Saved!

For Saturday, September 26, 2026:

Romans 10:1 NLT: “Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.”

Paul is writing to the church in Rome, and the first believers came from the Jewish faith. They already knew God the Father, and a Messiah’s arrival had been predicted. With just a few theological adjustments, Christianity worked for at least some of them.

Paul’s starting point was to lock in those Jews. Once the people of Israel formed a solid base, they could begin evangelizing pagans. People living in Rome, as in Greece, were offered many false gods through their traditions. They had a god for the sun, moon, wind and rain. They had a god for abundant crops and a goddess for sexual satisfaction. You could buy little statuettes of these pretend gods and put them on your mantle. Teaching these people about the real God and his Son would be a monumental task, but Paul was up for it.

God’s desire is for ALL to believe, Jews, Gentiles, pagans and aristocrats alike. Jesus was sent to offer forgiveness and salvation to everyone, no exceptions.

Believers are blessed to have been saved, and we have been commissioned to teach the Gospel truth to everyone on earth. Where is your mission field? Is it where you work or where you work out? Perhaps your children go to school with their children, and you can meet the parents. God wants everyone to have a chance to make the right decision, and that would be to claim Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life. Commit or recommit yourself to him today, and then tell others!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Confidence & Loyalty!

For Friday, September 25, 2026:

Acts 4:13 NLT: “The members of the (religious) council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”

Peter and John had been arrested in the Temple for preaching salvation through Jesus, and for healing a man who had been lame from birth. That man was present as Peter and John were questioned, so no one could deny the miracle. He was healed in the name of Jesus!

The Apostles didn’t try to save their own skin by lying, by denying what had happened. They showed two traits we should all exhibit: confidence and loyalty.

Having lived and traveled with Jesus, they had been eyewitnesses to thousands of healings and miracles. While spiritual healing was a big deal to the lame man, Peter and John had seen it all before. If the man was healed in the name of Jesus, there was no doubt in their minds that it would be so. Peter’s boldness (one of his character traits) fit because he trusted Jesus. As he laid hands on the man, he had already pictured the man walking. In our mind’s eye, we need to picture a miracle as if it already happened.

We speak of trusting in the Lord and believing in Jesus. What is needed is loyalty, an unflinching devotion to the King of kings. We’re not about to change our minds. No one can alter what we believe. Loyalty lasts forever!

The council knew that Peter and John had been with Jesus, so their position came as no surprise. The council was just trying to reconcile what had happened with their preconceived beliefs, and it wasn’t going well.

As God gave us the New Covenant, some things would change. Some things would be different. If we believe Jesus was sent by the Father, we can be filled with confidence as we share the Gospel with others. We can be loyal to the end!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

John the Baptist!

For Thursday, September 24, 2026:

Mark 1:2-3 NLT, Mark quoting Old Testament prophecy: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”

The heaven-sent messenger to herald the Messiah’s arrival is John the Baptist. He tells the people to repent and return, to get right with God because the Kingdom is at hand. Jesus will be coming soon. And when the King of kings shows up, you want to be on the ‘Jesus Team,’ not the opposition. Your eternal destiny depends on it!

Prophesies fulfilled reinforce our trust in the Bible. God gives prophets the words to say, predictions. When the events come to fruition just as God said, we can believe that the Bible is truth and that our God is real.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean on your own understanding when it aligns with God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church