Believe the Eyewitnesses!

For Thursday, February 5, 2026:

Mark 16:14 NLT: “Jesus later appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.”

That Jesus would appear to the remaining 11 disciples. This should have removed all doubt concerning his resurrection. They could all see him and hear him speak. Unfortunately, he spoke a chastisement for their previous unbelief!

Jesus previously told them that he had to leave, but would come back for them. Prophets long ago had said that the Messiah would be persecuted, suffer and die. God saw to it that the disciples knew everything in advance. They were warned! But when it actually happened – when Jesus was crucified – they didn’t believe they’d ever see him again. They could not fathom their spiritual mentor dying a human death. And in their experience, once someone died, that was final.

But not for Jesus! He took another 40 days before ascending to God’s heavenly Kingdom. In that length of time, hundreds could have seen the risen Jesus! By then, life after this life should be known by all. “Should be...” The reality is that most didn’t understand what was taking place and tended to dismiss what they had seen with their own two eyes! It’s hard to convince people of conclusions that differ from their personal experiences!

Evangelists fight this same battle daily, trying to coax faith from unbelievers. Remember that Jesus said, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” So believe! Be blessed by the Messiah!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Walk to Emmaus!

For Wednesday, February 4, 2026:

Mark 16:12-13 NLT: “Jesus appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.”

This would be the walk to Emmaus. It’s another example of a Jesus sighting following the crucifixion. As I said yesterday, these two followers saw Jesus, #1 die on a cross, #2 be pierced with a spear, and finally, #3 laid in a grave. So the last thing they’d expect to see would be Jesus walking alongside them. It’s not surprising that they didn’t recognize him. They never figured on ever seeing him again!

Jesus pretended to not know the recent happenings in Jerusalem, so the two travelers got him up to speed. Our religious mentor had been captured, beaten, endured a kangaroo court and a mock trial, and eventually was crucified and died. This happened just three days ago. How can you not have heard? We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel!

Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from Scripture the things concerning himself.

Imagine the surprise, these two men suddenly realizing that they were walking in the company of the Son of God! They had given up on Jerusalem and were headed home when their eyes were opened to the resurrection, the possibility of life after this life!

That’s the same battle we fight nowadays. Since we’ve never seen anyone from the hereafter, it’s hard for some people to believe that there IS a hereafter. That’s where Jesus went to prepare a place for believers. We’re to share that Good News as we make disciples of all nations. There will be room for all who believe!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Risen!

     For Tuesday, February 3, 2026:

Mark 16:9, 11 NLT: “After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. But when she told the disciples that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.”

Thus begins the longer ending of this Gospel. I suspect some writers assumed that once the tomb was empty, the story was complete. Not quite! There will be another 40 days to document. As Paul Harvey used to say, “the r-r-r-rest of the story.” Yes, the tomb was empty, but even more important is the fact that Jesus was alive! People could see him, hear him and follow him around. He proved that there is life after this life.

Before Jesus, Mary Magdalene was a tough case. After all, she was occupied by seven demons. But once freed from Satan’s influence, she quickly assumed the role of “most loyal to Jesus,” sort of a female equivalent of Simon Peter. It actually makes sense that she would be the first to see the risen Christ.

Notice the order in which Jesus did things. Before healing, teaching or including her in the group, he cast out her demons, all seven of them. Wow! She must have been a mess! But Satan’s minions have no power over the name of Jesus. We should learn from what Jesus did. He said believers should use his name!

Humans tend to believe what we expect to see. Our minds fulfill our expectations. In this case, the disciples had watched as Jesus died on the cross, was pierced with a spear, and then laid in a grave. So when Magdalene said she saw Jesus alive, she was doubted.

But it turned out that she was right. When Jesus called out, “Mary,” she knew his voice. Are you familiar enough with Jesus that if he called out your name, you’d recognize His voice?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Baptized!

     February 2, 2026:

Luke 3:4, 6 NLT: Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’ Then all people will see the salvation sent from God.”

Today, we’re looking at John the Baptist, who was on a mission trip for God. He was to encourage everyone to repent and return to the Lord, and to be water-baptized as part of God’s plan for forgiveness and reconciliation. And he was privileged to introduce Jesus the Messiah to the world.

Jesus would eventually be baptized by John. Being without sin, Jesus didn’t really need to be baptized, but chose to do so as an example of what others should do and to identify John as one of God’s servants. John protested, “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you!” But Jesus insisted they fulfill all of God’s requirements.

As Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy spirit descended upon him like a dove, and a voice boomed out from heaven: “This is my dearly beloved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Jesus’ ministry just shifted into high gear! What lies ahead will truly be exciting!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Same God!

     For Sunday, February 1, 2026:

Hebrews 13:8 NLT: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

This scripture tells us that God and his Son Jesus are consistent. If God gave a command 2K years ago, it’s still in effect nowadays. We can have confidence in the prophecies given to us. Rules are rules, and laws are laws. What God wants us to do doesn’t change. Tell everyone about the Father’s love and forgiveness. Tell them about Jesus, that he paid the penalty for our sins. Tell the people that our Lord has offered us a second chance, a do-over – and a third chance, and a fourth chance… His desire is that everyone would repent and return.

We can put our faith, hope and trust in the God of Abraham. He’s the same God yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our God is powerful enough to create an entire universe, but still quite interested in each of our lives. He wants us to talk to him today. He wants to favor us with his blessings today – right now, so connect with him frequently. Share not only your hurts and sorrows with him, but your good news and blessings as well. Get to the heart of the matter. You can’t just do small talk when conversing with God. Smile when you meet with the Lord!

God and his Son desire a relationship with you. Make a point of including him in your life!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Golden Rule!

     For Saturday, January 31, 2026:

Hebrews 13:6 NLT: “We can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’”

 "Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.” The golden rule! At first glance, this seems like a nice reciprocal arrangement. If you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you, and vice versa.

But this is a little different. Not all humans respond in a positive manner, for a variety of reasons. But Christians should. If we treat others with kindness as Jesus told us to, God will respond positively. God loves believers so much that he planned our rescue even while we were sinning. His Son died so our sins would be forgiven. God is “all in” on mankind’s rescue project. We may or may not receive a thank you for our God-inspired behavior. Our best reward may be heaven-sent!

If you’re OK with your behavior and it fits with what God/Jesus commanded, then it really doesn’t matter what someone else thinks. Let the Lord be your helper. What can mere people do to you?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Goodbye Law!

For Friday, January 30, 2026:

Romans 6:15 NLT: “Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!”

The Law enters people into a contest. Can we do enough good to outweigh the bad? Can we do enough good to qualify for heaven? Christianity doesn’t work like that. We are no longer under the Law.

Believers are living under grace. Our salvation is God’s free gift to us. His desire is to include us in his eternal heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, if we confess our wrongdoings and declare allegiance to the Son who took away our sin, we will be fully forgiven. Heaven won’t be filled with perfect people. Heaven will be filled with forgiven people. “I once was lost, but now I’m found.” God’s love and grace bring us home. Jesus said so!

I work with church musicians, and our goal is to bring our best to the Lord and the other believers. Mistakes will happen from time to time, but if everyone is doing their best, I can’t complain. I encourage grace for one another, and forgiveness. That’s what Jesus would do! God wants our love and offers us grace, undeserved favor, and forgiveness.

Pray and thank God for his grace and forgiveness, and always do your best for the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Expect the Unexpected

For Wednesday, January 28, 2026:

Three days after Jesus’ crucifixion, the women visited the tomb to care for his body. They encountered a man dressed in a white robe.

(Mark 16:6 NIV:) “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

Jesus conquered both sin and death during the same event. He first took the sins of the world to the place of the dead. Then he rose from the grave, defying death. When dealing with Jesus, expect the unexpected!

We’ve been retelling this story for 2K years, so we’ve heard this all before. But Jesus’ followers were witnessing this scenario for the first time. The closest to this anyone had seen was when Jesus resurrected the daughter of Jairus, or perhaps when Lazarus was brought back to life. But never before had anyone made themselves alive again. Clearly, Jesus had authority over life and death.

This is extremely good news for those of us who believe. Jesus had proven beyond a doubt that there indeed was life after this life. Death is not the end. Because our sins were taken away and forgiven, believers have a reservation in God’s forever heavenly Kingdom. We are blessed with Assurance of Salvation, something no other religion has.

Put your faith, hope and trust in Jesus, and your life after this life will be a good one. Jesus won’t let you down!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

End of the Age!

For Tuesday, January 27, 2026:

Matthew 24:14 NLT, Jesus speaking: “The Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all people of all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.”

Do you ever ruminate on the end of this age, wondering what is the tipping point? When does the next reality come to fruition?

Jesus is pretty clear about that. It’s a fair process. The Earth will change once everyone everywhere gets a chance to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. ALL people from ALL nations deserve that chance. Remember that God’s goal is that ALL would repent and return, so we need to make sure that everyone has that opportunity. In pursuit of that goal, we send missionaries to faraway places and translate the Bible into additional languages. That’s all good, but the US is facing an internal problem as well. I’m willing to bet people are living on your streets, even right on your block, who haven’t heard the Gospel. The Lord’s work may begin closer to home than you were thinking!

Believers are obedient loyalists to our creator. We will not only survive the transition to God’s heavenly Kingdom, we will find a room with our name on the door. Jesus will have prepared our eternal residences as he promised. What a glorious way to spend eternity, in the presence of a loving God and his Son. Enjoy!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Gone Missing!

January 26, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 2:46 NLT: “Three days later Jesus’ parents finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions.”

Have you ever had a child go missing at the mall or at a theme park? We lost Melissa at the Atlanta airport. She had wandered around the corner and struck up a conversation with a friendly-looking, grandfatherly man. She was excited that she had made a new friend, but he was not one of our family. Fortunately, he was a nice man, and we located her quickly, but it could have been far worse! Children are both curious and precocious. Jesus was no exception!

Personally, I can’t imagine having a child of mine go missing for three days! Mary and Joseph must have been beside themselves with anguish. Picture losing the Son of God! They found him amongst religious teachers, asking them questions and answering theirs. How unlikely would it be for religious philosophers to enjoy conversing with a 12-year-old?

Jesus explained, “Why did you have to search? Didn’t you expect that I would be in my Father’s house?” For all they’d been through with angels, the immaculate conception, shepherds and wise men, and spending time as persecuted non-resident aliens in Egypt, Jesus’ parents still hadn’t connected all the dots.

The last line of the song, “Mary Did You Know,” explains it best. “That sleeping child you're holding is the great I Am!”

Those religious teachers were blessed to be getting answers from God himself. We’re blessed to know a relationship with God as he walked on earth. We worship the One who came to forgive us, to redeem our eternal essence, our souls. Jesus, our faith is in you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Miraculous Signs!

For Sunday, January 25, 2026:

Mark 16:17a,18 NLT, Jesus speaking: “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

These are some of Jesus’ last words, his final instructions before ascending back to the Father. He first gave us our “Priesthood of all believers” doctrine, saying, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” This isn’t optional. Every Christian is to help make new Christians. Each of us will have a different portion of that task using our God-given gifts and talents. But encouraging others in their faith should be top-of-mind for all of us.

You should be aware that there’s a supernatural spirit-world operating alongside life on Earth as we know it. A lot of it is not good. Satan and his demons reside in the spirit dimension. Our goal is to settle in the Father’s heavenly Kingdom. Satan’s goal is to derail us, to keep our souls for himself. Obviously, God’s way is the better choice.

Jesus doesn’t throw us to the wolves. He leaves believers with his power and authority to deal with evil. We can bring back to life the victims of premature death. We can lay hands on our fellows and, in Jesus’ name, cure any sickness or disease. We can cast out demons, the source of much of the world’s trouble. Cast out the demons first, because they might be the root cause of the illnesses. That’s what Jesus did!

We are saved by grace through faith. Faith is the cornerstone of our salvation. Take a high view of the Bible. Every God-inspired word is truth, and every incident happened just the way the Bible says. Pray, do things in Jesus’ name, and repent of nonconforming scenarios. Know that this life is temporary, and have confidence that Jesus is preparing an eternal place for you. If you’re with Jesus, life couldn’t be better!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Repent & Return:

Daily message of hope...

For Saturday, January 24, 2026:

 

Mark 16:15 NLT: “Then the risen Jesus told the believers, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.”

 

Throughout the Old Testament, the bottom-line message has always been to repent and return. Repent of sin, and return to the Lord. Come back to God’s way, his commandments and his thinking. God has a plan to reward loyalty.

 

As the New Testament begins and Jesus enters our world, the plan unfolds. Jesus’ mission is to put the Father’s plan in motion. As He dies on a cross, He will take the sins of the world upon himself and carry them to the place of the dead, leaving the forgiven faithful as eligible for eternal residence in God’s heavenly Kingdom. Didn’t Jesus promise to prepare a place for us? And doesn’t Jesus always speak the truth? You might as well start packing, because we’re leaving soon

 

Before we leave, we should be doing what Jesus commanded: “Preach the Good News to everyone!” How we do that may look different for each of us, but if we combine our gifts, we can get the job done. Everyone needs to know that the heavenly train is leaving soon. There’s plenty of room, but we need to get on board with haste. That train won’t wait forever!

 

If you believe Jesus is who he said he was and have faith that he can do what he promised, you’re “IN!” You have something that only redeemed Christians have – Assurance of Salvation! Relax. God has you covered!

 

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Serve the Lord!

For Friday, January 23, 2026:

Romans 6:12 NLT: “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let sin reign in your body, which is subject to death.”

Bob Dylan sang that each of us winds up serving somebody. We get to carefully choose who we will serve. This is the same declaration that Joshua, Moses’ assistant, made 3300 years earlier. “Choose today who you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Your decision is an alliance and an allegiance. Which team do you want to play for, Jesus’ team or the other team? Jesus’ team aligns with our Creator God, while the other team is always battling their wrongdoings. Surprisingly, it’s easier to align with God, although at times we may be outnumbered!

Choosing Jesus’ team doesn’t instantly make us perfect. But deciding in favor of heaven’s ways gives us standards, goals for which we can strive. Believers wisely choose to adopt God’s value system, and the longer we bond with God, the better we get at serving him. We see progress, but our goal is perfection!

Satan’s sinners face death, while Jesus’ team is destined for eternal life in God’s heavenly Kingdom. Jesus made it possible for believers to view that Kingdom from the inside! Choose today who you will serve.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Messiah!

For Thursday, January 22, 2026:

Luke 2:28-29 NLT: “Simeon took baby Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.’”

It had been prophesied to Simeon that he would not die until the Lord’s Messiah had been revealed to him. And now he’s personally lifting baby Jesus in his arms! Voilà! The Messiah had arrived!

God always makes good on his promises! He promised to send a Savior, a Rescuer, a Messiah for his people. As it turns out, God’s gift was much more important than what the people were expecting. They were frustrated with Roman occupation of their land. They would have been happy just to be free of the Roman Army. God’s almighty gift was forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness opens the door to eternal life and residence in God’s forever heavenly Kingdom! BTW, there is no Roman army in God’s Kingdom! Mission accomplished and then some!

Don’t expect to understand supernatural events. Just accept the results. The Holy Spirit brought Jesus and Simeon together that day in the Temple, and Simeon identified Jesus to the world. This was only eight days into Jesus’ life. So everyone would have known right from the beginning that Jesus was heaven-sent.

His promise to forgive the sins of all who repent and return is as good today as it was 2k years ago. And God’s desire is that ALL would repent and return. His desire is that none would be lost. You can sign up for that program for free. Just acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life and repent of past sins. Draw a line in the sand, before Jesus and after Jesus. The after Jesus side of the line will be clean and fresh. Garbage will be left on the other side of the line. It’s easy to make the right decision. The sun will be shining on Jesus’ side of the line. See you there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church