Session 1: Vision. Mission. Pursuits.

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.

 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.

Vision: Help People Know God.

Philippians 3:8, 10

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ… I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.

Mission | Practicing The Way Of Jesus

Matthew 7:24-25

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Practicing The Way Of Jesus - Enjoying Being With Jesus.

LOVE MAKES LIKE

I believe the most prevalent and tragic misunderstanding that afflicts contemporary western Christianity is that we make a vow to submit our life to Christ, but then spend 99 percent of our time excluding him from our awareness. We make him Lord over our life in theory, but we do not make him Lord over most of the moments that make up our life. The fact is, if we can’t discern God’s presence in our day to day lives, it’s unlikely that we’ll find him at a revival. We may find a lot of excitement, great speakers, superb music, and maybe even see signs and wonders, but unless a person learns to find God as much in the ordinary as in the exciting, the exciting will do nothing more than serve as a momentary distraction. - Greg Boyd

Practicing The Way Of Jesus - Apprenticing Under Jesus.

We are learning from Jesus to live our lives as he would live our life if he were us. I am not necessarily learning to do everything he did, but I am learning how to do everything I do in the manner that he did all he did. - Dallas Willard

• Have I decided to be life long student of Jesus?

• When did I decide it?

• How did I implement that decision?

Practicing The Way Of Jesus - Walking as Jesus Walked.

We can become partakers of HIS divine nature and become the kind of person who does, easily and routinely, what Jesus said.

Pursuit 1 - The Presence Of God.

At New Song Church, we pursue the presence of God by seeking Him first and above all else.

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 

Pursuit 2 - Transformational Discipleship.

We pursue transformational discipleship by focusing on spiritual formation and every Christian’s destiny to progressively grow in Christlikeness.

2 Corinthians 3:18

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Romans 8:29

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Pursuit 3 - Kingdom Community.    

We pursue relational community by living into the reality of the family of God and desiring unity across generational, racial, political, and economic divides.

Pursuit 4 - Sacrificial Mission.

We pursue sacrificial mission by giving, serving, and loving sacrificially in our homes, our church, our community, and the world. our homes, our church, our community, and the world.