by Sam | Jun 12, 2018 | Inspiration
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19 We all know that one guy, if you know what I mean… The truth is you never want to be “that guy.” That guy who can’t take a joke. That guy who drives under the speed limit. That guy who always ruins the ending of movies. That guy who just can’t keep secrets. The list goes on and on of someone just having to be that one guy. Sometimes they just can’t help themselves, but you find them everywhere. At work. At church. At school. At home. On Facebook (insert eye emoji here)… Maybe you’ve even been that guy before. It’s a real epidemic! In the Gospel of Luke, there’s a story where Jesus came across ten lepers during His travels. And what do you know, this encounter...
by Josh | Jan 4, 2017 | Inspiration, Reflection, Worship
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. – Genesis 12:7-8 One of our core beliefs and favorite phrases at Pursuit NYC is that “The best is yet to come.” Knowing that the God we worship is the God who promises to “give life and life to the fullest” (John 10:10), we contend, expect, and believe for God to move in powerful ways in our lives, schools, workplaces, and nations. But I believe that one of the greatest battles our generation faces is struggling with timelines. It’s easy to hear, read, and see what other people are doing these days and compare our lives to theirs. We might think, “I should be dating/married by now… I should have kids by now… I should be at this point in my career by now… I should be this type of person/spouse/friend by now… I should be further along by now…” And while the best is yet to come, I believe that it’s difficult for many of us to love God right where we are. BUILDING ALTARS I imagine that Abraham was confronted with loving God right where he was throughout his journey of faith. In the beginning of his story in Genesis 12, Abraham (then, known as...
by Sam | Oct 20, 2016 | Inspiration, Reflection
I absolutely love this generation! This generation is full of so many people who are called, gifted, and anointed by the Lord. They are passionate and dream big dreams. They want to be used by God. They also have access to more resources than any other previous generation. Thanks to social media and technology, we can find out what God is doing all over the world. We know what sermons are being preached, what songs are being sung, and what books are being read in an instant. There is something to be said when there are countless videos of worship songs getting millions of views online! So many people, including myself, get inspired and encouraged by these things. Yet the temptation is to just mimic what others are doing expecting the same results. While what God is doing in building a worship culture around the world is both inspiring and powerful, let us not become a generation that is governed by what is trendy rather than what is true. I believe that God is wanting to disciple a generation in authentic worship rather than a generation that’s discipled by just worship culture. Here are some values of what authentic worship looks like. OBEDIENCE OVER SACRIFICE True worship is about obedience unto the Lord. Obedience in even the smallest of things is greater in the sight of the Lord than extravagant expressions of sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). We see this in the life of King Saul. Instead of obeying God, King Saul does what he thinks is best in his own eyes and understanding. He covers up his own pride by spiritualizing...
by Sam | Jun 11, 2015 | Events
UPDATED: Version 3.0 // Wednesday August 11, 2015 Version 2.0 // Monday July 13, 2015 Summer is finally underway! And for this year, we have something special planned called “Pursuit Summer Thursdays.” Starting next week (6/18) until the end of August, every Thursday we will be gathering together. Each week we will be doing something different, but with the same heart to pursue after God and His Kingdom for our region. Whether it be to soak in His presence, worship together, or go out into the streets, we want this summer to be one where we seek after what matters most! It will be a great time in community where we will be stretched, encouraged, and equipped to live out the best that God has for us together. So come join us this summer in our pursuit of more of God and in making Him known. Here is an outline of what we have scheduled. June 18 – Compelled by Love (Heidi Baker documentary) June 25 – Worship Gathering (worship – Josh Lim / preaching – Koob Vang) *** Friday June 26 – FRONTIER Night: The Yoon Family *** July 2 – Soaking July 9 – Cancelled July 16 – Treasure Hunting July 23 – *** Away at Retreat *** July 30 – WA1 Banquet August 6 – Worship Nite w/ Currency Red August 13 – Holy Spirit (documentary) August 20 – *** Away at Retreat *** August 27 – *** No Meeting *** September 3 – Finale: Worship Night Make sure to follow us online on social media to stay up to date with all of these dates and more. Bring a friend! It’s going to be a...
