Holy Spirit!

March 31, 2025, Monday Message:

John 14:16-17a NLT, Jesus speaking: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate (Comforter, Encourager or Counselor), who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

Believers already know about our Father in Heaven. And we now read the words of Jesus, who walked on the earth alongside mankind. Jesus said he’s returning to the Father, but that doesn’t mean we’ve been abandoned.

Think about this: The Son of God said he’s going to ask his Father to send an advocate for mankind, so that advocate is someone different, a third member of the Holy Trinity. We call him the Holy Spirit. He is our unseen defender against Satan and his demons. He gives us strength and assistance when we’re trying to complete the missions assigned to us by Jesus. He can facilitate solutions that answer our prayers. He’s our lawyer in the court of judgment and a trusted advisor for everything else. The Holy Spirit, like the Father and the Son, can only deal in truth, and remember that truth is God’s opinion on everything!

Jesus said that he would never leave or forsake believers and that he would never leave us without spiritual guidance. Hence, the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity is complete!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Glory to the Father!

For Sunday, March 30, 2025:

John 14:13 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.”

Jesus performed quite a number of miracles while he was here on earth. Many of them involved healing. He could take a person born lame and have them dancing a jig in no time! For that person, the miracle was life-changing, but it also fulfilled another purpose!

Jesus made no secret that he was the Son of the Most High and that any power he had originated with God himself. God, who created heaven and earth, should be exalted every day, but especially when we are eyewitnesses to his goodness. Healings showcase God’s love for mankind, and his desire to be a part of our lives.

Picture Jesus bragging, “Let me show you what my dad can do!” He never took credit himself. Jesus’ power to improve lives always came from above. That power has not ended. So we pray to Father God, “...in Jesus’ name – Amen!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Priesthood of All Believers!

For Saturday, March 29, 2025:

John 14:12 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

Jesus wants to leave unflinching believers in his wake. The fact that he will be returning to the Father shouldn’t end the goodness he brought to earth. He is anointing believers, authorizing them and leaving them with the power to continue his good works.

In Matthew 10:8, Jesus tells those being sent on his behalf to, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons.” These instructions aren’t just for pastors; they are for all believers! This is basic Christianity. We should also be able to explain mankind’s sin problem, and Jesus paying the penalty for those sins. We should make disciples of people from all nations. And when the candidate is convinced, we should be able to baptize them!

I once attended a church supper, and everyone was waiting for the Pastor to say grace, to pray over the food and the event. The Pastor joked, “Were you waiting for a ‘professional prayer?’ Any one of you could have done this!”

Jesus, give us the courage to step out and do the good works you have assigned to all believers. Amen!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

One God!

For Friday, March 28, 2025:

John 14:9b NLT, Jesus speaking: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!”

It’s sometimes challenging to explain a God that we cannot see. And the concept of a triune God, one God known to us in three different forms, isn’t clearly laid out in one place in our Bibles. This scripture is Jesus’ explanation of the concept.

Previously, Jesus had said (John 10:30), “The Father and I are one.” That statement almost got him killed; people were picking up stones. (You, a mere man, claiming to be God! Blasphemy!) Jesus explained, “If I do the Father’s work, believe in the evidence. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.” The miracles, knowledge and sinless nature of Jesus all point to him being heaven-sent.

I’m convinced, and I hope you are too! I believe the primary mission of Jesus coming to earth was to solve mankind’s sin problem. God’s desire is for all to repent and return. God wouldn’t have launched a rescue mission if we didn’t need rescuing! Jesus said that believers are now separated from their sins “as far as the east is from the west.”

Thank you, our one God, for our redemption. God is good!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

I Am the Way!

For Thursday, March 27, 2025:

John 14:6 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

In our Bibles, we can read the complete account of Jesus rescuing mankind by sacrificing himself for our sins. But the followers of Jesus were living inside that story, hearing everything for the first time. Theology that we take for granted was new to them. Consequently, there was some doubt and a lot of questions!

The biggest question concerned their spiritual mentor dying and going somewhere else. Heaven? Q: Jesus had raised others from the dead, so why wouldn’t he rescue himself? A: What was happening was all part of God’s vast eternal plan to rescue mankind. Jesus would take the sins of the world to the place of the dead. Mankind would therefore be left without sin, eligible to spend the hereafter in the Lord’s presence. You see, God loves us and God is good. His desire is that everyone would repent and return.

Doubting Thomas asked, “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

To which Jesus answered, “I am the way,” the way to the Father, the way to heaven and to life after this life. Just stick with Jesus. “I am the truth.” Every word Jesus ever spoke was true, so we have every expectation that this also is true. “I am the life.” Most people look upon death as a sad thing, as the end of our time on earth. But Christians, those who trust Jesus, see death as a transition to eternity in God’s presence, and that’s a good thing!

I’m looking forward to the place Jesus is preparing for me. What about you?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Heaven!

For Wednesday, March 26, 2025:

John 14:2 NLT, Jesus speaking: “There is more than enough room in my Father’s house. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?”

This is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. I quote it all the time! This is a case where the Bible says more than the words imply. God gave mankind brains, thinking and reason, and we’re supposed to look behind the curtain to get the whole story.

How big is heaven? If you’ve ever wondered if the hereafter could accommodate all the believers from over the centuries, the short answer is “yes.” Jesus says, “...more than enough room.” In fact, he has gone ahead to prepare a place for each of us. So to summarize, #1 there is a hereafter, #2 it’s larger than we can imagine, and #3 if you’re a believer, there’s a room with your name on it! Jesus said so!

One more bit of Good News is that Jesus is expecting us in that next reality. Followers of Jesus have assurance of salvation. He’s preparing our special place because believers are expected to show up! With tongue in cheek, Jesus asks, “If it were not so, wouldn’t I have told you?” Of course he would!

We talk of dying and going to heaven. That simplifies discussions, but is only partially right. People and sin have messed up God’s creations, but God will remake things the way he originally intended. The Bible calls it the New Heaven and the New Earth. I believe the earth will be restored to “Garden of Eden” specifications. That New Earth is our final destination, where God can walk alongside his people. Nothing better!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faith = Trust!

For Tuesday, March 25, 2025:

John 14:1 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

For the past couple of months, I’ve been writing about God getting the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land, and how his instructions might apply to us in 2025. But with Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday quickly approaching, I want to shift our focus to Jesus’ final days on earth. Knowing that he’s returning to the Father, Jesus wants to reassure the believers that everything will be OK.

Jesus is telling the believers to double down on faith. “Trust in God, and trust also in me.” Nowadays we can read our Bibles and find out that we’re delivered by unshakable faith in Jesus being God’s Son. But when Jesus walked on our earth, the entire New Testament had yet to be written. Faith had to be garnered from Jesus’ spoken words. On one hand, I wish that I’d been there to see it all. But on the other hand, I’m glad we have Bibles, so I can read and re-read the stories from beginning to end, examine the facts and make an informed decision for Jesus.

I would encourage everyone to do just that. Pretend that you’re the judge, and re-read the Biblical evidence. Then you can render your decision in favor of Jesus. He’s looking forward to all believers joining him in the hereafter!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Entourage!

March 24, 2025, Monday Message:

Numbers 1:44, 46 NLT: “These were the men registered by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, all listed according to their ancestral descent. The total number was 603,550.”

How many people love the Lord? And how many of them could fight if the need arose to defend the Israelites? It’s important for a leader to have an inventory of assets, so that leader can make good decisions when problems arise. The Lord commanded Moses to take this census, and the Israelites made it happen.

God wanting Moses to know the potential size of his army tells me that he expected trouble. The people already living in Canaan, modern-day Israel, were not going to roll over and willingly give up their territory. But the Israelites will emerge victorious because it was the Lord making this their destination. God was on their side, and if God is on your side, who can stand against you?

Resettlement of the people of Israel was no small endeavor. I always assume that the majority of the 600K men are married and each family has at least two children. That means 2.5M people followed Moses out of Egypt, a much larger Exodus than in the movie!

God sent his Son Jesus to forgive the world’s sins and give everyone who would call him “Lord” a fresh start. The first Christians were all converted Jews, looking to get closer to God. And you can’t get any closer than following God’s Son! Nowadays we can be born into a Christian family. But make no mistake, each of us must make our own personal decision to claim Jesus as Lord. Heaven celebrates when even one person repents and returns to God Almighty. Like the angels, we too should celebrate when someone comes to know Jesus as Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Sacrificial Giving!

For Sunday, March 23, 2025:

Leviticus 27:30 NLT: The Lord said to Moses, “One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.”

It takes money to keep a church running. I once worked for a church with a tall sanctuary. Its walls were mostly big windows, composed of multiple small pieces of colored, single-pane glass. Paying the winter bills for heat was always a challenge! I remember leading second-effort financial campaigns, having to ask for a smidge more to bail us out of debt! The congregation always came through for us!

In Leviticus ch. 27, the Lord speaks to Moses about sacrificial giving, over and above the 10% tithe that already belongs to God. Nowadays, people can donate money, but 3,000 years ago they donated “stuff:” livestock, grain and produce, real estate and even humans who became Temple workers. Money is easier. No one has to herd a heifer to the priest!

With most churches, you can donate on their website. There’s often a QR code. Sometimes you can pay with Venmo or PayPal. Visa and Master Card are options, although it’s best to settle up with them right away. Don’t ever enter Satan’s hell of late fees, penalties and interest.

God has been very good to Christians, sending his Son Jesus to blot out our sins and to rescue us from eternal damnation. Jesus even said that he would go to God’s house ahead of us and prepare a place for believers. I hope you’re “in!” If not, today is the best day to claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

An understanding of God’s goodness opens our wallets!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Obedience!

For Saturday, March 22, 2025:

Leviticus 26:1a, 2 NLT: The Lord said to Moses, “Do not make idols or set up carved images, or sacred pillars, or sculptured stones in your land so you may worship them. You must keep my Sabbath days of rest and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.”

If you had wood from a tree trunk or stone from the ground, it’s pretty obvious that those things aren’t any kind of God. Yet ancient people would carve the wood or sculpt the stone and proceed to worship the resulting man-made image. God admits that he hosts a bit of jealousy, saying, “You shall have no other gods before me,” – especially man-made pretend gods!

It’s not that hard to get along with God Almighty. First, make the real God #1 in your life. And #2, just be nice. Get along with people. Cut out the gossip. Love your neighbor as yourself. That’s what Jesus said to do.

Because we’re humans with free choice, some will choose to follow the Lord and some will not. For the disobedient ones, there are consequences. God’s punishment will fall on the unbelievers. Diseases, failed crops and losses in battle may befall those no longer protected by God’s hand. In other words, Satan will have a field day when God steps back from protecting his people.

The punishments described in Leviticus ch. 26 get progressively worse. The more you disobey God, the worse the punishment becomes. That’s fair; the punishment should fit the crime. Continued disobedience results in increased punishment. The solution of course is to repent and return.

In spite of the Israelites’ disobedience, God says He will still remember the Covenant made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These are his people and He is their God, and that will never change!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Jubilee!

For Friday, March 21, 2025:

Leviticus 25:39-40 NLT: The Lord said to Moses, “If one of your fellows falls into poverty and is forced to sell himself, he should not be treated as a slave. Treat him instead as a hired worker or as a temporary resident who lives with you, and he will serve you only until the Year of Jubilee.”

I like several songs that carry the message, “Some things never change; that’s just the way it is.” Some things in life are like that! The Serenity Prayer teaches us to accept the things we cannot change. But it also says to change or improve the things we can. Now we just need wisdom to discern the difference!

In Leviticus ch. 25, God offers change and optimism where perhaps at first we didn’t expect it. Back then the economy was agricultural based. People worked hard to plant, grow and harvest crops. God says six years is enough nonstop work. Take the seventh year off. He calls it a Sabbath year.

Seven Sabbath years lead to a Jubilee year. God says, v10 “Set this year apart as holy, a time to proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live there.” Slaves go free in the Jubilee year, and hired workers are free to go their own way. Those who have wandered can go back to the land of their ancestors. The Jubilee year gives everyone a fresh start, a do-over on life.

If someone sells real estate, they have up to a year to reconsider the sale, to change their mind about selling. Houses and pastures of priests may never be permanently sold.

The promised land and the people who live there all belong to the Lord, so his rules apply. That’s one thing that will never change!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God's Commands!

For Thursday, March 20, 2025:

Leviticus 24:1-2 NLT: The Lord said to Moses, “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.”

The light in the Tabernacle was to burn continuously, as a sign that God is looking out for his people 24/7. God is never on holiday, unable to help. We are commanded to do no work on the Sabbath, but God still keeps his eye on believers because Satan never takes a day off!

Nowadays there is no Temple, no Tabernacle, the location of the Ark of the Covenant remains a mystery and the Old Covenant has been replaced by Jesus’ New Covenant.

Later in ch. 24, God teaches that punishment should fit the crime: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” If someone injures another’s animal, they should replace it or pay for it. That seems fair. The most severe punishment, stoning, was reserved for those who take another’s life and for those who blaspheme the Lord. Only God determines when life begins and when life ends. And don’t dis God!

Jesus taught us to be more loving and forgiving. The New Covenant offers us second chances. If a repentant person has injured a believer, we are to forgive them 70 X 7 times. Jesus said we should not only love our Lord but likewise love our neighbors! Jesus was God coming to earth to rescue mankind from our sins. Jesus’ way is a good way to live!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship