Holy Spirit!

For Wednesday, December 31, 2025:

John 15:26 NLT, Jesus speaking: “But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth.”

Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit, the third person of our Trinity God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He’s so helpful and useful that it’s challenging to call him only one name. Bible translators have referred to him as Advocate, Comforter, Encourager and Counselor. In Greek, it’s “Paraclete.” The Holy Spirit is all these things, and more.

Jesus and his Father both said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Since Jesus will return to the Father in Heaven, the Holy Spirit is given to mankind to hold things together until Jesus returns. If we find ourselves in a courtroom, the Holy Spirit will be our defense attorney. He will help us when we’re doing good things, and he’ll put us on the right path when we’re not. He cures depression, telling us that everything will be all right in the end. God always wins. When we feel like giving up on life, he’ll keep us going. He’ll define right from wrong in our minds, and help us make the correct choice.

As believers, we seem to not know a lot about the Holy Spirit. Mankind is fine with believing in a God we’ve never seen, and we have eyewitness testimony about Jesus’ time on earth. But the Holy Spirit? I don’t know. We need more info on the Spirit. Believers should live on faith, not just in the Father and the Son, but also in the Holy Spirit. We must trust what the Father and the Son told us: that the Spirit is a part of God, and that he can and will do what they told us the Spirit is capable of doing.

Today would be the best time to lock in your relationship with the Spirit. Become a seeker, not just of God and Jesus, but also of the Holy Spirit. God would not have sent us another helper if we didn’t need one!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Our Father!

For Tuesday, December 30, 2025:

Luke 2:41 NLT: “Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival.”

Jesus’ earthly parents had experienced something that most people never see. They were both visited by angels, and I suspect that those encounters left quite an impression on them. An experience like that might cause them to take God and religious things more seriously. So every Passover, they pilgrimaged to Jerusalem. It’s not too far, a smidge under 50 miles, depending on the chosen route. About a week, walking.

When Jesus was 12 years old, they embarked on this annual journey, arrived safely, celebrated, and now it was time to head home. As it turns out, Jesus wasn’t with the entourage, although no one was aware he was missing. It was assumed he was traveling with close friends or relatives.

When Jesus couldn’t be found after a day’s journey, Mary and Joseph reversed course and began searching high and low for the youth. Finding him was no easy task. After three days, he was spotted in the Temple amongst the religious teachers, asking them questions and answering their questions. Amazing! Everyone was impressed with the depth of both Jesus’ questions and the answers he could provide.

Mary and Joseph were bewildered. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”

 "But why did you need to search?” Jesus asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Friends, he’s not talking about Joseph’s house. He’s identifying himself as the Son of the Most High! He was in the Temple of the Lord!

Jesus taught us to pray to, “Our Father in heaven…”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Change!

December 29, 2025, Monday Message:

Romans 6:1 NLT: “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not!”

A change of heart on our part would be evidence of our gratitude for God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation. The Lord’s efforts are effective and efficient. He doesn’t seem to waste his time doing needless stuff. So God planned to rescue those who need rescuing. (Friends, that’s all of us!) A Savior wouldn’t have been sent unless people needed saving.

Being born again implies a second chance to get things right, to prioritize the Lord in our lives. We should learn from our past mistakes. The Bible word translated ‘repent’ means to change, like a change of direction. “We were going north, but God showed us that we should have been traveling south!” Radical transformation should be the result of God’s gift, God’s grace. Continued sinning should be out of the question.

God’s gift should bring about positive change!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Welcome Seekers!

For Sunday, December 28, 2025:

Hebrews 12:22 NLT: “You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.”

Seekers are those who have heard about Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but haven’t yet made their decision. But they’re curious. They’re interested. And it’s up to those of us already convinced to “make disciples of all nations.” That’s our assignment from Jesus.

If a church is working right, it should paint an attractive picture for seekers. They should see believers living in harmony with one another. If we’re following God’s plan, he has done away with flaming fire, darkness and gloom. Picture thousands of angels, all with smiles on their faces. God sits at the head-table, accompanied by a flock of believers, all with their names written in the Book of Life! Good times!

We may not have physical angels in our churches, but those present should look like they’re part of the heavenly throng – happy, smiling and conflict free, interested and welcoming, eager to share the Good News, the Gospel.

As believers, we should make it a point to welcome seekers into our midst. Shake their hand, refill their beverage, and invite them back. Do your best to answer their questions, and if you’re not sure, introduce them to someone who does know the answers. Introduce them to your pastor. Say, “See you next Sunday!”

Or say, “See you next time!” Wednesdays work just as well!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God's Rescue Plan!

For Saturday, December 27, 2025:

Luke 2:38 NLT: “Anna, a prophet, came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.”

Anna had the right idea. While everyone else was fussing over baby Jesus, Anna’s prayers were to thank the Lord for sending a rescuer to Jerusalem. Their Holy City was under Roman siege, and the Roman army thought Caesar was a god. Followers of the true God know better. Yes, Jesus Son-of-God had arrived, and that’s one piece in God’s masterplan. And with God in charge, mankind’s rescue was never in doubt.

To God, the biggest problem wasn’t the Romans. It was sin, so God went after the biggest problem first. While the people would pray, “Rescue us from the Romans,” Jesus and Father God would answer, “Your sins are forgiven!” Forget the Romans for a minute. They have long since fallen from power, but Jesus taking mankind’s sins to the place of the dead still matters to us 2,000 years later, and has eternal ramifications.

With mankind’s sin problem out of the way, believers could spend eternity in God’s hereafter, Heaven. Our friend Jesus said he would prepare a place for all believers. He’ll meet us with open arms!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Be a Shepherd!

For Friday, December 26, 2025:

Luke 2:8 NLT: “The night that Jesus was born, there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.”

Let’s all pretend to be shepherds. The sheep are peaceful, quiet, down for the night. Everyone is relaxed, enjoying the serenity of nature. When all of a sudden this angel showed up! Big, audacious and scary! His first words are, “Be not afraid!” This messenger angel is friendly, bearing good news. “The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem.”

Suddenly, he is joined by a chorus of other angels, all praising the Lord for sending a Savior to the Hebrew people. The shepherd’s curiosity got the best of them, and soon they were off to Bethlehem to see the baby for themselves. They were told to look for an infant, swaddled, lying in a manger, and that’s exactly what they found!

We’ve all seen Christmas pageants with the manger and Jesus in the center, Mary and Joseph right behind them, three shepherds on one side and three wise men on the other. It stages well, but it’s not too accurate, so let’s dispel some myths. The group of shepherds was probably 8-20 men. They could have been pungent as they’d been living with sheep. They never met the wise men, who arrived as much as two years later. They were following a star, and stars don’t move very fast. We don’t know the number of wise men, only that there were three gifts.

But wouldn‘t it have been fun to join the Holy Family in welcoming their Son, our Redeemer? Wouldn’t it have been exciting to celebrate the first Christmas with the shepherds? It’s such a big deal, we reenact it each year! Merry Christmas!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Merry Christmas!

For Thursday, Christmas Day, December 25, 2025:

Luke 2:11 NLT: “The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”

If we are faithful, God promises that everything will be all right in the end. He will finish what he started, and that includes bringing faithful believers to his forever Kingdom, in spite of their sin. The coming of Jesus is a sign that we’re on the right path.

While sin is a problem, it can be overcome. God can decry the world’s sins while forgiving those who repent and desire to return to the Lord. Jesus will suffer the penalty for mankind’s sins. He is our Savior, our redeemer, our one-way ticket to heaven. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves!

As we shout “Merry Christmas” to one another, understand that the solution has arrived, and that’s good news! Father God will not abandon us if we’re loyal to him. So for today, celebrate the birth of our Messiah. Remain confident in believers being rescued. Believe that we all have a reservation in a better place. Baby Jesus will be very good to believers! That’s what the Bible says!

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Jesus – Proophet-Approved!

For Wednesday, December 24, 2025:

Luke 2:38 NLT: “Anna, a prophet, came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem

Today is Christmas Eve. 2,000 years ago, as Joseph and Mary wrapped up her 9^th month of pregnancy, the couple would complete their sojourn to Bethlehem for Caesar’s census, and improvise sleeping quarters in a stable where the Son of God would make his earthly entrance! Eight days later, the prophet Anna confirmed that Jesus was the one for whom they had been waiting! Let’s see what he has up his sleeve.

Some of the people weren’t too confident about this newborn Jesus. They’d been expecting someone to overpower the Romans, to liberate them from slave-like conditions. A tiny baby just wouldn’t do!

But God’s timing is always best, and it would play out in 30-or-so years. Jesus would have thousands of followers by then. Jesus and his Father understood the Hebrew’s predicament better than they did. The Hebrews were concerned with the Romans being in charge. God and Jesus were concerned with removing sins that could block the path to eternal forgiveness. God’s desire is that everyone would repent and return. Of course, God is always right! Sin problem solved, eternity problem solved. God is good beyond measure!

On the cross, Jesus took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, saying, “Your sins are forgiven.” Only God can forgive sins. Anna was right! Jesus IS the one!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

For the Lord!

For Tuesday, December 23, 2025:

Luke 2:23 NLT: “The law of the Lord says, ‘If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.’”

Here’s what the Lord said back in Exodus 13:2: “Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.” Notice that when something is really important and God wants you to “get it,” he says it twice. So the example in Luke is actually the third time God emphasized this principle.

Mary and Joseph were obedient. They had seen and heard angels and had first-hand experience with a mysterious pregnancy. There was no doubt that this baby is special, and that God is “in” these events. Of course, they would dedicate the youth to the Lord. That’s what God said to do! Little did they know that their baby was the great I Am! So … dedicating God to God? Seems kind of silly, kind of redundant. It makes sense, though, to dedicate the God on earth to the purposes of the God in Heaven. They worshiped the Lord, and the baby was named Jesus (by the angel) – God is salvation. They had not yet been told of a Holy Spirit.

Notice that God doesn’t get any one of the kids somewhere down the line. He gets the first. God gets the first-fruits of the harvest. Your tithe should be the first 10%, not the last. And who gets trained to execute the Lord’s work here on earth? The firstborn son. God should always be #1 on our distribution lists.

Also realize that loyal, obedient believers are #1 on God’s list. Believers have their sins forgiven and have been handed a ticket to the hereafter. You see, loyalty and obedience are rewarded, but not always in the way we might expect. The Hebrew people are chanting, “Rescue us from Roman domination.”

Jesus is promising, “Your sins are forgiven.” Romans are a short blip on the screen of Hebrew history. Jesus’ offer puts us in a better place for eternity.

Pick one!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Love vs Hate!

December 22, 2025, Monday Message:

John 15:24 NLT, Jesus speaking: “If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father.”

People are fickle. Their attitudes toward others swing back and forth like a pendulum. We excitedly welcome a new baby, but may grow to hate them later in life. Sometimes that behavior is justified; sometimes, not.

On the church calendar, we draw close to Christmas, celebrating the birth of our savior. Believers had waited over 700 years for the prophesied Messiah. Angels told us that Jesus was the one! God doesn’t send His Messenger Angels on a fool’s errand. If the message is heaven-sent, it’s true!

Here’s what’s odd. Fishermen, laborers and even a tax collector became believers. Priests, religious teachers and Temple leaders never got on the Jesus bandwagon. They weren’t prepared to worship a triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That concept was new, a deviation from their present theology. They thought they had it all figured out. They did not!

I believe power and money stood in the way of a sound decision. Yes, Jesus taught at the Temple, but only in the outer courtyards. He was never accepted into the inner circle of Temple leadership. Furthermore, if Jesus taught and people brought tithes, they were supporting Jesus and his disciples, not the Temple treasury.

Jesus is declaring unbelievers guilty, guilty of not using their eyes, ears and the brain God gave them. If you consider all the miracles and healings performed by Jesus, there is only one logical conclusion: That Jesus is indeed the heaven-sent Messiah. We later discern that he is the Son of God, and his mission is the rescue of mankind.

Today is the accepted day to commit or re-commit yourself to following and believing in God’s Son Jesus. If you consider all the well-documented evidence, you can only reach one conclusion: That Jesus is the key to life after this life. He was sent by the Father to bring us home!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Name of Jesus!

For Sunday, December 21, 2025:

Luke 2:21 NLT: “Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.”

Translated into the English language as “Jesus,” the name was originally “Yeshua” which means "Yahweh is salvation" or “God is salvation.” Angels are obedient, messengers sent by God himself. (Any who aren’t obedient don’t last long!) So Gabriel was just repeating the Lord’s instructions. God is sending His Son, confirming His intention to rescue mankind, to grant us salvation. God loves us, and his intention is that all would repent and return. God, who is omniscient, knew that Jesus would be persecuted and eventually crucified. The sins of the world would be placed on an otherwise sinless Jesus, who would leave our sins in the place of the dead. Forgiveness would be an important part of mankind’s restoration and our reconciliation with Heaven. So it appears that God, with his infinite wisdom, had this all planned out well in advance of its implementation.

Our Holy Family, Mary, Joseph and now their baby, consisted of loyal, obedient Jews. So eight days after Jesus’ birth, they found themselves in a Synagogue, in front of a Rabbi, to offer thank-you sacrifices for a successful childbirth and a healthy baby boy. Firstborn males were always dedicated to the Lord. While I’m not sure they understood the significance of all these events, I’m pretty sure they knew this baby was special. Mary was mentally piecing this puzzle together and kept these godly things in her heart.

As believers nowadays, we get more than glimpses of a scenario in motion. With our Bibles, we can read the “Jesus story” all the way to its conclusion. We know that, in the end, God wins, and we are the beneficiaries of His grace. Believers will be adopted into Jesus’ Holy Family, and have the right to call God, “Our Father!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

A Gift for Christmas!

For Saturday, December 20, 2025:

Romans 5:21 NLT: “Just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I can’t tell you how many people didn’t see heaven before Jesus. This scripture tells us that sin ruled in our world, and the wages of sin is death. After Jesus, because of his forgiveness of our sins, many more people will get to see heaven from the inside! That forgiveness is grace, God’s free gift to mankind. We can’t buy it, earn it or trade for it. That’s not the nature of a gift. God sent the gift to us through his Son, Jesus. Our part is to put our faith, hope and trust in the Son. Believe that Jesus is who he said he is, and that he can do what he said he can do. Think of the truth in the Bible as a prophecy for our future.

Graciously accept God’s gift, personally brought to our world by his Son!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Our Father, Our Teacher!

For Friday, December 19, 2025:

Hebrews 12:9 NLT: “Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?”

In spite of what they think, children don’t know everything. They need to be taught right from wrong, good from bad, and Godly from evil. As we raise children, they will test us. “Can I get away with this?” No!,

As believers, we have voluntarily joined a new family. We have become Children of God. Jesus said to refer to God as “Our Father,” and a Father’s job description includes teaching His children the rights and wrongs in life. We wind up being better people because of His efforts!

So don’t become discouraged if life isn’t always a bed of roses. Our Father may need to discipline us from time to time. His promise of a loyalty reward comes in the next life. Remember, the first will be last. The last get to move to the front of the line! Thank you, Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Your Sins are Forgiven!

For Thursday, December 18, 2025:

Luke 2:16 NLT: “The shepherds hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.”

Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were in town, staying at the stable where Jesus had been born. The shepherds were out in the countryside tending their sheep. Angel(s) told them about the birth of the Messiah, in that nearby town, in a stable. Expect to find the baby in a manger amongst the hay.

God gave mankind insatiable curiosity, so the shepherds just had to check this out! The Messiah, an anointed rescuer, had been prophesied for centuries. Also, think of the angel’s words as prophecy. The shepherds would find the newborn Savior not in a castle or a palace. Rather, he’d be among the common folk, seeking shelter in the stable alongside animals.

At that time, the Promised Land had been occupied by the Roman Army. So the Jewish prayers were, “Liberate us from the Romans!”

Jesus would grow up to say, “Your sins are forgiven!” He had the best answer. The Hebrews just hadn’t asked the right question!

Jesus completed his entire ministry while Rome occupied the land intended for the Chosen People. It turns out that who’s running the country isn’t nearly as important as having your sins forgiven. Make sure you’re asking the right question!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church