The Centre Community Church Lindsay

06/03/2026

Good morning church,

No matter the person, there are always a few aspects of following Jesus that are a struggle. For some it is the command to be generous with their time and resources, not being tight fi**ed but freely giving to those in need. For others it is the command to love your neighbour, even if your neighbour seems like an enemy. Some struggle with the call to community, being adopted into a family in which they don't get to choose who else belongs as they often like to do things their own way. The command to forgive, as well as receive forgiveness, can also be a hard one to do as we can be a people who like to hold grudges as well as decide when someone should be forgiven. Underlying all of these struggles is the command to submit to God, to humbly trust that He knows what is right and true and best.

Submission is something that our culture doesn't like to do. We like to pride ourselves on being in control, of setting our own agenda and deciding our future. We don't like to rely on others and instead celebrate self-sufficiency. We look to those who seemingly have it all together and set them as an example to emulate. Submission and humility are seen as weakness.

Reading through the Bible we will quickly see that those who submit to God are favoured by Him, while those who do things their own way in their own time falter and ultimately fail. One of the most stark examples is the difference between King Saul and King David. Saul decided how and when to go to battle, with or without the Lord's blessing, while David felt guilty for cutting off a piece of Saul's robe since he was the Lord's anointed leader. David submitted to God's leading while Saul took matters into his own hands (see 1 Samuel 24).

In the teachings of Jesus, we read in Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus' warning to the disciples as to how they are to lead. "The greatest among you will be your servant" (Matt 23:11). They (we) are not to be like the Pharisees or teachers of the law who like to be seen and elevated above the crowd. The Pharisees would tell the people how to live and what to do but wouldn't do it themselves. They put more effort into their outward appearance rather than doing what was right. And Jesus said we are not to be like that.

James continues this teaching in his letter to the early church (see James 4:1-17). He calls us to submit to God in order to flee from temptations and arguments that destroy the church, the Body of Christ. He echoes many of the Psalms when he writes, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:10). We need to put God first in all things and in all situations, not following the ways of the world. We are called to be humble and gentle, patiently bearing with one another in love (Eph 4:2). We look to serve others rather than demanding our needs be met. We look to encourage others instead of trying to get the spotlight on ourselves. In short, we follow Jesus.

Friends, when we do this, when we humble ourselves and follow God, we will fly directly against our culture. We will stand out and stand apart. As we do this people will notice. They might scoff and call us weak or woke as we care for the least of those in our society (see Matthew 25:31-46), but we will be following the path of Jesus. And there is no better place to be than where Jesus is found.

Today's prayer: "Heavenly Father, You demonstrated Your love to us by sending Jesus. He came humbly and meekly, showing us the way to live and follow You. He humbled Himself even to die in our place for our sins. Help us to follow Him. Forgive us when we try to take Your place and decide what is right and wrong. Remind us continually of Your love and grace, that we are not our own but were bought by the blood of Jesus. We pray this in the name of Jesus, the name above all other names, Amen!"

Blessings,
Pastor Mike

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06/02/2026

This past Sunday Pastor Paul shared on Ephesians 1:15-23 "Spiritual Sight: What are you looking at?" If you weren't able to be there (like me) you can still watch our recording of the service.
link to the video in the comments below.

Ephesians 1:15-23

05/27/2026

Good morning church,

The World Cup is less than a month away, so like any good Canadian footy fan I've started wearing my jersey a little more often. Earlier this week I had a comment from someone that the only reason the team was any good was because of the immigrants. They meant it as a derogatory comment implying that Canada was only good because we have players from other nationalities, but I saw it as a positive. It is true that some of our players were born elsewhere, but the vast majority grew up in Canada, and rose through the ranks of the Canadian national teams until finally making it to the top. They worked hard for their roster spot and rightly deserve their opportunity to wear the maple leaf.

As the son of an immigrant any talk of new Canadians being second rate really bothers me. My best friend growing up was Indian, one of only a handful of visible minorities from a predominantly white small town in Ontario. He faced racist comments his whole life, especially when we faced other schools in sports. Even though he was born in that small town hospital, the same one where his mom was a nurse, and even though his family went to the Presbyterian church, he was still seen as an outsider by some, one who didn't quite fit.

Jesus came for outsiders, those who were on the margins of society, the ones overlooked and ignored. He came to offer a place for them to belong regardless of their background, their social status or health issues. Jesus didn't shy away from the broken but went towards them, letting them know that they were seen and heard. He embraced those others would run from.

This past Sunday we heard a message on the great commission (Matthew 28:16-20), given by a pastor from Lebanon with English as a second language. He reminded us that we are to go to all the nations since all the nations are made in God's image. He also shared how many of these nations are coming to us. What an incredible opportunity God has blessed us with! Instead of having to travel overseas to share the gospel with another nation we can simply go down our street or to the local coffee shop. And as these new Canadians hear and receive the Good News they will in turn be able to share it with others they know, both here and abroad.

As followers of Jesus we are called to go to all the nations, sharing the Good News, baptizing and teaching them all that Jesus taught us. If we are selectively choosing who we will tell based on their language or skin colour or social status, we are ultimately deciding who we think should be in and who doesn't make the cut -- we are taking God's role and telling Him we know better than He does. That's a dangerous place to be.

Friends, let's do what we've been called to do -- share the gospel of Jesus Christ! Let's demonstrate His love and peace, His grace and compassion to all those made in His image. And let's do this until He returns or calls us home. This is what each of us has been called to do as members of God's family.

Today's prayer: "Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing us. We didn't deserve Your grace, but You gave it to us freely. Help us to do the same for others, telling everyone of Your love and the new life that comes through Jesus. Forgive us when we let our own insecurities get in the way of loving others. Help us to see them as You see them, created and loved by You. We pray this all in the name of Jesus our Saviour, Amen!"

Blessings,
Pastor Mike

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05/26/2026

This past Sunday Bechara Karkafi from FEB Central visited and shared on our purpose as a church. We are a called people to go and make disciples, preparing them for Jesus' return.

Link to the video in the comments below.

Pastor Bechara Karkafi from FEB Central church planting is our guest preacher this day.

05/20/2026

Good morning church,

Recently I was finally able to get out metal detecting with two friends. We'd been trying for over a month to find a time that worked for all of us, and all our schedules finally aligned. We started off in a park that we'd detected before as there were always lots of targets, but after an hour in the heat we had to take a break.

While we were sitting down a mom and her two daughters walked by, noticed the metal detectors and asked us a simple question: "Do those things find gold rings?" The previous day she had been at a different park with her family and had lost her diamond engagement ring while running after her youngest daughter. She showed us a picture of the ring, the park where it was lost, and we said we were on it!

We got to the park, divided the area into three sections, and started detecting. Within 5 minutes the ring had been found! We sent a message to the mom and naturally she was overjoyed! She packed up some goodies and cold water for us and met us in the park. Here's where things get really cool!

She mentioned that recently she and her family started going to church with a friend. I said that it's not a coincidence that we just happened to be in her hometown that day metal detecting; that her oldest daughter wanted to go to a different park across town and that they arrived when we were taking a break; that the ring had been lost the day before and even though they searched and searched, with many others looking and still couldn't find it (we found it 10 feet from the playground!); and that all three of us metal detecting were Christians! Add it all together and you can see God's hand at work.

I said to her that when things line up perfectly God is involved, and that this was His way of letting her know that He's real and that He's with her. She responded by saying that this was the third thing that's happened to her in the last little while where things just work out perfectly. I shared with her the story of Esther in the Old Testament and how even though God isn't named in the book, it's clearly evident that He was present because everything works out perfectly and in His perfect timing.

There's another verse in Romans that says something similar: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Did God make her lose her ring? No, but He helped bring everything together so that the ring was found, her faith encouraged, and His glory revealed.

Whenever you see things line up perfectly, remember to give thanks to God, the giver of all good gifts.

Today's prayer: "Heavenly Father, thank You for not being distant. Thank You for little and big reminders that You're with us and that You'll never forget us. Forgive us when we lose trust and try to do things on our own strength apart from You. Help us to look to You first in every situation. We thank You for Jesus, and for making a way for us to be saved so that we can know You. We pray this in the name of Jesus, our Saviour, Amen!"

Blessings,
Pastor Mike

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05/19/2026

This past Sunday we began a new series in the letter to the Ephesians. This letter is a great reminder of who we are as sisters and brothers of Jesus, and who we're called to be as co-heirs with Him. The sermon on Sunday covered the first half of chapter 1, verses 1-14. If you weren't able to be with us in person you can catch up and watch the video of the service.

Link to the video in the comments below.

Ephesians 1:1-14

05/13/2026

Good morning church,

When I was in grade 6 or 7, I took a short summer course on basic computer programming. Two things I learned from that course -- I don't like computer programming, and a simple phrase that has stuck with me to this day: "Garbage in. Garbage out." In computer terms, if you give the computer a bad command you're not going to get the result you're wanting. If you give it garbage you're going to get garbage.

It's a simple truth that can be applied to many areas of our lives. If all you eat is junk food, you're not going to feel great. You'll gain weight, have lower energy, and generally feel miserable. If all you do is watch rage-inducing social media and youtube videos, your perception of reality is going to be greatly skewed, and you will likely be easily angered at the slightest thing, perceiving everything to be an attack. If the majority of your thoughts are negative, the majority of what you speak will also be negative. Garbage in. Garbage out. What we consume is what we produce.

Thankfully, the solution is simple -- it's not computer science! In Colossians 3:1-14 we find the answer: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Garbage in = Garbage out. Goodness in = Goodness out! Look to Jesus. Think on things that are right and good, noble and just. Fix your gaze on what brings and gives life rather than being distracted by that which only brings isolation and death. And be thankful! Remember your inheritance that will neither fade away or perish. You are God's, so fill yourselves with things from Him.

Today's prayer: "Heavenly Father, thank You for redeeming us through Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection. Thank You for giving us a new life. Help us to live it! Continually remind us of Your goodness. Forgive us when we get distracted by the things of this world that only lead to death. We pray this in the name of Jesus our Saviour and King, Amen!"

Blessings,
Pastor Mike

05/12/2026

This past Sunday we wrapped up our walk through the book of Joshua. It ends with a challenge to us - whom will you serve? For Joshua and his household, they will serve the Lord!
If you missed the service you can watch the video -- link provided in the comments below.

https://vimeo.com/1191006419?fl=ip&fe=ec

05/06/2026

Good morning church,

"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water." Psalm 63:1

Have you ever been thirsty? I don't mean just wanting a drink, but really thirsty, uncomfortable thirst that consumes all your thoughts with your sole purpose being finding something to quench that thirst. I can't say that I have ever been this thirsty, but I've heard that it can be painful. Everything you do is directed towards quenching that need. This is how David begins Psalm 63, comparing trying to find water to searching for God. He is doing everything in his power to come closer to God.

In the following verses we read that he's seen God before, so he knows and understands what he's after. This isn't a wild goose chase. He knows God and has experienced His power. He has felt God's presence and realizes that He is better than anything this world has to offer. True satisfaction only come from being with God.

Throughout the day and even through the night, David is reminded of God and His blessings. He takes comfort knowing that God watches over him, protecting and upholding him. Even if there are those who want to harm, and even kill him, David knows the promises of God that they will not last or taste the goodness of God.

Psalm 63 reminds us that our looking for God is not a once in a lifetime event -- it's meant to be part of our daily routine, the same as needing water, food, and sleep. Being in God presence is what sustains us spiritually, helping us overcome the snares and traps of this world. We do this through prayer, reading and studying Scripture, and through worship, both alone and alongside others. Without His presence, we will grow weak and weary, susceptible to all kinds of evil, in a similar way to when we don't eat or sleep well, we become more prone to sicknesses.

If you want to be spiritually healthy, seek God. Look for His handiwork and blessings. Find more ways to spend time with Him. In doing so you will be satisfied.

Today's prayer: "Heavenly Father, thank You that You are easily found. We don't have to go across oceans or deserts to find You. You are closer than the air we breathe. Help us to trust You, to believe in Your love and compassion for us. Forgive us when we look to the world for comfort. Help us to put Your first in all areas of our lives. We pray this in the name of Jesus our Saviour, Amen!"

Blessings,
Pastor Mike

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