October 25, 2010 Monday Message:
Paul: “With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, as an act of intelligent worship, to give Him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. This is your spiritual worship!” Romans 12:1
This is Paul’s altar call, urging believers to come forward and become one with the Lord. C’mon, let’s all go - this is where we can meet God!
Paul “begs” or “beseeches” the reader to act out of intelligence. It’s the logical thing to do (logikos), given all that Jesus has done for us:
• Rescue, redemption and salvation
• Adoption into Jesus’ holy family,
• Living under grace, not the law,
• Healing and conquering death,
• Confidence that we cannot be snatched from God’s hand.
If someone is not yet a Christian, they can come forward asking to have their sins forgiven, and asking Jesus to be Lord of their lives.
If someone is already a Christian, they can re-dedicate themselves to the Lord. They can pray for healing, comfort, and the peace that passes all understanding.
You can ask for God’s help with a difficult marriage, failing finances and mental health issues. God can remove addictions, cure depression, turn discouragement into hope, and in all ways do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
You can be “anointed with oil in the name of the Lord. (James 5:14-15) …The Lord will make you well, and if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” Do you seek a touch from God? You can ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit!
To receive these blessings, you have to step out of your comfort zone and let others pray for you. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16b)
That’s what the Bible says!
Norton Lawellin
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Close to the Father
October 18, 2010 Monday Message:
Last week we defined our Christian goal as wanting to be closer to Jesus, and to live our lives more like Jesus lived His life. Jesus, of course, is the form God took as he walked the earth with us. So let’s see what living close to God would look like.
Is there sickness near God? No, God does not have sickness or disease. We see illness on a sinful planet, but it didn’t come from God. The fact is Jesus was the one known for healing the sick. Near the beginning of the Gospel stories, you see a lot of detail about Jesus’ healings. As His healing ability became well known, the Gospels say only that, “He healed those who needed it.” The ability of Jesus to heal, to restore, had become commonplace.
Is there death near God? No. Quite the opposite, Jesus promises eternal life for all who repent and return. Jesus not only raised people from the dead, but conquered death himself as he rose on the third day. God is not constrained by our concept of death. Interestingly, Jesus said that his followers, his disciples, should both heal the sick and raise the dead. Have you healed anyone lately? (…with power from the Holy Spirit, and “in Jesus’ name,” of course.)
Is there poverty near God? No, the Bible says that we will have everything we need from God’s abundance. We may not be wealthy, but we’ll be OK. God has thousands of cattle on thousands of hills, provision for His holy family. If you’re living in the presence of the Lord, what else could you possibly need?
Is there sin where God lives? No, sin cannot exist in the presence of God. So if you are trying to NOT sin, getting closer to God would be a good solution. Just as Jesus taught in the Prodigal Son parable, the farther you are from the father, the more easily trouble seems to find you. When you’re closer to the Father, things go better for you.
God doesn’t ever go away – God is omnipresent. But as humans, we turn away from God and wander from time to time. Our world would be a better place if more of us would repent, return, and get closer to the Father.
For Him,
Norton Lawellin
Sunday, October 24th at 4PM, I’ll be leading a celebration of worship and healing at Trinity of Minnehaha Falls. You’re all invited!
Sing Your Heart Out!
Come join us at SING YOUR HEART OUT on Sunday, October 24th at 4:00 p.m. for an afternoon of hymns and praise. One Voice (the former group with no name), musicians, and guest worship leader Norton Lawellin will fill our sanctuary with worship. Please come and invite your family and friends!
A healing service will follow for those who would like prayer for themselves and others.
Trinity of Minnehaha Falls
5212 41st Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417
612.724.3691
Last week we defined our Christian goal as wanting to be closer to Jesus, and to live our lives more like Jesus lived His life. Jesus, of course, is the form God took as he walked the earth with us. So let’s see what living close to God would look like.
Is there sickness near God? No, God does not have sickness or disease. We see illness on a sinful planet, but it didn’t come from God. The fact is Jesus was the one known for healing the sick. Near the beginning of the Gospel stories, you see a lot of detail about Jesus’ healings. As His healing ability became well known, the Gospels say only that, “He healed those who needed it.” The ability of Jesus to heal, to restore, had become commonplace.
Is there death near God? No. Quite the opposite, Jesus promises eternal life for all who repent and return. Jesus not only raised people from the dead, but conquered death himself as he rose on the third day. God is not constrained by our concept of death. Interestingly, Jesus said that his followers, his disciples, should both heal the sick and raise the dead. Have you healed anyone lately? (…with power from the Holy Spirit, and “in Jesus’ name,” of course.)
Is there poverty near God? No, the Bible says that we will have everything we need from God’s abundance. We may not be wealthy, but we’ll be OK. God has thousands of cattle on thousands of hills, provision for His holy family. If you’re living in the presence of the Lord, what else could you possibly need?
Is there sin where God lives? No, sin cannot exist in the presence of God. So if you are trying to NOT sin, getting closer to God would be a good solution. Just as Jesus taught in the Prodigal Son parable, the farther you are from the father, the more easily trouble seems to find you. When you’re closer to the Father, things go better for you.
God doesn’t ever go away – God is omnipresent. But as humans, we turn away from God and wander from time to time. Our world would be a better place if more of us would repent, return, and get closer to the Father.
For Him,
Norton Lawellin
Sunday, October 24th at 4PM, I’ll be leading a celebration of worship and healing at Trinity of Minnehaha Falls. You’re all invited!
Sing Your Heart Out!Come join us at SING YOUR HEART OUT on Sunday, October 24th at 4:00 p.m. for an afternoon of hymns and praise. One Voice (the former group with no name), musicians, and guest worship leader Norton Lawellin will fill our sanctuary with worship. Please come and invite your family and friends!
A healing service will follow for those who would like prayer for themselves and others.
Trinity of Minnehaha Falls
5212 41st Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417
612.724.3691
Monday, October 11, 2010
Light of the World
October 11, 2010 Monday Message:
Jesus: “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12 NLT
It’s October, and my church, like many others, is well into its annual giving campaign. We always have a theme, and in recent years it’s been about Christ’s light. I especially like this year’s theme, “Reflecting Christ’s Light.” Let’s take a look.
A journey makes more sense when we know the destination. As Christians, our destination - our goal - is to be closer to Jesus, to live our lives more like Jesus lived His life. If we could live like Jesus lived, say the things He said, and do the things that He did, we’d all feel like we were in pretty good standing with the Father. We’d be assured of salvation, right?
Well, not really. Being like Jesus is a worthy goal. But unfortunately, since we’re human, we come up short every time. Nothing we can do will assure our salvation. It’s out of our hands! Justification is a gift from God, and redeeming mankind was the mission of Jesus. We are saved by His grace alone, not by our efforts.
So as our Christian walk brings us closer to Jesus, remember that it is His light - not our light - that shines. His is the true heavenly light, the light that leads to life.
Let that light of Jesus, shining through us and reflecting off of us, be the light that shines into the world. Let His light so shine…
Norton Lawellin
I’ll be teaching at Chapel this Friday, Oct. 15, at New Hope Center, Metro Hope Ministries in south Minneapolis. “Samson – Big Enough to Fail!”
Jesus: “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12 NLT
It’s October, and my church, like many others, is well into its annual giving campaign. We always have a theme, and in recent years it’s been about Christ’s light. I especially like this year’s theme, “Reflecting Christ’s Light.” Let’s take a look.
A journey makes more sense when we know the destination. As Christians, our destination - our goal - is to be closer to Jesus, to live our lives more like Jesus lived His life. If we could live like Jesus lived, say the things He said, and do the things that He did, we’d all feel like we were in pretty good standing with the Father. We’d be assured of salvation, right?
Well, not really. Being like Jesus is a worthy goal. But unfortunately, since we’re human, we come up short every time. Nothing we can do will assure our salvation. It’s out of our hands! Justification is a gift from God, and redeeming mankind was the mission of Jesus. We are saved by His grace alone, not by our efforts.
So as our Christian walk brings us closer to Jesus, remember that it is His light - not our light - that shines. His is the true heavenly light, the light that leads to life.
Let that light of Jesus, shining through us and reflecting off of us, be the light that shines into the world. Let His light so shine…
Norton Lawellin
I’ll be teaching at Chapel this Friday, Oct. 15, at New Hope Center, Metro Hope Ministries in south Minneapolis. “Samson – Big Enough to Fail!”
Monday, October 4, 2010
Reverse the Trend
October 04, 2010 Monday Message:
For the past few weeks we’ve been looking at declining church attendance, and how to reverse the trend. Let’s keep going:
4. We need to improve our typical Sunday morning program. Some of you don’t like referring to our worship service as a presentation or program, but THIS program is about Jesus, so it needs to be the best it can be. When a visitor drops in, show them the good stuff. In fact, we should treat our regulars to the good stuff as well. Every week – every meeting. Musicians and vocalists, sound and lighting, media and video operators – all need to be “on” their game. Any missed cue can jar the congregation out of a “God moment.” But good technology won’t make up for bad theology, and so the teachers…
5. Someone gifted in public speaking should be entrusted with the weekly teaching. Attending a seminary does not magically cause one to receive this gift. Chuck Swindoll says he doesn’t understand how some Bible teachers can bore people with the greatest story ever told, but they do it every week.
I recently sat through a sermon that left me confused. (Not my home church…)The pastor was jolly, everyone seemed to like him, but I walked away saying, “What was that about?” I still can’t tell you his main point, although he claimed the text was from “somewhere in Colossians.”
Another thing that troubles me is sermons with no substance. You hear a few jokes, cute personal stories, maybe some video clips, and we’re told to be a good person. But the Bible seems to be an afterthought, not the starting point. Better sermons start with the Word of God and then expound upon it, rather than predetermine a scenario and then search for scripture to support it.
The Lutheran church in the US may be declining, but the Lutheran Church worldwide grew by 1.6 million last year. Perhaps with intentional diligence we can reverse our nation’s trend and get on the increase side of things. Godspeed.
May the Holy Spirit bolster your journey this week.
Norton Lawellin
For the past few weeks we’ve been looking at declining church attendance, and how to reverse the trend. Let’s keep going:
4. We need to improve our typical Sunday morning program. Some of you don’t like referring to our worship service as a presentation or program, but THIS program is about Jesus, so it needs to be the best it can be. When a visitor drops in, show them the good stuff. In fact, we should treat our regulars to the good stuff as well. Every week – every meeting. Musicians and vocalists, sound and lighting, media and video operators – all need to be “on” their game. Any missed cue can jar the congregation out of a “God moment.” But good technology won’t make up for bad theology, and so the teachers…
5. Someone gifted in public speaking should be entrusted with the weekly teaching. Attending a seminary does not magically cause one to receive this gift. Chuck Swindoll says he doesn’t understand how some Bible teachers can bore people with the greatest story ever told, but they do it every week.
I recently sat through a sermon that left me confused. (Not my home church…)The pastor was jolly, everyone seemed to like him, but I walked away saying, “What was that about?” I still can’t tell you his main point, although he claimed the text was from “somewhere in Colossians.”
Another thing that troubles me is sermons with no substance. You hear a few jokes, cute personal stories, maybe some video clips, and we’re told to be a good person. But the Bible seems to be an afterthought, not the starting point. Better sermons start with the Word of God and then expound upon it, rather than predetermine a scenario and then search for scripture to support it.
The Lutheran church in the US may be declining, but the Lutheran Church worldwide grew by 1.6 million last year. Perhaps with intentional diligence we can reverse our nation’s trend and get on the increase side of things. Godspeed.
May the Holy Spirit bolster your journey this week.
Norton Lawellin
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