Michigan Center Bible Church

10/25/2026

It is a beautiful fall weekend! We would love for you to worship with us this morning in-person or online at 10:45. Everyone is welcome!

You can find this week's livestream on our YouTube channel. Just search for on YouTube.

10/22/2026

There was a little boy named Leon who was walking through the mall with his mom one day when he found a $5 bill on the ground! They took the money to mall management, and the manager told them that if no one claimed it within five days, Leon could come back and collect it. So, Leon counted down the days, and on day five, he returned with his mom to claim his newfound wealth. Later that evening, he was trying to figure out what to do with his money when his older sister, Heather, offered a suggestion: “Leon, why don’t you donate the money to the benevolence fund at church so that people with needs can be helped?” Leon thought about what his sister said for a few minutes, and then a grin spread across his face. “That is a great suggestion,” he said, “but I think I’ll go buy some ice cream from the ice cream truck and let the ice cream man give the money for me!”

Leon’s response is comical because trying to figure out how a kid’s mind works can be both difficult and entertaining! Kids can have some of the most brilliant ideas while also being incredibly self-focused - all at the same time! Before we’re too hard on kids, think about yourself for a minute. How often do we put ourselves first when it comes to our talents, schedules, or leisure? How often do we spend the money we earn or receive on the things we want without considering how we might use those resources to help someone else? Now, don’t get me wrong: there’s nothing wrong with using your money to meet your needs, and there’s nothing wrong with buying things you enjoy. But are we sometimes so focused on what we want that we overlook opportunities to use what God has given us to bless others?

This month, we’ve been looking at the idea of Invested: A Life That Gives. My hope is that through this series, we’ve begun to recognize how God has blessed each of us in different ways and entrusted us with different resources. Understandably, we may not always feel blessed. Sometimes it feels like we’re barely scraping by when it comes to paying the bills, buying groceries, or keeping up with expenses. And when an unexpected bill comes along, we wonder where the money is going to come from! Yet even in those difficult seasons, God remains faithful. He doesn't promise that life will always be easy or that we'll never face financial struggles, but He does promise to be with His people through the valleys and hardships of life. Often, when we look back, we can see how He was working even when we couldn't recognize it in the moment. As we've seen throughout this series, God has entrusted each of us with something, and we're called to use what He's given us for His glory.

This Sunday, we're closing the series by considering how we honor God through our financial giving. Unfortunately, this biblical principle has received a lot of negative attention over the years, and sometimes for good reason. But my hope is that as we spend time in God's Word, we'll gain a fresh understanding of why we give, how giving is an expression of worship and gratitude, and how our generosity helps advance God's Kingdom both locally and around the world. We hope you'll make plans to worship with us. Everyone is welcome!

This weekend, there are a lot of fall events happening, including our Trunk or Treat! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. You are loved. You are valued. See you Sunday.

Blessings,
Pastor Jonathan

10/18/2026

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

You can find this week's livestream on our YouTube channel. Just search for on YouTube.

10/15/2026

There is a story about a young lawyer named Jack who was having dinner with his parents at a London restaurant known for its fine dining. The décor was opulent, with chandeliers, crystal, and silver creating an elegant atmosphere. And the food lived up to the restaurant's reputation: it was superb! But when Jack's mother's main course arrived, she mentioned that while it was good, she wished to add a little salt. Trying the three silver shakers on the table, she discovered that each contained pepper. She called the waiter over, who was confused because every table was supposed to have two pepper shakers and one saltshaker. But upon further inspection, he discovered that she was right! Horrified, he immediately brought her some salt. When it was time for dessert, the maître d' appeared, insisting they choose something "on the house" because of the mistake. Jack's mom protested, "It was not a big deal; it's not that important." "But, Madame," he replied in all seriousness, "what if you had been the Queen?!"

Now, I know many of us don't understand formal table settings like those in a fine London restaurant, and I realize that most of us will probably never dine somewhere royalty might visit. But I think we understand the sentiment of the maître d': What would we do if someone rich, famous, or important suddenly popped in for a visit? Would we welcome them? Would we make time for them? Would we sit with them and visit? Would we serve them and take care of them? If it were someone with power, influence, or importance, I can almost guarantee the answer would be a resounding "yes!" But flip that around—what if the person who comes to share a meal, knocks on our door, or simply needs someone to talk to isn't well-known? What if they don't have status or influence? What if spending time with them costs us an evening or throws a wrinkle into our plans? Would we still be willing to welcome them?

When I was a child, I loved watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and I can still remember his opening song where he'd ask, "Won't you be my neighbor?" It was such an inviting song. Mr. Rogers was welcoming us into his "home" for a little while. Would we be willing to do something similar today? Throughout the Bible, we find a strong emphasis on loving others, treating people with dignity and respect, and displaying God's love and grace to those around us. Hospitality is one of the practical ways we demonstrate God's love to others—not because of what they can offer us, but because of the value they already have as people made in His image. It’s more than opening our homes, it's about opening our lives and being willing to invest our time, attention, and resources in others.
This Sunday, we'll continue our series, Invested: A Life That Gives, by looking at the topic of hospitality. One of the themes we find throughout the New Testament is that the Church, the Body of Christ, should be welcoming, caring, and hospitable toward others—both those within our church family and those in our community: our neighbors. Would people look at us and say we're hospitable? We'd love for you to join us Sunday morning as we explore this important topic. I hope you'll make plans to be there—everyone is welcome!

You are loved. You are valued. It looks like it's going to feel like fall this weekend, and I pray you have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Pastor Jonathan

10/11/2026

We would love for you to worship with us on this wonderful fall weekend. Join us in-person or online at 10:45. Everyone is welcome!

10:45 AM Sunday Morning Service,October 11, 2026. If you are not...

10/08/2026

I grew up in Stark County, Ohio, which is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Every summer, there are special festivities to welcome the new enshrinees into the Hall of Fame, but there is also a lot of talk about the “great” coaches and players of the past. Over the years, I came to recognize names like Johnny Unitas, Barry Sanders, Vince Lombardi, and Don Shula. Don Shula’s coaching philosophy is interesting to study. He coached for 33 seasons, including 26 with the Miami Dolphins, and retired with more wins than any head coach in NFL history. His 1972 Dolphins also remain the only team in the Super Bowl era to complete an entire season undefeated and untied. While he had an obvious knack for coaching, one of the things that made Shula successful was his ability to recognize the strengths of the players he had. Rather than forcing every team to play the same way, he adapted his coaching and strategy to the abilities of his players. If he had a great quarterback, he emphasized the passing game. If he had a strong offensive line and talented running backs, he would focus on the running game. Different players brought different abilities, but together they formed one team working toward the same goal. With the most wins in NFL history, I’d say Shula’s approach was successful!

Have you ever had someone take this approach with you? Maybe it was a college professor or a manager at work. It’s empowering when people encourage us to use our gifts, but often, we fall into the trap of thinking we can only do one thing well, and if we’re not able to do that specific thing, then we are worthless. Or we compare ourselves to others who we think have more to offer than we do: they’re better with numbers, they’re more outgoing, they’re better at public speaking. Have you ever fallen into that kind of thinking? But does God view us as people with only limited abilities or capabilities? No! God has created each of us uniquely and differently. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. God is not one-dimensional, and neither are we! Throughout Scripture, we see God call all kinds of people to use their unique gifts and abilities for His mission. Moses was called to lead Israel even though he struggled with speaking. God used Ruth, a stranger in a strange land, and her faithfulness became part of the story that eventually led to Jesus. Jesus called fishermen to become fishers of men. And God transformed Saul on the road to Damascus into Paul—the missionary and apostle who helped spread the Gospel throughout the known world. Does God ever look at His children and think they’re worthless or without a role to play?

This Sunday, we are continuing our “Invested: A Life That Gives” series, looking at Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth and what he teaches about spiritual gifts. My desire is for us to see that, as the Body of Christ, all of us have been given different gifts and abilities by God. All of us have talents and opportunities that we can use alongside fellow believers to help spread the Gospel and introduce people to Jesus. Are you invested in God’s mission? Do you give your time, talents, and abilities to help make a difference and build up God’s Kingdom? I’d love for you to join us as we look at 1 Corinthians 12 and see that God has uniquely equipped each of us to serve together as part of the Body of Christ. Everyone is welcome. I hope you’ll join us!

You are loved. You are valued. I hope you enjoy the beautiful fall weekend!

Blessings,
Pastor Jonathan

10/04/2026

We would love for you to worship with us this first Sunday of October! You can join us in-person or online at 10:45am. Everyone is welcome!

10:45 AM Sunday Morning Service,October 4, 2026. If you are not ...

10/01/2026

Karlinn, my 3-year-old, loves French fries. She’s loved salty food since she was a toddler—first chips and now fries. I think she would probably live on fries if we let her! Recently, on my day off, I’ve been taking the girls to Chick-fil-A, and I have to bribe her to eat the chicken and not just the fries! I once heard a story about a dad who took his son to get some French fries. The dad, doing what any dad would do (and what I regularly do), reached over to take one of the fries off his boy’s tray. The little boy slapped his father’s hand away and yelled, “These French fries are mine! Don’t touch them!”

Of course, the fries didn’t really belong to the boy. His dad bought the entire order and gave it to him. Taking one fry off the top as a “dad tax” seems fair! But how often do we act like that little boy? We hold tightly to what we have because we think, “This is mine!” Maybe we don’t want someone using our tools because they might break them. We don’t want to loan out a book because a toddler might write on the pages. Or when we look at our bank account, our calendar, or our plans, we decide we don’t want to share our money, add something else to our schedule, or spend our time with someone. We’d rather save the money, protect the schedule, or relax on the couch. Sound familiar?

There is wisdom in being careful with our money. It is good not to overfill our calendars. And it is important to make time to rest and recharge. But sometimes we can forget something important: everything we have ultimately comes from God. God has given us so many blessings. Some are easy to recognize—food, money, a home, possessions. Others we can easily overlook or become numb to—our time, abilities, relationships, opportunities, and most importantly, His unending love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. God has given us abundantly more than we deserve. The question is: What are we doing with what He has given us?

This week, we are taking a break from our study of Luke and beginning a four-week series throughout October entitled “Invested: A Life That Gives.” We’ll be talking about giving; and before you decide to skip church for the month, we’re not looking at giving simply in terms of putting money in the offering weekly or monthly! Instead, we’re going to look at giving through this lens: God has entrusted each of us with resources, relationships, gifts, abilities, and time to be used to invest in and help build His Kingdom. A life that is being changed and transformed by Jesus is a life that gives because God has given so much to us. Do you approach your life that way? This Sunday we’ll begin with the idea of stewardship from 1 Chronicles 29 and ask: How should we faithfully steward what God has entrusted to us? We’ll see that because everything we have belongs to God and comes from God, we should faithfully steward it for His glory. It is my prayer that we will leave Sunday challenged to recognize what God has entrusted to us and to use it faithfully for Him. I hope you will make plans to join us. Everyone is welcome!

Have a wonderful first weekend of October. You are valued and loved. See you Sunday!

Blessings,
Pastor Jonathan

09/27/2026

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

10:45 AM Sunday Morning Service,September 27, 2026. If you are n...

09/24/2026

Pastor Charles Swindoll tells a story that one Sunday during his time as a pastor, he visited a children’s Sunday school. When he entered the room, he asked, “What’s green and says ribbit?” Pastor Swindoll watched as a little boy frowned and appeared to be thinking. He then raised his hand, and when he was called upon, he said slowly, “Well, I think it’s a frog, but I guess I will say Jesus.” Swindoll was puzzled, so he asked, “Why would you say that?” The little boy replied, “Because we’re in Sunday school, and that’s all we ever talk about here—Jesus and God.” We’ve all had questions to which we thought we should answer “Jesus” because that’s the right “Sunday School answer.”

Are we sometimes like the little boy in the encounter with Pastor Chuck? Though probably unintentionally, do we minimize who Jesus is and what He has done for us? We can make Him little more than a trivia answer, or we can wear a cross necklace as a piece of fine jewelry without remembering what the cross cost Jesus. And before you think I am attacking you, this is not a problem unique to us in the 21st century. This is an age-old issue, discussion, and dilemma. Throughout the Bible, we see people time and again struggle to comprehend who God is and what He has done for them. As we look at the Gospels and then continue throughout the New Testament, we are faced with the reality that many people in the first-century world—both those who lived at the same time as Jesus and those who lived just decades later—struggled to understand the truth of who Jesus actually was and what His coming meant for them. Sadly, it is still very easy for people to miss God’s grace for us through Jesus. It is easy to minimize Jesus to just a good teacher or moral example. It is easy to be amazed at the miracles but not changed by the message and truth He brought. It is easy to become numb to the amazing love that God has shown us through Christ—we can stop letting it change our hearts, and we can stop sharing it with others. Sound familiar?

This Sunday, we will be picking back up the story of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke by continuing to walk through Luke 9. This week, Luke brings to the forefront once again the question: Who is Jesus? Up to this point in Luke, the question has been asked by the disciples and other people. Now, Jesus asks the question of His disciples. He asks them who people say He is, and then He asks them more directly: “But who do you say that I am?” This is a question that all of us must wrestle with and answer in our lives. Who do we say Jesus is? Is He our Savior, Redeemer, Friend, Messiah, and Lord? Or is He something else? Something less? And if He is the Messiah, Lord, and Savior of our lives, then the rest of the passage in Luke 9 matters because Jesus will show us that truly following Him means more than simply giving the right answer about who He is. We must acknowledge who He is and surrender our lives to Him. Have you? Will you? We would love for you to join us on Sunday morning. Everyone is welcome!

You are loved. You are valued. Enjoy the first weekend of Fall 2026! See you Sunday!

Blessings,
Pastor Jonathan