Love of Christ!

For Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Ephesians 3:19 NLT: “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Have you experienced the love of Christ? Personally experienced it? The Bible says to ask and it will be given; seek and you find; knock and the door will be opened. If you need a spiritual assist in how your life is going, don’t just lament over the situation. Bring it to the Lord. Let it become a habit!

The Lord stands ready to pour out everlasting lovingkindness when we ask, seek and knock!

Blessings to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

The Love of Christ!

For Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Ephesians 3:18 NLT: “May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep is the love of Christ.”

God so loved the world that he had his only Son give his life to redeem mankind. Jesus loved us so much that he actually did it, gave his life to pay our sin penalty.

The song says, “Jesus loves me,” but it’s difficult to understand just how much. If you imagined the absolute most you could ever love someone – the love of Jesus is a little bit more than that!

God’s love is incomprehensibly immense!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Holy Spirit!

June 28, 2021 Monday Message

John 14:16 HCSB, Jesus speaking: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.”

Christianity is mono-theistic – we believe there is only one God. But it’s complex in that we know our God in 3 different ways: 1. God-the-Father in Heaven; 2. Jesus Son-of-God who walked on earth with us; and 3. the Holy Spirit, our Helper, Advocate, Counselor and Intercessor. Q: If God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are in a room, how many are in that room? A: One! “They are all God,” or should I say, “It is God?” See, it’s tricky!

Most of us can easily conceptualize God in Heaven and Jesus who walked on the earth. The Holy Spirit is more of a challenge. Some churches keep the Holy Spirit locked up in the Apostles’ Creed. At my church, we welcome Him – in fact we count on Him being there for us!

The Holy Spirit along with the Father and Jesus were a part of creation. They all existed from the beginning, and never went away. But they may not be in the story for a while. Example: We didn’t hear much about Jesus in the Old Testament, but then he reappeared in a big way 2k years ago!

And as Jesus was leaving earth to return to the Father, he promised to send a counselor. So when Jesus was once again seated at the right hand of the Father, he poured out that promised Holy Spirit on the believers. That’s what we read about in Acts 2, as 3,000 were added to their number on Pentecost.

Knowing the Holy Spirit is not an experience apart from Jesus – it is evidence of the ascended Christ. We receive reviving life, a gift from our Savior!

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is the beginning of eternal life, and that fills us with hope!

Blessings to all this week!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Get Going!

For Sunday, June 27, 2021

Luke 5:11 GNT: “They pulled the boats up on the beach, left everything, and followed Jesus.”

As this day begins, Simon Peter was concerned only with catching fish. By day’s end, Jesus tells him that he will be fishing for people! Jesus preached from Simon’s boat to the on-shore crowd, and Simon was personally convinced by what he heard. The fact that Jesus summoned more fish than the boats could handle was icing on the cake, so to speak. It was one more bit of miracle evidence to cement their relationship.

That day Simon learned that life could be more than just netting a few fish. He was given a unique insight into God’s Eternal Kingdom - he was offered eternal hope! And when God opens the door to let you in, you’d better get going! The fishermen left everything and followed Jesus - immediately!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Love Your Neighbor!

For Saturday, June 26, 2021

Leviticus 19:18 CEV, God speaking through the prophet Moses: “Stop being angry and don’t try to take revenge. I am the Lord, and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself.”

Jesus was frequently advising people to love their neighbors as themselves. To him this wasn’t a new concept. Part of God’s plan all along is that we should care deeply for one another. It’s one of the commands God gave through Moses.

The prevalent attitude 2,000 years ago was to look out for yourself – to take care of #1. Care and consideration of their fellows was first put into play by Jesus and his followers. Others saw the radically transformed behavior, and they liked what they saw. Soon they wanted to join, to become believers too, to have hope for a better life. It’s a much less stressful way to exist.

Like the song says, “They will know we are Christians by our love!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Hope = Joy!

For Friday, June 25, 2021

Philippians 4:4 NLT, Paul speaking: “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”

Reading this, I’m reminded of a line in a children’s song: “If you’re happy and you know it, then your face should surely show it!”

We have been given an incredible free gift of eternal salvation through the work of Jesus. By accepting the gift, we have something that’s only available to Christians – Assurance of Salvation. Turns out that in this instance, success is both WHAT you know and WHO you know. Realizing that there’s a room in heaven with your name on the door should fill us all with great joy!

Tell your face that you have eternal hope!

Blessings today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Winning the Battle

For Thursday, June 24, 2021

1 John 5:5 NLT: “Who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”

Arriving at church last Sunday morning, we heard gunshots about a block away. That’s unusual, and yet in a way, not surprising. We’re three blocks from the Precinct station that was burned to the ground. We’re about a mile from George Floyd Square. Our “call” is to offer Jesus to an area that clearly needs more Jesus. We offer hope where there is none.

There’s a lot of evil in the world, most of it not as obvious as our city’s civil unrest, but all of it designed to divert your attention from the Lord. Paul counsels us to keep our eyes on the prize, our goal of a good life after this life.

Those who believe Jesus us the Son of God have hope in this world and the next!

Blessings today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Hope of the World!

For Wednesday, June 23, 2021

John 10:10b GNT, Jesus speaking: “I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.”

Jesus leaving heaven and coming to earth is like when we’re called to go on a mission trip – sort of. I could list a lot of the good things Jesus accomplished while he was walking among us, but the summary is that what he did was always good, and after Jesus touched a situation it was always better than it had been before. People were offered hope! They believed! When faced with the impossible – illness, disease, birth defects – Jesus offered hope!

That same hope is offered to us today. If you’re walking with Jesus, the next life is way better than this life! He offers us paradise in the presence of the Father, and it’s a free gift!

Jesus is the hope of the world!

Blessings to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Resurrected!

For Tuesday, June 22, 2021

2 Cor. 4:14 NLT: “We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus, and present us to himself together with you.”

Paul is explaining God’s Salvation plan to the church in Corinth, saying that God raised Jesus from the dead! And since resurrection is thereby proven, Paul too expects to be raised! He continues, the privilege of resurrection extends to all believers in the Corinthian church, and by extension to you and to me! We have bountiful hope for a good life after this life!

Paul writes, “We also believe, and therefore speak.” I don’t think it’s possible to convincingly teach about the salvation of Jesus unless you too are a believer.

If you can’t say “we also believe,” then you should not speak!

Blessings to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Love!

June 21, 2021 Monday Message

1 John 4:19 NIV: “We love because he first loved us.”

Who taught you to love? I’m not talking about romantic love, but rather the love a parent has for a child or the love you might have for a best friend. How about love for your God, your Creator?

The reason we know anything at all about love is because God first loved us. This turns out to be a really good thing. Mankind is the poster child for shortcomings, and it might make more sense if God had written us off long ago. But that’s not God’s nature! Our God is a God of second chances, and third chances, etc. God loves us so much that he wants to include everyone in his eternal Kingdom!

Looking at the original manuscripts, some read, “We love God…,” or, “We love each other…,” but it’s all using God as the model for love. 2,000 years ago, the norm was to look out for #1. “Loving your neighbor as yourself,” was a new concept set upon the world by the Son of God himself. Thankfully, we now know what to do!

The originator of love is God the Father!

Blessings to all this week!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Our Father!

For Sunday, June 20, 2021

Matthew 6:9 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.”

Nowadays praying to God is second nature for some of us; for others, not so much. The Apostles would see Jesus praying to the Lord, but didn’t fully understand. At the time, people would come before a priest at the Temple, and the priest would then carry their petitions before the Lord. People just didn’t pray to God directly, so this was new.

The Apostles conjectured that if their mentor Jesus prayed, it must be a good thing to do. They wanted in on it! “Master, teach us to pray!” Jesus tells them to think of God as a good father – that kind of relationship.

Prayer can be private; prayer needn’t be complicated. Eugene Peterson write in the Message Bible, “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply: Our Father in heaven...”

Having the best Father ever gives us hope!

Happy Father’s Day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Authentic God!

For Saturday, June 19, 2021

Jeremiah 17:14 NLT: “O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone!”

The God we worship is the real thing. He doesn’t do things halfway. If he makes a promise, it’s always fulfilled. God is always true to his word.

That same authenticity holds true in the Lord’s promise for our salvation. God’s desire is that none would perish, that all would repent and return. He made that possible by sending his Son Jesus to reconcile the sin of mankind. God wanted to make our eternal life possible and achievable. He never undertakes anything to only do half a job. God’s plan for our rescue will come to fruition!

Knowing that God is always true to his word gives us hope!

Blessings today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

God Knew You!

For Friday, June 18, 2021

Jeremiah 1:5a NLT, God speaking: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.”

Life is precious, and our Lord is the Creator of all life. That God knew Jeremiah in his mother’s womb is true for us also. In fact, if we read the fine print, God apparently had a plan for each of us before we were even formed. After all, the Bible says that Jeremiah existed in the mind and plan of God BEFORE he ever existed in his mother’s womb.

Each of us was designed with unique gifts and talents to fulfill what we were made to do better than anyone else. Believe it or not, we are all sanctified – set apart for God’s purpose, and that gives us a lot of hope!

"Before I formed you I knew you!”

Blessings today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Jesus, God's Son!

For Thursday, June 17, 2021

Mark 1:11 Phillips: “A voice came out of Heaven, saying, “You are my dearly-beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!””

Let there be no doubt - Jesus was both fully God and fully human. This is the “human” part. Just as believers are commanded to be baptized, so too was Jesus baptized. And what happened when he came up out of the waters of baptism must have caused quite a stir!

The Heavens opened, and a mighty voice shouted out, “You are my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” I can just picture it – eyes opened wide, jaws dropped in amazement! Then the Holy Spirit filled him, and his earthly ministry was launched.

Critics say that Jesus never said who he was. But his Father did, and that gives us hope!

Blessings to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Vast Eternal Plan!

For Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Galatians 1:4 NLT: “Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.”

God is omniscient – which means God knows everything. And God is not constrained by time like we are. Therefore from the very beginning of creation, God knew that mankind would let him down and that mankind would need rescuing.

Our Savior, God’s Son Jesus, was a part of God’s plan all along, and at just the right time God set his plan in motion. Jesus came to earth, taught about the Kingdom and healed many people. But I believe his final act was the main point of this mission. On the cross, Jesus became the sacrifice for mankind’s sins, giving us a chance to see heaven from the inside! He gave us an opportunity for an abundant life after this life if we choose to accept his generous offer.

God’s Vast Eternal Plan offers us hope!

Blessings to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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