We are so glad that you joined us today at North Main Street Church of God. At North Main, we exist to develop completely committed followers of Christ who...

Know Christ intimately,

Grow in Christ continually, and

Go for Christ daily

Graduation Sunday
Today is the last day to register your 2026 Highschool, Technical School, and College Graduates to be celebrated and prayerfully commissioned during the Sunday service on June 7th. Register them on our website or at the Welcome Center.

Connection Luncheon
Join us after service NEXT WEEK for our Connection Luncheon! Make sure to invite your friends. Cost: $6/adult $4/child and a max of $20/household. ON THE MENU: Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf with Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad, and Rolls with Root Beer Floats for dessert.

Baptism
June 14th will be our next Baptism service. If you are ready to take this important step in your walk with Christ we’d be honored to come alongside you in this journey. There is a mandatory baptism class next Sunday at 9am. RSVP on our website or at the Welcome Center.

Explore North Main
If you would like an opportunity to meet the staff and learn more about who we are at North Main, we invite you to our Explore North Main event on Sunday, June 14th, immediately following the Sunday service. Registration is required, as space is limited. Please register on our website or at the Welcome Center by Wednesday, June 10th.

Serve Day
North Main’s Serve day is June 13th! There are multiple projects to participate in, whether here at North Main or out with our community partners. Please sign up ahead of time so we can plan for supplies for each project. You can register on our website or at the Welcome Center.

Be Perfect
2026 Theme: Gentleness
Series Title: A Gentle Response
Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48
May 31st, 2026

Something to think about:

Some teachings of Jesus sound beautiful in theory, that is, until someone wounds us deeply. Consider the following: It is easy to love people who love us back, easy to forgive people who apologize quickly, and easy to show kindness when kindness is returned. But Jesus takes us far beyond ordinary human love and into divine, agape love. Let’s read Jesus’ instructions on agape love again from Matthew 5:43-48:

Matthew 5:43-48 (NLT), 43“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’and hate your enemy. 44But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45In that way, you will be acting as true children of pyour Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47If you are kind only to your friends,how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

In Matthew 5, Jesus looks directly at the instincts of the sinful human heart and says: “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you.” That command cuts against everything natural inside of us because our flesh cries out: “Defend yourself! Get even. Hold the grudge. Protect your pride. Make them pay.” But Jesus says children of GOD are to be different.

The world reflects bitterness naturally, but believers are called to reflect the character of their Heavenly Father. That is why Jesus ends this section with these shocking words: “Be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” At first glance, that sounds impossible because when we hear the word perfect, we think: flawless, sinless, never failing, never struggling. But the Greek word Jesus uses in verse 48 is teleios — a word describing maturity, completeness, fulfillment of purpose.

So, Jesus is not calling us to cold, unreachable perfectionism. He is calling us to spiritual maturity — to become people who increasingly look like our Father. That is Christlikeness.

Key Point: “Manifesting Christlikeness is the way we reflect a perfect GOD to the world around us.”

We become perfect as GOD is perfect, as a result of…

1. Receiving the gift of ______________ through faith in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 10:11-14 and 1 Peter 1:13-16

2. ______________ others the way GOD first ______________ us.

John 13: 34-35 and 1 John 4:16b-19

3. Being ______________ and ______________, the way GOD has extended mercy and compassion toward us.

Luke 6:36, Matthew 5:7, Ephesians 4:31-32, and James 2:12-13

Something to take home:
Years ago, missionaries serving in a remote village were treated with hostility and suspicion. The people rejected them repeatedly. Their supplies were stolen. Their kindness was mocked. But then, a deadly illness swept through the village. Most people fled in fear. But the missionaries stayed. They cared for the sick. Buried the dead. Fed hungry children. Sat beside dying strangers. And eventually, the villagers asked: “Why would you love people who treated you so badly?” To which the missionaries answered: “Because that is how Christ loved us.”

This is the Gospel on display. Not merely preached with words, but demonstrated through transformed lives.

The world does not need more people who merely claim Christianity with mere words. The world needs believers who reflect Christ visibly: through holiness, through love, through mercy, through compassion, and through forgiveness.

Anyone can hate their enemies. Anyone can return insult for insult. Anyone can love only those who love them back. But when believers respond differently, the world catches a glimpse of the Father.

Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:48 is not meant to drive us into hopelessness. Rather, it’s a call upward. A call to maturity. A call to Christlikeness. It is a call to reflect the Father to the world around us.

The goal of the Christian life is not merely avoiding sin. It is becoming like Jesus. And every day, GOD is continuing His work in those who belong to Him.

And church, that is our calling today.

Key Point: “Manifesting Christlikeness is the way we reflect a perfect GOD to the world around us.”

OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Thursday
9:00am - 4:00pm