Rescue Plan!

For Friday, October 2, 2026:

Mark 1:7 NLT: “John the Baptist announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals.”

There are a couple of concepts we humans have trouble appreciating. One is that God is all powerful! Everything supplied to us on earth was made by God. If a human claims that they made something, they made it from parts supplied by God. I saw a beautiful wooden rocking chair in an Amish furniture store. A plaque proudly stated, “Handmade by David Miller.” Mr. Miller may have made it into a chair, but God made the wood!

There’s a story about mankind trying to make more people. They talk about special chemicals, water and dirt, all being mixed together. Add a jolt of electricity, and they almost had it, until someone pointed out, “That’s God’s dirt!”

The other concept is that God’s love for mankind is never-ending. We can’t appreciate the length God would go to to continue loving mankind. But God’s love for us goes deeper than we can imagine, so deep that he would sacrifice his Son to ensure mankind’s rescue.

The rescue plan has been implemented. Have you accepted God’s invitation to be forgiven and saved? Today is the best day to repent and return to the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Salvation!

For Thursday, October 1, 2026:

Mark 1:4 NLT: “John the Baptist was the messenger. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.”

This was fresh theology at the time. The concept of repenting and receiving forgiveness was new. Being baptized as a sign of repentance was fairly new. We speak of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. This theology is part of the New Covenant. Jesus himself was baptized, thereby teaching us to repent and return. (Jesus, being sinless, didn’t really need to be baptized.)

The Bible goes on to say that “All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John.” All? John must have made an impression on a lot of people! With no radio, no TV and no internet, person-to-person buzz was the only way people could learn of John. And a great many signed up for the repent, return and receive forgiveness program.

Here’s an analogy, so don’t take it literally. No longer did people have to try to accumulate heaven points. You could be extra good and get a few more points. But if you messed up, you’d lose points. So how many points do we need to see heaven from the inside? With the total in flux, we would never be 100% sure where we stand. With the New Covenant, we see heaven by grace, not by anything we can do. Believers put their faith, hope and trust in Jesus. That’s why we call him “Savior” – because he saves us!

Believers in Jesus have Assurance of Salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Overcome the World!

For Wednesday, September 30, 2026:

John 16:33b AMPC, Jesus speaking: “In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]”

"All’s well that ends well.” That’s what Jesus was saying that day. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean that your road won’t have any bumps. But despite what may appear to go wrong, none of it will matter in the end. Jesus already has forgiveness on his agenda. The rescue of believers is his mission statement. Jesus states it plainly: “I have overcome the world!”

We are told to not worry or be distressed when confronted by worldly problems. Remember, worry isn’t biblical; trusting in the Lord is! That faith, that confidence in and loyalty to the Son assures us of salvation. The Bible says so!

So when things appear to go wrong in your life, laugh it off! We can let go of the problem and let God handle the issue. Jesus has overcome the world, and believers are with Jesus. We have been born again into a new life that doesn’t include worldly problems. Tell your friends, “I’m with Jesus! Forever!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Peace To You!

For Tuesday, September 29, 2026:

John 16:33a NLT, Jesus speaking: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.”

In Jesus’ day, many people settled disputes by fighting. But the religious leaders taught “shalom,” the peace that comes from knowing the Lord. Jesus was on board with that. He had just told believers some of the bad things about to happen, in a way, prophesying future events. Things might look dark for a while, but rest assured that God is still on the throne of the universe, and that there is purpose for all that’s about to happen.

Things aren’t all that different nowadays. People still fight, but the plots are more diabolical. People steal, cheat and lie, characteristically unchristian. There are court battles where lawyers fight for us. And people get gunned down daily. This is all satanic in origin. The devil wants to sow anger and discontent.

To counter the evil one, we must be intentional about shalom. If we want to live in peace as Jesus commanded, shalom needs to be on our daily agenda. Let’s all strive to live in the peace that is so great that it is beyond our understanding.

Shalom to all!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Eyewitness!

Daily message of hope...
September 28, 2026, Monday Message:

Acts 4:14 NLT: “Since everyone could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the (religious) council could say.”

In a court, there’s nothing better than eyewitness testimony. Everyone knew that the subject had been lame from birth. He had been unable to walk. He had been a beggar at an entrance to the Temple, so everyone recognized this guy. And here he is now, walking around like he’d been doing that all his life. He probably could have danced a jig, but that’s just my opinion!

Unfortunately, the religious council held to their preconceived beliefs. Prejudice. Their minds were already made up. They wouldn’t admit Jesus was the heaven-sent Son of God in whose name healing was fulfilled. Illogically, they were denying what they were seeing with their own two eyes!

The desire for power and money can bring deplorable behavior to the surface. The council liked being the authority with the final word on religious matters, and they loved having all the tithes delivered to the Temple. Despite the healing miracle in Jesus’ name, their previous beliefs prevailed. Jesus, after all, was dead (or so they thought!)

Peter and John were issued a “Cease and Desist” order, forbidden to speak of Jesus again. They disobeyed almost immediately!

The Great Commission authorized (commanded) us all to share the Good News. Jesus said that if the Gospel wasn’t shouted out by mankind, even stones would proclaim the truth. Trust what you see with your own two eyes! Be your own eyewitness!

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

Good Heart!

For Sunday, September 27, 2026:

Luke 6:45 NLT, Jesus speaking: “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

Hang out with the wrong people, and trouble will ensue. Jesus explains: “Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes.” We tend to become a likeness of our environment and our associates.

Some people are like brambles and thorns. They’re always rough, unpleasant and walking trouble. If they’re your pals, you’ll likely fall into the same misery that follows them. Avoid them like the plague!

Where do we find good people? Surprisingly, they could be anywhere. We can find bankers who are ethical, giving borrowers a fair deal. We can find honest mechanics and repairmen, but we may have to search for a while! The occupation doesn’t matter as much as that their moral compass is pointed in the right direction. These are people who Christians should seek as long-term friends.

We can also spend a little time with those who fall short of our criteria. We need to share the Good News about forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. We can counsel them into being born again as a new and improved model. God wants everyone to hear the Gospel. God wants everyone to have a chance to play for the Jesus team!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Saved!

For Saturday, September 26, 2026:

Romans 10:1 NLT: “Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.”

Paul is writing to the church in Rome, and the first believers came from the Jewish faith. They already knew God the Father, and a Messiah’s arrival had been predicted. With just a few theological adjustments, Christianity worked for at least some of them.

Paul’s starting point was to lock in those Jews. Once the people of Israel formed a solid base, they could begin evangelizing pagans. People living in Rome, as in Greece, were offered many false gods through their traditions. They had a god for the sun, moon, wind and rain. They had a god for abundant crops and a goddess for sexual satisfaction. You could buy little statuettes of these pretend gods and put them on your mantle. Teaching these people about the real God and his Son would be a monumental task, but Paul was up for it.

God’s desire is for ALL to believe, Jews, Gentiles, pagans and aristocrats alike. Jesus was sent to offer forgiveness and salvation to everyone, no exceptions.

Believers are blessed to have been saved, and we have been commissioned to teach the Gospel truth to everyone on earth. Where is your mission field? Is it where you work or where you work out? Perhaps your children go to school with their children, and you can meet the parents. God wants everyone to have a chance to make the right decision, and that would be to claim Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life. Commit or recommit yourself to him today, and then tell others!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Confidence & Loyalty!

For Friday, September 25, 2026:

Acts 4:13 NLT: “The members of the (religious) council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”

Peter and John had been arrested in the Temple for preaching salvation through Jesus, and for healing a man who had been lame from birth. That man was present as Peter and John were questioned, so no one could deny the miracle. He was healed in the name of Jesus!

The Apostles didn’t try to save their own skin by lying, by denying what had happened. They showed two traits we should all exhibit: confidence and loyalty.

Having lived and traveled with Jesus, they had been eyewitnesses to thousands of healings and miracles. While spiritual healing was a big deal to the lame man, Peter and John had seen it all before. If the man was healed in the name of Jesus, there was no doubt in their minds that it would be so. Peter’s boldness (one of his character traits) fit because he trusted Jesus. As he laid hands on the man, he had already pictured the man walking. In our mind’s eye, we need to picture a miracle as if it already happened.

We speak of trusting in the Lord and believing in Jesus. What is needed is loyalty, an unflinching devotion to the King of kings. We’re not about to change our minds. No one can alter what we believe. Loyalty lasts forever!

The council knew that Peter and John had been with Jesus, so their position came as no surprise. The council was just trying to reconcile what had happened with their preconceived beliefs, and it wasn’t going well.

As God gave us the New Covenant, some things would change. Some things would be different. If we believe Jesus was sent by the Father, we can be filled with confidence as we share the Gospel with others. We can be loyal to the end!

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

John the Baptist!

For Thursday, September 24, 2026:

Mark 1:2-3 NLT, Mark quoting Old Testament prophecy: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”

The heaven-sent messenger to herald the Messiah’s arrival is John the Baptist. He tells the people to repent and return, to get right with God because the Kingdom is at hand. Jesus will be coming soon. And when the King of kings shows up, you want to be on the ‘Jesus Team,’ not the opposition. Your eternal destiny depends on it!

Prophesies fulfilled reinforce our trust in the Bible. God gives prophets the words to say, predictions. When the events come to fruition just as God said, we can believe that the Bible is truth and that our God is real.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean on your own understanding when it aligns with God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Mark's Gospel!

For Wednesday, September 23, 2026:

Mark 1:1a NLT: “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.”

I don’t know if anyone notices, but as I assemble these daily messages, we alternate topics from various books of the Bible. Some are Gospels, some are letters or Epistles, and Acts is the history of the first church. The idea is that if you read these messages, you’ll experience a good cross-section of the Bible. Today we add Mark’s Gospel to the mix. It’s thought to be written by the Jesus loyalist John Mark, as dictated by the outspoken Simon Peter. I call him “Mr. Impulsive,” as he often speaks and acts before thinking things through. But Jesus loved Peter’s enthusiasm, and he was chosen to lead the emerging church.

Let’s look at verse 1. Journalism students learn to write a condensed version of a story in its first sentence. It’s called the “lead.” This tells the reader what to expect in the remainder of the document. We’re first told that this is “Good News,” and since it’s capitalized, we can assume it’s a translation of “Gospel,” a Holy Book about Jesus the Nazarene, the earthly son of Mary and Joseph. We now know that Jesus is the Messiah, the Moshiach, the one promised in Isaiah. Turns out he’s the Son of God, or more accurately, God himself. Let me explain.

Christians know God in three different forms: Father God in Heaven, Jesus Son of God on Earth, and the Holy Spirit, our counselor, advocate and helper, here on Earth since Jesus returned to the Father. One God, three different forms. I heard a pastor call Jesus “God with skin.” Sounds odd, but kinda makes sense. God in Heaven is a spirit-being and needs no skin, just like the Holy Spirit – no skin, but helps us here on Earth. They’re all God, all of one mind.

If you’re a curious reader, this “lead” should ignite your curiosity about (as Paul Harvey would have said) the rest of the story. This wild ride culminates with mankind being the beneficiaries of Jesus’ sacrifice to forgive our sins, making a way for believers to spend eternity in Father God’s Kingdom. So keep your eyes on heaven, that prize, that goal, that reward for being faithful!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Trust in God!

For Tuesday, September 22, 2026:

Romans 9:33c NLT: “Anyone who trusts in him (God) will never be disgraced.”

There will be bumps in the road leading to the Lord. Jesus said we should count on tribulation and watch out for diversions. Beware! Satan will do everything he can to upset our lives and muddle our attention.

While a bumpy road may inconvenience us, it’s just that: a minor inconvenience. Christians should be most concerned with the big picture, the end result. When it’s time to transition from this life to the next reality, none of that little stuff will matter. The mocking of unbelievers will turn to envy when they see what Jesus has prepared for you!

So let’s all do what Paul advised: Keep our eyes on the prize! No matter what problems come up, realize that they are only evil trying to unfocus our eyes and our minds.

Friends, pursue the ultimate goal, to see heaven from the inside! Keep Jesus and his Father in Heaven in your sights. Set your gaze on a glorious eternity!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

No Other Name!

September 21, 2026, Monday Message:

Acts 4:12 NLT, Peter, answering the religious council: “There is salvation in no one else but Jesus! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Peter was not subtle. He didn’t handle the topic of salvation with kid gloves. He laid it right out, leaving no doubt as to his message. Having been arrested, he’s now defending himself before the elders, telling them what he believes. Having been an eyewitness to all that happened, his beliefs are unshakable.

Not only does Peter say that Jesus is the way to salvation, he says Jesus is the ONLY way! The old covenant in which people tried to live by the Law wasn’t working. The only way mankind could see salvation was if God intervened. In the New Covenant, God’s Son would pay the price for mankind’s sins, and people with the Son would receive forgiveness. Thereby rendered sinless, believers could be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven.

I should point out that God’s plan for our salvation was contrary to what the religious leaders believed at that time. But Peter’s unflinching conviction caused everyone to take notice.

Nothing has changed. We still live under God’s New Covenant. The Bible says that Jesus is the way, the way to salvation. Jesus is truth. Every word he spoke was true then and is still true today. And Jesus is life, the key to eternal life, a life after this life. All believers in Jesus are assured a heavenly home. Jesus will prepare a place for you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Origins!

For Sunday, September 20, 2026:

John 16:30 NLT, Disciples responding to Jesus: “Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.”

Nowadays, becoming a Christian requires believing that Jesus was heaven-sent and knowing that he’s God’s Son. Believers accept that Jesus is our Creator, in human body form, part of the eternal Father-Son-Holy Spirit Godhead. We believe!

But 2K years ago, people were just beginning to discern the divine nature of Jesus. Understand that if Jesus had simply said, “Hey, Son of God here!,” no one would have believed him. But those close to him, his disciples, heard his wisdom and were eyewitnesses to many miracles. Eventually, Jesus spoke to them, summarizing his relationship with the Father and his earthly mission. They came to believe!

Their group acknowledged that Jesus knew everything. He’s omniscient just like the Father. Once Jesus was identified as God, there would be no need to question him further. Believers had found the next step in their religious walk. They had found the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Jesus offered forgiveness and eternal life to the faithful.

Thank goodness Jesus showed that early group the truth, so that they could lock in as believers. Believers tend to make more believers, and today we gratefully hold on to their truth. Thankfully Jesus doesn’t have to prove himself to us again! Share this Good News with another prospective believer!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church