Pursue Podcast - Episode 2

20260503 | Connection Card - https://blufftoncommunity.churchcenter.com/people/forms/1218011

Primary Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-5:5What this message hopes to accomplish: As we wrap up our series 4 Questions Everyone Should Ask...and Answer, we focus on the question "Why Am I Here?" Ephesians makes it clear that we are here to imitate our creator. As we put our eyes on Christ we will become more and more like him, and this is why we are here!

Primary Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10What the message hopes to accomplish: Paul clearly identifies the gospel in the second chapter of Ephesians. Despite our sinful nature which separates us from God, Jesus Christ loved us enough to die for us so that we could be reunited with Him. Because of Jesus we are made alive in Christ when we believe, when we put our faith in his atoning work on the Cross. This message hopes to communicate clearly that God calls us to choose him first through repentance, then by going public in baptism, and finally by joining Him in his rescue mission to save people from sin and death by sharing the good news that Jesus came to save each one of us!

Primary Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14What this message hopes to accomplish: In this passage Paul helps us answer the question "Where do I belong?" by helping us see we belong "In Christ". Jesus has redeemed, or purchased, us with his blood on the Christ and because of that we belong to him. Whether we have placed our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our leader and forgiver, his death was the payment for our sin. Now we are called to receive God's mercy, his grace, by faith trusting that Jesus' life, death, and resurrection paid for our sins. We are not our own, we have been bought with the blood of Jesus so now we may receive eternal life in Christ by trusting in Him!

Primary Scripture: Ephesians 1:16-23What this message hopes to accomplish: To help believers and not-yet believers know that their identity is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ! The resurrection confirms that the Holy Spirit, the power that raised Jesus from the dead, communicates to us that we are called, valued, and empowered. Through the Holy Spirit we may see the truth about Jesus' resurrection and who we are in Christ!

Primary Scripture: Ephesians 6:18-20What this Message Hopes to Accomplish: Help believers prepare themselves to expand the Kingdom of Heaven through prayer and sharing the good news. Paul encourages believers to pray at all times, in the Spirit, and for each other. This is how followers of Christ join the fight, taking up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God and speaking the Truth in love over their friends, family, community, and church!

Primary Scripture: Hebrews 13:15-16What this message hopes to accomplish: This message looks at how the struggles we all face aren’t something we can fix just by trying harder or getting our lives together but something Jesus has already stepped into and made a way through. Walking through Hebrews 13:15-16, it shows how Jesus fulfilled what all the old sacrifices were pointing to, and how that changes everything about how we relate to God. Instead of striving to earn His love, we’re invited to trust what He’s already done for us. From there, praise becomes less about a religious routine and more about a response something that shows up not just in what we say, but in how we live, care for others, and express gratitude. At the end of the day, it’s all about discovering the kind of life that grows out of what Jesus has already done.