Family Business!

 

For Saturday, January 6, 2024:

Mark 3:35 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Would you like to have Jesus as your brother? You could wake up in the same house and sit at the same breakfast table. You could learn a lot about God and heaven from listening to him, things that could guide the rest of your life. The icing on the cake is that you’d both report to the same Father!

We all know about the families into which we were born, but Jesus is giving us a second family, our church family. In many ways it’s much more important than your natural family. There are good people at my church who would give the shirt off their back if it was helpful. Outside of your natural family, your best friends in the world should be your church friends. Make it a point to bond with them.

A natural family is sometimes a part of your church family, sometimes not. You might be the one appointed to evangelize, to teach your natural family about Jesus! Following him, you could be the one to lead your entire family into the hereafter!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Friend of God

March 02, 2015 Monday Message:

“So it happened just as the scriptures say: ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.’ He was even called the friend of God.” James 2:23 NLT

Friendship is a precious commodity. It’s easy to be a friend when everything is going well, but life’s not always that way. It’s way more difficult to be a friend when the other person’s life is fraught with difficulties. But it’s most challenging to be a friend when you’re part of the problem!

As we journey through life with the Lord, we should desire to walk alongside Abraham, to be known as a friend of God. Sometimes we’re not very good at it. We sin, we let our friend down. Fortunately God is the best kind of friend, one who will love us even when we mess up.

Pray that the Holy Spirit would live in you. Know that God has the power to make you a winner. Make a conscious decision to place your will and your life in the hands of your creator, and believe that any uncertainty about your eternal destiny is gone forever.

After all, you have a best friend — Jesus!

Norton Lawellin

Each Sunday, Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, Mar. 8, Pastor Michael Pilla continues our journey through Acts.