Good News - Great Joy!

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Dec. 29, 2014 Monday Message:

Angel of the Lord to shepherds: “Don’t be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people.” Luke 2:10 GNT

With Jesus, we all expect good news and great joy. “Gospel” translates as “good news.” And we also expect joy, as in “joy of the Lord.” (Remember that happiness depends on circumstances; happiness comes and goes. But the joy of the Lord is derived from things of substance, things eternal. When you call Jesus “Lord and Savior,” you can be filled with the Holy Spirit and you can be filled with perpetual Joy of the Lord.)

What we don’t emphasize in the Christmas story, is that prior to Jesus’ arrival, there was big shortage of joy in the holy land. Herod the Great is the villain in the story, and there was no joy about him. He was a schemer who clawed his way to the top of the regional Roman government by oppressing the Hebrew people.

Herod saw the baby Jesus as a threat, since people were referring to Jesus as, “King of the Jews.” A common greeting at the time was, “Caesar is Lord,” and Herod was Augustus Caesar’s man in charge of Israel and the Jews. Herod had no tolerance for another “King” of anything.

Herod was an insecure, angry, mean man, totally lacking in joy. And day-by-day, the Hebrews lived in this land with no joy in its leadership. They were really looking for someone to be nice and kind, someone with a good disposition – someone to emphasize love.

And so even though Jesus was poor, born in a stable, his birth fulfilled many prophecies, which gave the people hope, which filled them with joy!

Merry Christmas!

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship Together! Each Sunday Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, Jan. 4, we’re in Acts 13:1-12, the Holy Spirit sends Barnabas and Saul, and we’ll look at prophets and prophesies. Bring your Bible!

Jesus is THE Way!

Dec. 22, 2014 Monday Message:

Jesus: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 1:14:6 NIV

There is a fairly common but incorrect belief, that a good person doing the best they can, will certainly see eternity with the creator. Jesus says otherwise.

God doesn’t grade on a curve; it’s “pass/fail!” No one has ever been able to keep God’s law perfectly. The Bible says that, “All have sinned and fallen short…” In fact, the best use of the law is to make us aware of our shortcomings and our need for a redeemer.

That’s why Christmas is such good news. Jesus came to rescue us! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV

So the fact that we all need Jesus to be with Father God in eternity wasn’t just Jesus’ idea – it was God’s plan all along!

Jesus: “I have come so that everyone would have life…” from John 10:10 CEV

Merry Christmas!

Norton Lawellin

Every Sunday Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, Dec. 28, Pastor Michael Pilla teaches from Luke 2:21-40 – Baby Jesus visits the Temple.

Purpose?

Dec. 15, 2014 Monday Message:

“John (the Baptist) will lead many people in Israel to turn back to the Lord their God. He will go ahead of the Lord with the same power and spirit that Elijah had.” Luke 1:16:17a

John was conceived and born with a purpose, God’s purpose. He preached, “Repent and return,” to anyone who would listen, preparing them for the soon-to-arrive Jesus.

Jesus too had a purpose – to teach, heal and rescue mankind. It would have been easier, more expeditious, for God to remain in heaven and just write-off the human sinners. But God truly loves his created mankind, so he came to earth in the form of Jesus, Son of God, to firsthand deal with our sin-problem. And God IS God, so sin-problem - solved! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 AKJV

Sometimes we feel that we’ve been sent by God to do something. Other times we feel called by God. What’s important is knowing that we all have a purpose in the kingdom. God’s kingdom would not be complete without each one of us. Do you know your purpose? When God calls, do you answer, “Yes?”

“When there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18a KJV

Norton Lawellin

Every Sunday Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, Dec. 21, Pastor Michael Pilla welcomes all as we celebrate the birth of our Lord.

Prepare the Way - #2

Dec. 08, 2014 Monday Message:

Last week we talked about John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus’ ministry, and the value of advance preparation.

Mary too had been prepared for what was about to take place. The angel Gabriel told her that she would have a son named Jesus who will be called, “Son of the Most High, and like David he will reign as King of Israel, and his kingdom will never end.” Wow! from Luke 1:31-33 CEV

Mary was somewhat confused: “How can this happen? I am not married!”

Gabriel explained God’s power, the power of the Holy Spirit, and told her that her child will be called the Holy Son of God!

Mary agreed, saying, “I am here to serve the Lord.” She was now prepared for all that would happen, and therefore played her role perfectly when it was time.

This is a great story, but I have to ask: What if she had NOT been properly prepared? What if she just turned up pregnant one day?

An unwed pregnant woman would be an embarrassment to her family, estranged from her fiancé, and could be stoned by her community.

But Mary had been prepared – she knew the inside story of what was about to happen. It took another angel to bring Joseph around. But then Mary and Joseph in turn prepared their close family and friends for what was about to take place, as the prophesy of Isaiah was being fulfilled: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel – God is with us!” Isaiah 7:14b NIV

“Jesus” means “The Lord saves!”

Norton Lawellin

Every Sunday Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, Dec. 14, we welcome all as Pastor Michael Pilla continues our Advent journey.

Prepare the Way

Dec. 01, 2014 Monday Message:

“John will lead many people in Israel to turn back to the Lord their God. He will go ahead of the Lord…” Luke 1:16-17a CEV

Never underestimate the value of preparing the way. That’s what John the Baptist did - he prepared the way for Jesus.

Jesus could have simply appeared at the appointed time: “Hey! Great Redeemer, here! Anybody interested?” Probably not.

But John got the people ready: “Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!” He told the people to expect the Messiah, to watch for the Messiah. John encouraged people to repent and return to the Lord, and he baptized them in the Jordan. When Jesus came forth for baptism, John said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the One…” And John testified that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, like a dove from heaven.

Because of John’s work, when it was time for Jesus’ ministry to begin, people were ready for it. “I’ve heard about this. I’m on-board; I want to be part of it too! So this is what John was talking about!” In other words, the people weren’t taken by surprise; they were well prepared.

By the way - it’s always a good idea to thoroughly prepare your congregation for any significant change. Preparing the way, you see, is biblical!

Norton Lawellin

Every Sunday Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, Dec. 7, Pastor Michael Pilla continues our Advent journey.