The Church

The words that guide our vision.  To love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matt. 22:37)

Have you struggled with what that means?  Have you been able to implement that into your life and figure out how.  We believe that God gave us a road map of how to do that with the structure of the early church.  When we follow those tenants, we find we are able to love God with all our heart and all our soul and all our minds. 

Love and faith are at the top of the list for what we do and how we do things.  You’ll be able to see that these parent values push us to do what we do and drive how we do it.  You’ll find that love and our beliefs are woven into every part of our value system and the actions that follow them. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior, the Son of God, and was raised from the dead on the third day, absolving us of all guilt before God. We are in the business of making the bride of Christ ready for the wedding.

Community

The early church was supposed to be distinguished by their love for one another (John 13:35).  They were family because of their belief. (Matt 12:46) Radical generosity was the new norm for the group who gave selflessly for each other.  Do you see that in your current surroundings?  Is this how you would describe the church you know?  How can it be achieved? 

We know that close community fits Gods design mentioned in Matthew and John and was lived out in Acts.  Phycologists have found out what God already knew; that close community causes us to grow. Why?  Because we share more deeply and are socially matured in a small group in a way that doesn’t happen in a large group.  We face our fears more quickly and process new information multiple times weekly in a close community.

Most people in a traditional setting never receive prayer unless they step out and approach a pastor or elder often in front of the congregation. Does that sound strange: to be in a church and not receive prayer on a regular basis?  I constantly meet people who are part of a congregation, have recently had a life event and have new concerns worries or stress.  When they are asked where their church family is, they say I don’t have one.  How could they not?  They are part of a church.  A frequent reply is that they aren’t close to anyone but have a few acquaintances. That is not how the body of Christ is described or how the church was known in the New Testament.  Love is an action that should first be used to minister to those closest around us, then hopefully love will flow out to the world from there.

Discipleship

What would a church look like if everyone in the church was being mentored?  Pretty amazing?  The Bible has charged the church with making disciples, however many of us know in traditional settings, it is more about inviting someone to church. This is often to fulfill the hope that the pastor will say something to invade their hearts versus something we might say.  Those around you should be invaded by your love.  Most of us know people who have been in a fellowship for years but have no idea how to share the gospel.  Does it take a seminary degree to share the gospel?  No.  The good news is that it's as easy as loving your neighbor and God will show you what that looks like for you.  We all have different gifts, we become the body of Christ by each playing a role.  God wants to reach the world, but He wants to do it through us.  Pursuit Home Church believes in an active Holy Spirit, nurturing gifts, and the power of a praying with authority.  We challenge each other to live in our gifts, to rely on each other, and to push each other closer to God.  We strive to give evil a black eye and bring people to freedom.