God-trends

May 26, 2014 Monday Message:

“I the LORD do not change. (Malachi 3:6a)

After church, we were discussing differences in Bible translations. Some are word-for-word, but they don’t always read too well. Some are thought-for-thought; they read better, but sometimes the actual words are important too, and those could be lost. Some translators combine the two, striving for the best balance.

Some newer translations have the goal of using modern jargon, contemporary language that would sound “normal” to young people living in 2014. These are fun and sometimes educational. They can help us make sense of complex scriptures that were confusing in the older translations, but I wouldn’t want any of these to be my “only” Bible.

I’ve heard it said that the best Bible translation is the one you actually use. That works for me. If you’ve been a Christian for a while, you’ve probably already spotted “God-trends.” If God called something a sin back then, it is still a sin nowadays. If He wanted Old Testament people to live a certain way, he expects New Testament people to live by the same principles. If you know God-trends, God-principles, you don’t need to fact-check everything; you already know God’s trends.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!” Hebrews 13:8

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 week Pastor Michael Pilla continues our study in Acts.

Ask - Pray

May 19, 2014 Monday Message:

It is not the Church’s business in this world to simply make your present condition, your current misery, more bearable. God’s intention is not to make you feel more at ease in the mire; rather, He will lift you up and place you on a solid rock. (Psalm 40:2)

God is always willing to help; miracles still happen. But first we need to ask him. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:9)

Oftentimes we under-ask – we ask for far less than God wants to give. The lame man at the healing pool just asked for help getting into the water when it moved. Jesus wanted to give him new legs. (John 5)

Are we willing to settle for less than God is willing to give? Are your low expectations robbing you of all that God could do to help? By assuming the impossibility of your situation, are you limiting God? Understand that you can’t limit God, but you can limit your expectations of what God can do for you.

The blind guy on the road to Jericho got it right.

Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you.”

And he replied, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said, “Receive your sight – your faith has healed you!”

Miracles require faith, faith that God can and will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

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 week Pastor Michael Pilla continues our study in Acts.

One of the Twelve

May 12, 2014 Monday Message:

2000 years ago, most Rabbis had some disciples, thereby training the next generation of religious teachers. They would instruct 1 or 2 people at a time, with 3 - 4 being the practical limit. No individual Rabbi had more than a half dozen disciples.

But Jesus called 12 disciples, way more than was customary. It’s as if he wanted to make a splash!

If you understand that Jesus is truth, then it all makes sense. Hearing truth right from God’s mouth holds a supernatural attraction for those of us in search of answers to first-order questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose?

When studying Jesus, we need to remember that the congregation of believers numbers way more than just the 12. In Luke 10, Jesus sent 72 other disciples, 2 by 2, as an advance team, to the towns he intended to visit. The word “other” tells me that those sent are in addition to the 12. And the Bible is only counting male-heads-of-household. But many of these people were married and had kids. And some undocumented followers were single women. It would be fair to estimate that a short while after his ministry launch, there were hundreds of people following Jesus most of the time.

By Palm Sunday, the number had increased. By now, ALL of Jerusalem had heard of Jesus - the healings, the miracles, and his claims to be the Son of God. In front of Him, they laid colorful cloth and palm branches, decorating the road for his Triumphal Entry, shouting, “Save us; save us now!” They knew that only God could truly save them.

Nowadays, the number of disciples following Jesus seems to have increased. The number in His circle now stands at over 2 billion. If you’re reading this, you’re probably one of them.

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! This week I’ll open Acts 3 – Peter heals a crippled beggar – Miracles in Jesus’ name are still possible AFTER the crucifixion! 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.

Believe

May 05, 2014 Monday Message:

Jesus: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29 ESV)

There are over 2 billion Christians in the world today, none of whom have ever “seen,” and yet by definition, they all “believe.”

Understanding these Christian stories requires a lot of faith. Some are unexplainable in “human” terms. What happened in the Bible – especially the facts concerning the resurrection and ascension – can only be explained as “supernatural”.

When I see and believe things that defy human logic, I credit God. Maybe it’s angels, or the Holy Spirit, but it’s all “God-stuff.” A dead man walking, talking and teaching - and eventually taken up into heaven in a cloud – humans just don’t do that stuff.

And yet those miracles are the crux of our theology. As Christians, we’ve heard these incredible stories for years, and they sound perfectly normal to us. Not so for the new believer. We need to help them with courage and confidence to become believers, because if they can believe without seeing, they too will be blessed. That’s what Jesus said.

Norton Lawellin

See you Sunday – This week Pastor Michael continues our study in Acts 1. 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.