Ordinary People

July 29, 2013 Monday Message:

God, to Abram: “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household, to the land I will show you.” (Gen 12:1)

Every family has its problems. Families in the Bible are walking examples of dysfunctional behavior.

Can you imagine the conversation between Abram and Sarai?

“Help me pack everything. We’re going to move!”

“Where are we going?”

“Dunno. God said He’s show us later…”

It doesn’t get better:

“God says we’re going to have a son.”

“But you’re 100 and I’m 90!”

“Yeah. Let’s have a good laugh!”

Later, God calls on the elderly Abraham to sacrifice his son. God was testing Abraham’s faith and loyalty. Now God eventually provided the sacrifice, and Isaac lived. But Jewish tradition teaches that Sarah died when she heard the news of her son’s imminent death.

The point is that being a member of this holy family wasn’t always smooth sailing. They had ups and downs, and sometimes seemed to go from one crisis to another. They were, in fact, a normal family.

Today, the names, “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” roll off the tongues of anyone who studies Christianity, Judaism or Islam. They’re our Patriarchs of the Bible. But these were not kings; they were fairly obscure, not-well-known people. These trials happened in the lives of ordinary people with little influence - people just like most of us.

Who knows what thing God does with us today might be remembered 3,000 years later.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. Sunday, Aug. 04, Jesus talks about money and possessions in Luke 12:22-34. Why would you worry when God is still on the throne? See you there!

NL

Play for God's Team

July 22, 2013 Monday Message:

“Fear him who has authority… to cast into hell. (Luke 12:5b NLT)

It’s great that God loves us, forgives us, and wants us on his team. While we’ll never be “perfect” Christians, we’re covered by grace, God’s undeserved blessing. We can’t earn it by doing more good; we can’t buy it at any price. Grace is God’s gift to those who love the Son. Accept it humbly.

Should we “fear” the Lord? Yes, we should have a healthy respect for our Creator. God pours out grace on us, but it doesn’t go so well for those who are not with God. And the Bible says that if you’re not with Him, you’re against Him.

Some people reject the Gospel and choose to not worship Christ. They should tremble in fear! Why? Because this Creator-God has the authority to cast them into hell!

Today’s verse says that God has the authority or power to send them to “Gehenna,” a place for those who are lost. It’s as if God is saying, “I’ve tried and tried to rescue you, but you keep refusing. I give up! There’s no hope for you. From now on, I’ll count you in the “lost” group.”

Things are pretty “black or white” with God. If you’re with him - good. If you’re not with him - bad. There’s really no middle ground. God will separate the sheep from the goats, and you’ll be in one group or the other. He is, after all, God!

If you’re not sure if you are “saved,” rejoice! “Not sure” means that you aren’t in the “lost” group. Your questioning and seeking is God giving you the opportunity to become one of the sheep!

Baa!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, July 28, Jesus teaches about the rich fool, Luke 12:13-21, with pastor Daisy. See you at church!

NL

Yeast - What's the deal?

July 15, 2013 Monday Message:

“Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. (Luke 12:1 NLT)

When God rescued his people from Egypt, He gave them special instructions through Moses. The Hebrews were to sacrifice a male lamb or goat and put some of its blood above their doors. Death would then “pass over” that house, the first “Passover.”

The meat from this sacrifice was to be part of their Passover meal, and the meal also came with specific instructions, as God put the rescue into play: be fully dressed, ready-to-go; tuck your shirt into your belt, so you can run quickly; wear shoes, so that you can get going; keep your walking stick in your hand; and eat quickly - we’ll be leaving soon!

And one more thing – don’t eat any bread made with yeast. In fact, get all the yeast out of the house for the entire week. What? In fact, Passover has come to be known as the Festival of Unleavened Bread. But why? The Bible doesn’t always tell us why. Sometimes it’s, “God says, so just do it!” My private theory is that yeast takes time to rise. It would take too long to make yeast-bread, and God wanted them ready-to-go at a moment’s notice. But that’s my commentary, not from the Bible, so don’t quote that part.

The Hebrew people were told that God’s rescue, the Passover, was a special day to remember, something to be celebrated from generation to generation, year after year. And so it was taught annually. That’s why Jesus could refer to getting the “yeast of the Pharisees hypocrisy” out of their lives, and people would know what he meant. All Jews knew about getting yeast out of the house, so they would understand the yeast “analogy” about getting the Pharisee hypocrisy out of their lives.

Jesus was just speaking their language! He’ll also meet YOU where you are.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, July 21, Jesus deals with Pharisee hypocrisy, and honoring God and the Holy Spirit, Luke 12:1-12. See you at church!

NL

We hold these truths...

July 08, 2013 Monday Message:

“We hold these truths to be self evident…” (from the Declaration of Independence)

Last week we looked at the beliefs of our founding fathers, and noted that they based our nation on several axioms, non-negotiable truths that they all accepted. This foundation represents the “character” or the “value system” of our nation, and our laws stand on these principles.

The Declaration of Independence states that we were “endowed by our creator…,” which tells me that they all believed in a Creator-God. He wasn’t Methodist, Presbyterian or Catholic - He was simply GOD-the-creator, and while the founders may have had denominational differences, they all agreed on basing the new nation on a Creator-God.

Therefore everything that happens in our government should be looked at through the lens of the existence of a Creator-God: “Is this proposal good or bad – what does the Bible say about it? What does God say about it? Is our country operating in such a way that we have preserved God’s rights for His people, and ensured a continuing place for His church?”

Well, that was then, and this is now. It’s no secret that church attendance has been decreasing year after year, and many Christian teachers refer to the United States as a “Post-Christian” country. The non-negotiable axioms of our fathers may not be relevant to many in the current generation. And if our current government leaders do not look to a Creator-God as the founders intended, then I ask, “On what do we now base our country’s value system, or do we even have one?” We live in interesting times.

“The times, they are a-changin’.” Bob Dylan

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, July 14, Jesus calls out the Pharisees, Luke 11:37-54. See you at church!

NL

Endowed by their Creator...

July 01, 2013 Monday Message:

“Endowed by their Creator…” (from the Declaration of Independence)

Planning the USA, our founding fathers relied on several truths or axioms. These fundamental principles, these concepts we all agree to accept and believe, define our system of government. Therefore our laws and their enforcement need to “fit” within our country’s “value system.”

The signers of our Declaration of Independence were people of faith. They all believed in God-the-creator, but held to small denominational differences, mostly in worship style and traditions. So they wisely set aside their differences, and based our country on what they had in common: a Creator-God who had a purpose in mind for His creation, and a plan for how things should go.

The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are more than man-made rules; we are endowed with these gifts by our Creator. The Declaration describes these as “unalienable rights,” rights that cannot be taken away, rights given to us by God – and these principles form the DNA of our nation.

Our government’s entire operating system - our leaders, lawmakers and judges – need to rigorously examine each decision through the lens of our country’s axioms: “Does this law leave everyone’s God-given rights intact? Is this policy in line with the Creator’s plan for His people?”

By the way, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is not an inclusive list; rather, it’s a starting point for what God has in mind for his creation.

May God's blessings go with each of you this week as we celebrate the birth of our nation!

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, July 07, I’ll be shining the light of Jesus, Luke 11:29-36. Prepare to sing the song! See you at church!

NL