7 Core Beliefs of The Pursuit

I tell the story of God’s work and purpose in history and humanity in 7 categories.

1.     Creative God

     a.    God, in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created the whole universe and uniquely created human beings with His image.  God is the Creator and creativity is a part of His nature as He expresses in all of the unique designs of life and beauty in the universe.  He is also a precise engineer and scientist setting up the laws of nature--as we can still see remnants of the fine tuning of this universe that allows the Heavens to declare the Glory of God.  This creativity is also something He passed on to humanity when He created us in His Image.

2.   Damaged Humanity

     a.    Created in God’s image, humanity abused our given freedom and sinned against God, damaging ourselves and the whole of creation to pain & death which we cannot undo by our own efforts  All of creation now is damaged and in need of restoration.  As a result, Scripture continually asks, “how long?” before God fixes the problem of our sin.

3.   Restoring Jesus

     a.    Jesus, the sinless God-Man, was sent to earth with the Cross as His destination in order to pay the penalty for our sin, restore our brokenness and reconnect us to God.  Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is proof of His victory. Jesus is the fix to sin and death and the answer to the question “How Long?”—Galatians 4:4

4.   Transforming Holy Spirit

     a.    For all those who receive the gift of salvation in Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells, seals, empowers and transforms.  He prays when we don’t know how, He helps us resist temptation.  He transforms us to be more like Jesus.

5.   Privileged Mission

     a.    God sends His people, filled with the Holy Spirit, out as ambassadors to the lost and dying world.  We are sent on assignment given in the Great Commission.  It is a great privilege and responsibility.

 6.   Glorious Future

     a.    Jesus is returning to the earth in power and glory.  He will call His bride and administer justice to the living and the dead based on the Atonement of Jesus.  Exactly how and when is not a primary doctrine of the church that merits division.  But we can be assured of His coming and His Kingdom and how that should give us hope and motivation to live accordingly to fulfill the mission we have been given.

 7.   Infallible Word

     a.    All we know of God and His plan is revealed to us in the Bible.  The Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God.  It is God’s love letter to us that explains our existence, our brokenness, our redemption, and our future. The Bible contains everything we need to know for salvation, everything we need for life and godliness, everything we need to have a relationship with our Creator.  The writers of Scripture were inspired by God and He used their personality and circumstances.  The Bible is truth without error and is the basis from which we can build the other core beliefs.