Psalm 46 - Be Still

May 30, 2016 Monday Message:

“God is our refuge and strength… therefore we will not fear.” from Psalms 46:1-2 NIV

Henry Ford pioneered “Division of Labor” on the automobile assembly line, but the concept had been around for many years. Plato wrote that to supply our needs, “We will need a farmer, a builder, a weaver, a shoemaker, and perhaps 1 or 2 others.”

God’s Division of Labor is quite simple, straight to the point: Only God is God, and you and I are not. Therefore we are to look to God, and ask Him and permit Him to supply us with the goodness that only the LORD can provide.

Verse 10 begins with God speaking: “Be still and know that I am God.” We frequently lift those words out of context. Bible teachers counsel us to meditate, to spend quiet time with God. That’s never a bad thing to do, but it’s not the intended message here. We need to read on both sides of that one line to get the true meaning.

Israel oftentimes found itself at war with other nations. God – yes, THAT God - would grant them victory. “Come see what the LORD has done. He makes wars cease. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the shields with fire.” from Psalm 46:8-9

The Israelites were patting themselves on the back, congratulating themselves on the victory, but God admonishes them to stop praising themselves – in other words, be still – and know that this victory was a gift from your Father in heaven.

All of us would do well to be still more often, and thank God for all the goodness he has poured into our lives.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets 1 more Sunday at 10 am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. June 12 will be the first service in our new location, the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406. This week, Pastor Van Dickerson opens up Romans 10. We welcome guest worship leader David Boiltl.

Psalm 45

May 23, 2016 Monday Message:

“My heart is moved by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king.” Psalms 45:1a HCSB

C. S. Lewis said it best: some of the psalms have dual meanings. He also wrote that Psalm 45 is a good example of this.

Most of Psalm 45 speaks to the king and queen of Israel. But that was then, and this is now. 2,000 years ago, heaven came to earth as the “Son of Man,” Jesus the Christ, our Messiah. So we no longer worship an earthly king. Our King is now the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world; these words are intended for our King of kings.

The queen is a person the king marries, and the Bible calls the church “the bride of Christ.” So the portion of this message addressed to the queen is really for all believers, everyone in the church.

It continues the theme that after Jesus walked the earth, we live in a new era, with a new deal, under a new covenant with God.

We tend to see the worldly church around us, the church of mankind with all its problems and faults. We see everything “wrong.” But Jesus sees the church as beautiful – after all, it’s his bride! Jesus sees everything that’s right with the church.

I’m helping a Christian friend complete a CD project, and the title song is, “It’s a Brand New Day!” After Jesus, everything changed – for the better, I might add!

“The people will praise you forever and ever.” Psalm 45:17b From the Hebrew, this literally means as far as the eye can see. For us it means Praise the LORD always and forever.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets 2 more Sundays at 10 am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. Then, (Hallelujah!) June 12 will be the first service in our new location, the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406. This week, Pastor Michael Pilla continues our study in Romans.

Psalm 44 - Teach Me Your Experience!

May 16, 2016 Monday Message:

“We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.” Psalms 44:1 NIV

We would do well to learn from our ancestors; life would be easier. But mankind seems to learn best in the school of hard knocks. We have to try things for ourselves, make our own mess, then try to clean things up and straighten things out before we realize that it would have been simpler to just listen to our elders, to learn from them.

When I was a young man, coming out of high school, going off to college, I thought I knew everything; I had life under control. My parents were hopelessly boring, simple people, who were intent on curtailing my youthful exuberance. I’d show them!

But as an adult, raising my own children, I frequently heard my parent’s words coming out of my mouth. It seems that my parents get smarter the longer I live!

America’s Revolutionary War supporter Edmund Burke wrote, “Those who don’t know history, are doomed to repeat it.” Learning from those who walked before us gives us the opportunity to build upon their experience, to increase our generation’s knowledge.

When legendary New York Yankee’s catcher Yogi Berra first came to the major leagues, he asked the previous catcher to “teach me your experience.” According to the Bible, that was a good thing to do.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10 am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. Sunday, May 22, Pastor Michael Pilla resumes our study in Romans.

Pentecost Coming!

May 09, 2016 Monday Message:

“When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover, the believers were gathered together in one place.” Acts 2:1

This coming Sunday, May 15, is celebrated in many churches as “Pentecost.” Pentecost is the Greek name for the Hebrew “Shavuot” or “Shavuous.” In the Anglican (Episcopal) church, it’s called “Whitsunday.” The Hebrew people were celebrating God giving them the Law through Moses on Mt. Sinai.

But the day has a much different meaning for Christians. First, this is the day when the gathered believers received the gift of the Holy Spirit. There was a mighty sound, like a giant wind, and little flickering flames descended from heaven and landed on each person. There was no mistaking it – no one could miss what was happening. Many churches nowadays use red paraments on their altars, wear red clothing that day and sing, “Send the Fire!”

Next, everyone in Jerusalem heard that sound of mighty wind, and gathered to see what was taking place. Peter then preached the first large-scale Christian “Repent-and-Return” message to the crowd, and many were persuaded. 3,000 were baptized and added to their number that day, so we now celebrate Pentecost as the “Birth of the Church.”

But remember, the first step in that first Pentecost is that the believers were all gathered in one place. They actually got out of bed, got dressed, and went to worship and pray with their brothers and sisters – kind of like us going to church. They were all of one mind, on the same page, shared the same intents and purposes. And look what happened!

So following the example of the early church, I encourage each one of us to leap out of bed next Sunday morning, don something red, and go join your brothers and sisters in worship and prayer. Who knows what could happen next? Send the Fire!

Norton Lawellin

Join us for worship on Pentecost Sunday, May 15. Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10 am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. We’ll look into the Birth of the Church on that first day of Pentecost as it happened in Acts Ch. 2. See you at church!

Psalms 42-43

May 02, 2016 Monday Message:

“When can I go and meet with God?” Psalms 42:2b

The scene is a desert – hot, sandy, very dry. Psalm 42 is written for “local” people - everyone in the region would know about the desert. You and I are the “hart,” the male deer, strong and majestic in many ways, but panting for the lack of water, God.

This analogy was put forth by the Sons of Korah who lived and worked at the Temple. In fact, some of the Sons of Korah were gifted vocalists, so they were probably the ones authoring worship songs.

At the time, people expected to find the LORD in the Temple, but weren’t too sure about anywhere else. But the fact is, God is everywhere. You don’t have to go to Jerusalem to find God. In many manuscripts, Psalms 42 and 43 were one, and eventually the “hart” gets water from the Hermons, mountains north of Jerusalem, probably from the headwaters of the Jordan river.

Sometimes our lives can feel like a desert. Do you ever experience a “dry spell” from God? But if we could look in the window at our lives, we’d see that God was right where he’s always been. It was we who had turned away. The Good News is that it’s not too hard to turn back toward God. Now we know that we can find God everywhere: on the desert, in the mountains, in the Temple, in your quiet place and at your local church.

Jesus promised his followers “living water,” that they might never thirst again. He’s promising the Holy Spirit. (from John 7:37-39)

Norton Lawellin

Next Sunday is Mother’s Day, and the Sunday after that is Pentecost! Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10 am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, May 8, 2016, Pastor Retha concludes Romans 8 as we celebrate Mother’s Day.