Partner churches and ministries in the PursueGOD Network affirm these six core convictions.
Core Convictions:
- The triune God of the Bible – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is the only God and is worth pursuing. (Rom. 1:18-20; John 1:18; 1 Cor. 2:16; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; Isa. 46:10.)
- The Bible is inspired by God and infallible in its original manuscripts and is therefore the only final authority in faith and life. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-2; John 17:17; Romans 3:4; John 20:30-31; Matt. 24:35).
- Truth is discovered through a relational process – and every pursuer of God must take ownership of their own pursuit. (Psalm 32:8, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 9:36-38, Eph. 4:15-16, Philippians 3:15, 1 Tim 6:3-4).
- We start a relationship with God by trusting Jesus – who lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead for our salvation. (Matt. 1:20-23; John 1:1-2; Rom. 3:24-25; Rom. 8:34; Phil 2:5-10; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 1:1-3; Heb. 7:25.)
- We live to honor God as followers of Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit to live this way from the inside out. (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:13-16; 1 Thess 4:1-8; Col. 3:17; Matt. 5:13-16; Eph. 2:10; Gal. 6:9-10.)
- We mature as Christians when we start making disciples – and Jesus envisioned a church where disciple-making is the norm, not the exception. (Matthew 4, Matthew 9, Matthew 28, Ephesians 4, 2 Timothy 2:2)
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Talk About It
- What jumped out at you in this topic?
- How do our core convictions relate to your ministry’s Statement of Faith?
- Why do you believe God is worth pursuing? Make a list.
- What does it mean that the Bible is “infallible”? In your ministry, what percentage of people believe this?
- Read Matthew 9:36-38. How is a sermon different than a discipleship conversation?
- Explain a “full circle” pursuer of God (see image above). Do you think this image captures the essence of discipleship? Explain.
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
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