Bay Area Community Church

In our summer series, Jesus has been asking questions to uncover the disciples’ hearts. In our next question, Jesus now asks his heavenly Father one of the most profound questions of all time. Join us this Sunday and discover from the most unexpected places one of the most stunning answers from the heart of God.

According to a 2023 Census Bureau survey, 1 out of 3 Americans suffer from acute anxiety. If you are 18-24 years old, that number increases to 50%. My guess is that many of you reading this email are like me and struggle with anxiety. This weekend we’ll consider Jesus’ question about anxiety from Matthew 6. My prayer is that Jesus will personally meet us this Sunday to help us become a more calm, less anxious people.

Who doesn't like a great freebie? To benefit from something that we don't have to pay for causes us to come back for more. The gospel of John describes a group following Jesus because of the signs and wonders they observed. This week's question of Jesus comes just after these signs and wonders and takes things from exciting to challenging on the turn of a dime.

Have you ever been asked a question that changed your life? Maybe somebody asked you, "Do you want the job?" or "Will you Marry me?" or "How soon can you get to the hospital?" - Moments like this can redirect our future in powerful ways. Jesus understood the power of a question, and he leveraged that power frequently. But why would "the way, the truth" need to ask any questions at all? What does that mean about who He was? Join us this Sunday as we kick off a series about the Questions of Jesus and get a chance to answer what might be the most important question he ever asked. 

This week I met with someone who told me that he felt a lack of purpose. I shared with him that his ultimate purpose in life is to become conformed to the image of Christ. That’s true for all of us. Yet along the journey of discipleship there are barriers that block our spiritual growth. A spiritual catalyst is something God uses to blow up the barrier and quickly mature us. Last week we looked at the barrier of control and saw how the Holy Spirit is God’s catalyst. This Sunday we focus on a barrier that paralyzes many of us because it rooted in fear. The barrier is our vain attempts to find security apart from God. Join us this Sunday as we learn how to find our security in the Jet stream of God’s grace.

This week we start a new series: Catalyst. I’ve looked forward to this for a long time. Over the years I’ve observed certain barriers to spiritual growth, barriers such as our need for control and struggle to find security, our clinging to expectations or being overly concerned about our reputation. When these barriers are removed, our walk with the Lord can soar to new heights. A spiritual catalyst is what God uses to blow away the barrier. Join us this week as we look at a barrier that all of us struggle with – control - and how the Spirit-filled life is God’s catalyst for life at its best.

We can all agree that dads matter. Every instinct inside of us (and every sociological study to boot) points to the fact that the presence of a father in the life of a child is important and formative. But none of us had perfect dads (and none of us ARE perfect dads). So what do we do? Join us this Father's Day as we explore how we can overcome imperfection in our fathers (and fathering) because of who God is. 

For good or for bad, our fathers play an important role in our lives. Even secular society recognizes the power and influence that dads can have in a person’s life. Yet, even the best human dad leaves some wounds. And for many of us, those wounds can negatively alter our view and understanding of who God is - the perfect Father. Join us this Sunday as we learn how to look to our Heavenly Father to help us love and honor our earthly fathers.

Who doesn't love a twist at the end of a story? It's fun to be surprised as you read or watch a storyline unfold, and discover that your expectations were all wrong. That exact dynamic is what we get at the end of the Esther story: nothing is as it seems, and everything gets flipped upside down (in a good way). Join us as we close out the epic tale of Esther, Mordecai and the people of Israel. 

In order to save her people, Esther must risk her crown and her life. And through a series of improbable (impossible?) events, she finds herself face to face with the King and her people's greatest enemy with a chance to pull off a rescue. We might think, "Sure, God's gonna work that out, it's the Bible after all!" - but what if God is just as actively orchestrating our lives as Esthers? Explore that question and more as we continue through one of the Bible's most unexpected stories.