Psalm 50 - Calling ALL People!

June 27, 2016 Monday Message:

“The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and He has spoken; He has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets.” Psalms 50:1 NLT

God gave visions and prophesies through his chosen people, the Jews. But Psalm 50 is really good news for Gentiles. God has called ALL people to turn to Him. He has summoned everyone from where the sun rises to where it sets, as far as the eye can see, and even beyond.

As this Psalm was written, people were living under the Old Covenant, the Law. Unfortunately, no one could succeed under this system. God doesn’t grade on a “curve;” God uses a pass/fail system: 100% right, you’re in; get one thing wrong, bye bye!

This clearly wasn’t working out, and God’s desire is that no one would perish, so Jesus, God’s own son, came to earth to be our sin-offering. Under this New Covenant, instead of being safe at the last judgment because we followed every rule, we can be safe at the last judgment because our sins are forgiven by grace, because of what Jesus did for us.

Jesus made a way for us all to spend eternity in the presence of the Father, if we’ll just walk with him.  See you there!

Norton Lawellin

This Sunday, July 3, 2016, Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) worships in our new location, the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30am. We welcome Pastor Dale Rader to the pulpit.

Psalm 49 - Eternity is calling!

June 20, 2016 Monday Message:

“You cannot buy back your life or pay off God! It costs far too much… You can never pay God enough to stay alive forever.” from Psalms 49:7-9 CEV

Jesus told the story of a rich man who enjoyed such abundance that he considered tearing down his old buildings and putting up larger ones. His short-sighted view was focused on his enterprise, his stuff, his wealth. He wanted to “eat, drink, and be very happy for many more years.” from Luke 12

But Jesus told him, “You fool. Tonight you will die. Then to whom will all these things belong?” We’ve all heard the old saying, “You can’t take it with you,” and Jesus was pointing this out to the rich man in his lesson.

Advertisers bombard us with investment advice each day, telling us to save for our retirement. That’s not bad, but Jesus wants us to be more concerned with investing in our ETERNAL life. He wants us to prepare for the reality after this reality. He wants everyone to repent and return to the presence of the Father, forever and ever.

Eternity is a very long time.

Norton Lawellin

This Sunday, June 26, 2016, Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) worships in our new location, the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30am. We’re back to our study of the book of Romans, Chapter 12. See you at church!

Psalm 48 - Forever and Ever

June 13, 2016 Monday Message:

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.” Psalms 48:1a NIV

3000 years ago, many people believed that their god visited earth on the highest mountain. In Psalm 48, the Sons of Korah are declaring Zion the highest mountain, and therefore Yahweh the ultimate God. If you love the Lord, you need no other gods. There is no one higher.

Mankind thinks of mountains as beautiful and majestic – awesome creations. God’s people felt that way about Mount Zion. Interestingly, the city of Jerusalem was built on a hill, so that it would be seen as a beautiful city. A high mountain and an all-powerful God repeatedly struck terror in the hearts of Israel’s enemies. God’s unfailing love protected his faithful followers. We are admonished to convey these truths to the next generation.

“God will be our guide until the end.” The Lord will lead us all the days of our lives. But God’s care, protection and love also extend into the next reality. “For this God is our God forever and ever.” Psalms 48:14 Forever and ever means “always,” and if we believe, love and obey God and his Son Jesus, we will be together for all time.

Norton Lawellin

This Sunday, June 19, 2016, Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) welcomes our New Hope guests to the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30am. Pastor Michael Pilla shares a special word – Isaiah and the Prodigal Son.

Psalm 47 - Celebrate!

June 06, 2016 Monday Message:

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Psalms 47:1 NIV

In Psalm 47, God has once again favored Israel, rescuing the Jews from their oppressors. So now the Sons of Korah are leading worship, praising God for his everlasting lovingkindness with a bit of chutzpah!

“Clap your hands and shout for joy!” These people are blown-away by the favor God has shown them. They want to run and shout the good news to everyone, following the example of David in I Chronicles 13:8, as they were returning the Ark of the Covenant to Israel: “David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals, trumpets,” – and dancing in the streets!

We will celebrate like that on Sunday, as Jesus in the City Fellowship launches worship in our new venue, 10:30am. We will clap hands, crash cymbals, and generally make a joyful noise to the Lord. I can’t say enough good things about our God who has brought us to this place.

Hallelujah — Praise to you, Yahweh!

Norton Lawellin

This Sunday, June 12, 2016, Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) brings our worship to the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30am. Founding Pastor Michael Pilla shares his vision for ministry in this new location.