Hope!

For Friday, July 31, 2020.

John 6:69 NLT – Simon Peter speaking: “We believe, and we know you (Jesus) are the Holy One, Son of God.”

You’ve probably heard the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” meaning that when conditions become difficult, strong people take action.

Unfortunately, the opposite oftentimes occurs. When the going gets tough, a lot of people jump ship! Only the truly dedicated, the true believers remain loyal to the end.

Jesus, fully God and fully man, became frustrated with the crowd who followed only to see the miracles. Jesus needed to be known for who he was, not just what he did. He was teaching about the Kingdom and eternal life, things of substance, whereas the crowd shouted for one more chapter in the miracle show, something immediately helpful but with no eternal significance.

But as many others were forsaking Jesus, the Holy Spirit gave Simon Peter the right answer. “You (Jesus) are the Messiah, the Christ, Son of the Living God!” I believe God put that in the Bible so that we ALL could know the right answer and have the same assurance of salvation Peter knew. We not only have hope in this life – we have hope for the life after this life!

Blessings and safety to all!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

"God Trend"

For Thursday, July 30, 2020.

Matthew 9:36 NLT: “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus always showed compassion to those in need. Of course he did. This points to the unchanging character of God, “the same yesterday, today and forever!” I call this a ‘God Trend’ – something we can always count on.

The infirmity didn’t seem to matter - Jesus could help with anything! In he preceding verses, Jesus brought a Synagogue leader’s daughter back to life, cured a woman of bleeding, and then two blind men started following him. What do you think happened? Their faith in Jesus allowed their sight to be restored. Next Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and at the end he thanked Jesus personally! Can you see the trend?

The character of Jesus remains the same nowadays, but our problems are a little different. We’re in the midst of a Global Health Crisis and Civil Unrest. Jesus can deal with these problems as easily as the others if we come to him with an ounce of faith. Right now our world looks like the confused and helpless sheep. We need to turn to the Good Shepherd!

Blessings and safety to all today and always!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Hope!

For Wednesday, July 29, 2020.

Today’s scripture was suggested by Chaplain Shar Burgess -Romans 5:3-5 NLT: “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

Have we run into problems and trials lately with the Global Health crisis and civil unrest filling our cities? I think so! The King James version calls this “tribulations,” more than a minor inconvenience. Paul had a lot of experience with tribulations. But he didn’t ever give up!

Christians and non-Christians alike experience tribulation; Christians work through the problems. Like Paul, we don’t give up – we persevere! Perseverance leads to character. Character shows us hope, and hope is what we need at the end of a day filled with trials.

Bond with the Holy Spirit. Spend more time with God’s love than you do with the tribulation.

Blessings! Do what you can to make this a good day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Who HE Is!

For Tuesday, July 28, 2020.

Mark 3:8b NLT: “The news about Jesus’ miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.”

We rejoice when people are attracted to Jesus. The Great Commission is being fulfilled! But if their focus is on what he can do for them instead of who he is, they will not stick around for long.

The same principal applies to us. I’ve written about Jesus restoring our lives and restoring our land. He IS the great healer! But we’re missing the point if we don’t understand that he is God-in-a-man’s-body, often called the Son of God.

Jesus healed and cast out evil spirits, but the important thing is that he came with a message: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” The Kingdom of God showed up as a little baby in Bethlehem, so that everyone who believes in him could have their sins forgiven and secure a place in the eternal Kingdom.

Enjoy the miracles – be amazed! But hang on to the promise of salvation. Jesus’ offer is still open!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Inside Heaven!

Monday Message for July 27, 2020.

Mark 1:15 NLT, Jesus speaking: “The time promised by God has come at last! The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

This is what Jesus calls, “God’s Good News,” or Gospel. If you were living in a Hebrew community 2,000+ years ago, you would have known a prophecy, a prediction about a coming Messiah. Jesus-the-anointed-one (Christ) fulfilled that prophecy.

Jesus taught and explained scripture, healed the sick and cast out demons, but I believe his primary mission was the rescue of mankind. God’s desire is that none would perish, and Jesus came to earth to make that happen. So if we repent of our sins and believe the Good News brought to us by Jesus, we get to see heaven from the inside! This basic tenet of Christianity is as important today as it was when Jesus walked the earth.

The fact that the gift of redemption came through the Son of God is something of substance, something of eternal significance – something that has nothing to do with our current circumstances. Lord knows, with the coronavirus, people out of work, the killing of George Floyd and anti-police-violence protests, our current circumstances are a mess. But heaven in the presence of God is substance, is forever, and it’s still available for all of us nowadays.

That’s what the Bible says!

Blessings as we begin this new week!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Hey - It's the Sabbath!

For Sunday, July 26, 2020.

Mark 3:4 NLT: “’Jesus turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.’”

For me, our Sabbath, Sunday, is a day I look forward to, a day of joy and celebration. And according to Jesus’ rhetorical question, there is no better day to serve your neighbors.

Nowadays the question seems silly. That we wouldn’t help someone because it was a certain day of the week seems ridiculous. We are called to love God and love our neighbors, and that’s all the time!

If you’re able to attend church today, worship God. If going to church isn’t a good idea right now, worship at home. And even if you’re social distancing from your fellows, phone someone, text someone, email someone – let them know you’re thinking of them and that God still loves them. There’s no better day than today!

Blessings to all this Sabbath day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Touch the Fringe!

For Saturday, July 25, 2020.

Mark 6:56 CEV: “Wherever Jesus went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.”

If there are ever any doubts about Jesus being the great healer, this eyewitness account should settle it. Anticipating his arrival, people would line Main Street with their sick, lame, blind, and mentally deranged friends and family. Since that’s the only road through town, they knew Jesus would be passing by, and healing would be certain!

I sometimes refer to Jesus’ power as ‘supernatural,’ but let me assure you that this is not like the Justice League or some phony magician’s incantation. Jesus, being fully God and fully man, created everyone and everything. So now if something goes amiss with one of his creations, who better to set it right than the creator himself?

Jesus’ healing powers did not end when he returned to heaven. The Holy Spirit helps us pray to God in Jesus’ name, and he can not only heal living things—He can heal our cities and our once-great country. Pray that our families, our friends and our country could touch the fringe of his robe—today!

Blessings to all today – stay safe!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Peace with God!

For Friday, July 24, 2020.

Romans 5:1 CEV: “By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God.”

We have a choice – to live in constant conflict, continually pushing God past his limits – or – to live in peace with our maker. Believers have made the choice to live in harmony with God. Believers have said “yes” to Jesus.

Jesus made living in peace with God possible. Jesus paid the price for mankind’s sin so that our record before God would be spotless. Believer’s sin is at the bottom of the deepest ocean, as far as the East is from the West! Now Jesus has gone ahead to prepare our place in the eternal kingdom! God is good!

Sometimes this life goes well; other times life hands you a lemon. We don’t have any control over most of it, but we can control how we feel about it and how we react to it. We’ve been living through a lot of lemons lately, what with the pandemic and civil unrest in our country.

Therefore I would encourage everyone to take a quiet moment and pray or meditate with our God of peace. Knowing that God created you, loves you a lot, and sent his Son to escort you back home should put your mind at ease.

May you find solace knowing that you’re at peace with the Lord – Shalom!

Blessings and peace to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Faith

For Thursday, July 23, 2020.

Luke 9:11 NLT: “The crowds found out where Jesus was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.”

Before Jesus started his ministry, healing was unknown. But when people saw the lame walk and the blind see, they told their friends, and soon a huge crowd was following Jesus to witness all these miracles. Jesus turning a demon-possessed crazy person into a productive citizen must have been mind-blowing!

There’s a lot of detail written about the early healings - the words Jesus used, did he lay-on hands, did he need to touch the person – all that stuff. But as his ministry progressed and healing became commonplace, the Gospel authors simply wrote, “He healed those who were sick.” Of course he did.

The sick were healed because of faith – the belief that Jesus was who he said he was, and could do what he said he could do. Interestingly we are also saved by our faith in Jesus the Redeemer. His gift to us (grace) is a reservation in eternity in the presence of the Father, if we have faith in the Son.

That same heaven-sent power of Jesus is still available to us nowadays. Jesus can lay hands on individuals, neighborhoods, cities and nations if they call on his name. Sometimes he heals here on earth, right before our eyes! Sometimes he heals in heaven, where there is no pain or suffering. The person is nonetheless healed!

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Forever - 2

For Tuesday, July 21, 2020.

1 John 1:1 NLT: “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him (Jesus) with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.”

The Apostle John wrote this letter long after Jesus had died and returned to the Father, but John boldly makes no secret of the fact that he’s a “Jesus fan!” Having walked alongside Jesus and being one of his best friends, John can share a unique perspective concerning Jesus. There’s no better testimony than from an eyewitness, someone who was right there and saw everything with his own eyes.

John is convinced that Jesus is the author of life, and he wants to tell everyone. In his Gospel, he writes, “Jesus existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. Jesus gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

“The light” refers to Jesus’ offer of salvation; “darkness” being the evil ways of the world. Think about it - Wherever light shines becomes light. That’s why we teach the Gospel, to bring in more light. In the long run, darkness never wins.

O to have lived 2,000 years ago, to see all the miracles, the healings, to hear the teaching straight from Jesus’ mouth! But John proclaims this Good News to us so that we too can believe. He’s supporting the words of Jesus, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” And that’s all of us!

Blessings and protection to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Healing Savior!

For Wednesday, July 22, 2020.

Matthew 8:16 NLT: “That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.”

This scene is the end of a long day for Jesus. Traveling to Peter’s home, the crowd continued to follow Jesus. And in the midst of the multitude, a man with leprosy approached and asked for healing; Jesus complied.

Then – (and this is weird knowing the cultural conflicts between Romans and Jews) – a Roman Officer pleads for healing for his servant. Jesus finally heals the man right from there, and comments on the extreme faith of the officer.

The entourage finally arrives at Peter’s house, only to find his mother-in-law in bed with a fever. One touch from Jesus solves that problem.

They have a little supper, and then more and more people show up, some with mental anguish, some with physical ailments. Word was out about Jesus’ ability to heal. He steadfastly kept at it until the task was complete. The Bible says he healed ALL the sick!

Coming to Jesus for healing isn’t just for 2,000 years ago. We can still call upon the name of Jesus today, no matter what our problem. Evil still fears the name of Jesus, and he IS the great healer, no matter the sickness. He can heal individuals; he can heal cities; he can heal our nation! We’d all be better off if we’d call upon him more often!

“He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” Isaiah 53:4

Blessings and wellness to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

https://www.facebook.com/Jesus-In-The-City-Fellowship-1485478421727569

Forever!

Monday Message for July 20, 2020.

Psalm 23:6 ESV: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord — forever.

If you’ve been following our daily progression through Psalm 23, I hope you spotted what I call a “God trend.” God behaves a certain way, treats us a certain way – that establishes a trend. God treats us with love, care and forgiveness – that a God trend. Fairness and honesty point to the character of God, point to a God trend.

‘Goodness and mercy’ – God’s steadfast love for us – will continue as long as we live – and beyond! We have a Shepherd out front, leading us in both spiritual matters and day-to-day living. The key is to humbly follow that Shepherd, not to try to find a different way on our own. Keep your eyes on the Shepherd.

‘Dwell in the house of the Lord’ refers back to the previous verse, God preparing a table for you. That indicates much more than a casual relationship. If you’re taking meals together, it’s a reference to living together. Remember that on earth, God comes over to your house. In heaven, you’ve gone over to God’s house!

Eternity (or forever) is a long time. We have been given a choice – follow the Shepherd or spend eternity bobbing in a lake of fire! Personally, I’d rather live where things go well, where I can look forward to each day, proudly following my Shepherd! See you there!

Commentary on all of Psalm 23 was available this past week on my personal Facebook page, the JesusInTheCityFellowship.org web site, or the Blogspot link, and I’d encourage you to check it out. Psalm 23 is awesome!

Blessings as we begin this new week!

Pastor Norton

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Monday Message is also available at:

http://www.mondaymessage-norton.blogspot.com/

My Cup Overflows!

For Sunday, July 19, 2020.

Psalm 23:5 ESV: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Remember when Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden? While Adam was rationalizing his behavior, shifting blame and not taking responsibility for his actions, God was making clothes for the couple.

God made mankind in his image, saw that it was all very good, and he’s not about to change his mind. When God adopts you into the Holy Family – when you become children of God – that’s forever. God won’t change his mind. God won’t renege on his promise. That’s the character of God.

The ‘table’ suggests bounty, abundance. God has thousands of cattle on thousands of hills. ‘Prepare’ points to foresight and care. God is watching out for your interests. ‘Before me’ points out the personal connection God feels for you. Believers are like family!

And even when things are going wrong all around you (enemies,) God still wants to connect with you. When God prepares a table, the Christian can sit down and eat in perfect peace. Shalom!

Anointing is how God commissioned the next king or important prophet. By anointing you, God is claiming you as one of his own for the eternal kingdom. When God cares for you this much, surely your cup is overflowing!

Blessings to all on this Sabbath!

Pastor Norton

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406