Godly Success: The Sermon Says It All (Randy)

We are in a series exploring how God defines success. Two weeks ago, we introduced the idea that we are so heavily influenced by our fallen state and the culture in which we live that we are prone to define success in secular terms: We want to be happy and fulfilled, and we expect to get there by achieving some purpose such as accumulating money, power, fame, beauty, comfort, relationships, and more. All of these are means by which we attempt to control our world, attain self-worth, and satisfy the void in our soul, but none of them can fully satisfy us, and all of them will disappoint us at some point or another.

God defines success very differently, and we are fortunate that Jesus lays out that definition in the Sermon on the Mount. There’s no place in the Bible where we get a better view into how God wants us to live our lives. But, reading the Sermon on the Mount can be devastating. Who can live up to such a standard

In this lesson, we go straight to the heart of the gospel to define how God views success and wants us to live our lives.

Listen to: The Sermon Says It All

Godly Success: A Calling from God (Chris)

Abraham is presented in the Bible as the Father of Faith in Almighty God.  He is the ancestor to which all monotheistic religions trace back.  His story also provides a powerful model of "Godly Success."
If Abraham is our model, then what is faith?  Belief applied through a call from God.

This class explores the five elements of a Godly Call:
1)  A call makes a request.
2)  A call includes a promise.
3)  A call provides an identity.
4)  A call involves tests.
5)  A call produces rewards.

By considering Abraham, we will ask a question of ourselves.  What is your call?  How do you follow it?
We hope you will join us to explore these questions!

Listen to A Calling From God
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Godly Success: Worldly, Religious, and Godly Success (Randy)

What is success for God, and how does it differ from how we think about it? The dictionary defines success as “achieving an aim or purpose,” but I think a more complete definition would read, “achieving an aim or purpose so we can feel good about ourselves.” Herein lies the rub. Whether we pursue worldly success or religious success, we tend to do so motivated by our own, self-centered needs. This gets us in trouble, and we end up making an idol of whatever we deem as success whether we realize it or not. In tomorrow’s lesson, we will explore the similarities and differences between worldly, religious, and Godly success, and use that as a springboard to approach the topic of Godly success with an appropriate level of humility.

Listen to Worldly, Religious, and Godly Success

Godly Success: Good and Faithful Servants (Chris)

New Series: Godly Success
First Session: "Good and Faithful Servants"

This week we begin a new series based on a simple question: "What is success to God?"

As the old saying goes, "Begin with the end in mind."  If our aim in life is to stand someday in heaven and to hear our Lord say the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant," how does that goal translate into living now?  What does God value?  How do our own unique abilities and opportunities relate to God's kingdom?  Where can we find solid direction in an unstable world hostile to Godly purposes and priorities?  How also can we escape the trap of a culture that prioritizes "achievements" and "accomplishments" over humble obedience?

Thankfully, Scripture provides us with numerous examples of "good and faithful servants."  This series will focus weekly on people from the Bible and will explore how they lived in service to God with an emphasis on their fulfillment of Jesus' two Great Commandments: love God and love others.  The first session this week will hone in on the goal itself.  What does it mean to be a "good and faithful servant"?

Listen to Good and Faithful Servants

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