Eternal God - Eternal Forgiveness

Oct. 29, 2018 Monday Message:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev. 1:8 NIV

Knowing that God is eternal is essential to our salvation. God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omnipresent (everywhere), and omniscient (all-knowing). Since God is not restricted by mankind’s linear time and space boundaries, we can deduce that our rescue has been on God’s radar for quite some time.

Because of what Jesus did, we have been forgiven; redeemed. And from God’s eternal perspective, that work is finished. The matter is settled. We have been adopted into the Holy Family, and our God, who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, is not about to change his mind.

Of course as humans living in the world, we’re prone to sin and shortcomings. We find ourselves doing things we swore we’d never do again. You’re in good company – Paul experienced the same difficulties, and wrote about it, asking why he did the things he did not want to do, while not doing the things he intended to do.

But there’s Good News! God didn’t throw Paul away, and he won’t throw us away either. The fact that we might sin after becoming a Christian is no surprise to Him. God never says, “Wow! I didn’t see that coming!”

When God redeems you, it’s forever, because our God is an eternal God. “For by one sacrifice he (Jesus) has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Heb. 10:14

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Michael Pilla opens up Habakkuk!

On Forgiveness...

Oct. 22, 2018 Monday Message:

On Forgiveness…

Mankind is plagued with a sinful nature, and the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But it also says that if you repent and return to the Lord, you will be forgiven.

Consider Saul of Tarsus – we know him as Saint Paul. Trained as a Pharisee, he formed a posse to capture the new Christians, bring them in chains to the Temple for trial, sometimes resulting in their execution. Saul wrote, “When the believers were put to death, I cast my vote against them.” He put to death many, many Christians. Simply put, he murdered God’s Children.

And yet God forgave him. God got Saul’s attention on the road to Damascus, and then sent him on a mission for Christ, to deliver the Good News to the Gentile nations. God saw through what Saul WAS, and focused on what he could BECOME if he was forgiven! Turns out that the “forgiven Saul” was far more useful for Kingdom-building.

Of course the lesson here is that if Saul could be forgiven for murdering God’s children, then we should likewise forgive all manner of sin against us. Jesus said that our sins will be forgiven AS WE FORGIVE others. Don’t hang onto anger, frustration, and resentments - just let God work it out. Don’t let someone who sins against you control how you feel today. Divorce yourself from the whole matter.

Let go and let God. Smile!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Michael Pilla continues teaching from Micah.

On Creation...

Oct. 15, 2018 Monday Message:

When God created the earth and everything in it (c. Garden-of-Eden,) everything was at its best. God didn’t give us little acorns and hope that they could somehow find water, sunlight and soil and miraculously develop into magnificent oak trees. Rather, God gave us a mighty oak at its peak, the best it could be, and, like everything else on earth, told it to go forth and multiply.

Therefore, to answer the classic question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, the answer is clearly the chicken. God gave us chickens at their peak, and gave them the ability to reproduce their own kind.

Similarly, God created Adam and Eve in their peak condition with the ability to reproduce. That God-trend continues even today, with our progeny bearing testimony to the efficacy of the plan.

A good analogy to all of this is climbing up one side of a mountain to reach the peak, and then continuing on down the other side. Little babies grow into toddlers, children climb up the mountain, and young adults reach their peak. After that, it’s a trip downhill, down the other side, leaving room for subsequent generations to follow in their footsteps.

When it’s our turn to visit the new heaven and the new earth, God promised us fully restored bodies. And when God creates our new bodies, they will follow the God-trend. We will be restored to our peak, the best we can be.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. It’s New Hope Tour day, and lunch will be served following the service. Founding Pastor Michael Pilla teaches from Micah.

Forgive

Oct. 7, 2018 Monday Message:

(Jesus speaking:) “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matt. 6:12 NIV

The disciples wanted Jesus to teach them to pray, and he included these words. This principle of forgiveness is so important that Jesus restated it again: “If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matt. 6:14-15

You’ve probably heard the Christian saying, “Let go and let God.” That’s a good idea. It’s unhealthy to hang onto old resentments. And carrying a grudge is just too much work! Today is a good day to clean house. Start afresh – empty your bag of grievances.

As you forgive others, so will the Father forgive you. And forgiven followers of Jesus the Christ will be welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Founding Pastor Michael Pilla teaches from Jonah.

Jesus - THE Way!

Oct. 1, 2018 Monday Message:

(Jesus speaking:) “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

A lot of people like this verse, but some disagree. They think heaven should be more inclusive. Surely there are good people in other religions and in other parts of the world where Christianity isn’t the prominent faith.

But those of us with a high view of scripture believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, not something to be debated. Jesus is not saying that he is a way, as in one of many ways. God appointed him to be THE way, as in the one and only way.

Heaven doesn’t grant salvation by grading on a curve. “Pretty good” isn’t good enough. Mankind is plagued with sin: “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory,” and even a little bit of sin is unacceptable in the presence of the Father.

Fortunately for us, Jesus has us covered. In the Great Exchange, Jesus took the sin of the world upon himself, and clothed the believers in garments of white – pure and wholly acceptable before the Lord.

We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, the one who is THE WAY!

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. This week’s message is from Obadiah 1:21. Who??? See you at church!