Bay Area Community Church

When Abraham Lincoln started the Gettysburg address by mentioning the founding principles of America, he was attempting to appeal to the best of his audience in order to inspire them to live up to their highest ideals. In many ways, Paul does the same thing in this passage - he tries to leverage the strongest parts of the Philippians' identity to inspire them to behave in godly (but costly) ways for the sake of the Good News. I'm excited to walk through this passage with you - see you Sunday! 

This Sunday, we’ll continue in Philippians 1:12 to 26 as we explore what happens when Christ truly becomes the center of someone’s life. In this passage, Paul shows us that even difficult circumstances cannot stop the gospel from moving forward and that a life centered on Christ begins bearing fruit in the lives of others. Join us as we look at what it means to say, “For to me, to live is Christ.” 

We're thrilled to be starting a journey through the book of Philippians this weekend! For the next 8 weeks we'll walk through this life-changing letter and see how God wants to speak to us as Good News People from His Word. This weekend, we'll give a sense of the background of the letter as well as cover Paul's incredibly warm, friendly and comforting greeting to his battle-tested friends.

We’ve had a wonderful journey through Psalm 139 over the last few weeks, discovering together that because God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, we are known, never alone, and truly His masterpieces. It has been a powerful season of correcting our self-image and grounding our identity in the character of our Creator.

This Sunday, we are wrapping up this series by looking at the final attribute: God’s holiness. We’ll learn what it means to hate the things that God hates and explore what it means to live an "Open Life," moving from peering through the cracks of our own "Venetian blinds" at the world to opening them wide before the Lord. I am expectant for what God wants to do as we invite His light to search our hearts and lead us in the way everlasting.

How we view ourselves has an outsized impact on how we believe and behave in relationship to other people. So what are we, really? How do we know if we have value, and who decides? Join us on Sunday as we take a look at who God is as the Creator and what that means for us as His creation.

When was the last time you felt like you were standing on a mountain peak of success or buried under the crushing pressure of a "dark night of the soul" and felt all alone? Whether you are soaring through a great season or fumbling through the shadows of a dark valley, the Truth about God is that He is already there. From the furthest reaches of space to the hidden trenches of the ocean, there is no such thing as a "God-free zone."

This Sunday, we’ll see that God isn't just a distant observer of your life. He is an active Shepherd who holds your hand and leads the way. If you’ve been living in "solo mode," trying to handle life’s stresses by yourself, God is inviting you to find rest in His presence. This is a great Sunday gathering to invite the friend you’ve been praying for. 

We live in a personality and "self-awareness" obsessed culture. Yet, despite all our tests and podcasts, we seem to be less confident in our identity that ever! How do we answer the deep questions of who we truly are? Interestingly, the best way to figure this out, isn't by looking inside of ourselves, but by first looking upward to the one who made us - when we understand who God is, we have a clear path to understanding who he made us to be. Join me on Sunday to read over King David's shoulder as he pens a poem about who God is and how it changes the way we view ourselves. 

We live in a world that feels increasingly fragile. From global headlines to our own kitchen tables, the ground under our feet often feels uncertain and shifting. Is it actually possible to build a life that won’t collapse when the pressures of life become overwhelming?

The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”

Join us this Easter at 7, 9, or 11 a.m. as we look at the foundation of our faith: the glorious resurrection. We will discover three certainties that move our lives from a wobbly foundation to an unshakable future.