Archive for February, 2012
The Church In Community
The Church In Community | The Book of Acts | 2:42-47 | Pastor Duane Smets
This an expository sermon on Acts 2:42-47. It covers the devotion, unity, and mission of the first church community. This sermon was originally preached on February 26th, 2012 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
The Need For The Spirit
I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith. – Martin Luther
The Holy Spirit, revealing Himself as the Comforter, ought to be especially honored, and when he is not, he is especially sinned against…Let us then, value highly all the comforting works of the Holy Spirit, seeing they are evidences to us of his love and power. – John Owen
When the Holy Spirit is poured out in a day of power the result is bound to affect whole communities and even nations. Conviction of sin, an anxiety to possess the Word of God, and dependence upon those truths which glorify God in man’s salvation, are inevitable consequences. – Ian Murray
When it comes to the topic of the Holy Spirit many Christians often swing in one of two extremes…either toward the hyper sensational extreme fixated on the “supernatural” or toward the hyper reserved extreme which is afraid to even mention the word “Spirit.” Neither approaches are very helpful. We need a good theology of the Holy Spirit for the Spirit is in fact one of the members of the Trinity.
Not long ago an Acts 29 pastor, Winfield Bevins, wrote a really really helpful (FREE) little booklet on the
We cannot do without the Holy Spirit. May God continue to teach us and empower to know, love and be used by The Spirit of God, made known through His Word and for the glory of Jesus.
- Pastor Duane
The Church in Born (Part II)
The Church Is Born (Part II) | The Book of Acts | 2:1-41 | Pastor Duane Smets
This an expository sermon on Acts 2:1-41. It covers the very first sermon that Peter preached during the very first church service. This sermon was originally preached on February 19th, 2012 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
The Value of Valentines Day
I’m sure there’s some story on how Hallmark has made “Valentines Day” into the bustling bonanza that it is. However, like a lot of Americanized pop-culture holidays (i.e. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving)…at the root of it all is Jesus and he or some of his people did something worth note to be remembered, celebrated and focused on for a day each year.
Valentines day was started and named after a 3rd century pastor, Valentio who Pastored a church in Interama of Rome (modern Terni, Italiy). Like most history that’s over 1700 years old, details are sketchy and questionable. Yet, the basic story is that the Roman Emperor at the time, Claudius II, didn’t approve of Valentio marrying Christian couples. After being imprisoned for it, the Emperor questioned him and Pastor Valentio shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with him. Instead of converting, the Emperor decided to have him beheaded.
Pastor Valentine believed deeply in the gospel and its call for Jesus centered marriages as described in Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Thus, essentially “Valentines Day” is about the opportunity for husbands to express this kind of love for their wives.
The Church Is Born (Part I)
The Church Is Born (Part I) | The Book of Acts | 2:1-41 | Pastor Duane Smets
This an expository sermon on Acts 2:1-41. It covers the importance of Pentecost, why tongues are confusing and why worship matters. Particular attention is given to the theology of Pentecostalism and what kind of tongues the Bible speaks of. Emphasis is put on the God-centeredness of one’s outlook regarding this issue. This sermon was originally preached on February 12th, 2012 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
Ligonier Conference in March
The elders of The Resolved Church have asked that I attended at least two conferences a year for my own personal education, growth and development. The first one I will be attending this year is the National Ligonier Conference. The theme this year is “The Christian Mind” and has some great speakers lined up. I would like to invite any gentleman who are interested in going to attend with me. If you are interested in going please contact dan@theresolved.com
Here is the blurb about the conference from their website:
http://www.ligonier.org/events/2012-national-conference/
“One of the things most alarming about today’s culture is the way in which evangelicals are responding to attacks. Gone are the days, it seems at times, when believers devoted themselves to thinking deeply about the world in order to respond humbly to the church’s enemies without ceding any intellectual ground. Many evangelicals have bought into the idea that having one’s heart in the right place is all that matters—that a passion for Jesus and the life of the mind are mutually exclusive. What this view misses is that burning hearts are not nourished by empty heads. We must develop our minds if we are to sustain our passion for the Savior and deal with the bias against us.
At Ligonier Ministries’ 2012 National Conference, we will be addressing this problem as we consider the theme of “The Christian Mind.” From March 15-17, 2012, R.C. Sproul will be joined by Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Michael Horton, Steven J. Lawson, Albert Mohler, Stephen Meyer, R.C. Sproul Jr., and Del Tackett to consider the importance of building a Christian worldview, the role of education in the Christian life, science and God’s natural revelation, defending the faith, and many other topics. It promises to be an exciting time of training and fellowship as we all learn how better to think like Christians in order that we might live like Christians.”
Leadership Development 2012
We are a growing church and a church in need of more leaders. In Luke 10:2 Jesus says “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” There is much work to do and I’m looking for a few good men. If you think you may have a calling from God to serve as a leader in the church some way, please consider joining Leadership Development beginning this March. * Deadline to apply: March 2nd, 2012
If you are interested in the leadership development group:
- Pastor Duane Smets
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Structure
- Five months on and one month off with four sections meeting every other week (10 weeks a segment). Thus, the entire curriculum will take a total of two years.
- Once all four segments are completed, a third year of apprenticeship under an Elder or Deacon begins in order to work toward ordination and oral examination.
- Leadership development groups will be no more than 12 men.
- Groups will be overseen by a facilitator who has been through all four segments.
- Each meeting will be led by a rotating member of the group who presents the material read and guides a discussion concerning it.
- All those in leadership development must either be leading something in the church or being trained to lead in the future.
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Curriculum (Readings include selections various chapters from an array of books)
Gospel Character
• Christian Hedonism – Desiring God, by John Piper
• Idolatry & God-centrality – Counterfeit gods & Prodigal God by Tim Keller
• Spiritual Disciplines – Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life by Donald Whitney
• Teachability & Repentance – Humility by C.J. Mahaney
Manhood, Marriage & Family
• Work, Money & Rest – Masculine Mandate by Richard Philips
• Complementarianism – God, Marriage & Family by Andrew Kosteburger
• Fatherhood – Shepherding A Childs Heart by Paul David Tripp
• Discipleship – Following The Master, by Michael Wilkins
Theology Proper
• Existence of God – Apologetics To The Glory of God by John Frame
• Inerrancy – The Inspiration & Authority of the Bible by B.B. Warfield
• Person & Work of Jesus – The Cross of Christ by John Stott
• Election & Divine Sovereignty – When Grace Comes Home, by Terry Johnson
Ecclesiology
• Counseling – Instruments In The Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp
• Mission – Radical Reformission, by Mark Driscoll
• Hermeneutics – Theo 211 Materials by Duane Smets
• Eldership or Deaconship – Biblical Eldership or Minister of Mercy by Alexandar Strauch
Three in One: The Trinity
Recently, Mark Driscoll, the president of the Acts 29 Network was involved in an event called the Elephant Room 2. One of the sessions included an interview with classical modalist and prosperity gospel pastor, T.D. Jakes. For a helpful review of the session, see the review written by D.A. Carson and Tim Keller here:
It is my conviction that the doctrine of the Trinity is not to be seen as an unimportant marginalized doctrine of the church which is seen as an irrelevant mystery but is rather essential to the Christian Faith. What this event has highlighted is the importance of knowing and understanding the Trinity and the importance of getting it right. In light of that I thought it would be a good teaching opportunity to have Josh Feil, our pastoral intern here at The Resolved Church and Westminster Seminary student, write a blog for us on the doctrine of the Trinity.
I’ve read through this post and worked with Josh on it and thoroughly recommend it as being healthy for your mind and your soul.
- Pastor Duane Smets
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Three in One: The Trinity by Josh Feil
“Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith.” (“Catholic” here means “universal” and is not particular to the Roman Catholic Church)
With these words begins the Athanasian Creed, a robust and heartwarming explanation of both Trinitarian theology as well as Christology: who Jesus was and what he did. A sentence like this one should immediately grab our attention:
WHOSOEVER WILL BE SAVED – You need to believe this.
That’s no small claim.
The Athanasian Creed has been used since the sixth century to defend the church against heresies that threaten the purity of Biblical teaching on matters such as the Trinity as well as the person and work of Jesus. Though not as commonly recited as the Nicene or Apostles’ Creed, it does a fantastic job of clearly and exhaustively articulating the Biblical teaching on the Trinity.
There is nothing more central to Christianity than who God is – his character and nature. As one author has said, “If any doctrine makes Christianity Christian, then surely it is the doctrine of the Trinity.” If that’s the case, then there are at least three questions that we should be enthusiastic about answering: What is the trinity? What is the trinity not? Why does it matter?
Jesus Consecrates The Apostles
Jesus Consecrates The Apostles | The Book of Acts | 1:12-26 | Pastor Duane Smets
This an expository sermon on Acts 1:12-26. It covers the attitude God desires in his church, how the church is protected from adversaries and the authority roles God has instated for the church. This sermon was originally preached on February 5th, 2012 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
