A Jesus Franchise!

For Saturday, October 31, 2026:

Acts 4:30 NLT: “O Lord, stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

McDonald’s reached a point where their business had grown as much as possible with only one location. Expansion would require building more restaurants in more cities. Franchising would radically increase their bottom line.

Jesus was faced with a similar predicament. As a practical matter, he couldn’t get to every city himself. So he sent disciples, two by two, to the towns not on his schedule. Jesus was, in effect, franchising Christianity to these additional places. I call this (don’t shoot me!) the McDonald’s Method of evangelism!

The disciples Jesus sent were told to heal the sick and cure leprosy, raise the dead when appropriate and cast out demons. Jesus routinely did these things himself, and he told those disciples to do these things “in MY name.” Nowadays you and I – believers – should be the ones opening new franchises for Jesus. We should continue being helpful and doing good “in Jesus’ name” until all the people are served.

Have you selected a site for your Jesus franchise? Will you know what to do when the doors open?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Accountability!

For Friday, October 30, 2026:

Genesis 3:12 NLT: “Adam answered the Lord, ‘It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’”

I’ll bet Adam’s response angered God as much as the forbidden fruit incident itself. If you did something wrong, Adam, own up to it. Confess, repent and ask for forgiveness. Instead, Adam tries to blame the woman for what happened. Bad move.

Only half jokingly, I often teach that the most difficult words for the American male to say are “whoops, sorry, my bad.” It’s humor, but there’s truth behind it. Taking responsibility when something goes wrong is important. We need to try to square things up with our fellows and with God, and honest accountability goes a long way. God will forgive you if you confess. Personally, I struggle with this, but I’m getting better. My wife helps me.

So don’t succumb to the serpent’s temptation, and don’t blame someone else if you fall. What you may do wrong is your fault and no one else’s. God loves you unconditionally and will help you get back on the straight and narrow. God stands ready to help!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Original Sin Explained!

For Thursday, October 29, 2026:

Original Sin Explained

Genesis 2:16-17 NLT: “The Lord God warned Adam, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden — except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

Genesis 3:4-5 NLT: “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Everyone knows the basic story of original sin, Adam and Eve eating the forbidden apple. But as Paul Harvey said, we need the rest of the story. As God inspired Bible text, he oftentimes described supernatural and spirit-world things in human terms, so that mankind could understand. Analogies. So there was no apple, and there probably wasn’t a tree. Original sin is about disobedience, not fruit.. God had said “no,” but the couple succumbed to Satan’s temptation.

The serpent represents Satan, who assured the woman that they wouldn’t die. Satan and his demons lie all the time. Imagine Satan telling you what God will or will not do. Ridiculous, right? They shouldn’t have believed Satan then, and we shouldn’t believe him now. Satan and his demons still have the capability of inspiring sin and raining havoc into our lives. Jesus said we can and should cast out demons using his name.

Satan told the couple they could “be like God, knowing both good and evil.” That’s the sin, wanting to be like God. If true, they wouldn’t need God any longer. Of course that’s not true. Satan was lying again. No human could ever replace God, but Lord knows we try all the time. People tend to want to direct their own lives rather than submit to the Lord. We’re reluctant to slide over and let someone else drive.

If Adam & Eve were tempted by being offered knowledge of good and evil, they apparently did not previously have that. God hadn’t yet given any rules, any commandments, any laws. His only request was to stay away from the tree of knowledge. Without knowing good from evil, anything would have been OK. But with that knowledge, they’d have to toe the line. Now that they can discern good from evil, many more things could go the wrong way!

Did they die right then? No, God is merciful. While they were sinning, God was making clothes for them, for they now knew they were naked. As punishment, man would have to work for a living, and women would have pain in childbirth. Weeds would grow in our gardens, and tribulation would grow in our lives. And yet we survive. God would later send his Son on a mission trip to earth. His purpose: rescuing mankind. With Jesus, we would be forgiven for everything that went wrong! Yes, God is merciful!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow!

For Wednesday, October 28, 2026:

Romans 10:11 NLT: “As the Scriptures tell us, ‘Anyone who trusts in Jesus will never be disgraced.’”

God doesn’t change his mind. The Bible says that God (and his Son Jesus) are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The scripture this verse refers to is in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, about 700 years before the birth of Jesus. It’s still valid today.

Isaiah’s words, inspired by the Lord, speak of a foundation, a cornerstone placed in Jerusalem. That’s where the Temple was located, the center of all religion. Jesus taught in that Temple, and the cornerstone of Christianity is Jesus himself!

If it was good to exalt God’s Son 2,700 yers ago, it’s still good today. As I said, God doesn’t change his mind. If praise and worship were good back then, we should still be doing those things nowadays. Most churches plan corporate services that way. Worship comes first. We need to also incorporate that principle into our private prayer lives. Praise God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) for watching over us and loving us unconditionally. Worship him as the all-powerful Creator of everything! After that, it’s OK to submit our personal petitions, requests and desires. But God comes first!

Since God considers us his children, we should all strive to know him a little better! Have a blessed day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Authority!

For Tuesday, October 27, 2026:

Mark 1:21-22 NLT: “Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law.”

Jesus was traveling with at least Simon, Andrew, James and John. They stopped in Capernaum, about 20 miles north of Nazareth. The Bible doesn’t tell us if this was the final destination, or if it was along the way to somewhere else. But on the Sabbath, they all showed up where you’d expect.

At the Synagogue, it was normal and customary to invite guests to speak, especially if they were from some other region. That’s how news spread if something new had occurred. Of course, Jesus, Son of God, beginning his ministry is new, and the worshipers in Capernaum were among the first to hear him.

Some people are gifted at public speaking, and I believe Jesus was one with that gift. A few weeks ago I listened to a speaker who couldn’t hold my attention. It sounded like he was reading from a textbook. Boring! Later that same day but at a different church, the congregation was clapping, shouting Amen’s and lining up for the altar call. The topic was still Jesus, but the second bunch was fully engaged, and I attribute that to the skill given to the speaker, the conduit connecting the Holy Spirit with the congregation.

In this scripture, Jesus was that conduit. He spoke in manner that lent authority to what he spoke. People trusted what they heard. They had confidence in Jesus’ teaching. They believed it was truth, and truth is God’s opinion on everything!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God's Goals!

For Monday, October 26, 2026:

Acts 4:28 NLT: “Everything everyone did – Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and even the people of Israel – was determined beforehand according to God’s will.”

Opposing God will get you nowhere. Even if you’re trying to do good things, your efforts will be futile if they differ from God’s master plan, his goals.

Think about the game of football. If the teams were playing on an open grassy space, no one would know when a team had scored. So they place markers every 10 yards, and put a goal post at each end. Now we can see when a team makes a touchdown. We can see if the football goes through the uprights. My point is that if we know the goal, we will realize when it has been achieved. But if we don’t know, can’t see or don’t understand the goal, we might be striving for progress in the wrong direction!

Case in point: If you were trying to further God’s agenda on earth, who would think that killing God’s Son would be a good idea? Probably no one! But as it happened, as he died, Jesus took the sins of the world to the place of the dead. Mankind was forgiven, given a second chance. That was God’s plan. And we might not have known that Jesus was impervious to death. He would walk away from the tomb with the angels saying, “Didn’t he tell you?” Yes, Jesus did tell them, but the disciples had never before seen anything like this! It’s one thing to hear about resurrection, but quite another to actually witness it!

I believe Jesus intentionally kept Christianity simple. He didn’t give us too many things to do. His goals were achievable. Love God and love your neighbor. Share the Good News by making disciples of all nations and baptize the newcomers. Use Jesus’ name to heal the sick and cure leprosy. Raise the dead when it is not yet their time. And cast out demons, the source of most worldly trouble. Again, use Jesus’ name.

Claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior and follow his commands, and you’ll get through this life just fine. The life after this life will be even better!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Fishing for People!

For Sunday, October 25, 2026:

Mark 1:17-18 NLT: “Jesus called out to Simon and his brother Andrew, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ And they left their nets at once and followed him.”

Is it more important to fish for fish or to fish for people? Somehow fishing for people seems more important. We’re not just reeling in people. We’re saving souls, their eternal essence. If we teach the truth about Jesus the Christ and if those we teach become believers, they won’t spend a day in eternity’s fire. Jesus will have prepared a place in the hereafter for all believers, a good, safe place.

That’s why Jesus commissioned us to make disciples of all people from all nations. He doesn’t want to lose a single soul. He wants everyone to be able to choose salvation over eternal misery. We can provide that opportunity in our corner of the world.

Now is the best time to get in the game, to answer Jesus’ team-building call. Simon and Andrew left at once, leaving the family’s fishing business behind. Nothing is more important than saving souls, and we’re blessed to be included!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Heaven-sent!

For Saturday, October 24, 2026:

John 17:8b NLT, Jesus, praying: “The people accepted the message you gave me, know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.”

It’s one thing acknowledging the miracles Jesus accomplished on earth. But it’s another knowing that Jesus was heaven-sent and that his actions were pre-approved by Father God.

Understand that Jesus and his Father are of one mind. Jesus’ entire modus operandi is God-approved. If we believe in Jesus, we’re also believing in the Father who sent him. If we exalt Jesus, we’re also lifting up the Father.

You might as well include the Holy Spirit too. His name will come up soon enough. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity, our triune God.

Heaven is showering its blessings upon the earth. This reinforces our belief that God loves us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Unlikely Plan Perfectly Executed!

For Friday, October 23, 2026:

Acts 4:27b NLT: “Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed.”

It seems as if everyone in the Holy Land was against Jesus – political leaders, Pharisees and those under the Jewish Council. Even Gentiles who didn’t have a horse in this race sided with the anti-Jesus throng. Eventually they would all win, and Jesus the human would die.

This was a necessary part of God’s plan to redeem mankind. As Christ died, he would take the sins of the world to the place of the dead. Repentant humans would be forgiven and could share the eternal kingdom with our God.

It’s an odd plan in that the Messiah would have to offer his life. But remember, Jesus was fully God and fully man. The human portion could die, but his soul, his spirit, his eternal essence would never die! The history of church growth proves to us that Jesus was alive and well in his Father’s house. The Apostles continued performing Jesus-miracles in Jerusalem. And Jesus personally spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus. Paul then switched sides, was baptized and planted many churches in Asia Minor.

As a result, there are about 2.3 billion Christians in the world today, about a quarter of the world’s population. The false gods are all dead. They’re buried somewhere, and everyone knows. Jesus is the only deity who walked away from his tomb and eventually ascended into heaven, returning home to the Father. Right now he’s preparing a place for all the loyal believers!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Evidence!

For Thursday, October 22, 2026:

Luke 7:20 NLT: “Two of John the Baptist’s disciples found Jesus and said to him, ‘John sent us to ask, Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”

It’s a fair question. If Jesus is the one, they can end the search. If Jesus says ‘yes,’ the Messiah had been found and identified. This could leave Jesus in a difficult position. If he claims to be the Messiah, surely the Jewish leaders would accuse him of blasphemy, which was punishable by death. Instead, Jesus told John’s disciples to examine the evidence.

Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” Given all that evidence, what do you think?

That evidence is still quite valuable to us nowadays. There has never been anyone else who could cure every disease, including leprosy, and even raise the dead! If we need more evidence, add casting out demons and walking away from his own grave to the list!

The evidence in favor of Jesus is overwhelming! Rely on evidence when sharing the Good News with others. This is hard evidence that would hold up in any court of law. Jesus is real, Jesus is the Messiah, he is the Son of the Most High God! John’s disciples were first-person eyewitnesses to it all, and we’re blessed that they shared the Good News with us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Heavenly Kingdom!

For Wednesday, October 21, 2026:

John 17:5 NLT, Jesus, praying: “Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.”

What we can infer from this text is huge! Our one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – existed before the earth was created. We think of Jesus as the Son of God, and that’s not wrong. But we also need to accept Jesus as 1/3 of the Holy Trinity. We can more easily identify with that form, fully God and fully man, since we’re human beings. But all three iterations of God are of one mind. Therefore, they’ll share the same goals and be pulling in the same direction.

My work frequently takes me out of town. I enjoy road trips, an opportunity to escape the rat race and enjoy new experiences. But that can get old after a while, and then I look forward to getting back home. I suspect that Jesus felt that same way. His visit to planet Earth was about to draw to a close. By the end, all goals would be accomplished and it would be time for him to return to the Father.

We can’t even begin to understand the glorious nature of God’s Kingdom. But know that what we have never seen can’t be adequately described with human words. It’s that magnificent! The Good News is that Jesus wanted to get there first so he could prepare a place for his loyal believers. It will prove to be the best place we have ever lived!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Lotsa Faith!

For Tuesday, October 20, 2026:

Romans 10:10 NLT: “For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

How much faith is enough? When it comes to Jesus, believers should set their faith to 10! We believe that he’s the Son of God, sent from heaven to redeem mankind. True believers don’t think redemption is some day in the future. It’s already here, it’s already done. Count on it. We believe God also raised Jesus from the dead, and that he walked away from the tomb! Sin and death were conquered in the same event. We trust the eyewitnesses who saw Jesus ascend into heaven, returning to the Father. We believe these facts with all our hearts, with unflinching devotion to the Son!

Our faith tells us that what we know about Jesus is truth, and since it’s all true, we’ve been commissioned to tell others. The Bible says that people of all nations need to hear the Good News. God loves all the people he created, no matter where they reside, and he doesn’t want to lose anyone. His goal is for everyone to repent and return, just like we did.

In this letter to the Roman church, Paul is encouraging them to believe 100%, having all-in faith in the Son. It’s the same for us nowadays. Faith is contagious, and our faith may captivate new believers. That would put a smile on Jesus’ face!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Kingdom at Hand!

For Monday, October 19, 2026:

Mark 1:15 NLT: “The time promised by God has come at last!” Jesus announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

Jesus said that the Kingdom of God was near, but listeners weren’t convinced. The Jews had been expecting God to liberate them from Roman rule, so that’s what they were looking for. They didn’t know God’s plan for their salvation. The dialog might have gone like this:

Jews: “Free us from Roman rule.”

Jesus: “Your sins are forgiven. I’ll make a place for you in paradise!” His solution didn’t fit their request.

The people were seeking political dominance, but Jesus offered them love and absolution. Grace and forgiveness were to take precedence over obedience to the Law. People needed to change their mindsets. The original language implies a change in direction, like if you’d been going south but repented and decided to head north. Rededication to God Almighty would be required to secure a place in the hereafter.

It’s kind of the same nowadays, although our enemy is no longer Rome. But a great many people in our country – even so-called Christians – are floundering with no real connection to the Lord. So first pray that your God-connection would be cemented into place. Irrevocable. Then pray that you would be given the words and the motivation to share that Good News with others. It’s what Jesus said to do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church