They dug through a roof to get their friend to Jesus. How crazy is that? The well-known story of the four men who had a paralyzed friend they wanted Jesus to heal is found in Mark 2. They ended up on the roof, digging through the hardened clay because the crowds were so great that they could get nowhere close to the entrance into the home, much less in front of Jesus. You could say they were relentless in both their conviction that Jesus could heal their friend and that they would get him to Jesus. The outcome of the story is beautiful. The paralyzed man is not only healed by Jesus, but his sins are forgiven, and he is made right with God. His life and his eternity were changed that day.

Relentlessness is rewarded by God throughout His Word. He blesses, restores sight, heals, and drives out demons, all in response to the persistence of those who have faith that he is the Provider for what they most need. This year, I have felt that the Lord wants us to relentlessly pursue Jesus for ourselves and others. The greatest obstacle we face is not crowds around a door but comfort that crowds out our desire to go after what Jesus has for us, no matter the cost. It’s easy to settle in our faith, but this year, we want to fight against the natural drift toward compromise or what makes us feel comfortable. We want to invite the Lord to stir in us a holy discontent in any aspect of our lives where he wants to grow or move us and to give us a holy desire for everything he wants to do in and through us.

There are four areas in which I want to see us invite the Spirit to lead us and then be relentless in our pursuit to follow in obedience. The areas are…

Abiding in Christ | Living in Community | Loving our Neighbors | Investing for Eternity

We will provide multiple opportunities throughout the year in each area for you to invite the Spirit to speak into your life and practically pursue being relentless in following his leading. It will be a fantastic year at CrossPoint Church, and I am so excited that you will be a part of it!

Matt Troyer, Senior Pastor