Expectations!

For Wednesday, September 9, 2026:

Acts 4:5, 7 NLT: “The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. They brought in Peter and John and demanded, ‘By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?’”

Peter and John had been teaching the people the truth about Jesus. They had been preaching the Good News (Gospel) in the Temple. But the council didn’t see Jesus as an extension of their religion. They regarded him as head-on competition, and demanded that Peter and John stop what they had been doing or get out of the Temple or both!

Peter and John had started their visit to the Temple by healing a man, lame from birth, found begging by the beautiful gate. Everyone knew this man, many had given to help him in the past, and no one ever expected to see him walk! And here he was, dancing a jig around the Temple after being healed through the name of Jesus!

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, explained in no uncertain words exactly what had taken place: “Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that this man was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Peter didn’t stutter; he didn’t hem and haw. He never used the words “like” and “ya know” (or the Hebrew equivalents.) All he had to do (and all he was called to do) was tell the truth. Peter had full confidence in Jesus. He h

One problem we may have nowadays is lack of faith. Scientists and doctors have conditioned us to not expect results when our prayers exceed earthly limitations. Don’t restrict what God can do by excluding supernatural expectations. God is full of surprises, oftentimes delivering more than we asked. So ask him today – in the name of Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Born Again!

For Tuesday, September 8, 2026:

Colossians 2:12 NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.”

Christians have their own language, their own verbiage, concepts and terms specific to believers. Those still living in “the world” may not get it.

When we accept Jesus, our old selves, our worldly selves figuratively die. Just as Jesus died and took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, our sinful selves die as we make our decisions for Jesus. And just as Jesus came alive again and walked away from the tomb, believers are said to be “born again.”

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again [or born from above], you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

Those who don’t yet believe question the premise. “Can I enter my mother’s womb a second time?” Of course not, but that analogy perfectly describes the 180º turnaround of a worldly person becoming a faithful believer. Believers’ standards have been raised. God’s commands have become their value system.

Do you feel that your old ways have died now that you know Jesus? As a Christian, have you felt that a fresh start took place in your life? Did Jesus give you a do-over on your life? Have you truly been born again?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Kindness!

September 7, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 6:38 AMP, Jesus speaking: “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.”

When asked to name the most important commands, Jesus answered, “Love the Lord and love your neighbor.” Today’s scripture encourages us to care for our neighbors.

It’s the “Golden Rule” taken to the extreme. What we give to others will be more than repaid to us by our Heavenly Father. We will receive in excess of what we give. To ensure an accurate measure (not that anyone should question God), Jesus describes ‘shaking it down’ to remove spaces, ‘pressing down’ our reward to compress it, and then filling our lap to ‘overflowing!’ God is not only fair, but he’s more than fair.

Sometimes our reward will come in this life, sometimes in the next. It really doesn’t matter. Those realities seem separate to us, but God created us only once. The same soul (spirit) that lives on earth will also live in the Kingdom.

So continue to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and care for widows and orphans. If your neighbor needs help, lend a hand. Become known for kindness. We will be rewarded over and above for our kindness. That’s what the Bible says. That’s what Jesus said!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Believers!

For Sunday, September 6, 2026:

Acts 4:4 NLT: “Many of the people who heard Peter and John’s message believed them, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.”

Peter and John had been arrested and jailed for preaching the truth about Jesus. Nonetheless, many people believed them and the number of believers grew to about 5,000 men. Only counting the men was like counting “families,” as most men were married and had at least two children. So this probably represents about 20K people, thereby leaving a significant hole in the Temple’s population.

Previously, the Pharisees and Temple leaders ran everything. All the Jewish people and their tithes automatically went to the Temple. But with these kind of numbers, Jesus and his followers posed a serious affront to both the Temple’s power and its pocketbook.

I believe that Christianity was never supposed to be a new, separate religion. After all, Jesus was raised Jewish. His arrival should have been the next chapter. Instead, the desire for power and the love of money got in the way. Many of those who loved God wouldn’t accept the Son of God!

The life of Jesus is well documented in the four Gospels. If you only consider healings and raising of the dead, it would be hard not to believe that Jesus was heaven-sent. His other miracles serve to reinforce the truth we’ve already learned.

Christianity grows through attraction, so today is always the best day to invite someone to join you for worship. Everyone deserves to know the truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Name of Jesus!

For Saturday, September 5, 2026:

John 16:24 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.”

There’s a first time for everything! Jesus is teaching the faithful one very important lesson, so pay attention. It’s for all of us today, too!

Instead of becoming frustrated by trying to do everything yourself, call in some reinforcements. In this case, help comes through Jesus himself! He not only gave us permission to use his name, but he instructed us to do exactly that. Using Jesus’ name is what separates a whimsical wish from a request for divine intervention. Believers with reasonable requests asking in Jesus’ name will receive. Their prayers will be answered. Jesus said so.

But it would be wrong to contradict God. We can pray for healing, but if God has decided to call someone home, God gets his way.

Regardless of the outcome, we should prepare to celebrate. In this scripture, Jesus tells us that requesting and receiving in his name will result in abundant joy! Now share with your fellows the goodness of God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Everything We Need!

For Friday, September 4, 2026:

Colossians 2:10 NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

Paul makes a couple or really good points in this one sentence. Some people think of Jesus as a lesser God or maybe an assistant God. That’s bad thinking. Jesus is fully God and also fully mankind. As God, he’s supreme over every ruler and authority. Jesus is second place to no one! He is eternal. He was present when the world was created, and the Bible says that he’ll be here at the end times. He will preside over judgment day and separate the sheep from the goats!

Believers are included in the Kingdom through our association with Christ. The Message explains it like this: “Everything of God gets expressed in Jesus, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.”

Our lives are complete because of our adoption into the Holy Family. We will be saved because Jesus took away our sins and now welcomes us into the Kingdom of everlasting life. Our association with Jesus makes us complete!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Assurance of Salvation!

For Thursday, September 3, 2026:

Romans 9:30 NLT: “What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.”

The last sentence of today’s scripture says it all. Gentiles are made right with God through faith.

Followers of other religions try to please the Lord by doing specific things, thereby earning heaven points. For example, if you do something nice for someone, you earn heaven points. But when driving home from church, someone cuts you off in traffic, and you shake your fist at them. Now you lose heaven points. Q: How do you know when you have enough heaven points to see heaven from the inside? Or how do you know if you’ve lost enough points to be disqualified?

Last week, I was preparing to sing ‘Blessed Assurance.’ I explained how Christians have ‘Assurance of Salvation,’ something no other religion has. God wanted us to stop trying to earn our way into heaven. If we each claim Jesus as Lord of our Lives, we will be redeemed, end of story. Our salvation is by grace, a free, undeserved gift from above. Our faith, our eternal belief in the Son of God, locks in our life after this life.

So Christianity is pretty simple. Place Jesus at the top of your agenda and put your faith in his promises. Claim Assurance of Salvation just like the song says!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Afterlife!

For Wednesday, September 2, 2026:

Acts 4:2 NLT: “The priests and Temple guards were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead.”

We tend to not believe what we haven’t seen with our own eyes. Jesus broke new ground by proving that there is life after this life. Although he was pronounced dead by Roman soldiers, he walked away from his tomb three days later. He could walk and talk, and appear to various groups seemingly at will.

The risen Jesus had supernatural abilities, and Peter and John were eyewitnesses to all these things. They were filled with enthusiasm having seen the miracles firsthand. So their natural response was to begin sharing the Good News with others.

At that time, most Pharisees were hoping that there was a life after this life, but they weren’t sure. Sadducees taught that there was no life after this life. So Peter’s and John’s preaching radically opposed the best thinking of the day.

As followers of Jesus, we now know the truth. Jesus rose from the grave, opening the door for us all to be welcomed into a life after this life. These eyewitnesses documented exactly what Jesus did so that all believers would know the truth.

Yes, friends, there IS life after this life!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Access to God!

For Tuesday, September 1, 2026:

John 16:23 NLT, Jesus speaking: “At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.”

The “time” about which Jesus is speaking follows the crucifixion. We will not see him for a while. But he will be resurrected from the tomb and we will see him again. After that, he will ascend to the Father, absent from us for a while, but we will see him again as he ushers us into the Father’s Kingdom. He will never leave us of forsake us!

Remember that as Jesus was crucified, the curtain isolating the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom, which means God was doing the tearing. Because we’re disciples of Jesus, we no longer need to summon a priest or religious leader to communicate with God. Jesus has given us direct access to the Father. We can ask him directly using the Jesus’ name. Jesus’ name commands great respect in the spirit world. Demons don’t like it when we use Jesus’ name, for they know that he is God’s Son. They know that they are powerless against him.

We can heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons using Jesus’ name. Maybe even more! That’s what the Bible says!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Forgive!

August 31, 2026:

Luke 6:37b NLT, Jesus speaking: “Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

Jesus not only encourages us to forgive others, but has commanded us to give others a second chance, a third chance, etc. Here Jesus echoes the words in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” Since God made me aware of the unforgiveness problem, I’ve started noticing it everywhere. It’s far too prevalent in today’s world.

People with problems in their lives are often kept away from solutions because of unforgiveness, sometimes related to the problem, sometimes not. A person may have trouble with relationships because they haven’t forgiven their parents for their sad upbringing. Someone may have trouble keeping jobs because they haven’t forgiven a previous boss who was mean. Is there anyone in your own life you haven’t forgiven?

I believe God gives us a piece of paper each day with ‘Things to do Today’ written at the top, and numbers down the left side. He gave us free will, so we can include anything on our agenda that pleases us. Is ‘Holding a grudge’ on your list? Are you angry at a coworker, a fellow student or just the person driving too slow in fast lane?

Are the same people on your list every day? If so, it’s time to clean house. Let go of the bad stuff and hang on to the good stuff. Don’t make a permanent home for a grudge. Don’t make a home for a demon.

We can live better lives if we let go and let God. Let him have your grudge. Your load will be lighter if the Lord is carrying your problems!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Judged and Condemned!

For Sunday, August 30, 2026:

Luke 6:37 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

Jesus says to not judge others. Implied in that command is to not judge harshly. There would be nothing wrong with judging someone’s performance, finding out that they’d done a great job and giving them a pat on the back, an attaboy!

The Golden Rule applies here. If we criticize others all the time, we would be part of a criticizing culture. And in that culture, our own efforts would be subject to criticism by others. Mankind always seems to have advice on how someone else should do something. We should all listen to my mother, who said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!”

We’ll look at forgiveness tomorrow. It’s a huge topic that takes up a lot of space on God’s teaching agenda. May we all be blessed on this Sabbath day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Truth!

For Saturday, August 29, 2026:

Acts 4:1 NLT: “While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees.”

In these daily messages, a recurring theme is “truth.” The Bible is filled with God-inspired truth. Truth should be the only thing acceptable to our ears.

In this scripture’s juxtaposition of roles, the priests, the Temple guard and the Sadducees weren’t supporting truth. Might as well include the Pharisees in the untruth bunch, since they were a big part of worship at the Temple. Let me be clear: The religious leaders of the day were disseminating misinformation and denying truth, which was beyond unfortunate since the congregation was counting on them for guidance.

Ironically, Simon Peter and John, men with fishing backgrounds, knew the truth. They had lived alongside Jesus, eaten countless meals with him and had memorized words straight from our Savior’s mouth. They had watched Jesus’ crucifixion, saw the spear thrust into his side, observed his death as he was burdened with the sins of the world, and watched in amazement as three days later he walked away from the tomb! Sin and death had been conquered in a single event! Jesus proved that there is life after this life. Death is not the end!

I’m always amazed that the wholHeaworld isn’t cheering for Jesus. Two of the stand-out events for me are the miracle healings and the resurrection. Oftentimes, the healings weren’t small miracles. Sight was restored to the blind. People lame from birth stood up and walked! No surgery, no PT – fully restored instantly! And walking away from the tomb with holes in his hands and feet and a wound in his torso where the spear had been. Friends, there were eyewitnesses! Hundreds of people saw Jesus die, and hundreds saw him walking and heard him speak following his death!

So my advice is to double-check everything you’re told against what the Bible says. Don’t automatically trust spiritual leaders. They may have a personal agenda. Trust instead the eyewitnesses who lived with our Savior. See the amazement in their eyes as they boast about the resurrection. Sense their anticipation as Jesus prepares a place for believers in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom. God’s desire is that all of us would be a part of it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Children of God!

For Friday, August 28, 2026:

Romans 9:26 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

When Jesus visited us on our planet, it makes sense that he would come through the Jewish people, those who had an existing relationship with Yahweh. But the territory increased greatly after Paul’s encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul was called to leave Israel and evangelize Asia Minor, where he planted church after church after church. And the prophet Hosea called those new believers ‘children of the living God.’

John also tells us, “To all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Once again, ‘children.’ The faithful are adopted into the Holy Family, whereby God is our Father and Jesus is our brother. It’s a good family, and believers can be proud to be part of such a loving and accepting community.

God has opened the offer of eternal life in his Heavenly Kingdom to everyone. He also created us with freedom to choose, and we have the right to choose incorrectly. That’s unfortunate. Eternity is a long time, and we should want to be in the right place forever!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Call to Serve!

 Daily message of hope...
For Thursday, August 27, 2026:

Acts 3:26 NLT, Peter, preaching in the Temple: “When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”

Jesus came to mankind through the Jewish people. It makes sense. They were the ones with the previous relationship with God. But Jesus’ final command was “to make disciples of ALL nations.” Our God is inclusive. His hope is that ALL would repent and return. Because mankind has been given free will, that may not happen, but it’s nonetheless God’s desire.

Where is your mission field? When we speak of a ‘mission trip,’ we think of going to another city, another state or another country. But it doesn’t have to be that complicated. You can minister to coworkers, fellow students and neighbors. There are enough Christians in the US that there’s no excuse for everyone to not have heard about Jesus. The Good News should be common knowledge in our country.

I’ve personally prayed a great deal about this, and the Lord has given me two answers at different times. First, I was elected leader of a church supporting over a dozen overseas missionaries. My piece of the puzzle was to sustain that local church, so that we’d have a strong base from which to send the others. I was also called to preach at a men’s in-patient treatment facility just off Lake Street. I led services for them once a month for over 25 years. My mission field was Lake Street, Minneapolis, where drug use was prevalent, single parents were the norm and poverty was out of control. There was a lot to do, but life was always better with Jesus in it!

Being obedient to Jesus, we all need to identify our piece of the mission puzzle and add action to our conclusions.

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Ancestry!

Daily message of hope...
For Wednesday, August 26, 2026:

Romans 9:25 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, ‘Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.’”

Early Christians were all Jews. But following Paul’s efforts, the ancestry ratio shifted so that most modern-day Christians originated in the Gentile population. As a group, we were not Jews, “God’s chosen people.” Friends, it matters not. God is God, and he can choose anyone he wants to. He has now chosen us, the faithful believers who love Jesus. (And yes, some believers were Jews!)

Scripture tells us that whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. And that scripture is speaking of eternal life, having a home in God’s heavenly Kingdom, living in the place Jesus prepared for you.

As it turns out, our ancestry isn’t the deciding factor. It’s our love for the Son and the Father’s love for us that cement the bidirectional relationship. It’s good to have friends in high places!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Seeing God!

For Tuesday, August 25, 2026:

Colossians 2:9 NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.”

We can’t help but be curious about an unseen God. Paul helps pin down the details.

The completeness of God is contained in Christ. Jesus was known for being kind and helpful. When the sick were brought to him, he kept healing until every one had what they needed. He was inclusive, serving the poor as well as the rich, serving Gentiles as well as Jews. Jews never associated with Samaritans, yet Jesus struck up a conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, the one with five previous husbands, and shared with her the Good News. When the thief on a cross repented, Jesus said the man could join him in paradise – today! Everyone, yes, everyone is eligible for Jesus’ repent and return offer. Remember, God’s desire is that no one would be lost; that ALL would repent and return.

The beliefs, the commands and the value system of God are all present in his Son. Jesus said that if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father. Celebrate our close association with Christ. It’s just like knowing God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Compassion!

August 24, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 6:36 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”

God went to all the work of creating the universe, the planets, plants, animals, and finally human beings. Then the humans disobeyed, sinned. At that point, God could have thrown in the towel, concluding that the project was doomed. He did not!

God had fallen in love with these little humanoid creatures he had created. In spite of mankind’s shortcomings, God desired the best for everyone. Rather than abandoning the project, he devised a plan to rescue the faithful. He’d send his son Jesus to pay the penalty for mankind’s sinning. In a way, we’d be rescued by God himself. That’s the ultimate example of being compassionate!

Now that we know what all-out compassion looks like, we can emulate the Father and his Son. It’s said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, so we endeavor to live our lives with Jesus as our model!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Love!

For Sunday, August 23, 2026:

Luke 6:35 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.”

We already love those who love us. Jesus is telling us to offer that love to everyone, even those who aren’t on your side. He wants being nice, kind and helpful to become our first response in any situation. In short, we should always do what Jesus did.

While we can’t earn our way into heaven, God will look kindly on those who obey his Son’s teaching. If you stop and think about it, heaven’s response will mirror your own behavior. If you’ve shown love to all, you’ll be welcomed with open arms. But if you’re known as a jerk here on earth, heaven may have second thoughts. Let’s not go there!

Love your friends, and show kindness to your enemies. But most of all, love the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Love & Mercy!

For Saturday, August 22, 2026:

Romans 9:16 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.”

God is good. God looked at mankind, his creation, and declared it to be very good. Not that WE were particularly good, but that his act of creation was very good. God loves us and he’s not about to change his mind. God is merciful, loving us in spite of our shortcomings.

If we could earn our way into the Kingdom, no one would make it because the Bible says that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, his goals for mankind. We are saved by grace, undeserved favor. Our faith in God’s sovereignty includes us among the faithful.

But make no mistake. Salvation is a gift from the Almighty. Unlike other religions, we can’t work for God’s acceptance. We can’t earn his love. Our God has chosen us! He’s a merciful God, and believers are the beneficiaries of his kindness and love!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church