Monday, December 23, 2013

A Son is Given!


Dec. 23, 2013 Monday Message:

For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given.” (Isaiah 9:6a)

Prophecies foretell by divine inspiration. God used Isaiah as his voice to disclose future events.

Prophecies are not just for filling up chapters in the Bible; they are real guidance intended for specific people. How fortunate we are that this information is for “us!” Unto US a Child is born; unto US a Son is given.”

Isaiah uses the Hebrew literary tool of repetition to stress the importance of this message. God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – had existed from the beginning of time. But the humanity of God had a starting point – the baby in a manger! Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus coming to be with us, to rescue us.

Jesus was a perfect human, like Adam before he sinned, and therefore the perfect sacrifice for all our sins. Jesus is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, and Prince of Peace.

Jesus brings hope to a lost planet. Welcome to our world!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Dec. 29, baby Jesus grows up – Pastor Daisy explains! Luke 2:21-38

NL

Monday, December 16, 2013

God's Promises


Dec. 16, 2013 Monday Message:

You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” (Luke 1:45)

This blessing was given to Mary, a virgin carrying God’s son in her womb. God had sent an angel to lay out God’s timetable for the upcoming events, and Mary, a godly woman, truly believed that God would deliver on the prophesies; that everything she was told would come to fruition.

God always does what he says. Another example would be when God told the Hebrew people, “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” Lev. 26:12 Evil, jealous people have tried many times to wipe the Hebrew people off the face of the earth. And yet there’s still a flourishing country of Israel, and Jews are everywhere! God wins!

God saw everything that he created – plants, animals, humans, the whole earth – and God declared that it was good. Gen. 1:31a God hasn’t changed his mind about that. Something that God created and pronounced ‘good’ is worth rescuing when it gets off-course.

So God sent his Son to be the offering for our transgressions, to make a way for us to return home and spend eternity as a member of his Holy family. God is reaching down to us, and we need to take his hand and accept the help, God’s free gift for us. God’s Son intends to rescue us; he’s not changing his mind, and he always does what he says!

Christmas is coming – the Kingdom of God is at hand!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Dec. 22, we’ll sing Christmas Carol favorites, and Pastor Michael continues the Christmas story from Luke.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Jesus - Sin Solution!

Dec. 09, 2013 Monday Message:

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:31-33)

As Gabriel was speaking to Mary, she must have been filled with excitement and breathless anticipation of her part in bringing the Son of God to earth. For her, it’s the beginning of a new adventure; for mankind, it’s the solution to an ongoing problem, a 4,000-year-old problem.

Mankind had been fighting sin like a “Whac-A-Mole” arcade game. A sin pops up, you whack it with the mallet, but another one immediately pops up somewhere else. It seems like there’s no end to it!

Well, actually, there IS an end to it. In heaven, there is no sin. Also no disease, no suffering, no hunger, no poverty, etc. In other words, all the problems of this life will be solved in the next reality.

So we just need to figure out how to get to heaven. What gives us assurance of salvation? The correct answer is Jesus! He said, “No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6b)

Jesus is God’s gift to us, a free gift, and faith in who Jesus is and what He can do is confirmation of our reservation in paradise.

Another 2,000 years have passed, and we’re no closer to eradicating sin than we were when Jesus walked the earth. Sin was and is a big problem – but now we have a bigger solution – Jesus – and at Christmas time we celebrate the Son of God coming to earth to rescue us!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Dec. 15, special guests “People of Hope” lead worship, and Pastor Michael continues our Christmas journey.

NL

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Advent = Adventure!

Dec. 02, 2013 Monday Message:


“Your wife Elizabeth will give you a son, and you are to name him John.” (Luke 1:13b) 

If your family had a big vacation coming up, a major out-of-town trip, you wouldn’t just jump in the car and take off. First there would be planning. What cities should we visit? How do we get from one to another? Let’s plan a route.


Once we’ve arrived, whom do we plan to visit? We should let them know that we’re on the way! What attractions do we want to see? Do we need to buy tickets? Do we need hotel reservations?


Before we can even think of leaving, we need to pack a suitcase. How long will we be gone? Will it be warm or cold? What clothes should I bring?


Who’s going to watch our house? Somebody should pick up the mail. Should we stop the newspaper delivery?


2000 years ago, the Son of God was planning a major journey into our world, and God wanted to prepare the way for the King of kings. John the Baptist was the point-person for this preparation project.


John had two key items on his agenda:

1. “The kingdom of God is at hand.” Right here, right now! Let everyone know! No longer would we have to look to heaven to find God; He would be walking among us!

2. “Repent and return to the Lord.” This has been a recurring theme throughout the Bible. From the Garden of Eden until today, people have needed to get right with God and change their lives; becoming radically transformed by the Holy Spirit.


This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, which has the same root as our word, “adventure.” That’s a good description of what we’ll be celebrating this month – the Son of Man coming to redeem us! What an adventure!


Norton Lawellin


Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Dec. 08, Pastor Daisy continues with the story of Jesus coming to our world, Luke 1:26-45. See you at church!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Change the World - Together!


Nov. 25, 2013 Monday Message:

“Go and make disciples of all nations…” (from Matt. 28:19)

Last week we talked about denominational distinctiveness. While each of us may be justifiably proud of our own church, I believe Jesus’ commission would be better served if we put more of our energy and resources into working together with other Christians, concentrating on the many things we have in common, rather than focusing on our differences.                       

So what do we have in common with other believers?

Christians are mono-theistic; that is, we believe there is one God. This God has expressed himself to us as Father-in-heaven, Jesus-on-earth and Holy Spirit advocate, who stands alongside us nowadays.

We believe that the Bible is God-breathed, His inspired Word.

We acknowledge that the world is a sinful place, and we’re part of it. We believe that Jesus died as the sacrifice for our sins, was buried and then bodily resurrected. Our salvation comes from our relationship with the one born of a virgin, Jesus, the one who was without sin. We are saved by grace through faith, and the price Jesus paid to redeem us is once-and-for-all sufficient. Our eternal destiny, heaven, can’t be earned or purchased. Jesus has done the work, the price is paid in full, and we get to spend eternity in the presence of God because we’re with Jesus, the one who ascended into heaven. He will come again.

While not an exhaustive list, these are some things on which all believers can agree. Perhaps, as we carry the Good News to all nations, we should do as Paul suggested: “Be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” 1 Cor. 1:10b NLT

Now go change the world - together!

Norton Lawellin

Each Sunday Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Dec. 01, I’ll open up our Christmas series by returning to Luke Ch. 1. Bring your Bibles!

NL

Monday, November 18, 2013

Denomination = Division


Nov. 18, 2013 Monday Message:

“I appeal to you, brethren, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” 1 Cor. 1:10 NLT

There are more than two hundred verifiable Christian denominational groups in the US, but depending upon how you define “denomination,” the total could exceed 1,000! The obvious question is, “Why?” Don’t we all have the same goal? Didn’t Jesus leave the same set of instructions for all of us?

You can find elaborate graphs on the internet, that look like a complex tree with many branches, showing how Christian groups divided and formed new entities. Surprisingly, if you could lump all the churches together that call themselves “nondenominational,’ they would be the 3rd largest denomination in the US!

The denominations disagree a lot, and put a great deal of effort into establishing and maintaining distinctiveness from their brethren. Do you think that the kingdom would be better served if we’d focus on what we have in common rather than dwelling on our differences?

Next week: What we have in common.

Norton Lawellin

Each Sunday Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Nov. 24, Pastor Michael Pilla continues in Luke 18: Jesus talks about Pharisees, Tax Collectors and Children. C U at church!

NL

Monday, November 11, 2013

The Main Thing


Nov. 11, 2013 Monday Message:

When we go to the place of the dead, our time of judgment, we’ll find that a number of things we spent considerable time on aren’t even on heaven’s agenda.

It won’t matter if we sang hymns or contemporary worship songs – classical, folk or rock & roll. The important thing will be that we sang to the Lord.

Whether church starts at 9am or 10am isn’t important. We just need to get together and worship.

What color should we paint the classrooms? Do we need cushions on the pews? Communion once a month or every week? How many candles on the altar? Should your Pastor preach wearing a fancy robe, suit and tie, or jeans and a t-shirt? Yikes!

Jesus didn’t offer direction on any of these things. But he DID tell us to make disciples of all nations, to baptize, and to teach others. So when we get to the next reality, the question won’t be, “Did you wear red for Pentecost?”

It’ll be more like, “Did you help others make a decision for Jesus?” I don’t mean just hearing about Jesus, but actual conversions? Hell will be full of people who have heard about Jesus, but never got around to closing the deal.

Now I need to back up and say that all the previous things about leading a church are important. They can help draw people in, make them feel comfortable, cause them to return and be welcomed into our Christian community. But the long-term goal is more than just getting people in the door – it’s about changed hearts; it’s about making disciples. That’s the mission Jesus called us to.



“The main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things.” (Alistair Begg)

Norton Lawellin

Join us this Sunday as Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Nov. 17, Pastor Michael Pilla opens up Luke 18. See you at church!

NL

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Will I Know You in Heaven?


Nov. 04, 2013 Monday Message:

We’ve reached #10 of the top 10 questions about Christianity/heaven: “Will we know each other in heaven?”

Short answer - Yes. Remember that heaven is a super-natural place; so not only will we know each other, but we’ll also know people we’ve never met!

Jesus himself gives us a couple of clues. “Many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matt. 8:11) Why would Gentiles, of all people, be eating at the table of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Because we’re all good friends - we know each other. And if we know them, surely we’ll know others.

Also remember the transfiguration: (Matt 17:3) “Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.” The apostles witnessing this event had never met Moses or Elijah – Moses lived 1500 years before Jesus, Elijah 900. So how would the apostles know who was speaking with Jesus? Only God! Somehow they DID know.

You’ll know everyone – even people you never knew on earth. No introductions, no nametags needed. No more, “Now, what was her name again?” The New Earth will function according to God’s rules!

When I was a child, all my friends were here, on earth. But as I grew older, more and more of the people I know have taken up residence in heaven. We’ll know them all, we’ll see them again and we’ll know them by name. Heaven is a warm, friendly place where everybody will know everybody, and be truly glad to see each other.

Be sure to say, “Hi!”

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Nov. 10, Pastor Michael Pilla returns. God’s kingdom is at hand! (Luke 17:20-37) Watch for it!

NL

Monday, October 28, 2013

Married in Heaven?


Oct. 28, 2013 Monday Message:

We’re getting close to the end of the top 10 questions about Christianity/heaven. #9 asks, “Will I be married in heaven? Will I recognize my spouse?”

People seem to have strong feeling about this. I think it depends upon which answer they are seeking!

When the Sadducees were trying to trick Jesus, they asked, “If a guy has 6 or 7 wives and dies and goes to heaven, which one is he married to?” (Deep down they know that having only one wife is preferable.)

Jesus replied: “You are mistaken not knowing the scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection, for eternity, heaven, they neither marry or are given in marriage…” (Matt. 22:29) So while Jesus says that there are no NEW marriages in heaven, what he’s really saying is, “You guys just don’t get it – you don’t have a clue how heaven operates!”

As God shuts down heaven and earth to make the NEW Heaven and the NEW Earth, the old-earth model will become obsolete. Paul counsels the Corinthians: “The time that remains is very short. Do not become attached to the things (ways) of the world, for the world as we know it will soon pass away.” (1 Cor. 7:29b, 31)

Therefore ALL the human things, our ways of operating in the human systems, are not going to be part of heaven. We can’t pile up a bunch of things that won’t be needed where we’re going.

So while marriage isn’t necessarily obsolete in heaven, it appears that marriage will no longer occupy such a high place on our agenda, because earthly needs for marriage will not exist. Man will not need a helper. Woman will not need a protector. There’s no procreation; no new people are born in heaven.

Now, a marriage that’s working well is a beautiful thing. The relationship between the man and the woman is special – even extra-special – and you should be able to relate to your spouse in unique ways, better than with anyone else on earth.

And here’s the new deal – in the next life, ALL relationships will be perfect, just like marriage, only better. Everyone has the same agenda – to worship and serve the Lord. Everyone is honest and trustworthy. All of a sudden, everyone is on the same page, going in a good direction, and really, really happy about it. You’ll meet your spouse in heaven, you’ll know him or her, but the things of heaven will be just as captivating as a wonderful marriage relationship is here on earth.

We’ll ALL be infatuated – not so much with each other – but with being in the presence of God! After all, the church is the bride of Christ, and that’s the wedding we all want to celebrate!

Norton Lawellin

Join us as Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Nov. 03, we learn that Jesus healed 10, but only one returned to say thanks. What’s with the other 9? (Luke 17:11-19)

See you at church!

NL

Monday, October 21, 2013

What's the Deal with Angels?


Oct. 21, 2013 Monday Message:

It’s the top 10 questions about Christianity/heaven, and #8 is: What’s the deal with angels?

When we die, we go to heaven, grow wings, sit on clouds and play harps all day, right? WRONG! That’s what Hollywood and myths and jokes and stories would all have you believe, but that’s not what the Bible says.

First, let’s first get rid of the notion that when we die we grow wings and become angels. Angels and humans are 2 different species, like horses and cows. You can keep both of them on a farm, but they are distinct, unique, and fulfill different purposes. So settle the matter once and for all – angels don’t become humans, and humans don’t become angels.

Next, forget that cute little “Precious Moments” statuette. God’s angels are scary! The Bible refers to our God as, “Lord of the Angel Armies,” and that’s because angles are ferocious. Every time someone in the Bible sees an angel, the first thing the angel says is: “Be not afraid,” because everyone IS afraid when they first see an angel!

What do angels do? On earth, they instruct, protect, guide, and comfort. We won’t need any of that in heaven – no one will need comforting in heaven, and you won’t need protection. Angels can be messengers Luke 1:19 “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you glad tidings.” That was about the birth of Jesus. The Greek word “Anglos” means “messenger.”

And angels will be worshipers. That’s one way we’ll be like the angels, worshiping God, WITH the angels: Rev. 5:11 “I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands (of people) and millions of angels around the throne…”

Any day you get to worship the Lord is a good day!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Oct. 27, Rev. Daisy will open up Luke 17, forgiveness & faith. See you at church!

NL

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Animals in Heaven - More...

Monday Message addendum on Tuesday, October 15

Yesterday I discussed pets/animals going to heaven. I hope you read it. I fact-checked it with 3 other pastors before hitting “send.” My friend Laura disagrees and took the time to write back, and I have a lot of respect for Laura, so let’s dig deeper. As she pointed out, the Bible doesn’t specifically address the subject; it’s more church “tradition” that comes into question.

God made both mankind (Gen. 2:7) and the animals (Gen. 7:15, 22) with the “breath of life.” But mankind is special, the only breath-of-life creature, “made in the image of God.” (Gen. 1:26-27) Being “like God” means that we’re capable of spirituality, we have minds that think and reason, we have emotions and will, and most importantly, we have an eternal soul. Our spirit continues with God’s spirit into the next reality.

The Bible never speaks of animals having “souls.” In fairness, the Bible never speaks of animals NOT having souls. So if they do continue to exist after death, I believe it will be somewhat different from what happens to humans. For example, I can’t picture animals going to a place of judgment. But if God chooses to include them, it’s up to God. God saw all of his creation and said that it was good, (Gen. 1:25) and that includes all the animals.

As I wrote yesterday, there will most certainly be animals in heaven, a walking display of the creative genius of the Almighty God. We’ll have everything we need in heaven, and if we need a pet, one will be provided. Personally, I believe that we’ll be so caught up in God-worship that the pet/no pet question won’t even come up; but that’s just my 2¢. Those of us who follow the Lord know that He is fair and just, and when we arrive at heaven, we’ll be in complete agreement with his decision, either way. “Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?" (Gen. 18:25b)

Any day you get to worship the Lord is a good day!

Norton Lawellin, Worship Pastor
Jesus in the City Fellowship

Monday, October 14, 2013

Pets in Heaven?


Oct. 14, 2013 Monday Message:

We’ve been answering the top 10 questions about Christianity/heaven, and #7 is: “Do our pets go to heaven?” And a related question: “Are there animals in heaven?”

Several years ago, on the Friday before Father’s Day, my family asked me to sit down, and then placed a living, breathing creature onto my lap: love wrapped in yellow fur. It’s the best Father’s Day present I ever received. We made a special bed for the baby Labrador that night, but she cried and cried, so I got out of bed and held her, and in the process became her best friend for life.

She was never far from us – not underfoot, in an obnoxious way – but rather, nearby, so she’d always know where we were. She was just like a member of our family.

At her best in the water, the kids wanted to name her “Rio,” which means “river,” but that’s odd because Rio is a masculine word in Spanish and she was a female dog; but the name stuck. You could toss a ball into the water 100 times, and she’d still beg to go again. Turns out that labs have skin between their toes, like webbed feet, and she could out-swim any of us.

My daughter Melissa taught Rio to climb ladders, which came in handy for climbing out of the deep end of a pool. We’d walk to the park, and Rio would climb the ladder and go down the slide, to the amazement of many children!

Rio lived a good life and grew quite old. She had reached a point where she could barely walk and was in a lot of pain, so a few months ago it was time to say goodbye. For me, the hardest part was knowing that this really was the end. Animals aren’t spirit-beings; they don’t have souls.

When we get to heaven, the Bible says that we’ll have everything we need; so if we need a pet, one will be provided. The Bible also mentions animals, lots of animals. Lions, and calves, and leopards and bears and eagles, and 16 times horses are mentioned, including Jesus riding on a white horse. These animals will be a walking display of the creative genius of the Almighty God.  And all these animals will live in perfect harmony – Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the goat – perfect harmony, like it was in the Garden of Eden, the way God always intended it to be.

Perhaps you’ve heard people say, “This earth is not my home.” Well, heaven’s not necessarily your home either – it’s temporary. After the events of the end times, the current heaven and earth will be leveled, and God will give us the New Heaven and the New Earth. And the eternal dwelling place for believers will be the New Earth. Yes, the New Earth is where we’ll spend eternity, with pearly gates, streets of gold, and the city of New Jerusalem. We will dwell here with glorified, restored bodies. The concept that Heaven is in the clouds is unbiblical, as is the idea that we’ll be wispy spirits floating around in heaven. The New Earth will be the perfect planet for us, free from sin, evil, sickness, disease, suffering and death. That’s what the Bible says.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Oct. 20, we get a glimpse inside heaven as the Rich Man checks out Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31. Don’t miss it!

NL