The cross itself is not the gospel, but you cannot have the gospel without the cross!
To pursue something engages mind, body, and emotion. To pursue something captivates your entire essence. Pursuit says, "I will move forward whatever the cost; in spite of the sorrow; I will move forward; in spite of the pain; I will move forward; in spite of the uncertainty; I will move forward."
To pursue something transforms your entire existence.
To pursue something binds mind, body, and emotion.