What God Really Wants From You This Year | A Church That Pleases God: Part 1

Jan 4, 2026

Discover the transformative difference between knowing God's love and living to please Him. Explore the five qualities essential for a church that honors God: reverence, faith, boldness, unity, and love. Challenge yourself to assess whether your actions reflect a high view of God or a casual faith. Hear personal stories of rediscovering awe and holiness through prayer, and understand the importance of reverent obedience. Join the call for a deeper commitment and a renewed perspective on your spiritual journey.

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INSIGHT

Pleasing God Is The Ultimate Goal

Craig Groeschel wants to pastor a church that pleases God above all other goals.
A church that pleases God is made up of people who live lives that please Him.

INSIGHT

Reverence Means Awe, Not Terror

A reverent church fears the Lord and lives with sincere obedience to Him.
Fear of the Lord means awe and reverence, not terror or avoidance.

ADVICE

Let Your Life Reveal Your Beliefs

Examine what your life says you believe about God by reviewing your time, money, relationships, and reactions.
Choose a high view of God: take Scripture seriously, repent quickly, and obey with reverence regardless of cost.

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There's a difference between knowing God loves you and living in a way that pleases Him. When you truly see God for who He is, it changes how you obey God—not out of duty, but out of awe.

NEXT STEPS
Have you made the decision to follow Jesus? You might be wondering what’s next for you. We want to help! Check out these resources to discover what saying yes to Jesus means: https://www.life.church/yes

Tell Us About You!
We’re here to help you become the person God created you to be—and we’d love to hear from you. Take this quick survey to tell us about yourself and how we can support you. Find it at https://life.church/podcastconnect

ABOUT THIS MESSAGE
More than anything, we want to be a church that pleases God. To do that, we’ll explore the qualities the Bible says matter most—being faith-filled, bold, and loving. These aren’t just goals for our church. They’re a calling for each of us, because A Church That Pleases God is full of people who want to do the same.

Three ways to make friends at church: https://go2.lc/friends

ABOUT LIFE.CHURCH
Wherever you are in life, you have a purpose. Life.Church wants to help you find your next step. Our hope is that your journey will include joining us at a Life.Church location throughout the United States or globally online at https://www.live.life.church

Find locations, videos, and more info about us at https://www.life.church or download the Life.Church app at https://www.life.church/app

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CONNECT WITH PASTOR CRAIG GROESCHEL
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