Heavenly Rewards

Sept. 30, 2013 Monday Message:

Everyone wants to know what heaven will be like. When we die, our earthly “stuff” stays on earth, so the #5 most asked Bible/Christianity question is, “Am I going to get new ‘stuff?’”

It’s a different economy up there, one that’s kind of confusing. Remember, the first will be last and the last will be first, so you really don’t want to pray for more. It should be more like, “Go ahead, you can have my stuff – I don’t really need it. I’m good.”

When God says to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” you’ll see your reward. But it won’t be “stuff.” You won’t need “stuff,” because you’ll be in the presence of God. The rewards in heaven are for faithfulness. Jesus didn’t say, “Well done, good and famous, talented or popular servant.” Over and over he praises faithfulness in all things. And there will be people who fancy themselves pretty awesome servants – cool! – But the first will be last, and the last will be first – whoa, didn’t see that coming! The Bible says that we should not think too highly of ourselves.

We get crowns in heaven – God places them on our heads – and we need to say, “Right back to You, Lord. All the glory belongs to YOU!” If we think that we did so well that we can keep the crown, we just failed the test! Those who are truly faithful with the opportunities God has given them, both in this life and the next, will be given more.

Jesus has you covered for this heavenly reward business. He’s been watching, and is carrying our heavenly rewards with him. “I am coming soon. And when I come, I will reward everyone for what they have done.” Rev. 22:12

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. 06, our Prodigal Son returns home via Dan Pilla, Luke 15. Join us!

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Present with the Lord!

Sept. 23, 2013 Monday Message:

We’ve been examining the most-asked Bible/Christianity questions, and #4 is, “When you die, do you go straight to heaven?” A considerable amount of confusion and misinformation surrounds this topic, so once again we need to check our Bibles.

We must first understand that our soul, our true essence, is a spirit-being, just as God is a spirit-being. For the believer in Jesus Christ (and that’s the key, being a believer in Jesus, adopted into the Holy family,) the Bible says that after death our souls/spirits go directly to be with Jesus, while our body goes into the ground. Dust to dust. Our spirit can be with God right away because our sins have been forgiven by the work Jesus did. So, soul with Jesus – and physical body “asleep in the earth,” or as the Bible says, “away from the body, at home with the Lord.”

But when Jesus returns, everything changes. Our bodies will awaken and rise again, just as He rose again, and our spirit and body will reunite. If your body was sick or old or run-down, don’t worry – we will all be given beautifully restored, glorified bodies at that time. God-the-provider will see to it that we have exactly what we need as He creates (restores) the new heaven and the new earth. At that time, our eternal destiny won’t change; the precise “location” of our destiny is all that changes.

So remember: “Absent from the body – present with the Lord!”

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, Sept. 29, Pastor Michael Pilla teaches about the lost sheep and the lost coin, Luke 15. Join us!

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Jesus Loves the Little Children

Sept. 16, 2013 Monday Message:

The #3 most-asked Bible/Christianity question is, “Do children who die without Christ go to heaven?”

Who doesn’t love little children? And if they unfortunately die, who wouldn’t want them to be in heaven? The desire to answer “yes” has led the church down some twisted paths, including soul sleep, baptizing the dead, and, yes, even infant baptism. While we could debate the merits of each of these things, the fact is that none of them are required to spend eternity with our creator. God already has us covered.

When the thief-on-the-cross pleaded for Jesus to include him in the kingdom, Jesus didn’t say, “OK. Let’s get down off these crosses, hike over to the Jordan, and let me dunk you three times because we all know that you need to be baptized.” No, Jesus simply said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” The thief on the cross, as well as you, me, and our children will all get into heaven because Jesus says so, not because of anything we did. Note: You SHOULD be baptized because that’s something Jesus said we were to do. But baptism alone isn’t a ticket into heaven. We need to open our Bibles to get this right.

In 2 Samuel 12, David had a little boy, and the baby was dying. And David put on sackcloth and ashes and prayed for healing, but there was no reversing the child’s condition. David heard the servants talking, and he asked them if the baby was dead.

“Yes.” So David put on clean clothes and ate because he had been fasting, and the servants said, “How come he is so happy – the baby died!” They exchanged a few words, and then David said, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” In other words, David knew his son was safe in God’s arms, and fully expected to see his child again in the next life.

So as Christians, we believe that children who die before an age of accountability go to be with the Lord. And disabled adults, who never reach accountable intelligence – same deal, same subject. God provides for them.

Romans Ch. 2 covers it all: “Will not the God of this earth do what is right?”

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. Being a disciple of Jesus is not easy, and Sunday, Sept. 22, I’ll be teaching about the cost of following Jesus, Luke Ch. 14. Join us!

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Decision Today

Sept. 09, 2013 Monday Message:

We’ve been looking at the most-asked Bible/Christianity questions, and #2 is, “Couldn’t I make my decision when I’m closer to death?”

The thinking is that you could live your life YOUR way, do all the (bad) stuff that brings you short-term pleasure, and then – at the very last minute – call out to Jesus to rescue you. This is sometimes called “Deathbed Repentence,” the close cousin of “Foxhole Conversion.”

A lot of people want to be in charge of their own lives until something goes terribly wrong. Every time there’s a crisis in our country (think 9-1-1,) our churches fill up. When faced with peril, great risk or imminent death, people are more open to hearing about Jesus. They were belligerent throughout life – “I don’t need God,” – “I don’t have time for Jesus.” But when faced with death, sadly, it’s: “I don’t have a plan.”

Yes, deathbed conversion is possible. When faced with death, the thief on the cross, realizing that Jesus was THE ONE, pleaded, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus told him, “Today you will be with me in paradise!” Now, did the thief get to heaven by going to church? No! Did the thief get to heaven by being a good person? No – he was, after all, a THIEF! He got into heaven by asking Jesus to go to bat for him. Faith in Jesus is the only way a person gets into heaven.

Remember that the thief was contrite; he admitted his crime, and knew that he deserved the punishment. But I worry that most Deathbed Conversions are a reaction to fear and uncertainty, and not really a true commitment to make Jesus Christ Lord and Savior one’s life. It’s grasping at straws - a knee-jerk reaction to imminent death, suddenly talking the talk, without ever having walked the walk. That’s why today is the accepted day to get right with God.

May you and Jesus get on a first-name basis today.

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, Sept. 15, Pastor Pilla opens up Luke Ch. 14. Join us!

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"Do" vs. "Done" Religion

Sept. 02, 2013 Monday Message:

We’ve been looking at the most-asked Bible/Christianity questions, and the #1 question is, “Can we really know for sure that we’re going to heaven?” We’ve learned that Jesus is the direct connection to eternal life. Know that Jesus is the Anointed One (Christ.) Place your faith, hope and trust in Him, and Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise!” We also discussed that nothing we do (other than following Jesus) would earn us a place in heaven. The correct answer lies in what Jesus did for us.

(Sometimes Monday Message winds up on the same time path as our current sermon series – my apologies if you’re hearing this twice!)

Other religions are always having people “do” stuff to gain favor with God, to pile up “heaven-points.” To them, life is like a balance scale – good on one side, evil on the other. Unfortunately, bad stuff seems to pile up all by itself; so there is a perpetual effort to put enough good works on the other side, to tip the balance in favor of salvation. When have you done enough good to counterbalance the bad parts? I don’t know, and they don’t know, but they keep trying and hoping. We call these “Do” religions.

Unfortunately, “Do” is logical. It makes sense to us, and it creeps into Christian-based religions.

“You have to attend church every Sunday.” Good idea, but showing up each week doesn’t secure your place in heaven.

“You need to be baptized.” I highly recommend it because Jesus was baptized and said we should be too, but that’s not what secures your eternal destiny.

“You need to take communion.” Again, Jesus said to do this in remembrance of Him, but communion isn’t a heaven-ticket.

Some believer’s lives are perpetually stuck in the 1800’s, some wear special clothing, ring bells, offer sacrifices, tithe an exact amount, burn incense, light candles, wear ceremonial robes and hats, and sing only 200-year-old hymns accompanied by an organ. And I’m telling you today that none of this matters, because the securing of your eternal destiny isn’t controlled by anything that you can do.

In fact, all the work has been done for you, and it’s a gift to you from Jesus. Jesus did all the work on the cross, and your sins are forgiven. Christianity isn’t a “Do” religion – it’s a “Done” religion!

Accept the free gift!

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, Sept. 08, Dan Pilla wraps up Luke Ch. 13, and People of Hope provide special Worship Music! Join us!

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