Forever Holy!

For Saturday, November 30, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NLT: “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.”

As believers, we want to be kept holy, innocent and pure. Try as we might to achieve holiness, we may not succeed on our own. But Jesus comes to our rescue! His middle name is forgiveness, and he will continue to forgive us leaving us righteous and holy, prepared for him when he returns.

We will see God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. God’s desire is that none would perish, and that all would repent and return. Those who believe and trust the Son will be among those rescued.

Our rescuer and his Father are faithful and will not let us down!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God-given Instinct!

For Friday, November 29, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 5:21b-22 NLT: “Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.”

As a person becomes a loyal believer, a follower of Jesus and the New Covenant, we can easily separate life into two categories: things we should do, and things we shouldn’t do. With the New Covenant, Jesus taught that these laws are written on our hearts. Therefore we don’t need long lists of rules, lists of commandments, because we should instinctively know right from wrong.

And if we know what to do, we also know what NOT to do! God gave us intelligence and a gift of discernment. He gave us brains and expects us to use them! We need to slow down and lose our knee-jerk reactions to life’s problems. Take a minute and ask yourself if your reaction is good, right, fair and honest. Ask yourself, “Should I be doing this?”

Many bad decisions are put in motion when we don’t take the time to stop and think things through, to use the minds our Creator put in our heads!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Happy Thanksgiving!

For Thursday, November 28, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

In the US, President Abraham Lincoln declared a national day to thank the Lord for all his goodness. The exact day moved, but the tradition continued. Many other countries have adopted a similar celebration.

It’s easy to forget some of the things God provides for mankind. We take a lot of things for granted. God gives us air to breathe and sunshine every morning to warm the earth and to warm mankind. Our planet raises enough food to feed everyone. If you hear of people starving, it’s because countries are at war and distribution channels are closed. But God provides enough food and water for everyone.

It’s good to acknowledge God’s goodness on a special day, but we should really thank him daily. After all, God remembers us every day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Eye for an Eye!

For Wednesday, November 27, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT: “See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”

Jesus changed everything for the better. In the old way, typical behavior was “eye for an eye.” If a person was injured a certain amount, they were justified in retaliating a similar amount.

But Jesus taught love and forgiveness. How many times? Seven times? No – Jesus said 70 x seven! And that doesn’t mean 490 times! It means to remain in forgiveness mode more times than you can count, more times than you can easily keep track of.

Let the Lord handle judgment, discipline and revenge. We should all just keep smiling and loving our neighbors, loving the good life we have been given.

The desire to get even comes not from God, but from the evil one!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Redemption!

For Tuesday, November 26, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 5:10 NLT: “Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.”

Jesus walking alongside mankind on Earth and then dying on Earth was fulfilling his mission of redeeming mankind. He gave his life as the offering for the sins of the entire world – all sins – past, present and future. It matters not if we’re dead or alive when Jesus returns to take us home. Jesus’ intent is to redeem ALL believers who need redemption, regardless of their physical state. Because of Jesus’ promise, we have confidence in our hereafter destination. Jesus left us with ‘Assurance of Salvation,’ a guarantee of a good life after this life.

We should all look forward to the New Earth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Welcome!

November 25, 2024 Monday Message:

Matthew 23:39 NLT, Jesus speaking: “For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Think of it like this. Jesus will return when the people here on earth like him, when we’re obedient and also welcoming. Jesus said that he and the Father are one, so he COULD go anywhere he wanted, being of the Holy Trinity. But ask yourself this question: Why would anyone want to go where they aren’t welcomed?

Welcoming the Father, Son or Holy Spirit isn’t just putting out the welcome mat. And it’s not mankind allowing God to come here. God doesn’t need our permission to do anything! But we are first to love the Lord, which means honoring the words in his Book and living our lives in harmony with Jesus’ example. It’s trusting the Holy Spirit for guidance as we live our lives.

Heaven should be able to plainly see that we are God’s people, and that the Lord is our God and Jesus is our Savior. Then Jesus can return, confident that he is welcome!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Hypocrites!

For Sunday, November 23, 2024:

Matthew 23:27-28, Jesus speaking: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

This kind of talk – directly criticizing the Pharisees in public – got Jesus in a lot of trouble which eventually led to his death. But looking back on the situation, Jesus was the one who was right! The Synagogues were consumed with religious ceremonies and traditions. Their goal had become catching someone violating a commandment and pronouncing them guilty, rather than offering love, forgiveness and an encouraging push in the right direction. They did not show love for the Lord or their fellows.

And yet they wore fancy robes and put on an elaborate show. The leaders looked good on the outside but were spiritually empty on the inside. Jesus compared them to whitewashed tombs, trying to look good on the outside but with only dead men’s bones on the inside. Hypocrites!

Jesus’ teaching is a warning for us nowadays. Only trust spiritual leaders who teach the Bible and model their actions after the Christ. Steer clear of dead men’s bones!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Knowledge!

 

For Saturday, November 23, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 5:8 NLT: “Let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.”

 "Light” in the Bible signifies purity, cleanliness and things that are holy, things that are good, things that are of God. “Darkness,” on the other hand, represents bad things filled with evil, ideas perpetrated by Satan. It’s easy to tell the difference!

This scripture teaches us that those living in the light also have knowledge and confidence. For example, if the second coming was to begin today, a lot of earthly people would be confused by the strange goings-on. Many would be afraid. But believers know what to expect. Believers could witness the end-times events and know exactly what was happening. Jesus told us what to expect, and he’s never wrong! Graves will open and we’ll meet Jesus in the sky. His ultimate goal is to take us back home and live eternally in God’s presence. So no matter how strange things may appear, believers have confidence that everything will be OK.

Everything will be all right in the end; if everything is not all right, it’s not the end!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Day of the Lord!

For Friday, November 22, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 5:2 NLT: “You know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.”

When Jesus walked alongside mankind on earth, even he couldn’t tell us the exact day he would be returning. He told the believers, “No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.”

Our Creator knows mankind’s tendencies and shortcomings, and the danger is that we would live a raucous, sinful life, and scramble at the last minute to prepare for judgement day. But our Father wants our love and obedience ALL the time, not just at the last minute.

No one knows when the second coming will occur, and if someone tells you they know, they’re speaking falsely. Don’t believe them! Loving the Lord is a 24/7 task, not a last-minute scurry.

As each day passes, we’re one day closer to the Day of the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Choose Sides!

For Thursday, November 21, 2024:

Psalm 12:5 NIV: “’Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,’ says the Lord. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’”

Psalms are like the hymnal or prayer book of the bible. At one point, this psalm was probably sung in corporate worship, a church service. Everyone knew the words and the melody, and agreed with the message.

In Psalm 12, our Creator has chosen sides. Those who are under-resourced, in great need and beaten up in this world require and deserve God’s favor. God tends to even things out. If someone is given much in this life and thinks too highly of themselves, they’ll be taken down a notch in the next life. Likewise, someone who loves the Lord but struggles in this life will be lifted up in the next.

If God has chosen sides, so should we. This falls under the heading of, “Love your neighbor.” It’s easy to love the popular neighbor, the one everybody loves. But we must be intentional about loving those who are down and out, those needing extra love and care. Jesus always mentioned the poor and the widows and orphans. Apparently, God is on their side, and we should be too!

The first will be last, and the last will be first!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Second Coming!

For Wednesday, November 20, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NLT: “The Lord himself (Jesus) will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.”

How is this all going to end – our lives, our souls and this era in which we live? Is there some kind of eternal reward for our faith? This scripture clearly describes Jesus’ second coming.

We typically think that because the earth is round, people on one side have no idea what people on the other side are doing. That will not be the case when Jesus returns. Everyone everywhere will hear the angels’ voices, hear the trumpet of God and see the throng gathering in the sky. Believers will receive instant confirmation that they made the correct decision! Graves will open revealing glorified eternal bodies reunited with their souls. Living believers will be caught up in the air so that Jesus can win the final battle and be our escort as we enter the forever Kingdom.

There will be a New Heaven and a New Earth, God-created for the next age! I believe the New Earth will be a lot like the Garden of Eden, a perfect world existing just as God designed it before mankind messed it up, but that’s just my opinion.

We are given these words as encouragement!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Hope!

For Tuesday, November 19, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 4:13 NLT: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.”

The original Greek reads, “...believers who have fallen asleep,” and there’s a certain rationalization in this. Remember that Jesus was crucified and died, but later was resurrected, brought back to life. So to the casual observer, it may have appeared that Jesus was simply sleeping, then later re-awakened. In fact, a primary argument of non-believers was that Jesus hadn’t actually died!

But we know that Jesus did in fact die. No heartbeat; no pulse; no brain waves. Believe me, the centurions knew what they were doing when it came to crucifixion! Believers uphold the miracle of resurrection, someone who died being brought back to life. If Jesus hadn’t died, there’d be no reason for a resurrection miracle! If he was just sleeping and woke up, it wouldn’t be worth celebrating! But we know the truth!

Consequently, we have hope as promised in 1 Peter 1:3: “According to his (God’s) great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” In other words, just like Jesus, we will be blessed with a life after this life. Believers won’t die, nor will we sleep forever. Jesus confirmed our reservation in the heavenly Kingdom!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Holy Living!

November 18, 2024 Monday Message:

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 NLT: “God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”

Since God’s laws are now written on our hearts, we should instinctively know right from wrong. So sinning becomes intentionally rejecting God and his commandments. Bad choice!

Those who walk with the Lord daily will remain under his protection. But those filled with intentional disobedience have already rejected the Lord. Look for them in the group where Jesus says, “I never knew you!”

It’s really not so hard to walk through this life holding God’s hand. Go ahead – give it a try!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Messiah!

For Sunday, November 17, 2024:

John 1:29 NLT: “The next day John-the-Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John-the-Baptist repeatedly confirmed that he was not the Messiah. He told his followers that someone would be on the scene after him, someone far greater. John was watching for the Messiah as prophesied in the Old Testament! When he spotted Jesus, there was no doubt. “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Atoning for the world’s sin is a big job, but Jesus was up for the task. That was his primary purpose, the rescue of mankind. I doubt his job will be finished until we enter the next age. Mankind’s sin seems to be never-ending, perhaps worse now than ever! Jesus continues to redeem all who turn to him!

As we worship, let us never forget to thank the Father for sending Jesus, and to thank Jesus for the gift he has brought for believers. He changed the direction of mankind’s pathway to hell, and confirmed our reservations in the heavenly eternal kingdom.

Hope to see you there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

For Saturday, November 16, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 4:1 NLT: “We urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.”

Paul is encouraging the Thessalonian church: We have taught you to live in God’s ways, according to his commandments, according to his value system. We know that you are already living that way, but can you go a step further? Can you prioritize God even more in your lives? When God looks down from heaven upon the Thessalonian church, don’t you all want him to have a smile on his face? And when God looks down on each of our churches, aren’t we also looking for that smile of approval?

Can we all love the Lord a little more each day? More time and stronger devotion? And certainly we can do a better job of loving our neighbors, of taking care of the needy, the sick, the orphaned and the widowed. We should be the hands and feet that pour God’s mercy into the world. Friends, this kind of help and love has to come from the church. We cannot count on the government for benevolence, and we cannot legislate virtue. Only from God and his church can come these planks in our moral platform.

God’s will is for us to be holy!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Last Day!

 For Friday, November 15, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 3:13 NLT: “May the Lord make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.”

Is Jesus coming again? Paul says ‘yes,’ and Jesus spoke to him personally, post-resurrection! We are accountable to Jesus, the one who died to forgive our sins, so this should end well! Paul is inviting all believers – those in the churches he founded, and in all the other churches – to stand together on the last day. The sheep will be separated from the goats, and we get to stand with the sheep, led by the Lamb of God!

May your strong heart love the Lord as together we stand blameless and holy before our Father, preparing to enter his eternal kingdom!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Pride!

For Thursday, November 14, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 NLT: “What gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! Yes, you are our pride and joy.”

Pride, like many other things, is best enjoyed in small doses. It shouldn’t be about what we did or how we accomplished a task. It should be that we’re proud of the result, which honors the Lord, and God being pleased fills us with joy!

For example, Paul isn’t selfishly taking credit for the Thessalonian church. He’s praising what THEY have done, the fact that they stayed true to God’s Word. Draw a mental picture of Paul standing alongside Jesus as they both look down upon the Thessalonian church with pride, those loyal believers in an ever-hostile land. Together, their pride is rooted in that church standing its ground, despite the fierce opposition!

Rather than deterring us, Satan’s roadblocks inspire us to work even harder at completing our assigned missions! God always wins!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship