Pursuit Next 201
Our Core Beliefs
PURSUIT’S DOCTRINAL STATEMENT OF FAITH
BIBLICAL MARRIAGE
We believe in unconditional love for everyone while remaining unwavering in our loyalty to God’s Holy word. We believe that because God our Creator established marriage as a sacred institution between one man and one woman, the idea that marriage is a covenant only between one man and one woman has been the traditional definition of marriage for all of human history ("Traditional Definition of Marriage"). Because of the longstanding importance of the Traditional Definition of Marriage to humans and their relationships and communities, and, most importantly, the fact that God has ordained that marriage be between one man and one woman, as clearly conveyed in God's inerrant Scriptures, including for example in Matthew 19:4-6 where in speaking about marriage Jesus referred to the fact that "he which made them at the beginning made them male and female”.
THE SANCTITY OF LIFE
God views the practice of abortion as an evil that has been inflicted upon millions of innocent babies. Abortion is a morally unacceptable alternative for birth control, population control, sex selection, and elimination of the physically and mentally handicapped. Certain parts of the world are already experiencing serious population imbalances as a result of the systematic abortion of female babies. The advocacy and practice of so-called partial birth abortion of babies is particularly heinous.
The personhood of the unborn. The Scriptures regularly treat the unborn child as a person under the care of God.
The Bible recognizes that a woman is with child even in the first stages of pregnancy. When the virgin Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, an angel made this announcement to her: “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son (Luke 1:31, NASB). The angel then informed Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant: “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age” (Luke 1:36). Scripture makes it clear that in the prenatal phase both Jesus and John the Baptist were recognized as males well before the time of delivery. Moreover, John before birth is recognized as a “baby” (Luke 1:41,44). The Bible always recognizes the prenatal phase of life as that of a child and not a mere appendage to the mother’s body to be aborted at will.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God. We believe in His substitutionary death for all men, His resurrection and His eventual return. (John 1:1,14, 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5).
VIRGIN BIRTH
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary's womb; therefore, He is the Son of God. (Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35).
SALVATION
We believe all men are born with a sinful nature and that the work of the Cross, was to redeem man from the power of sin. We believe that this salvation is available to all who will receive it. (Acts 4:12, Romans 10:10, Mark 16:16)
TRINITY
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11).
THE SACRED SCRIPTURE
We believe in the scripture as the inspired Word of God's will for mankind. We believe in the absolute authority of the scripture to govern the affairs of men.
(II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26).
THE CHURCH
We believe in the church as the eternal and universal body of Christ consisting of all those who have accepted the work of the atonement. We believe in the need for a local assembly of believers for the purposes of evangelization and edification. (1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Colossians 1:18, Hebrews 10:25)
PRAYER AND PRAISE
We believe in the worship of the Lord through singing, clapping and the lifting of hands. We believe in the authority of the believer to ask freely of the Lord for his needs. (Psalms 33:1-3, Psalm 98:1, Psalm 57:8-9, 1 Corinthians 5:16-18, Philippians 4:6-7)
MINISTRY
We believe that evangelism is the obligation of every follower of Jesus Christ. The Lord commands us to go out and make disciples in all the earth. We believe that every person is first responsible to evangelism in their own family as the Holy Spirit leads them and gives them the ability. We affirm the ministries of Ephesians 4 (Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers). Matthew 28:19
TWO SACRAMENTS
Water Baptism: Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48).
THE LORD’S SUPPER
A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross (Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25).
HEALING OF THE SICK
Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign, which is to follow believers. It is also a part of Jesus' work on the Cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit. (Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29).
THE PRIESTHOOD OF THE BELIEVER
We believe that every believer has a unique relationship to the Lord. As His children, every Christian has immediate access to the throne of Grace and the ability to manifest the power of the Lord Jesus Christ in ministry. (1 Peter 2:5-9, Matthew 27:51, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 4:14-16)
RESURRECTION
Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; they that are saved to the resurrection of life and they that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation (Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21).
JESUS' BLOOD
The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29).
HEAVEN
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; II Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; I Peter 1:4).
HELL
After living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen Angels (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8).
SECOND COMING
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures (Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; II Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7)