Judgement Day!

For Wednesday, July 31, 2024:

2 Peter 2:4 NLT: “God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in chains and gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment.”

Surprisingly, there are bad angels. Some wish they were as powerful as God. They are not. Some think they can out-guess God’s vast eternal plan. They can not. Understanding this is simple: Angels are created beings, and God is the Creator. God can always create another angel, but angels can never create another God! Apparently they’re not smart enough to understand the futility of their efforts. They wind up joining Satan’s minions, awaiting judgement day, which will come. Count on it!

Judgement day will also come for mankind. Understand that good and evil cannot coexist. That’s why accepting the forgiveness offered by Jesus is so important. Believers were not always innocent (all have sinned…), but their sin has now been taken away by the work Jesus accomplished on the cross. Believers are separated from sin as far as the East is from the West. Sin is taken to the bottom of the deepest ocean, leaving believer’s souls suitable for residence in the eternal Kingdom. God is good! His desire is that none would perish, but that all would repent and return, joining him above!

Your choices are heaven or a lake of fire. The best decision is self-evident!

Blessings!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Come Again?

For Tuesday, July 30, 2024:

2 Peter 2:3 NLT: “In their greed, these false teachers will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.”

Some people complain about going to church: “All they ever talk about is wanting your money!” To which I’d say, “You’re at the wrong church!”

The internet is filled with stories of scamming church leaders who pursued the job expecting people to give them free money in exchange for alleged “spiritual guidance.” Some even lead what we call “mega-churches,” with much property and fancy buildings. They’ve connived their way into prosperity, deceiving many. About that business plan, God promises that the first will be last and the last will be first. The false teachers are already condemned!

Your church should first be about growing closer to Jesus and his ways, thereby giving us assurance of salvation in the life after this life. We then support our churches out of gratitude for Jesus’ love and forgiveness. We have been blessed! Support of a God-loving church insures that many more can also learn the Good News, and that’s what Jesus called us all to do!

As each day passes, we’re one day closer to Jesus’ return when everything will be made right. The destruction of false teachers will not be delayed! Believers get to watch it all happen!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Good Problem To Have!

July 29, 2024 Monday Message:

Acts 2:41 NLT: “Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.”

I love the story of the birthday of the church on the first Pentecost following the crucifixion. Here’s the short version:

The believers were all in one place, in Jerusalem, together, worshiping and praying, following Jesus’ instructions to the letter, when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Without the Spirit, they could accomplish nothing, but WITH the Spirit they were capable of great things. That’s also a lesson for us! Without the Holy Spirit, we can’t accomplish much, but WITH the Spirit, great things are possible!

Peter stepped into the town square and hopped up on his soapbox, re-stating the same things that got Jesus killed! But this time, all those visiting Jerusalem for the Pentecost celebration listened, each able to understand in his own language! (Holy Spirit working again…)

Obedience prevailed, and the question followed: “Brothers, what should we do?”

"Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

So how do you baptize 3,000 people? Well, the healing pool of Bethesda was nearby, and all the Apostles and disciples could help with the baptisms. How do you assimilate 3,000 people? That’s a good problem for a church to have!

If that happened nowadays, who would be doing the work? Who would give the speech, who would preach the truth, who could help with the baptisms, and who could sustain the local church so there’d be a home for 3,000 newly saved? Did your hand go up? I certainly hope so! We are ALL called to spread the Good News!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Whole Truth!

For Sunday, July 28, 2024:

2 Peter 2:1 NLT: “There were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.”

Sad to say, but false teachers have not gone away. They work for Satan, and his goal is to increase the number of souls who belong to him. He does this by telling lies and creating doubt, thereby increasing the number of backsliders. Beware! Much of what we see in modern churches is simply tradition and habits that have no biblical basis.

And speaking of the Bible, read it as the inspired word of our God who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Friends, sin doesn’t change! If the Bible says something was sin 3,000 years ago, it’s still sin today! If Jesus called it sin 2,000 years ago, it’s still sin today! God doesn’t change his mind to be politically correct!

When a witness testifies in a court of law, they swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Churches and their pastors should take the same oath. Many teach the truth, but not the whole truth. Controversial topics can be avoided by omission, but that’s not right. A good church will teach the WHOLE truth!

Since this is Sunday, I assume believers will be worshiping today. Bring your Bible, and encourage use of the entire book!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Prophesy Truth!

For Saturday, July 27, 2024:

2 Peter 1:20-21 NLT: “Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding or his own interpretation or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”

We tend to think of prophecies as predictions or foretelling of future events. Example: Isaiah 7:14b “The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” About 700 years later, that prophesy became truth! Jesus was born to the virgin Mary. God’s Son came to earth to walk alongside mankind and become the propitiation for mankind’s sins.

It took 700 years, and I’m sure doubters were certain that it would never happen, but in fact it did! God’s timing is not our timing. Personal confession: When I want to accomplish something that everyone would agree is a good thing, I get impatient when progress takes longer than I’d expect. But God’s timing is the right timing, and patience is a virtue!

The “High View of the Bible” is that every word is truth and the entire text is God-inspired, including the writings of the prophets. The church you attend should share that view, and I mean truth from the entire Bible, not skipping over controversial topics. Unfortunately, some avoid truth by omission! They leave out unpopular subjects!

Pray for an increase in truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Bible = Truth!

For Friday, July 26, 2024:

2 Peter 1:19 TLB: “We have seen and proved that what the prophets said came true. You will do well to pay close attention to everything they have written, for, like lights shining into dark corners, their words help us to understand many things that otherwise would be dark and difficult. But when you consider the wonderful truth of the prophets’ words, then the light will dawn in your souls and Christ the Morning Star will shine in your hearts.”

Once again, eyewitness accounts reinforce our faith, faith being confidence in an eyewitness’ testimony. The Bible never contradicts itself, and our “High View” of the Bible teaches that every word is God-inspired and truthful. Therefore the prophets of old can speak of the second coming of Jesus, and it all fits together. The testimonies all line up, confirming the same event, the fact that Christ WILL come again! We can count on it!

People studying philosophy spend a lot of time trying to figure out God, Jesus and the created world. They seek to answer questions like, “Who am I,” “What is my purpose?,” and, “Why am I here?” The answers are found in the Bible, our handbook for life. So what we need to build up is our confidence in the testimony of eyewitnesses and those to whom God spoke directly, prophets.

Pray for an increase in faith!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth!

For Thursday, July 25, 2024:

2 Peter 1:16-17 NLT: “We were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.’”

If you’re testifying about an event, about something you saw with your own two eyes, a doubter’s first response might be, “You’re just making that up!” In this epistle, Peter wants to reassure the reader as to the truth of the eyewitness testimonies. “This is my dearly beloved son…” appears in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, three-times verified for all to see! It’s Biblical truth!

I was once called upon to answer questions about church, religion, Jesus and the Bible. I agreed, but it didn’t go well. When I’d explain a Christian principle and back up my explanation with Bible scripture, the questioner oftentimes balked: “I’ve never believed that part of the Bible.” If someone doesn’t accept the Bible as truth, they’ve pulled the rug out from under my feet! They’re not trusting our textbook! My mission shifted from answering questions to teaching a high view of the Bible, where we believe every word in the Bible is God-inspired and true.

Humans sin, and although sin is accurately depicted in the Bible, we obviously shouldn’t do those things. We shouldn’t sin. But the Bible is truth, and truth is including both the good and the bad, so that we have foreknowledge of what could go wrong!

Following Jesus through the Gospels, we’ll see perpetual kindness, love, healing, and unflinching loyalty to the Father. Those are good things to imitate. He is, after all, God!

"I and the Father are one!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faith Response!

For Wednesday, July 24, 2024:

2 Peter 1:5b-8 NLT: “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.”

Faith is trust in an eyewitness’ testimony, and this scripture details what our response should be now that we know that faith. Being on the “Jesus Team” demands high morals, knowledge, self-control, endurance and brotherly love. This is not an exhaustive list, and we don’t need one. With the New Covenant, God has already written his laws on our hearts. He gave us a conscience, so we instinctively know right from wrong.

So continue doing the right things for the right reasons. If you’re good with your behavior and God is good with your behavior, stop worrying about what others think! Just love the Lord and love your neighbor. Life can be that simple!

"The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

More Faith!

For Tuesday, July 23, 2024:

2 Peter 1:4 NLT: “Because of his glory and excellence, he (God) has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

We’ve been looking at “Faith,” the unshakable belief in the testimony of an eyewitness. Jesus himself taught Peter about the promises of God, the promises of life after this life for true believers.

Believers are not only given a ticket to heaven. We are invited to “share his divine nature.” In other words, we’re then adopted into the Holy Family, brothers and sisters with all the rights and privileges of any son or daughter of the most high! When Jesus rescued us, he didn’t do it half-way! And when Jesus went ahead to prepare an eternal place for us, it’s a special place!

So leave the world behind. The world is no big deal, and it’s for such a short time vs eternity in the Lord’s presence. God promised believers redemption from the sins of the world, and when God makes a promise, we can count on it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faith!

July 22, 2024 Monday Message:

2 Peter 1:1b NLT: “I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.”

Ephesians 2 teaches that we are saved by grace through faith. Grace is unmerited favor, like a free gift for no reason. Our salvation is an undeserved gift from above, given by God simply because he loves us. God looked at everything that was created, and declared it to be very good! We have also been given free will, so we can accept or reject God’s gift. God’s gift is heaven; Satan’s gift is the eternal lake of fire. Choose wisely!

Faith is another matter, and it can get a little complicated. Example: Pretend that you witnessed a crime. Therefore you’re an eyewitness. You can testify in court, telling the judge, “I saw exactly what happened. I saw him do it!” You don’t have to rely on faith, because you witnessed the crime first-person.

The judge, on the other hand, must rely on faith. To make a decision, the judge (or the jury) must have faith in the eyewitnesses. Faith is trust in the testimony of a third person. Sometimes faith comes down to who are the eyewitnesses and can they be trusted.

In the case of believing in Jesus, our eyewitnesses include three of the Gospel writers who were Apostles, a well-educated investigative reporter, and Paul who personally heard from the ascended Jesus.

Can we trust these eyewitnesses? That’s faith!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Grace and Peace!

For Sunday, July 21, 2024:

2 Peter 1:2 NLT: “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.”

Followers of Jesus Christ don’t stand in one place for long. The longer we worship Jesus, the more appreciative we become. Grace – our free gift from Above – is continually poured out upon us in ever increasing amounts. Therefore our love, understanding and knowledge of our Savior continues to increase as well.

"Peace” refers to the inner peace that comes from knowing the Lord, and possessing the faith and confidence that God’s way is the best way. God and his Son Jesus can and will do everything as promised. As believers, we’ve signed on to the “God team.” It’s proven to be a good decision, and believers would all make the same decision again!

This is the peace that passes all understanding!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Heaven!

For Saturday, July 20, 2024:

1 Peter 5:10a NLT: “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus.”

Never forget that God’s desire is that none would perish and that all would repent and return. We have been given free will, so we can accept or reject God’s offer of salvation, but my advice is that when offered a gift from God Almighty, we should all jump for joy!

Sin was getting in the way of mankind’s heavenly residence, but God came up with a solution. Jesus, Son of God, would come to earth and become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Without sin because of Jesus, anyone who says “yes” to God’s offer gets to see heaven from the inside! That welcome scene will be in a believer’s sight forever.

Eternity is a long, long time!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Closer to God!

For Friday, July 19, 2024:

1 Peter 5:8 NLT: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

In the Bible, we read about Satan and his minions. Two thousand years have passed since Jesus walked alongside mankind, and in that time, we seem to have forgotten about the devil and his evil spirits. Listen to this: They did not quit; they did not give up; they are still a huge threat nowadays. Every word in the Bible is true. Therefore the Bible wouldn’t warn us of these beasts if they weren’t still a danger!

We are told to guard against something we can’t see. At times that’s difficult, but still quite necessary. More problems in the world than you’d guess are rooted in evil spirits.

There are two solutions: #1 Cast out the demons. That’s what Jesus did with people who didn’t yet know him as Lord. #2 Since you’re reading this, you’re probably already a believer, and believers know Jesus as Lord. You can pray more Jesus into your hearts, and you can pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Since good and evil cannot coexist, more God means less room for Satan.

The Apostle John says believers become children of God, members of the Holy Family. So c’mon brothers and sisters! Let’s crawl right up onto Dad’s lap. You won’t find any evil there! (Remember: Closer to God...)

Think of the Holy Spirit like the gas tank in your car. Every once in a while it’s a good idea to top off your Holy Spirit tank!

You don’t want to run empty!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faith, Lots of It!

For Thursday, July 18, 2024:

Ephesians 2:1 AMPC: “And you [Jesus made you alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, in which you once walked.”

When mankind was living in sin, the Bible describes us as “spiritually dead.” Jesus brought forgiveness of those sins, leaving us “spiritually alive.” Thankfully, the “dead or alive” analogy also applies to the life after this life.

There are really only two destinations: #1. The place Jesus prepares for you in the presence of the Father, or #2. With Satan in the lake of fire. As Christians, we have something no other religion can offer: Assurance of Salvation! If we place our faith, hope and trust in Jesus, the Son of God, we can count on him taking our hand and ushering us into the next reality.

 Our eternal destination depends on our faith. We need to truly believe the testimony of the eyewitnesses who walked alongside Jesus. There are both sacred and secular witnesses who attest to the miracles, the healings and Jesus’ divine connections. Investigate everything, and draw your own conclusion.

You’ll find that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; there is no other way!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship