Set Me Free!

For Thursday, June 30, 2022:

John 8:31-32 NLT: “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

There is only one path to perfect freedom from mankind’s sin problem. Jesus-the-Messiah not only forgives sin; he blots out any record of sin, puts it at the bottom of the deepest ocean, separates it from us ‘as far as the east is from the west.’ If you’re a follower of Jesus, a believer who trusts in the Son, your name will be in the book of life. And when heaven looks under the column marked ‘sin,’ there will be nothing but blank space – no scratch-outs, no eraser marks, no record of any kind of sin in your life.

This gift is for all who, by faith, trust in the Son. Don’t give up! Eternity is a very long time, and knowing your eternal destination is well worth the effort!

"If the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (John 8:36)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Holy Spirit = Freedom!

For Wednesday, June 29, 2022:

2 Corinthians 3:17 NLT: “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Believers receive the Holy Spirit when they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. They are now freed from their burden of sin, and live under love and forgiveness. That’s God’s plan for us, to be beneficiaries of the work Jesus did on the cross, brought to us through the Spirit. Remember that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are really one God, shown to us in three distinct forms. But we should not be surprised that they’re all on the same page, sharing the same eternal plan for us.

Paul writes, “Whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. The Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” New believers are shown new truths and new freedoms!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Truly Free!

For Tuesday, June 28, 2022:

Galatians 5:1 NLT: “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”

'Freedom in Christ’ is such a recurring theme in the Epistles that it merits more of our time. Under God’s law given through Moses, people were expected to obey every law, never doing anything wrong. The success rate at this was zero!

In the New Covenant, those who put their faith in Jesus are forgiven and redeemed. We’re given this gift because of our trust in God’s plan and the work Jesus did on the cross, taking the sins of the world to the place of the dead.

Now we obey God’s laws and try to live a good life, not to earn our way into heaven, but out of gratitude for what Jesus did for us.

With Jesus as our Savior, we are truly free!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Freedom!

June 26, 2022 Monday Message:

Galatians 3:22 NLT: “The Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.”

People everywhere want to be free. When we talk about freedom, we’re usually talking about slavery or political oppression. Jesus had another take on freedom.

Under the law of Moses, mankind was constantly trying to not sin, or was atoning for sins already committed. In effect, we were slaves to our sin-problem. It required constant attention. That’s why God sent his Son to take the sin of the world to the place of the dead. By putting sin behind us through our faith in Jesus, mankind experienced a never-before-known freedom.

This new freedom is eternal. With Jesus, you can truly be free, regardless of your circumstances.

Christ granted you freedom forever!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Son of God!

For Sunday, June 26, 2022:

Mark 9:7 NLT: “A cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.’”

Critics claim that Jesus never said who he was. But here, God himself clearly claims Jesus as his Son. For mankind’s sake, God identified Jesus twice: once at Jesus’ Baptism, and again at the Transfiguration.

Remember that the Gospels are either eyewitness accounts, or the result of solid investigative reporting. The Gospels are where we learn the details of Jesus’ walk on earth. And if the Lord endorsed Jesus, called him ‘Son’ and said we should listen to him, that’s good enough for me. God’s evidence should be good enough for everyone!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Missiion Control!

For Saturday, June 25, 2022:

Romans 10:7 NLT, Jesus speaking to the Lord: “Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”

Jesus showed us many good things while he was here on earth, but I believe his primary mission was the rescue of mankind. Here, Jesus is stating this himself, confirming the prophecies.

God’s will is that no one would be lost, and the solution was forgiveness of mankind’s sins, a second chance. In the Great Exchange, Jesus took away mankind’s sin problem and thereby left believers suitable for inclusion in the heavenly kingdom.

If you are not already a believer, today is the best day to claim Jesus as your Savior. If you are a believer, today is a good day to share the Good News with a friend.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Last are now First!

For Friday, June 24, 2022:

Mark 10:31 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

People who seem important to us now may not be important in the next life, if they make it there at all! We look up to actors, musicians and politicians. They make headlines, but oftentimes are poor examples of God’s values.

Jesus said that the first will be last, and the last will be first. He explains it like this: “I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.”

And that’s what we all want – Eternal life with Our Father!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Amazing!

For Thursday, June 23, 2022:

Mark 10:15 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

A lot of people over-complicate religion. Our redemption is a gift, and we just need to accept it, receive it. It doesn’t have to make sense. We are saved by our faith in Jesus, knowing who he is and believing what he said. The fact that he would give up his life for ours will never be logical. We just need to believe with the faith of a little child who has just witnessed something amazing!

What Jesus did for us was amazing! Don’t over-complicate it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Jump for Joy!

For Wednesday, June 22, 2022:

Malachi 4:2 NLT, God speaking through the prophet: “For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”

The “Sun of Righteousness shining on believers,” is God telling us that his Son Jesus is on the way. Believers will be rescued from their sin-burden, set free. This is such Good News that believers will jump for joy!

Believers nowadays should also jump for joy! The Good News of Jesus’ forgiveness is for us too. This is a gift with eternal ramifications. The forgiveness of Jesus qualifies us for membership in the ‘Heaven Club!’ Jesus has gone ahead to prepare our places.

This gift is assurance of eternity in the presence of Our Father!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Eternal Comfort!

 For Tuesday, June 21, 2022:

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NLT: “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.”

Paul, Silas and Timothy are giving encouragement to the church in Thessalonica. Their church and the Christians therein were experiencing much persecution. Politically, they were caught in the middle. A lot of Jews considered them a renegade break-away group causing a church split, whereas the Romans worshiped only their made-up gods. Romans had time for no organized religion.

This church found itself the custodian of the Good News for all these people, and this letter is to reassure them of the promises made by Jesus. Jesus said that he will return, that Satan will be defeated and believers will be rescued.

Do not be deceived along the way. Keep your eyes on the heavenly prize, and trust in the Lord! It all turns out just the way Jesus said!

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

Year of the Lord!

June 20, 2022 Monday Message:

Luke 4:18-19 NLT, Jesus, reading from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

Jesus, quoting Isaiah, is perfectly describing his earthly mission. The last sentence is most relevant for us nowadays.

The Lord’s favor – his grace – is being poured out, through Jesus, for all mankind. Jesus would personally become the offering for the sins of the world, thereby rescuing all who believe from certain damnation. Because of Jesus, believers are washed clean, suitable for eternal residence in the same place as God himself!

This is truly the ‘Year of the Lord,’ a turning point for mankind’s destiny. God’s forgiving grace is available to all who trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Believers get to see heaven from the inside!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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