PURPOSE: The purpose of resolved.Ministries is to equip the universal church with expositional teaching of the One True Gospel, while aiding the local church in its purpose to serve as a pillar and buttress of truth. This ministry will accomplish this purpose through discipleship, education and sports ministry.

VISION: To faithfully proclaim the One True Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Saints by the exposition of Scripture. To establish a library of resources of Biblical truths which are discoverable for the new believer as well as the mature disciple. To ignite a passion for expositional preaching and teaching in the local body of believers by teaching and training the called shepherds of the flock. To educate the next generation of believers by equipping them with resources necessary to live a life of Biblical prosperity. To engage in the world of sports by proclaiming the Gospel boldly and trusting that God will use this ministry to impact the lives of those who do not know Him.

resolved.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is still regarded as the most brilliant mind who ever spoke the English language. He was a pastor in New England and is understood to be the last of the “Puritan Preachers.” He led “The First Great Awakening” revival in America, which was very much set forth by his most well-known sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

At 19-years-old, Edwards began his list of 70 “Resolutions,” each of which would dictate how his life would be lived for the Glory of God. These Resolutions were based upon the strong convictions of Edwards. These convictions were most certainly not based upon feelings, but upon his understanding of the Word of God. Edwards so much believed in Sola Scriptura, that he wrote for himself Resolutions, by which he would pursue the Holiness of God through the Bible each day. These 70 Resolutions can be read today and applied to each of our lives, and would serve a Believer well to “walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling to which he has been called.”

Because of Edwards’ stance on Scripture and his unwavering commitment to preaching the Word, he was thrown out of so-called “churches” and was threatened to the point of death. Edwards had made a Resolution in his heart that he would not compromise his beliefs for a current “woke” culture, as it were. He was dealing with the beginnings of “American Christianity,” and Edwards stood firmly against the ideals of cultural and convenient religion. He was convicted that the Word of God was immutable, and therefore was not based upon relative and subjective truths. He would continue to Herald the Word at the risk of losing his life.

Nearly 200 years before Edwards was born, there was a man named Martin Luther who also carved out for himself a “Resolution.” Luther, a Monk who had his eyes enlightened to see the One True Gospel of Jesus Christ, understood the heresy coming from the Catholic Priests. As he preached against a false gospel of “salvation by works,” Luther began to draw much attention to his works. After writing many works in direct opposition to the Catholic beliefs, Luther was brought before the leaders in what is called “The Diet of Worms.” This was a legal hearing to determine whether or not Luther deserved to be burned at the stake for “heresy.” The point of this Diet was to convince Luther to recant of all of his writings and to ask forgiveness…

After 24 hours of meditation and prayer, Luther stood before all the leaders, knowing that his Resolution was a death sentence, and made the statement:
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Sacred Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I Stand. May God help me. I can do no other. Amen.”

This single statement was essentially the launching point into what we know as “The Reformation” in church history. What powerful Resolve Martin Luther had, that he would stand against the culture, with his life on the line, and say, “I am Resolved.”

Approximately 2,000 years before Luther was born, there was a young man named Daniel. In this day, the King of Babylon commanded that certain young men be taken away from their Israelite homes and moved into Babylon. The idea was to train these teenage boys in the ways of the Chaldeans, so that they would forget their heritage and change their beliefs. The Chaldeans went as far as to change the name of the boys, so that they would completely forget who they were. It was essentially an attempt to brainwash them of their Jewish heritage and indoctrinate them into a pagan and worldly culture.

The King was going to provide each of the boys a daily portion of food and drink, so that they might be well taken care of as they were being educated. This food and drink was dedicated to the Babylonian pagan gods and all of their idols, and for Daniel to partake of this food and drink meant that he would have to deny his God and defile his beliefs. Although it appeared to be an innocent decision, because it involved the necessity of eating food, by which he would have to live, nevertheless Daniel “Resolved in his heart that he would not defile His God.”

Daniel made a Resolution in his heart that he would not deny his God or compromise on his convictions, even if it cost him his health and his life. He made a deal with the Chief and said, “Feed me vegetables and water for 10 days, and if I am not healthier than every other boy here, you can deal with me as the law requires.” This meant that Daniel was putting his life on the line by holding to his Resolution and convictions. After 10 days, Daniel was the most healthy boy, and goes on to be an incredible man of God.

What do these three men have in common? Each of them were Resolved in their heart. And this Resolution was not based upon emotional happenstance or movement-driven religion, it was out of a strong conviction of the Word of God. Each of these men put their life on the line for their Resolution, and knew that it would cost them their life. And each of these men stood tall, trusting that God was good and Sovereign over their current circumstances.

As we look to our culture today, we must stand alongside these men and be Resolved in our heart, that we might not defile our convictions or our God. There are many implications to this understanding:
1. We must know what our convictions are. We must know what we believe and why we believe it.
2. We must be so convinced by Sacred Scripture, that we are willing to die for our convictions.
3. We must Resolve in our hearts that we will walk against the culture, that God might be Glorified.

May God in His Sovereign, Supreme and Holy order give each of us a passion that we might Resolve in our hearts to do what is necessary to say, “Here I stand. I can do no other.”

Jonathan Edwards Resolution #62. “Resolved, never to do anything but duty; and then according to Ephesians 6:6-8, do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man; ‘knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.’”  ~ June 25 and July 13, 1723.