by Sam | Jan 31, 2014 | Reflection
“For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.” – Galatians 5:4 So many times we associate the phrase “falling from grace” to a moral failure. Someone is caught in sin, makes a mistake, etc., and the next thing you know, “So-and-so falls from grace” is all over the news. It has become a headline we see way too often. It’s always tragic to see that happen. Yet the Bible does not consider someone failing morally to be the same thing as falling from grace (nor any sin for that matter). We only fall from grace when we try to earn God’s love, His favor, and His salvation. It’s never the “sinner” that falls from grace as much as it’s the self-righteous and proud. When our Christianity becomes about us, that’s when we start to fall. We fall from grace because we rely on our merits and efforts more than we do on the grace of God. Our Christianity isn’t based on our performance, but simply on the person of Christ. We can never make ourselves right with God. Galatians 2 says that if we can be made righteous by keeping the law, then Christ died for nothing. Yet it’s so easy to make it about discipline, duty, and what I am doing and not doing in the name of Jesus. Even when it comes to our identity, it’s much easier to find it in being a leader or a minister or even a Christian. But the truth is,...
by Josh | Jan 21, 2014 | Inspiration, Reflection
“The spiritual life cannot be made suburban. It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed” -HOWARD MACEY “Safe? Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.” -C.S. LEWIS The past few months, I’ve been reading and processing John Eldredge’s book called Wild at Heart. A great book that has impacted the season of life that I am currently in. Though the primary audience for this book is Christian males, I believe it speaks to everyone (male or female) and how our faith is being lived out. I’ve been personally reflecting on my own faith and what it means to live as a Christian. There’s many different ways to answer and describe that question of course. But from what I’ve experienced and seen, a few general words to describe it would be: safe, comfortable, and settled. I think a lot of us resonate with those descriptions of our Christian lives but give two different reactions. One reaction is that we simply agree with the description because it’s true and are satisfied with the way things are. The second reaction is that we realize that it describes us so well yet we’re unsatisfied reading that description. We’re left wondering why our faith and life isn’t described as bold and fearless like the stories we read in the Bible. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we all feel like that there is something missing and yearn for something deeper in our Christian lives. I think this desire of wanting something more and deeper reveals that we have...
by Sam | Jan 20, 2014 | Inspiration
Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A man who literally changed the world. We are thankful for his life, his example, and his legacy. In celebration of MLK Jr. Day, here’s a look at some of his most powerful quotes… The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve… To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase. There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they’d die for. If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Some more powerful reads by Dr. King | Letter from a Birmingham Jail | I Have a...
by Sam | Jan 17, 2014 | Uncategorized
Our website is now officially LIVE! You can learn about who we are, our mission, vision, & core values here. Be sure to keep your eye on our calendar for upcoming events. Also we look forward to connecting with you in our contact us page. You can find links to our social media sites as well. Our team will be sharing & updating via our blog here too! We are so excited to be on this incredible journey with you. Stay tuned for more content in the future. Thank you for coming & checking us out. The best is yet to come! God...
by Sam | Jan 14, 2014 | Events
Last month in late December, we gathered in NYC to have our preview service of Pursuit NYC. It was an encouraging time of worship, fellowship, and ministry. We came together to seek God and to cast vision for the upcoming new year. Now that 2014 is here, we are excited to officially launch later this month. Once we get started we will look to meet weekly. We truly believe that the best is yet to come, and are extremely excited! We are all in! Revival or...
