Michigan Center Bible Church

05/31/2026

The month of May has flown by! We would love for you to worship with us this morning or online at 10:45. Everyone is welcome! We hope you'll join us!

10:45 AM Sunday Morning Service,May 31, 2026. If you are not con...

05/28/2026

Babe Ruth was known as “The Great Bambino,” and “The Sultan of Swat.” He was baseball’s first premier slugger. He changed the game with a swing built for power, and he became known for hitting towering home runs. By the end of his illustrious career, he had hit 714 home runs — an almost unbelievable number in his era and even in today’s modern game! He is considered by some to be the greatest baseball player to have ever played the game. But in many ways, Ruth also embodied the phrase: “Go big or go home.” He struck out constantly. In fact, when he retired, he also held baseball’s all-time strikeout record with 1,330 strikeouts — a record that has since been surpassed, though still a staggering number of strikeouts by any standard! On one occasion, after swinging and missing badly, a frustrated fan yelled from the stands: “You bum! I’ve seen better players in sandlots!” Ruth reportedly tipped his cap, smiled, and replied: “Yeah… but they aren’t playing here.”

Babe’s response was humorous, and it was also a perfect response to that situation. But it also exposed something important: it is easy to criticize from the stands. It is much harder to step onto the field. Ever experienced that? I’m not just talking about sports, but about life: are you quick to criticize someone for how they work or act, but when it comes to you doing the same things, you struggle? It is easy to evaluate other people’s decisions, point out flaws, or criticize how someone else handles life, work, parenting, relationships, or even their spiritual life, while often overlooking our own weaknesses and failures. Sometimes the people who appear the strongest, most polished, or most spiritual on the outside are not nearly as healthy on the inside as they seem. Is that true of you?

When we look through God’s Word, we repeatedly encounter people who look impressive spiritually from a distance — religious leaders, moral people, disciplined people, outwardly respectable people. We meet people like Saul and Solomon — men with impressive looks, skill sets, and knowledge of God — but like so many others throughout the Bible and history, they were not truly followers of God. God reminds us that He is not merely interested in outward appearances, public performance, or religious reputation. God looks deeper. He looks at the heart. What does genuine faith look like? What does it truly look like to be a follower of Jesus?

This week, we will begin venturing into Luke 6. We will see Jesus again have to deal with the Pharisees and all their rules and regulations, especially concerning the Sabbath. We will again see how they believed looking the part of a “religious” person, or following their man-made rules, made them right with God. Then, we will see Jesus choose His core twelve disciples, which will launch His ministry into full swing. By looking at Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees, and by looking at Jesus calling His disciples, we will get a picture of what it truly looks like to be a follower of Jesus. I hope you’ll make plans to join us on Sunday morning at 10:45. Everyone is welcome! We will have seats ready for you!

You are loved. You are valued. I hope you have a wonderful last weekend of May!

Blessings,
Pastor Jonathan

05/25/2026

We pray you have a wonderful holiday with friends and family!

05/24/2026

Happy Memorial Day weekend! We would love for you to worship with us this morning in-person or online at 10:45. Everyone is welcome!

10:45 AM Sunday Morning Service,May 24, 2026. If you are not con...

05/21/2026

On May 2, 1968, a hot, humid day during the Vietnam War near the Cambodian border, Roy Benavidez, a Green Beret medic, heard a desperate radio call: deep in the thick jungle, a 12-man Special Forces reconnaissance team was surrounded by enemy troops. Men were wounded. Ammunition was running low. The situation was rapidly growing hopeless! Although Roy was not assigned to that mission, he climbed aboard a rescue helicopter when he heard the call. As they neared the battle, enemy fire was so intense they could not safely land. Roy jumped from the aircraft and ran through gunfire toward the trapped soldiers. Over the next several hours he repeatedly entered danger to provide aid, carry wounded soldiers to safety, organize evacuations, and rescue men who could not rescue themselves. Roy suffered dozens of wounds from bullets, shrapnel, and enemy attacks. Eventually he collapsed, was believed to be dead, and some accounts even claim he was placed in a body bag until he managed to spit in a doctor's face to communicate: "I'm still alive." Imagine being that doctor! Because of Roy’s courage, many men received a second chance at life. Stories like this are why we pause and observe Memorial Day every May.

Stories like Roy’s stay with us because rescue and sacrifice matter. Love that moves toward danger for others deserves to be remembered. As Christians, remembering sacrifice should cause us to reflect on the Greatest Sacrifice through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus saw people trapped by something far greater than enemy fire. He saw sinners trapped by sin, guilt, and death. He saw people struggling under the weight of living in a fallen world. And throughout the Gospels, Jesus moved toward people: the blind beggar crowds tried to silence, the lepers people kept at a distance, the woman caught in adultery townspeople would’ve condemned. He crossed social and cultural barriers to speak with the Samaritan woman at the well, someone others ignored and avoided. Repeatedly, Jesus moved toward broken people. Thankfully, He stepped into our broken world and moved toward us. Are you thankful for Jesus stepping into our mess? Have you allowed Him to be at work in your messy life? Unlike every earthly rescue, Jesus did not merely come to improve our circumstances for a little while. He came to do something much greater: to make us new. Have you been made new?

This week we continue walking through Luke 5 and encounter Levi—a tax collector, an outsider, and a man many people had likely written off. Yet Jesus does not avoid him. Jesus engages with him. Jesus values him. He sees potential in a man many ignored. Don’t you love it when people take time to notice and respect you? We’ll see Jesus call Levi to a new life, and he accepts the call. Levi’s call opens the door for Jesus to teach the Pharisees and scribes about His mission on earth, which is beautifully described in Luke 5:32: Jesus did not come for the righteous or for people who think they have life figured out. He came for sinners. He came to bring a completely new life for those who would accept His love and grace. Have you experienced new life? Have you experienced His grace? If you’re able, we’d love for you to join us Sunday morning at 10:45. Everyone is welcome!

You are loved. You are valued. I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Blessings,
Pastor Jonathan

05/17/2026

We hope you are having a wonderful spring weekend! We'd love for you to worship with us this morning in-person or online. Everyone is welcome!

10:45 AM Sunday Morning Service,May 17, 2026. If you are not connected with MCBC or have a prayer request, we would love to hear from you. Please connect wit...

05/14/2026

We are in that time of spring where people are tuning up their lawnmowers, sharpening blades, and trying to get those first few mows of the year in. Honestly, I still have some work I need to find time to do on my own mower! Author and pastor Eugene Peterson once shared a story about trying to remove the blade from his lawnmower so he could sharpen it. He tipped the mower on its side, put his biggest wrench on the bolt, and tried to loosen it—but the bolt would not budge. He then grabbed a four-foot pipe to get a little extra leverage and leaned into it harder. Still nothing. Then he grabbed a large rock and started pounding on the wrench but still had no success! By this point, he admitted he was emotionally invested in the project; he had to get the bolt loose. Finally, a neighbor walked by and said, “I used to have a mower like that. If I remember correctly, the threads go the opposite direction.” Eugene turned the wrench the other way, and the bolt almost flew off! Reflecting on the moment, Peterson later wrote: “I was glad to find out I was wrong. I was saved from frustration and failure. I would never have gotten the job done, no matter how hard I tried, doing it my way.”

Unfortunately, struggles like that are not limited to lawnmower repairs. Throughout Scripture, we repeatedly see people trying to carry burdens they were never meant to bear alone or attempting to fix problems they could never solve by themselves. It begins in Genesis 3 when sin enters the world, and the effects of the fall ripple throughout the rest of Scripture and human history. David tries to hide his sin after his failures with Bathsheba, but Psalm 32 says that while he kept silent, his bones wasted away and God’s hand is heavy upon him—which pushes him toward repentance and forgiveness. The bleeding woman in Mark 5 spends everything she has on physicians and treatments, only to grow worse before finally falling helplessly before Jesus. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2 that humanity is not merely spiritually weak, but spiritually dead apart from God’s grace. God’s Word reminds us that our deepest need isn’t merely physical healing, more money, a better quality of life, or healthier relationships. We need forgiveness, cleansing, and reconciliation with God. So many people today carry hidden guilt, fear, bitterness, anxiety, or loneliness, while trying to keep up appearances. We try harder. Stay busier. Clean ourselves up. We distract ourselves and try to numb life’s pains. Yet human effort cannot heal what sin has broken. Can you relate?

This week, we continue walking through Luke 5 and encounter two men in desperate need of healing and help. One man is covered with leprosy, and the other is completely paralyzed. Both are hurting. Both know they cannot heal themselves. But they also recognize their need to come to Jesus—and Jesus changes their lives completely. Through these encounters, we will see that Jesus does not merely come to bring temporary improvement to people’s lives. He comes to heal what sin has broken. He comes to forgive sins and restore broken sinners completely through His compassionate power and forgiving grace. Have you come to Jesus? Have you experienced the healing and forgiveness only He can provide? Have you accepted His grace? I hope you’ll make plans to join us Sunday morning at 10:45. Everyone is welcome!

You are loved and valued. Warmer weather is coming – I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Pastor Jonathan

05/13/2026

05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day! We are thankful for all the women God has placed in our lives! We would love for you to worship with us this morning in-person or online at 10:45. Everyone is welcome!

10:45 AM Sunday Morning Service,May 10, 2026. If you are not connected with MCBC or have a prayer request, we would love to hear from you. Please connect wit...