Feb 18th – LampPost Cafe
On Mission For The City:
About | Vision & Purpose
More info | LampPost Facebook
This Month:
Music from: Not Machines
Art Display from: The Pushpin Project
Family Ministry 2.0
We are super excited to announce some new and improved updates for the family ministry of The Resolved Church!
• All the lessons for our children’s classroom will now follow the text and sermon of the worship service! This way families can all be learning the same thing together. As one church we seek to have God’s word do its work in our homes, community groups and now in our family ministry as well!
• We take seriously the care of our children during family ministry time. Thus, we have adjusted some of our set-up to provide increased security so that only family ministry workers with badges or the parents of children are permitted past the entrance check-in gate.
• With some of our new babies and many more to come, we have now set-up a privacy partition at the end of the west hall for nursing mothers. In addition, we will now have a live video and audio feed of the the service set up there.
The Family Ministry of The Resolved Church is a special and important part of who we are. Through serving in it, we not only have the opportunity to minister to new families God brings to us but also learn and grow in our ability to lead and teach our homes about who Jesus is and what he has done.
If you are interested in serving Jesus and His people by working in the Family Ministry please contact Pastor James Martin at:
Feb 6th – Women’s Bible Study BEGINS
Announcement | Upcoming Class
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
Psalm 40:2
A House On The Rock
A Bible Study For Women
Life can seem so uncertain and full of difficulty. How can we live with hope and
confidence?
Jesus said that everyone who hears His words and puts them into practice is like
a wise man who built his house on a rock. Come join with other women as we
study and discuss the very words He was referring to in a 7-part Bible study.
February 6 – Introduction
February 13 – Salt & Light
February 27 – True Righteousness
March 5 – Imitating Christ
March 12 – Spiritual Discipline
March 19 – God Is Good, All The Time
March 26 – A House On The Rock
Monday evenings at 7:00 pm
Kathy Broersma
Contact
Feb 24-25 – Real Marriage Conference
REAL MARRIAGE: The Truth About Sex, Friendship & Life Together.
Pastor Mark & Grace Driscoll will be here in San Diego, CA on February 24-25 talking about marriage based on their new book “Real Marriage.” The conference is $35 and will include worship, great teaching and discussion suited for the married and yet to be married alike.
Held at The Rock Church 2277 Rosecrans St. San Diego, CA 92106
February 24, 2012 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
February 25, 2012 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Jesus Instates The Mission
Jesus Instates The Mission | The Book of Acts | 1:6-11 | Pastor Duane Smets
This an expository sermon on Acts 1:6-11. It covers Jesus’s plan and purpose in regards to the coming of His Kingdom, as well as His ascension to the seat of its power. This sermon was originally preached on January 29th, 2012 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
Jan 29th – College Semester Kickoff BBQ
Announcement | The Resolved Family (College) Semester Kickoff BBQ
If you have any questions track down Gabe Hagstrom. If you don’t know who Gabe Hagstrom is, look for somebody who looks like they are in college and ask them who Gabe Hagstrom is.
The Transcendence & Immanence of God
Blog | Pastor Duane
When looking at the different phases or stages of history from the perspective of God’s creation, governance and rule over them the age of the Holy Spirit highlights an important aspect of the character and being of God…that He is both transcendent and immanent. “Transcendence” and “immanence” are big words, but often big words are some of the most helpful.
Transcendence is the total holy otherness of God…how completely unlike anything or anyone else He is…totally distinct, separate and unique. The idea of transcendence focuses attention on the lofty, supreme, and powerful nature of God over and above all that he has created. Theologians have often called the transcendent nature of God his “incommunicatable attributes” because he doesn’t pass them on to any of his creatures. The angels in Isaiah 6 proclaim God’s transcendence when they cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts (Is 6:3)!”
Immanence is the total nearness and closeness of God. The idea of immanence focuses attention on the evident and tangible perception of God by his creatures, chiefly made known to us in the coming of both Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit. Theologians have often called the immanent nature of God his “communicatable attributes” because he passes his presence and character to those who put faith in him. The angels in Isaiah 6 likewise proclaim God’s immanence when they cry out, “The whole earth is full of His glory (Is 6:3)!”
The twin truths of God’s transcendence and immanence are precious treasures. Yet they must be simultaneously held together or else one ends up in tragic error. Deism, the belief that God made the world like a watch, wound it up and then stepped back having nothing more to do with it…is the transcendence of God taken too far. Pantheism, the belief that a part of God is in everything and all of the total of all those parts is what makes up God…is the immanence of God taken too far.
What holds God’s transcendence and immanence together in perfect harmony is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For in the gospel the wholly other God took on the nature of humanity and became a man in Jesus…coming closer than ever before. Then through belief in the gospel, the news that God sacrificed His Son for sin, God promises to come in and reside in every believer through His Holy Spirit. Romans 8:11 “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
If we don’t see God as transcendent it is hard for us to know how truly glorious and mighty He is and if we don’t see God as immanent it is hard for us to know how truly gracious and loving He is. Praise God that through the Gospel he has made Himself known and shown why He is worthy of all our worship!
Jesus Promises The Spirit
Jesus Promises The Spirit | The Book of Acts | 1:1-5 | Pastor Duane Smets
This an expository sermon of Acts 1:1-5. It introduces the Book of Acts and its connection to the Gospel of Luke. It follows the brief summary of the life, ministry, and acts of Jesus and sets up for the coming of the era of The Holy Spirit. This sermon was originally preached on January 22nd, 2012 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
The What, Why & How of Prayer
Blog | Pastor Duane
Most statistical studies report that anywhere from 75-95% of people regularly “pray.” Yet prayer in this sense is pretty broad. Nothing is said of who people are praying to, what they are praying for, why or their methods of prayer. In fact, few have thought deeply about prayer.
In Luke 11 the story is told of Jesus’ disciples who were listening to Jesus pray. After he finished they realized that they really had never understood prayer. Something about the way Jesus communicated to God the Father struck them and they realized what they had assumed counted as “prayer” had very little semblance to the real thing. Thus, when he finished they said to Jesus “Lord, teach us to pray (Lk 11:1).” In response, Jesus gave them the now famous “Lord’s Prayer” not necessarily meant to be a mimic-ed mantra but to teach the heart, attitude and reasons for prayer.
The Why of Prayer
Here are some good quotes on prayer by Godly theologians and pastors of old who have gone before us. They help to answer questions like why we pray if God already knows and ordains everything and how God intends to use prayer as a means to accomplish his purposes.
“God has decreed that certain events shall come to pass, but He has also decreed that these events shall come to pass through the means He has appointed for their accomplishment. Prayer is not intended to change God’s purpose, nor is it to move Him to form fresh purposes…the design of prayer is that God’s will be accomplished in a good time and way.”
~ A.W. Pink
“Prayer is not designed to inform God, but to give man a sight of his misery; to humble his heart, to excite his desire, to inflame his faith, to animate his hope, to raise his soul from earth to heaven.”
~ Adam Clarke
“Prayer is not merely expressing our present desires. Its purpose is to exercise and train our desires, so that we want what he is getting ready to give us. His gift is very great, and we are small vessels for receiving it. So prayer involves widening our hearts to God.”
~ St. Augustine
“There is no way that Christians, in a private capacity, can do so much to promote the work of God and advance the Kingdom of Christ as by prayer…When God has something very great to accomplish for his church it is his will that prayer should precede it, the extraordinary prayers of his people. When God is about to accomplish great things for his church, he begins with a remarkable outpouring of his spirit of grace and a desire to pray.”
~ Jonathan Edwards
The What of Prayer
Perhaps the best way to learn what God expects of prayer is to study the prayers in the Bible. Many are recorded. In my own personal prayer life and when I pray for others, often my words are stolen right out of the pages of Scripture.
Moses |
Hannah |
Hezekiah |
Nehemiah |
Job |
David |
Solomon |
Jeremiah |
Daniel |
Habbakkuk |
Mary |
Jesus |
The Early Church |
Stephen |
Paul |
Jude |
John |
The How of Prayer
When it comes to the how of prayer, there are many means through which God has made the exercise of prayer possible. There are several different kinds of prayers and ways of praying.
Us to God
(1) Simple prayers – Short, sweet and to the point. Sometimes repeated and called “breath prayers.”
(2) Suffering prayers – Verbalizing physical or emotional pain to God.
(3) Searching prayers – Seeking wisdom or counsel regarding something or someone.
(4) Releasing prayer – Confessing sin and/or offering up one’s self in surrender to God.
(5) Building prayers – Asking God for spiritual growth and fruit.
(6) Covenanting prayers – Committing to God and promising obedience.
(7) Declarative prayers – Reciting and recounting the attributes and promises of God.
(8) Thanking prayers – Expressing gratitude to God for his great works.
God to Us
(1) Resting – Waiting on God and being still before him.
(2) Unceasing – Jesus is ever interceding at the throne on our behalf.
(3) Meditating – God filling our minds with his word (not emptying like eastern forms of meditation).
Us for Others
(1) Family – For immeditate family members and then extended relatives.
(2) Friends – Those in our inner circle of relationship.
(3) Church – The brothers and sisters in Christ we are living life with.
(4) Needy – The financially, physically, spiritually, or emotionally downtrodden.
(5) Lost – Those who are not yet Christians.
(6) Authorities – Pastors and political leaders of the land.
The Five Senses of Prayer
(1) Mouth – Out loud with words, closed mouth with silent prayers from your mind, or tongues.
(2) Ears – Tuning out sounds of the world to focus on the Word of God.
(3) Eyes – Open to see the realities of God’s creation, closed to be freed from distractions, or tears.
(4) Feel – Various postures: kneeling, prostrate, open/closed/joined hands, head bowed or looking up.
(5) Nose – Calmed breathing or focus on the design of God’s world.
Jesus in January
Blog | John Bale
When T.S. Eliot (finally) converted in 1929, it was a cultural scandal of monumental proportions. This was the equivalent of Steve Jobs coming to Christ and declaring that the iPhone is “really not that big of a deal…” This was David Foster Wallace getting baptized and finishing The Pale King instead of hanging himself. Nobody wanted to, and few were even capable of believing that Eliot had become a Christian. He was the Judas Iscariot of the Lost Generation.
To this day there are doubters who resist the authenticity of his faith because it was often “inglorious” in its earnest betrayal. They argue that, because Eliot’s late work didn’t rehash the pageantry Christmas carols or the somber religion of Easter hymns- because his conversion didn’t turn a 40-year-old man into a saint overnight, it didn’t count.
They fail to recognize that T.S. Eliot wrote about Jesus in January. He concedes December and April to The Lord and His Apostles, because “it [was already] finished.” His work addresses a life of crisis in between the holidays- where Christians are still human and Christ is still honest; we struggle, we suffer, and we sin, but yet we are saved.
