South Bay Church

This is the first time in a long time that a large part of the South Bay Church will be able to get together IN PERSON! And how appropriate that it is on Resurrection Sunday that we can gather to celebrate our risen Lord and the power of renewal in our lives. Steve will be preaching on the topic “Cancelled.” They tried to cancel Jesus. But the grave couldn't hold him! The resurrection is the cente...

It’s Palm Sunday! We join God’s creation in worshipping him today, remembering his presence in our lives. In looking at the Palm Sunday story from scripture, our guest speaker Rhett Butler exhorts us to #1 worship the king, and #2 clean house.

Temptation, sorrow, intense challenges… Our guest speaker Guy Hammond gives us perspective and inspiration for persevering through such times with scriptural insights and stories from his own life. Learn to have faith refined in crisis. We can use hard times as a catalyst for greatness and eternal meaning, honoring God with the brokenness of our lives.

There is much to divide us from others, and much to make us feel alone. But what if God’s design for the church is for us to be able to face spiritual challenges in community, instead of by ourselves? There are examples in the early church of profound issues that threatened to split the church and yet our brothers and sisters came together in unity to overcome these obstacles.

We live in a world that tries to divide us. We are told to choose sides and cancel anything we don’t agree with. Political, ideological, cultural, generational… Jesus wants us to be able to cut through the noise and make a lasting impact rather than getting caught up in all the divisive rhetoric that is so prevalent today. Jesus came to serve God and others. There was never any question in his min...

Dr. Martin Luther King envisioned “The Beloved Community” as a society based on justice, equal opportunity, and love of one’s fellow human beings. Dr. Ben Barnett fleshes out how true love for God and neighbor can bring about this reality in the kingdom of God.

There are these things we feel so deeply about —the rights of the oppressed or the unborn, our relationship to the state, government’s role in our lives, what a functioning society should look like, how to make “the system” more just and equitable to all. What do we do when the solutions we strongly support are opposed by those we love and respect? How do we hold these ideas in tension with our id...

The narrative of God’s story is a contrast between humanistic “empire” and godly “shalom” — the peace that can only be found through the rule and reign of HIS kingdom. Andy Winje helps us understand the ramifications of identifying ourselves as citizens of the kingdom of God here on earth.

Today we kick off a new worship series, “Our God and Country,” and we celebrate the amazing kingdom of God and Lordship of Jesus. So what does it mean to make him Lord? Who is Jesus to you?

David Bruce, a licensed counselor as well as minister, helps us understand how to maintain joy and peace (and good mental health) even in troubled times. He shows the way neuroscience supports the teachings of scripture and examples of Psalms that allow us to process traumatic situations through connection to God and each other. His handy mnemonic “VCR” is a practical tool for rewiring unhealthy t...

Weariness and discouragement can sap our physical, emotional and spiritual life - but renewal is within our reach because God is always at work, and he makes himself available to us. Our hope is not in the new year but in the one who makes all things new.

Last week we discussed the way popular yet unsatisfying postures of relating to God do not allow us to overcome fear in our lives. Today we'll talk about uniting with God in a way that allows faith, hope, and love to flourish in our lives and relationships.

Brian shares teaching gleaned from the book WITH by Skye Jethani, with the subheading, "Reimagining the way you relate to God." What defines your relationship with God? What is your posture towards him? If you’re anxious, not at peace, motivated by fear, not experiencing the fruits of the spirit — something is off. Fear and suffering, confusion, uncertain futures — these are universal human experi...

Happy to say goodby to 2020? Ready for something new? God is calling us to move, to "get out of the boat," to embrace spiritual elasticity... to be NEW WINESKINS ready for the new wine that God is pouring out in our world. We don’t have a faith that fades. We have one that is renewed every single day.

There is a theme throughout scripture: God delights in the little. He chooses the weak and unknown. He lifts up the lowly. It’s easy for us to be down on ourselves, or to dwell on how we *wish* things would be, especially during times like this. But God rejoices in small beginnings. Let us take time to celebrate special moments like the first block in a new temple, or a newborn king in a humble ma...

God’s mercy and his promises to his people are also available to believers today. He will never give up on us (though we can sometimes give up on him). In response to his incredible grace we respond by doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly.

This fresh take on the story of Jonah looks at the book from the perspective of the sailors, Jonah, the Ninevites, God himself for modern day application in our lives. Ultimately we see that we can trust God, and if we are willing, we can experience the impact of his amazing grace.

Sometimes we don’t think God sees or knows, that he is really hearing us. But Malachi reminds us he is involved in the intricacies of our daily lives. He gives us hope for facing the future.

We tend to view our relationship with God in terms of spiritual habits or things we do…and unfortunately religion can become empty ritual. But God truly desires relationship. He wants our hearts.

What will it mean for your life to really hear this message from God: “I am with you…do not fear…I have chosen you…” Learn more about your spiritual identity from this lesson from the book of Haggai.

God’s kingdom economy puts people over property. Relationship are valued over religion. Our hope in this kingdom provides us with eternal blessing, authentic security, answer to our fears, and a way trust in adversity.

Sometimes God’s plan is not what we had hoped for. Sometimes we go through hard times. But hard times are not the end. We can build a sustaining faith that is not at the mercy of our environment.

What happens when cancel culture invades are real relationships. We are hurt and so we say “I’m done with you.” A huge part of being a follower of Jesus is learning how to handle conflict. Divine love and grace allows us to experience true reconciliation.

Conflict and fear can cause us to allow separation and lack of resolution in our relationships. Marshall Mead shares a story from the OT that illustrates this and provides practical tips for resolution.

We all share a same set of spiritual needs — these things make us more similar than different. God’s plan for meeting these needs is through a walk with him and our relationships with each other.