involved and sense a call to either elder or deacon and want to join the leader development group email leaderdev@theresolved.com
LampPost on Sept.12th
More info | LampPost Facebook
Reheanna Downey | www.reverbnation.com/rheannadowney
The Shantyannes | www.theshantyannes.com
What Is Forgiveness?
Blog | Pastor Duane Smets
Most definitions of forgiveness go something like this… “Letting it go.” “Getting over it.” “Moving on.” Maybe in some way they describe some of the results of forgiveness but they don’t really get into the how and there’s actually still a note of hurt and pain still involved in those sentiments.
In last Sunday’s sermon text we read in Matthew 18 of Jesus saying to Peter that his followers are to forgive 70×7 (490 times, a euphemism for as many times as it takes) when they are wronged and that God the Father will eternally sentence us if we “do not forgive our brother from our heart (Mt 18:35).” What we didn’t have time to look at was what exactly forgiveness is and how it works.
One of the most common things we hear today is that sometimes a person just needs to “forgive themselves” and then they’ll feel better or be better. Is such a thing possible? How does forgiveness actually work inside of us?
In Tim Keller’s book “The Reason For God” he says that real forgiveness is “costly suffering.” For example, say my neighbor is having a party and one night a drunk dude is leaving his house and he accidently puts the car in drive rather than reverse and crashes into my parked car in my driveway. Someone is going to pay for the car to get fixed. Either the drunk dude, my neighbor, me or a combination of people. But it will cost some money to get it fixed even if I don’t get mad at the dude for jacking up my car.
Jesus Hands Out The Kingdom Employee Job Description (Part 2)
Matthew Series | Matthew 18:15-35 | Pastor Duane Smets
This week is an exegetical sermon on Matthew 18:15-35 where we hear Jesus continue to respond to the question of how to have a place with him and be great in his kingdom. In response Jesus gives five job qualifications of what is required by his employees. This week looks at the last two: community unity, and limitless forgiveness. This sermon was originally preached on August 29th, 2010 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
College Ministry
A little over a month ago Caleb and I began chatting about what it would look like to have a college liason for The Resolved Church. The result of much prayer and discussion is a new role and ministry of The Resolved. We are super excited to announce Caleb Zeid as our first college liason. The Resolved Church College Liaison will function as a mediator between the colleges of San Diego and the church by being a source of information & a relational contact point for those who may find themselves interested. Below is a blog from Caleb about his heart and vision for this ministry. - Pastor Duane
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Blog | Caleb Zeid
When looking at the places Jesus has taken me over the past two and a half years, I see the transformation that has been wrought by my involvement with the Resolved. I am filled with the mission of the gospel towards the college population in San Diego. Originally I believed my mission was specifically for the USD community, but recently that view has been expanded. I have started to feel the need all college campuses in San Diego have for the gospel. In light of this, I have accepted a position as the Resolved church’s college liaison.
As college liaison I will be reaching out to students around San Diego County and letting them know about the Resolved. I do this for two main reasons:
1. The majority of college students do not have a church home.
This is due to a number of factors. The belief that “college is a time to be ‘free’ and that figuring out the religion stuff is for after graduation” is rampant. Involvement in parachurch ministries often takes the place of church membership. And even the idea that “God is everywhere so we can just worship him in our own way when we feel like it” is a reason why students do not become involved in churches.
The Two Wills of God
Blog | Pastor Duane Smets
In last Sunday’s text we read the words of Jesus, “It is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish (Mt 18:14).” We couldn’t take the time to dive deep into the meaning of God’s will on Sunday so I promised a blog on it this week. This topic could be much more than a blog, like a long article or book. But others have done that elsewhere, so I’m going to try to state and explain it as clearly and succinctly as possible here. Here’s three great resources:
• Are There Two Wills In God? by John Piper
• Are There Two Wills In God? by Sam Storms
• Are There Two Wills In God? MP3 PDF by Matt Chandler
Theologians have long recognized that there are two wills of God referred to in the Bible and have given them different names in order to differentiate between them… Read more
Jesus Hands Out The Kingdom Employee Job Description (Part 1)
Matthew Series | Matthew 18:1-14 | Pastor Duane Smets
This week is an exegetical sermon on Matthew 18:1-14 where we hear the disciples of Jesus who ask how to have a place with him and be great in his kingdom. In response Jesus gives five job qualifications of what is required by his employees. This week looks at the first three: childlike dependence, the death of ambition, and a missional mindset. This sermon was originally preached on August 22nd, 2010 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
“Us” Versus “Them”
Blog | Pastor Duane Smets
“So many people are so twisted and sick.” “I can’t stand it when people ____________.” “No one thinks about ____________.” These are common phrases in our world and workplaces as people talk about one another and things and people they don’t like.
You would expect Christians to have a different demeanor as those who have been touched by the grace of Jesus but more often than not such language is heightened and emphasized in churches and contexts where Christians are encouraged to see themselves as the good guys and those who are not Christians as the bad guys. In this “us versus them” combat mentality Christians act as though the church and its people are pure and it’s the people “out there” who are impure and have the sin problem.
Even more surprising is how Christians (brothers and sisters of Jesus) treat one another when the sin of one in the family is brought to light. If a person opens up about their struggle with sin, very often Christians will look down on them as somehow being a less than Christian who has not yet achieved the high spiritual state and status of others who conceive that they do no have any indwelling sins or struggles.
Summer 2010 Reading
Blog | Pastor Duane Smets
I haven’t done a book report list in awhile and a number of people have been asking me what I’ve been reading lately so I figured I’d write a brief blog on it. This summer I’ve had my head in number of new books addressing various subjects. So here’s list of what’s been on my desk along with a short reaction to each from me.