Continuous Truth!

For Saturday, June 6, 2026:

Colossians 1:23 NLT: “You must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.”

You probably already know that the word “Gospel” is translated as “Good News.” And Bible is also referred to as Truth. Once you have heard the story of Jesus, the Gospel, hang onto it firmly. Now that you know the truth, never waver in your commitment to Jesus.

This is the advice of Paul, who at first didn’t get it either. I jokingly say that Jesus slapped him upside the head on the road to Damascus, but that’s kind of what happened. Paul was struck blind for three days, led into town where a believer cleared his eyes, restoring his sight. Paul should have been quite hungry by then, but the first thing he did was to be baptized. Nothing was more important than obeying this newly discovered truth!

Paul was “all in!” How about you?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & 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

Salvation!

December 18, 2023 Monday Message:

John 8:31b-32 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Acts ch. 2 is the best example we have of how the first Cristians, “The Way,” lived out their faith. Jesus had told them to not leave Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit, and here they were, all together, all of one mind, all of one purpose. Suddenly there was a sound like the roaring of a mighty wind! Notice the Bible doesn’t report that it was windy; just that it SOUNDED like wind.

Soon flickering flames fell onto the believers, representing the Holy Spirit. Picture a dog lapping up water from a dish. The dog’s tongue is what these flames looked like, flickering down until landing on each person. No one caught fire. Now, equipped with the Holy Spirit, nothing could stop them!

They were speaking in unfamiliar languages that only God knew. Quite a number of Jews had pilgrimaged to Jerusalem for Shavuot. Their homelands were different, their languages were different, but somehow everyone could understand each other.

Peter seized this opportunity to address the gathered crowd. His message was similar to the thoughts and words that got Jesus killed, but Peter didn’t hold back. The Holy Spirit had opened the minds of the listeners, and rather than inciting violence, they asked, “Brothers, what should we do?”

1. Repent and believe, and 2. Turn to God and be baptized. 3,000 were baptized and added to their number that day. While it was all good, this must have created disorganized chaos within The Way. What would your church do if 3,000 new believers showed up next Sunday? Many were from out of town. They didn’t have jobs in Jerusalem, or places to live. They needed to be fed! A lot of details to figure out.

At the time, the church had been meeting in homes. They didn’t have a building, chairs or pews, a fellowship hall or a youth group. They didn’t have a sound system, powerpoint projector or video cameras. But in a very authentic way, they had Jesus. They knew Jesus. They knew absolute truth. They knew forgiveness and redemption. They knew to love their follows. In short, they just did what Jesus would have done, and let God work out the details.

Pray that your local church doesn’t get bogged down in administrative details that have nothing to do with redemption and salvation. Pray that your local church could focus on truth and stick with it, truth being God’s opinion on everything! Pray that your local church would do what Jesus would have done!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship