Bridges Community Church

The third chapter of Ruth has puzzled biblical scholars for millennia. To be sure, we see people make decisions that may or may not have been motivated by entirely proper intentions. But we also see God's faithfulness to everyone in the account. Their decisions (right or wrong) don't stop His redemption. This week, as we study this puzzling chapter, we will find that God is faithful to all of us, in every moment, always.

As Christians, we believe that God orders the events of our lives and orchestrates all of history toward a glorious conclusion. But does that mean we don't have a role to play? This week, we'll study how Ruth and Boaz each made their connection with one another possible and how they model healthy relationship—even God's with us.

Sometimes in Scripture, we see God work in supernaturally miraculous ways: manna falls from heaven, the sick are instantly healed, or the dead are raised. Other times, God isn't as overt in orchestrating history. But does that mean He isn't working? In the book of Ruth, we see God guide His people in a way that we can all relate—through relationships. As we begin our four-week study of the book of Ruth, we will study the power of relationships to lift us out of tragedy, and ultimately, to heal the world.

None of life is meant to be lived alone, which means wherever God calls us, we need a team for support and encouragement. In this final week of our Finding Your Way series, we will study what Scripture requires of a church when it sends a missionary, and by extension, what we all need wherever God may send us.

Obeying God is always a lot easier to talk about than to do. Especially when it doesn't make sense. Especially when it costs something. Especially when it feels like God is asking us to step away from what's safe and comfortable and predictable. Let's admit it: Sometimes God's will feels unreasonable. And yet, that's usually right where obedience begins.

At some point every one of us confronts a series of related questions of enormous consequence: How do I find and fulfill the central purpose of my life? What am I specifically supposed to be doing with my time? How should I go about making potentially life-altering decisions? When I ask God for wisdom or direction, how do I know that it's actually God speaking and not just wishful thinking on my part? And what if I make the wrong decision?

Easter instinctively feels hopeful to us. We have a sense that something is new. Something began. Something in which we can join ourselves. But what exactly is that? What started when Jesus rose from the dead? This week, we'll study His resurrection, the new world it will eventually create, and why it provides so much hope.

In our final week of our Upper Room series, we see Jesus pray. Prayer is how He chooses to spend the very last moments before He is arrested. And He prays, primarily, for us. This week, we will study Jesus' prayer, how it communicates His deep abiding love for us, and why His desires for us are essential for our thriving.

There's one thing we can all be sure of, no matter where you are on your spiritual journey: There will be countless moments in your life that will simply make no sense, thereby threatening your peace and stealing your joy. Fortunately, we are not left with only two options in these moments—either understand everything and rest in peace or understand little of what is going on around you and have no hope. The Bible actually tells us that there is a third way. A way to have sturdy, lasting joy that doesn't rise and fall with the circumstances of your life. A way to be able to face sorrow and the uncertainty and confusion in your world with hope and confidence.

Following Jesus isn't meant to be easy. In fact, Jesus tells His disciples to expect the worst, the very worst, for their faith in Him. Yet, we are not left without hope or without help. Jesus promises we won't be alone on our journey because we will have a strong guide leading our way. This week, we'll study Jesus' warning to disciples, the comfort He offers them, and how we can apply it to our lives today.

We all look to something to reassure ourselves in times of difficulty. Whether it be relationships, prior achievements, or current status, we all count on something to pull us through seasons of uncertainty. But Jesus claims not all of these are as dependable as we might think. In fact, He says there is only one true source of life, only one reliable anchor for our hearts. This week, we will study what Jesus taught about the nourishment our souls need and where to find it.

As Jesus nears His arrest, trial, and crucifixion, it seems His mind is mostly on us, His followers. While He knows He will face a day worse than any of us can imagine, He wants us to be comforted, and He uses His final moments to reassure us of God's goodness to us. This week we'll study the comforts Jesus shares with His disciples and how they apply to our lives today.

Jesus knows Peter will soon lose faith and deny Him, but instead of chastising Peter, Jesus encourages him. This week we'll study Peter's denial, Jesus' surprising reaction, and what it means for our faith today.

Judas stands not only as a looming figure in the biblical storyline, but as a name synonymous with the worst types of betrayal in popular culture. He turned over Jesus—an innocent man, his friend—to corrupt authorities who would crucify him. This week, we will study this tragic series of events and learn what it can teach us when we face hurt, loss, betrayal, and even evil.

Love is harder than we think. Yes, we, of course, love our kids and grandkids and close friends and nice people and those who treat us well. But Jesus said that everybody naturally does that anyway (Matt. 5:47). It's not very hard to love people who love us. The real question is, will we also love those who harm or betray us? Will we keep on loving, even when it means bearing burdens with which we would rather not be bothered? Will we love when the people we love do not love us in return? Will we love those who are unlovely, undeserving, or ungrateful? Loving others is challenging. God does not make it easy, but He does make it possible. And Jesus shows us what it looks like and how it's done.

In Jesus' final private moments with His disciples, we see Him do something highly unusual. We see Him serve those closest to Him. We don't typically expect people to spend the final night of their lives serving others, nor do we often witness leaders with enormous amounts of power get down on their knees and serve. But Jesus isn't normal. He stands apart from the rest of us. And what He did for His disciples is exactly what all of us need.

Finances can be a touchy subject. It's the number one point of conflict in marriages, and sometimes people choose to avoid church if the topic is scheduled for an upcoming Sunday (like this one). But while we might regard it as sensitive or uncomfortable, God doesn't. He has given all of us financial resources, and He has a plan for how we can use them best. This week, we'll study where generosity begins, why we love giving, and the joyous journey it can be.

When it comes to Christian stewardship, we typically think about how to best use our time, our talents and experiences, or our finances, but what about being good stewards of our trials and our times of suffering? Rather than hiding our pain and pretending that everything is okay when it clearly is not, or rather than being trapped by our pain and never being able to move beyond it, how can our trials and seasons of suffering actually be used for our good, for the good of others, and for God's greater purposes? Join us this week to find out how.

All of us, in one way or another, are able to communicate. Even babies can get their ideas across with cries or gestures. But why did God give us this ability? What is it for? Can we misuse it? This week, we'll study the power of words, their purpose, and the proper way to use them.

For some, working with children feels like a natural calling, while for others, it's not so instinctive. The truth is, God calls all of us to be involved in stewarding the children in our community. This week, we'll explore this shared responsibility, the path it leads us on, and how we can remain faithful in guiding the next generation with purpose and perseverance.

For some, a job is just a way to pay the bills. Others seem to have a career that perfectly fits their talents, skills, and personality. Whether you work to live or live to work, the truth is, work is an unavoidable and significant part of the human experience. This week, we'll take a look at how work is part of God's design and how we can better steward our work, and God-given talents, from the time we enter the workforce through retirement.

Perhaps more than any other gift, we are aware that the time given to us is limited. We only have so many days on this earth. But how to use them well? This week, we'll study why God gives us time, how to use it well, and what it looks like to waste it.

As we come to the close of our study of 1 Corinthians, chapter 16 is one that some of us may be tempted to skip. It's largely a list of personal greetings, sprinkled with a few petitions. However, this chapter clues us into the importance of connection with others and what is necessary to form them and keep them.

Merry Christmas Eve! Join us tonight at 5:00pm for our annual Christmas Eve Service. Come light candles, sing familiar carols, read the Christmas story, and hear a message from Pastor Dan. All are welcome, and childcare will be available for ages 0-3 in the nursery.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a bottomless wealth of hope with significance for all of our lives. This week, as we study the longest single text explaining its meaning, we'll see its wondrous implications and how it fulfills our deepest longings.

Love is harder than we think. Of course we love our family, our friends, and those who treat us well. We love nice people. But Jesus says everybody naturally does that anyway (Matt. 5:47). That's not hard. People love people who love them. The real question is, will we also love those who harm us? Will we keep on loving even when it means bearing burdens we would rather not be bothered with? Will we love when the people we love do not love us in return? Will we love those who are unlovely, undeserving, or ungrateful? Loving others is challenging. God does not make it easy, but He does make it possible. And He shows us how it's done.

We are often impressed by people who seem “gifted.” Whether it's in sports, business, crafts, music, comedy, or something else, there are some people who stand out from everyone else. But what does that mean for us “normal” people? Do we have gifts as well? If so, where do they come from, and what is their purpose? This week, we'll study Paul's instructions regarding spiritual gifts, why God gives them to us, and how we are meant to use them.

Sometimes we encounter a biblical passage that seems confusing or even contradictory to other biblical passages. These comments from Paul regarding women in the church might likely be among them. But as we will see this week, his comments have contemporary significance, are not what they may seem on face value, and might, just perhaps, show us something important about God.

The cup and the bread—timeless symbols instituted into church practice by Christ Himself. In some Christian traditions, communion takes a central role in each service, while other traditions seem to minimize it. But what was it like in the early church? This week, we'll study the early practice of communion and see how it outshines even the greatest of Thanksgiving feasts.

Nothing can make us desire great leaders quite as quickly as experiencing bad ones. But what exactly makes the difference? Are there certain qualities that great leaders share? Does God have a design for leadership? This week, we'll study two contrasting styles of leadership, the role each of us can play regardless of our official title, and the ultimate litmus test for any leader.

One reason why the book of James is so challenging and practical is that it lays out a series of tests that are designed to help us understand what authentic Christianity looks like in action, so that we may then examine our own lives and faith to see how we measure up. And according to James, one of the things that a living, genuine faith ought to produce within us is Christlike compassion—the way we think about, speak about, and treat the poor and the vulnerable. This Sunday, our mission partner Eric Prager (Executive Director of Baja Christian Ministries) will be the guest speaker for our annual “Compassion Sunday”. Join us as we consider this challenge from James, and be reminded that loving, caring for, and meeting the practical needs of the vulnerable and hurting all around us is the job of every single believer—as fundamental to our Christian living as evangelism, discipleship, and worship.

Christians don't always agree on debatable moral issues, and we can struggle even more in how to treat people who don't see them the same way that we do. But we're not left without guidance. This week, we'll study a murky moral issue in the first century church and how Paul instructed them to navigate it. Not only can his teaching help us better relate to one another, but it can be a powerful witness to the world that people on opposite sides can, in fact, continue to love and support each other.

When Christianity burst onto the scene, it upended existing views of both singleness and marriage. For the first time, single people were an esteemed demographic in a community, and marriage took on a new depth of meaning. This week, we'll study God's good design for singleness, sex, and marriage, and how it (still) applies to our lives today.

We all, at times, can become discouraged by the darkness we see in our modern world and wonder if it will ever get better. The good news? The letter to the Corinthians provides us with surprising hope. They faced a culture far more immoral than ours, yet they laid the groundwork for a dramatic future renewal. This week we'll see where Paul instructed them to begin and what it means for us today.

While most people would agree that our world is broken, they may not all agree on how to fix it. Nevertheless, this week's Scripture passage gives us a great foundation and framework from which to have such discussions, as it reminds us of the ultimate plan of God, the purpose of God behind His plan, why some reject that plan while others accept it, and why it all matters for us today.

Division in the church is nothing new. It goes all the way back to the earliest gatherings of Christians, but that doesn't mean that division is inevitable. This week we will see how Paul addresses the problem with the church in Corinth, and his prescription for creating unity when we disagree.

Good. True. Right. Faithful. Honorable. Trustworthy. Admirable. We likely know people who live up to these characteristics, and we hope to be among them. But how are they actually developed in us—especially when some amount of corruption seems so much easier? This week we will see God's desire to develop goodness and faithfulness in us, and how He accomplishes it.

Jesus is meek, gentle, and humble of heart. But also . . . He confronts various people with some of the strongest language in Scripture. What are we to make of this? Is there some way the two images of Jesus can fit together? And how does Jesus' behavior inform our own? When God develops gentleness in us, is it void of any severity? This week we'll see the kindness in all of Jesus' language and what it means for our interactions with those around us.

The process of the fruit of God's Spirit developing in your life is not a quick one. It would be wonderful if we could pray one day to have no more problems with, say, anger, selfishness, materialism, envy, or lust, and then when you woke up the next day those things were completely gone. However, we know from personal experience that it doesn't work that way. And yet God continues to patiently and lovingly work daily within each of us by His grace so that the fruit of His Spirit is produced within us. In this week's message, we'll give specific consideration to the topics of patience and self-control. We'll look at why growing in these two areas is so crucial but also so challenging, and we'll also see how they both work hand-in-hand with each other.

Our world so often seems marked with conflict—conflict at home, conflict at work, conflict on the national stage. Many voices call for peace, but how do we actually get there? This week, we'll see the resources God's Spirit gives us to create peace in our conflicted time.

While we often cannot change our circumstances, Scripture often speaks of finding joy in the midst of them. This week we will explore one of the passages that speaks of a joy available to us, regardless of level of difficulty that we're facing. We'll discover Paul's source of joy that was so deep, it couldn't be shaken.

One of our deepest desires is to know that we are loved. When we have it, we can step out into the world with confidence even when we face seemingly unsurmountable challenges. When we lack it—when we feel rejected or unwanted—we can become riddled with insecurities. This week, we'll see the unconditional love of God, how we can be certain of it, and how it transforms us to love others.

Many of us desire more peace, joy, and patience in our lives, and we hope to remove things like jealousy, rage, and bitterness from our hearts. But how can it actually happen? It seems we need more than new behaviors, we need some of the deepest corners of our souls rewired. And what is powerful enough to give us that? This week, we begin a new series on the fruit of God's Spirit—how it grows within us, and how we can participate in God's amazing work.

This summer, we're hearing from our elders and various staff about how God has worked in their lives in similar ways to how He worked in the lives of people throughout biblical history. This week, we'll hear from Elder Chair Todd Kjos about how various Christian communities and studying God's Word helped to develop his faith.

Many people could quickly identify any number of urgent physical and spiritual needs that plague so many around the world today, including in our own community. And we would likely have a lot of agreement as believers that something absolutely needs to change in order to address these matters. But this week's message will also argue that something needs to change in our own hearts as well about these urgent needs. It will be a call to let what breaks God's heart break yours, and to take action wherever God has placed you.

This summer, we're hearing from our elders and various staff about how God has worked in their lives in similar ways to how He worked in the lives of people throughout biblical history. This week, we'll hear from Brad Cole about how the life of Caleb inspired him through various seasons of stepping out in faith and trusting God.

This summer, we're hearing from our elders and various staff about how God has worked in their lives in similar ways to how He worked in the lives of people throughout biblical history. This week, we'll hear from Laura Perez, our Associate Director of Worship and Young Adults, about how she has experienced the goodness of the Lord during various (and sometimes uncertain) seasons of her life.

This summer, we're hearing from our elders and various staff about how God has worked in their lives in similar ways to how He worked in the lives of people throughout biblical history. This week, we'll hear how the faith story of Dave Kellejian, our Director of Student Ministries, intersects with that of a man in Mark 5 who had a life-changing encounter with Jesus, and whose story has far greater implications for our own lives today than most of us realize.

This summer, we're hearing from our elders and various staff about how God has worked in their lives in similar ways to how He worked in the lives of people throughout biblical history. This week, we'll hear from Austin Ward, one of our elders, about how God weaved the concept of trusting in Him through many different seasons of Austin's life.

This summer, we're hearing from our elders and various staff about how God has worked in their lives in similar ways to how He worked in the lives of people throughout biblical history. This week, we'll hear from Danny Oh, one of our church elders, about how God moved him from a bargaining faith to a surrendered faith.

This summer, we're hearing from our elders and various staff about how God has worked in their lives in similar ways to how He worked in the lives of people throughout biblical history. This week, we'll hear from Mark Liu, one of our church elders, about how God used the powerful stories of Jesus' time on earth among his people to teach Mark how to be a servant in his community.