Father and I = One!

For Friday, June 27, 2025:

John 10:31 NLT: “Once again the people picked up stones to kill Jesus.”

People often get confused, belligerent and a little frightened when confronted with something new. God taking on the personage of a human and walking the earth alongside mankind was unheard of. It didn’t fit their model of what God should be or of what religion should be. The crowd called Jesus’ claim, “I and the Father are one,” blasphemy, and the Law says blasphemy is punishable by death. So they gathered stones to hurl at Jesus, not understanding that he was the promised Messiah.

Jesus had previously performed many good works, healings and miracles. “For which of those works do you stone me?” he asked. Interestingly, for this crowd, Jesus’ good works didn’t outweigh the blasphemy of Jesus claiming to be God. There was no trial. There was no judge or jury. This crowd wanted to settle the matter on the spot! “Bring me more rocks!” Spurgeon wrote, “If they cannot answer holy arguments with fair reasonings, they can give hard answers with stones!”

Jesus somehow escaped and wound up near the Jordan, where John had baptized. Many followed him that day, and many did not. But those who followed believed in Jesus, Son of the Most High!

The crowd dissing Jesus was only considering that one moment in time. But nowadays our Bibles are complete. We can read eyewitness testimony of Jesus’ ministry from start to finish. We have been blessed with convincing evidence that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah. We can easily believe that Jesus and the Father are one!

Welcome to the family!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

One God!

For Sunday, April 7, 2024:

Colossians 1:15a NLT: “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”

So people have been after you to sign up for the Jesus team. Why should anyone do that? Paul answers that common question with authority. “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” Paul is, after all, the one who had a (violent) encounter with the Savior on the road to Damascus. He got his theology straightened out in a hurry on that day, and has been teaching people the truth ever since.

In John 14:9, Jesus explains who he is to Philip. “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!”

We get a little more detail in John 10:28-30: “I give my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Jesus had claimed to be the spitting image of God. He claimed to be the source of eternal life. His religious opponents kept asking the question, “Who is this guy?,” but they didn’t like his answer. “I and the Father are one.” In the past, Jesus performed miracles and healed people, clearly power from heaven. But this, “claiming to be one with God,” seemed like blasphemy, a scriptural untruth. His opponents picked up stones!

The truth is that if you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father. Those were words straight from Jesus’ mouth, and God cannot lie! Do you believe? You should! This is a key plank in Christian theology. One of the mysteries of Christian faith is the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There are differences in how we perceive them, but deep down they’re all the same: God!

If you know Jesus, you know the Father!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Blasphemy!

For Saturday, March 23, 2024:

Mark 14:63-64a NLT: After hearing Jesus claiming to be the I AM, “The high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, ‘Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy.’”

In spite of what they called it, this confrontation with Jesus wasn’t a real trial. Much like Putin being elected President of Russia, the verdict was known before the event ever took place.

Yesterday I pointed out the significance of Jesus calling himself the I AM. But it wouldn’t have mattered much what he said. The high priest called it blasphemy, and anything Jesus said would have been called blasphemy. The high council’s goal wasn’t to conduct a fair trial. The goal from the get-go was to eliminate this man competing for power and tithes. Furthermore, Jesus was teaching a philosophy that differed from the Temple teaching. The Temple teachers were consumed with enforcing the law, while Jesus taught forgiveness and love. Love God, love your neighbor.

So by tearing his clothes and calling Jesus’ testimony blasphemy, the High Priest in effect declared Jesus guilty. All present seemed to be on board. They spit upon Jesus and beat him. Mob mentality prevailed. The mob would do things that no individual would never do.

Don’t ever join the mob!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship