Performance Based Acceptance | Uprooted | Dr. Trent Langhofer - Teaching Pastor

Change is something everyone wants, but few know how to experience in a lasting way. In this message, Dr. Trent Langhofer kicks off the Uprooted sermon series by exposing one of the most common but hidden obstacles to spiritual growth: performance based acceptance. Drawing from decades of counseling experience and Scripture, Dr. Trent teaches that real transformation does not come from trying harder or doing more, but from addressing what lies beneath the surface. Using the life and conversion of the Apostle Paul, he shows how striving, shame, and spiritual complacency often grow from the belief that we must earn God’s approval through behavior, knowledge, or achievement. This message reveals how God brings change through four catalysts: learning, experience, pain, and love. Through Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, we see how God uproots a life built on performance and replaces it with grace, humility, and true freedom. If you are carrying shame, exhausted from striving, or quietly settled into being spiritually okay, this teaching will challenge and encourage you. The gospel reminds us that our standing with God is not based on what we do, but on what Christ has already done for us. This sermon invites us to begin a new year by laying down what is not working and allowing God to uproot whatever keeps us from becoming who He designed us to be. 📖 Key Scriptures: Acts 9:1–19 Philippians 3:4–9 Acts 22:3–21 1 Timothy 1:15 Galatians 2:20 Join us Sundays at Trace Church 8:15a | 10:00a | 11:45a | 5:00p 📍 4330 Mark Dabling Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO ⸻ STAY CONNECTED 📌 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@TraceChurch?sub_confirmation=1 📍 Website: https://tracechurch.com 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TraceChurchCOS 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trace.church 🎧 Listen to the Trace Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/trace-church ⸻ TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP ✅ Get Connected: https://tracechurch.com/next-steps/ 🙏 Need Prayer? https://tracechurch.com/need-prayer/ 💸 Give to the Mission: https://pushpay.com/g/tracechurch?src=fp ⸻ ABOUT TRACE CHURCH Trace Church exists to help people find and follow Jesus. From in-person worship in Colorado Springs to digital messages across the world, we create space for people to experience life-giving, Gospel-centered teaching. Whether you are new to church or looking for a place to grow, we are here for you. ⸻ Chapters 0:00 Welcome and New Year Introduction 0:23 Introduction to the Uprooted Series 1:27 Change Happens at the Root 2:10 The Purpose of Uprooted 2:32 The Question We Should Be Asking God 3:42 The Four Catalysts of Change 6:05 Love as a Catalyst for Transformation 7:41 Paul’s Radical Transformation 8:50 Paul’s Resume and Performance 10:59 Performance Based Acceptance Explained 12:59 The Cost of Performance Based Living 14:37 Paul’s Regret and Shame 16:00 The Worst of Sinners 17:43 No One Is Beyond God’s Grace 18:59 The Road to Damascus 21:04 A Collision with Jesus 23:29 Seeing the World Differently 25:42 Scales Falling From Paul’s Eyes 27:34 The Four Catalysts at Work in Paul’s Life 30:36 Pain That Softens the Heart 31:27 The Power of Love and Obedience 33:40 What God Uprooted in Paul 34:14 Performance Based Acceptance and Shame 35:21 Spiritual Complacency 36:36 The End of Striving 37:41 Dying to Self 38:26 Prayer and Response