Test God?

For Sunday, January 31, 2021

Malachi 3:10 NIV: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

In general, we're supposed to trust God, not test God. This is the one exception where God says, “Go ahead – test me on this – see if it isn't so!”

God's promises are always good. If we bring God a little, the Bible says that he will pour out a lot of blessings for us, and that good news gives us hope! Nowadays we use money; dollars. Back then people would tithe a portion of their harvest, bringing it to the storehouse for the priests. We bring our tithes to our local church.

“'Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,' says the Lord Almighty.”

Blessings and safety to all on our day of worship!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Hope Raised!

For Saturday, January 30, 2021

Titus 1:2 MSG, Paul speaking: “My aim is to raise hopes by pointing the way to life without end. This is the life God promised long ago—and he doesn’t break promises!”

The word “gospel” means “good news,” and that's what this is. A life after this life is good news indeed, and the Apostle Paul wants this message at the forefront of our minds, both for us, and for those with whom we share the good news of Jesus! These words give us hope that we can also forward to others.

Paul also speaks to the character of God. God's word is good, his promises always come to fruition and his covenants stand the test of time. Therefore we can count on what God has promised – take it to the bank, so to speak.

Paul's aim is to raise hopes, and that's exactly what we're seeking!

Blessings and safety to all!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Covenant Loyalty!

For Friday, January 29, 2021

Psalm 119:41 CEV: “Show me your love and save me, Lord, as you have promised.”

Mankind lives under a promise of God, a covenant. Those who repent and call on the name of His Son, Jesus, will be saved, rescued, redeemed and given life-after-this-life. We'll get to see heaven from the inside! That's a promise from God himself, and that gives us a lot of hope! God's promises are always good; He never goes back on his word!

God's love and mercy, his 'hesed,' has been called “Covenant Loyalty.” The love God has for us, his “everlasting loving-kindness,” never ends. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of the Lord. God doesn't make any junk, and his desire is that none would perish – He wants to include everyone who will come!

God is driving the train to heaven, and wants you to hop on-board!

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Jesus will Return!

For Thursday, January 28, 2021

James 5:8 GNT: “You also must be patient. Keep your hopes high, for the day of the Lord's coming is near.”

We do not know the exact day when Jesus will return to rule the earth, but each 24-hours brings us one day closer. The Bible advises us to keep our eyes open and our house in order.

James compares our waiting for the Lord to a farmer waiting for his crop to come in. He waits patiently – these things take time. But he has a reasonable expectation of being rewarded. The farmer continues working while waiting for the harvest, and is encouraged by its value. He remains joyful, keeping his eye on the prize.

Spurgeon writes, “When God shall give you a rich return for all you have done for him, you will blush to think you ever doubted!”

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Risen!

For Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Luke 24:6 NLT: “Jesus isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee...”

That the tomb is empty is the best news ever! Jesus took the sin of the world to the place of the dead, and conquered sin and death on the same day! He had promised the believers that death was not the end, and this is proof that his words were true!

Later, when Jesus ascended into heaven, he said that he would prepare a place for each of his followers. This assurance of salvation gives us hope for both this life and the next.

The risen Jesus reminded his disciples of the prophesy fulfilled: “There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.”

That promise is still valid today!

Blessings and safety to all!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Share the Hope!

For Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Psalm 28:7 NLT: “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”

David faced a lot of persecution in his lifetime. His adversaries came after him with sharp knives and pointy spears. But David trusted the Lord with his life, and God never let him down. And the result of that is an abundance of joy – joy to be shared with others!

David was not only a mighty warrior and great king - he was also the consummate worship leader! He believed that God's goodness wasn't just for him – it was to be shared with all the believers! So David wrote songs and prayers, and led the people in praising the Lord. He could testify to God's greatness! He wanted everyone to live in the same hope he had been given by following the Lord!

The Lord gives his people strength!

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Eternal Life!

January 25, 2021 Monday Message:

Romans 6:23 NLT: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Who's in charge? Who's 'boss' over your life? True believers abandon their old lives, and form a new alliance with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We call this a radical transformation, and that's a good thing!

As humans, we tend to only consider our needs here on earth. But God sees a bigger picture – eternity! God has already provided for us in a reality yet to come, and that gives us hope for a bright future!

When we serve God, he gives us the best benefit package imaginable!

Blessings and safety to all as we begin this new week!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Chosen!

 For Sunday, January 24, 2021

John 15:16a NLT, Jesus speaking: “You didn’t choose me. I chose you.”

Suffice it to say that if you know about Jesus; if you're curious about Jesus; if you've been investigating the life of Jesus, you're one of the chosen! And knowing that we've been chosen by Jesus plants hope deep within our souls!

Believers are chosen not only to be saved themselves, but to bear fruit for the Kingdom, a lot of which involves leading others who have also been chosen. Jesus says that chosen workers in the Kingdom should use His name, and God will give them whatever they ask.

Jesus commanded us, “Love each other as I have loved you.”

Blessings and safety on this Sabbath!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Be kind!

For Saturday, January 23, 2021

Ephesians 4:32 NLT: “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Paul's counsel to the Ephesians follows the words of Jesus. He taught us to pray, “Father, forgive us, as we forgive others.” In this case, God went first. God has forgiven us, granted us eternal life, and that is to serve as our model for how we live our lives.

Jesus condensed all the commandments in the scriptures down to two: “Love God, and love your neighbor.” Be nice. Figure out what you can do that would be helpful. In return, God, through his Son Jesus, has granted us 'Assurance of Salvation,' a place in eternity with our name on it, and that gives us hope!

When a situation arises, ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Rescue!

For Friday, January 22, 2021

Jeremiah 3:22 NLT: “My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”

“Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply, “for you are the Lord our God.”

I've often said that if you could graph Israel's closeness to the Lord, it would look like a roller-coaster – up and down – closer to God, farther from God – over and over again. When everything was going well for Israel, they forgot about God. The people said, “Thanks for rescuing us last time, God, but we can take it from here.” They could not. On their own, trouble would soon present itself, and they'd return to God begging once again for mercy, forgiveness and redemption. Our God of love would then intervene and rescue His people time and time again, and that God-trend gives us hope!

We can apply these fundamentals to our own lives. If we repent and return to the Lord, He'll welcome us once again. Egregious sins can be forever forgiven, and our relationship with the Father can be fully restored.

We just need to take the first step!

Blessings and safety today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Living Hope!

For Thursday, January 21, 2021

1 Peter 1:3 CEV: “Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on.”

All God's goodness to us begins with His mercy, and by accepting God's mercy, we have hope!

Spurgeon writes, “No other attribute could have helped us had mercy been refused. As we are by nature, justice condemns us, holiness frowns upon us, power crushes us, truth confirms the threatening of the law, and wrath fulfills it. It is from the mercy of our God that all our hopes begin.”

We are born again to a living hope because we have eternal life in a Savior who has conquered death himself. Hope lives because it is based upon an incorruptible inheritance that can never fade away, because it is reserved for us in heaven.

Other hopes fade like withering flowers, but the living hope given by Jesus is forever!

Blessings and safety today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

More Mercy!

For Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Jude 1:2 NLT: “May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.”

Traditionally, Paul's Epistles started by praying grace and peace unto the readers. Jude takes this a step further. The 'more and more mercy, peace and love' implies multiplication rather than simple addition. Jude prays that God would not just bless you once, but rather bless you over and over again! And this gives us more and more hope!

Jude also cautions us to beware of false teachers, even within our congregations. Double-check what is being spoken against the words of Jesus. A great many things changed significantly post-Jesus – government, sex and morality, marriage and religion to name a few. We are blessed that nowadays Bibles are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. You can even get a free Bible app on your phone! These tools make it easy to access the teaching of Jesus, so we can double-check!

“Await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life.” (Jude 1:21a)

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

God - On Your Side!

For Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Psalm 37:39 NLT: “The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble.”

If you're a believer, don't forget that God is on your side! Trouble may come and go, but God is the anchor holding you fast to his solid rock foundation.

Jesus taught, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Because there is still evil in the world, don't be surprised that we'll all experience occasional adversity. The key is to not get caught up in it. Place your faith, hope and trust in Jesus, who tells us that he has overcome all the tribulation of this world, which gives us a lot of hope! (John 16:33b)

The Lord rescues the godly, and they find shelter in him.

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Forever Love!

January 17, 2021 Monday Message:

Psalm 136:1 NIV: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”

The fact that God is good is fundamental to all that he is and does. We know that God is love and that love is an expression of his goodness. The best example of God's love for us is Jesus, who came to redeem the world! This is a most wonderful reason for us to give thanks to the Lord!

God's love for his creation, mankind, isn't just a passing fancy – it's a predictable, repeatable “God-trend!” Forever is a long time, so God's love for us is eternal, and that gives us a lot of hope! God's love for us is as certain in the next life as it is in this life!

We can be confident in the New Covenant love of God – forever!

Blessings to all as we begin this new week - stay safe!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Partner with God!

For Sunday, January 17, 2021

Philippians 1:6 NLT, Paul speaking: “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Remember the old advertising slogan, “Things go better with Coke?” Let's adapt that to our mission. We can say, “Life goes better with God!” There's no situation that wouldn't be better with a little God in it!

If you partner with God, he doesn't just help for a short time and then abandon you. The character of God is that he always finishes what he starts. So be confident that God will be there your entire lifetime, and as you transition to the next reality, Jesus will be there to welcome you with open arms, and knowing that gives us all hope!

The 'good work' is the Good News, the saving Gospel of Jesus the Christ!

Blessings - stay safe on this Sabbath!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Planned Redemption!

For Saturday, January 16, 2021

Romans 8:28 NIV: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Let's restate the obvious: God has good things planned for your life, while Satan only possesses evil. Since the two cannot coexist, the best course of action is to add more God! If you're walking with the Lord, you'll be walking away from sin!

From the beginning, God knew just what we would need! We're all a part of fallen mankind, and God knew that we would need rescuing. So long ago, it was planned for Jesus to come to earth, to walk with mankind and to redeem us from our sins. God's desire is that everyone would repent and return, that no one would perish.

God planned your rescue before you even knew you were lost!

Blessings - stay safe!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Talents!

For Friday, January 15, 2021

Romans 12:6a TLB: “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well.”

There's a special place and a special need for you in the Christian family. Each of us has been given unique gifts and talents, unlike the every other believer. Only YOU will be best at certain things – God made you that way!

God didn't make any no-talent people! But as his gift to us, God gave each of the different talents needed to further His Kingdom. God wants to include us all in His mission, and being included by God gives us hope!

You can't please God by playing it safe!

Blessings and safety to all!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

God's FOR Us!

For Thursday, January 14, 2021

Psalm 56:9b NLT: “This I know: God is on my side!”

God looked at everything that he created, including mankind, and saw that it was very good! And like any good parent, God only wants the best for his family.

Romans 8:31 asks the question, “If God is on our side, who can be against us? Going against us would be like going against the Supreme Creator of the entire universe! Evidence of God's love is the fact that he sent his Son to rescue mankind from sin!

And because we know that God is on our side, we have hope!

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Chosen by God!

For Wednesday, January 13, 2021

1 Peter 1:2 GNT: “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure.”

Nobody wants to be left out; we ALL want to be chosen, whether it's for a sports team back in grade school or a promotion at work nowadays. As a Christian, you have been chosen to spend eternity with the Father. Doesn't it feel great to be included!

Peter wrote this to strengthen and encourage the new believers, to give them hope! God's choosing you isn't random or uninformed. Rather it's because of his foreknowledge, his omniscience. God already knew what your response would be when offered the Gospel!

God could have picked anybody, but God picked YOU!

Blessings and safety today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Glorious Future!

For Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Proverbs 10:28 GNT: “The hopes of good people lead to joy, but wicked people can look forward to nothing.”

God has planned a glorious future for the righteous – if not now, then in eternity; whereas the wicked man or woman faces a future where all desires and expectations for good will be disappointed.

Don't think you can get there on your own. Eternal life is a free gift from God's mercy, but each of us must submit to God's goodness and accept the salvation offered. God is in the driver's seat!

God has good things planned for good people! God takes believers under his wing, and adopts them into the Holy Family as sons and daughters, as children of God! And like any parent, God only wants the best for his children!

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Living Hope!

January 11, 2021 Monday Message:

1 Peter 1:3-4 GNT: “Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away.”

Basic Christianity is pretty simple. It appears that God, in His mercy, has done all the heavy lifting! Through no effort of our own, other than believing that Jesus is our Redeemer, we are reborn, adopted into God's Holy Family. Jesus is our “living hope,” because he conquered death himself. This Good News, reserved for all believers, is kept safe for us in heaven. God is in control of everything!

Our “living hope” is imperishable. Spurgeon writes, “Other hopes fade like withering flowers. The hopes of the rich, the boasts of the proud, all these will die out as a candle when it flickers in the socket... The only imperishable hope is that which climbs above the stars, and fixes itself upon the throne of God and the person of Jesus Christ.”

We not only have hope; we have LIVING HOPE!

Blessings and safety to all this week!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Our Messiah!

For Sunday, January 10, 2021

Luke 16:16 NLT, Simon Peter speaking: “You, Jesus, are the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

To strengthen our confidence in who Jesus is, consider what the Apostles believed. They lived with Jesus, ate meals with him, heard him speak for a thousand days, and were first-person witnesses to all the miracles. There was no doubt in their minds that they were following the Messiah, the Savior sent by God. They lived with hope they had never known before, and that same hope is available to everyone who believes!

God sent his Son, the Savior to redeem mankind, so that mankind no longer had to be anxious about life after this life. Believers have a heaven-sent Redeemer! Believes have assurance of salvation! Believers have hope!

Blessings to all on this Sabbath – stay safe!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

God's Gift of Hope!

For Saturday, January 9, 2021

1 Peter 1:6 VOICE: “You should greatly rejoice in what is waiting for you, even if now for a little while you have to suffer various trials.”

The purpose of Peter's Epistle is to make the believers aware of the hope they have because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Our God of love and mercy gave us this gift of hope.

After dying on the cross, God had Jesus up, walking around, alive once again in only three days. Over 500 people saw this! And Jesus said that he would go ahead to prepare a place for each of the believers in the heavenly kingdom - that's a place for each of us! Get ready to see heaven from the inside, because God's expecting you!

In Jesus' day, there was considerable debate over this 'life-after-this-life' question, but Jesus settled the matter once and for all. Jesus conquered sin and death on the same day, and left us with hope!

Blessings to all today – stay safe!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Love!

For Friday, January 8, 2021

Romans 12:9 TLB, Paul speaking: “Don’t just pretend that you love others: really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good.”

Paul is advising the Roman Christians to follow the teachings of Jesus, who said we are to love one another as He loved us! Really love and care for your fellows! And even as counterintuitive as it is, love your enemies too. Every human on earth was first made in God's image; some need to repent and return, but that's God's business. Our job is to love.

Followers of Jesus are to take a stand, take a position on moral issues. We can't just love 'good' and ignore the rest of the world. There's way too much evil out there. It's as important to detest evil as it is to stand up for what's right.

If we're filled with the love of Jesus, we'll be full of hope in this life and in the next. Jesus' command to love our neighbors leads us down the right path! Follow in His footsteps!

Blessings to all today – stay safe!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Love like Jesus!

For Thursday, January 7, 2021

John 15:12 NLT, Jesus speaking: “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”

Jesus, soon to return to the Father, is leaving instructions for his disciples. That's Good News! That tells us that he expects his teachings to continue long after his ascension! Jesus didn't go into minute detail. Instead, he cast a broad statement, telling everyone to love each other as he had loved them.

On the surface, it seems simple; but upon close examination, it's a pretty tall order for us! After all, Jesus was sinless - Jesus was perfect – Jesus was God in a man's body! To think we could match Jesus in this endeavor would be thinking too highly of ourselves.

But we can hold up Jesus' behavior as our target, as our goal, as what we might hope to achieve in a perfect world. The closer our lives can match Jesus' life, the better our life will be, and we'll know hope in this life and in the next! With the love of Jesus, we can share that hope with others too!

Blessings to all today – stay safe!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Believe!

For Wednesday, January 6, 2021

John 8:24b NLT, Jesus speaking: “Unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

Anti-Christian pundits claim Jesus never identified himself as God's Son, but I think he's pretty clear here. The “I am” is reserved for God alone! And furthermore, only God can forgive sins.

So let's restate this verse in a positive way: “If you believe that Jesus is who he says he is, you will NOT die in your sins!” Believers will be given a 'Get out of Jail Free' card on judgment day. If you repent and turn to Jesus the Christ, Jesus will take you with him to be a part of the Holy Family, a son or daughter of God, a brother or sister of all the company of heaven. Jesus promised this, and he's never told a lie!

When it's our turn to enter the eternal kingdom, we can count on the promise of Jesus. We have hope!

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Light of the World!

For Tuesday, January 5, 2021

John 8:12 HCSB: “Then Jesus spoke to them again: 'I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.'”

As the people of God were escaping slavery in Egypt, it was clear that they wanted to leave, but not so clear where they were to go. So God sent a pillar of light to lead the way. That's why, in the Hebrew culture, 'light' represented rescue, redemption, forgiveness and a path to salvation. In short, 'light' represented God!

Then God sent his Son to guide mankind, and Jesus is letting everyone know that he is now this light. God describes himself with the words, “I am,” and now Jesus is claiming, “I am (like God) the light of the world.” If you walk in the light of Jesus, you're leaving darkness (evil) behind. The promised “light of life” points to a heavenly life after this life, and that's Good News!

To show mankind 'the light,' Jesus uses the words, “Follow me.” Time after time, Jesus told seekers to follow him, and that's still good advice today. Followers of Jesus personally know the Light of the World and have hope for the future!

Blessings and safety go with you all!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406