The Bible says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) We are no longer “in the flesh” if the Spirit Jesus sent dwells in us. Yet, it is possible for us, as Christians, to assume that the Spirit within us is on “autopilot”, somehow guiding us even though we pay no attention to Him. We can make ourselves feel like we are following Jesus by doing good things like attending church, volunteering in a church ministry, or even by being involved in Bible study. But while those are “good” practices, they are only “life giving” if they are a response to Jesus’s prompting through His Spirit. Paul says in Romans 8:5, “Those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." Paul reminds us that it is the Spirit, through Jesus, that gives us life.
What we call “Pursuit” is based upon the belief that the Christian life involves pursuing Jesus…that an everyday, intimate relationship with Him is the one essential and fundamental purpose of my life. Doing that means it is my priority to seek intimacy with Jesus, nurtured by regular, significant time in personal private conversations with Him, being careful to not be content with any of those “good” things that can serve as substitutes for intimacy. Those “good” things are intended to be the supernatural byproducts of my intimacy with Jesus. My Spiritual “activity” spills out as a joyful and willing RESPONSE to Him, instead of a disciplined and dutiful responsibility I carry out FOR Him.
Even that joyful willing response is not something I can produce by working hard on my spiritual development. Rather, it’s something that God does within me. What I must do is “seek” Him openly with all my heart. In our way-too-busy, over-extended culture, that means I must intentionally and persistently create significant space in my schedule for seeking (pursuing) to take place.
Pursuit Groups
A pursuit group is a regular gathering of people engaged in pursuit, with the primary purpose of helping each other develop and maintain an intimate conversation with Jesus.
The agenda is purposefully light and carefully protected:
● “How is your relationship with Jesus going?”
● “What have you and Jesus been talking about?”
There is no lesson to prepare. Rather, we agree to spend regular time with Jesus, and then we tell the group what the two of us are talking about. God knows each of us thoroughly and intimately…there is no hiding, and our desire is to approach Him openly, saying “Take me, change me and use me”. It may be helpful to note the kindnesses He shows us each day or any actions he may be prompting us to take, and it’s amazing to look back and watch how Jesus, through His Spirit, works! Often, what we are reading in the Bible will have direct application to our conversations with Him. There is no disciplined formula to follow in our Jesus time, but we learn from each other about practices that help us maintain the pursuit.
Our groups are confidential and single-gender to encourage transparent sharing. We currently have one men’s group that meets on Zoom every Tuesday evening, and two groups for women, one that meets each Tuesday evening on Zoom, and another that meets in person twice per month.