Berkeley Avenue Baptist Church

08/30/2026

08/28/2026

“All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them.” — Hudson Taylor

Church, I read this today and it stayed with me.

Sometimes I think we get the idea that God uses strong people. People who have it all together. People who always know what to say, always know what to do, and never struggle with fear, discouragement, or weakness.

But that really isn’t the story Scripture tells us.

Moses said, “Who am I?”

Gideon said he was the least.

Paul learned that God’s power was made perfect in weakness.

And I love that God’s answer to Moses wasn’t, “Moses, you’re stronger than you think.”

His answer was, “But I will be with you.”

Maybe that is something we need to remember as a church.

We don’t have to be strong enough for everything God puts in front of us. We don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t have to pretend that we never get tired, discouraged, frustrated, or even a little afraid.

Our confidence has never been in how strong we are.

Our confidence is that God is with us.

There are things we could look at and say, “We’re not big enough for that. We don’t have enough people for that. We don’t have enough resources for that. I’m not gifted enough for that.”

And maybe, by ourselves, all of that is true.

But faith remembers to put God into the equation.

That is what Hudson Taylor meant by “reckoned on His being with them.” They counted God’s presence as a reality and moved forward because of it.

Church, we don’t have to be the giants.

God is the giant.

Our job is simply to trust Him, stay faithful to His Word, love one another, pray together, serve together, and keep walking wherever He leads us.

And when we feel weak, maybe that isn’t the moment to quit.

Maybe that is the moment we are finally learning where our strength has been all along.

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:10

Love you, church. Keep going. God is faithful.

Pastor Tim

08/18/2026

I came across this today and thought it was worth sharing, but I want to add a little clarification.
We use the phrase “falling from grace” all the time to mean somebody really messed up. They fell into some terrible sin and somehow fell out of God’s grace.

That isn’t what Paul is talking about in Galatians 5.

“You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” Galatians 5:4

Look at what Paul actually says. The issue is trying to be justified by the law.

In other words, Christ has done the work, but we start thinking we need to add something to it. My obedience. My goodness. My church attendance. My works. My ability to keep the rules.
Paul says no.
You aren’t made right with God because you finally became good enough. You are made right with God because Christ was good enough and His righteousness is counted as yours through faith.

Now that doesn’t mean obedience doesn’t matter. It absolutely matters. Holiness matters. God’s law matters. But those things are the fruit of salvation, not the price we pay for it.

I would disagree with one part of this post though. Galatians 5:4 is stronger than simply saying you lose your rest and fall back into burnout. Paul gives a serious warning about abandoning grace as the basis of our justification.

We bring nothing to the table that makes God accept us.
Christ is enough.
And because Christ is enough, we are free to obey Him without pretending our obedience is what saves us.

That’s Amazing Grace.

08/09/2026

Join us this morning at Berkeley Avenue Baptist Church as we continue through Romans.

Today’s sermon: KNOWN OR HARDENED?
Romans 11:1–10

Paul asks a serious question: Has God rejected His people?

Elijah looked around and thought he was alone. Everything he could see told him that Israel had turned away from God.

But Elijah saw one.

God saw seven thousand.

Romans 11 reminds us that God has not failed, His promises have not failed, and His grace is still at work—even when we cannot see it.

“So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.”
— Romans 11:5

Come worship with us this morning.

Sunday School — 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship — 10:30 AM

Berkeley Avenue Baptist Church
2813 N. Berkeley Avenue, Turlock

07/29/2026

Romans 10 is a beautiful reminder that Christianity isn’t built on ideas, traditions, or feelings. It’s built on the King of kings.

Jesus Christ has come. He has lived, died, and risen again. The gospel is good news that we receive with joy and proclaim with confidence.

What a gift it is to gather each Lord’s Day around God’s Word, to encourage one another, and to be reminded again of what is true. In a world filled with uncertainty, Christ remains faithful, and His promises never change.

Thank you to everyone who joined us this Sunday. It is encouraging to see people hungry for God’s Word and eager to grow together in Christ. May the Lord continue to deepen our love for Him, strengthen our faith, and make us a church that gladly confesses with both our lips and our lives that Jesus is Lord.

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” — Romans 10:13

07/28/2026

Spend some time talking to a child about things they wonder about. You can see the eyes wander in their exploring of their ideas and emotions. One of the saddest things that happens as we grow older is that we slowly stop believing like children.

Not because we stop believing in God, but because life teaches us to protect ourselves.

We get hurt. We get let down. We pray for things that don’t happen the way we hoped. People disappoint us. Before long, we start building little walls around our hearts. We don’t even notice we’re doing it. We tell ourselves we’re just being careful. Just being realistic.

The problem is, if we’re not careful, those same walls begin to shape the way we think about God.

We know He’s faithful, but we struggle to trust Him.

We know He’s good, but we keep trying to take control.

We know His promises, but our fears seem louder than His Word.

Jesus said,

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mark 10:15)

Children have a way of taking their father at his word. They don’t have everything figured out. They just know who they’re holding onto.

I wonder if that’s something we need to recover.

Not a childish faith, but a childlike trust.

The older I get, the more I’m convinced that the Christian life isn’t about becoming more independent. It’s about learning that every single day I need Christ just as much as I did the day He saved me.

Maybe today is a good day to stop carrying things He never asked you to carry.

Maybe it’s time to stop trying to figure everything out before you’ll trust Him.

Maybe it’s time to simply believe your Father again.

Not because life is easy.

Not because you understand everything He’s doing.

But because He has never stopped being good.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

Church, don’t let this world convince you that cynicism is maturity. It isn’t. Faith is. Childlike dependence isn’t weakness. It’s exactly where our Father delights to meet His children.

Let’s be a church that simply believes God. Let’s take Him at His Word. Let’s trust Him enough to obey, enough to wait, and enough to rest.

He has always been faithful.

And He will be faithful tomorrow, too.

07/14/2026

Weird Psalms

“Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.” — Psalm 3:7 (ESV)

Wait… did David really pray for God to break the teeth of his enemies?

Yes.

But notice what he didn’t pray.

He didn’t ask God to let him get revenge. He didn’t ask for permission to take justice into his own hands. He brought his enemies before the righteous Judge and trusted God to do what was right.

To “break the teeth” is a picture of removing the power of a dangerous predator. A lion with broken teeth can no longer devour. David is asking God to stop the wicked from continuing to harm others.

This is actually a prayer of faith. Instead of becoming bitter or vengeful, David places justice into God’s hands.

As Christians, we read this Psalm through the finished work of Christ. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). That doesn’t mean we pretend evil isn’t evil. It means we ask God to stop wickedness, bring justice, protect the innocent, and amazingly even save His enemies.

After all, every Christian was once an enemy of God (Romans 5:10).

Some enemies need to be restrained.
Some enemies need to be rescued.

Only God knows which is which.

So instead of taking vengeance ourselves, we pray, trust, and leave justice in the hands of the One who always judges rightly.

07/13/2026

VBS is next week!! We got some great decorations donated, thanks to River Oak Grace. We cleared off the stage after church on Sunday and volunteers will begin the work of making this ready for VBS.

If you haven't done so yet, sign up your kids now with the link below!
https://shorturl.at/FzgV7