Everything We Need!

For Friday, September 4, 2026:

Colossians 2:10 NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

Paul makes a couple or really good points in this one sentence. Some people think of Jesus as a lesser God or maybe an assistant God. That’s bad thinking. Jesus is fully God and also fully mankind. As God, he’s supreme over every ruler and authority. Jesus is second place to no one! He is eternal. He was present when the world was created, and the Bible says that he’ll be here at the end times. He will preside over judgment day and separate the sheep from the goats!

Believers are included in the Kingdom through our association with Christ. The Message explains it like this: “Everything of God gets expressed in Jesus, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.”

Our lives are complete because of our adoption into the Holy Family. We will be saved because Jesus took away our sins and now welcomes us into the Kingdom of everlasting life. Our association with Jesus makes us complete!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Seeing God!

For Tuesday, August 25, 2026:

Colossians 2:9 NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.”

We can’t help but be curious about an unseen God. Paul helps pin down the details.

The completeness of God is contained in Christ. Jesus was known for being kind and helpful. When the sick were brought to him, he kept healing until every one had what they needed. He was inclusive, serving the poor as well as the rich, serving Gentiles as well as Jews. Jews never associated with Samaritans, yet Jesus struck up a conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, the one with five previous husbands, and shared with her the Good News. When the thief on a cross repented, Jesus said the man could join him in paradise – today! Everyone, yes, everyone is eligible for Jesus’ repent and return offer. Remember, God’s desire is that no one would be lost; that ALL would repent and return.

The beliefs, the commands and the value system of God are all present in his Son. Jesus said that if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father. Celebrate our close association with Christ. It’s just like knowing God!

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

Beware Intellectual Babble!

For Tuesday, August 18, 2026:

Colossians 2:8 AMP, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ.”

The world is constantly undergoing change. God gave mankind brains and the ability to think up new ideas. That creative curiosity is what moves our world forward. I’m often amazed, not that things change, but by the speed at which they change! That’s good in scientific and technological circles, but a bad idea in religion. As a group, mankind is quick to jump on the bandwagon and investigate new and exciting things, but it’s unnecessary and in this case, undesirable. The Bible says that both God the Father and his Son are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God’s value system and commands are unchanging. Truth doesn’t change.

Are all religions the same? On the surface, many look similar. They advise being nice, loving our neighbor and helping the less fortunate. But only one has dealt with mankind’s sin problem. Only one religion has a Savior, a Redeemer, someone who took the sins of the world to the place of the dead. Our Savior rendered us forgiven, pure and unblemished, prepared for residency in God’s Holy Heavenly eternal Kingdom.

As far as religion is concerned, don’t fall for the latest, greatest innovation. Stick with fellows who teach truth from the Bible, tried and true. Paul counsels us to beware of intellectual babble! And most of all, avoid the myths perpetrated by Satan and his demons. He’ll do anything to take you off the Christian pathway.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

P.S. Satan isn’t taking a vacation this year!

Get Up and Walk!

For Thursday, August 13, 2026:

Acts 3:6 NLT: “Peter said, ‘I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!’”

It was customary for Peter and John to attend the 3pm Temple Worship. As they entered, a man lame from birth was carried to his spot near the Wonderful Gate. He was in that same spot daily, begging for contributions since begging was his only means of support. People liked him and looked forward to seeing him there.

Enter Peter and John. Certainly they would show compassion for this man, but they had no money. Peter, who I sometimes call “Mr. Impulsive,” approached the man. Peter was known not known for thinking things through and then doing something. He oftentimes does something first, and then thinks later, wondering why it didn’t work out. But this time, everything worked out just fine!

Peter laid hands on the crippled man. “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have.” What Peter had was a spirit of being helpful, of doing the next right thing, those traits he learned from Jesus. Peter cried out, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”

Peter took the man’s right hand and helped him up. His ankles and feet were instantly strengthened and healed. The man walked, jumped and probably danced a jig! Everyone at the prayer meeting knew that this man had been crippled from birth. So this was a huge living testimony before a large group of people! Maybe now more would believe!

Let’s examine the timetable. First, Jesus was crucified and walked away from the tomb on the 3^rd day. 40 days later, his crowd of believers watched him ascending into the sky as he returned to the Father. Pentecost, 50 days after Passover, had come and gone. 3,000 were added to the number of believers that day. So at least a couple months had passed without Jesus’ presence, and now, out of the blue, one more healing, something for which Jesus was best known!

Jesus delegated quite a number of things to his followers, then as well as now. As he sent out evangelists 2 X 2, they were told to heal the sick, cure leprosy, raise the dead and cast out demons. They could do these things by using the name of Jesus. With Jesus, anything is possible. Without Jesus, nothing will get done. Believers were also told to share the Good News, the Gospel, with everyone, and let them know that the Kingdom of God is closer than it’s ever been! God had been walking on earth alongside mankind! Hallelujah!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Faith in Colossae!

For Wednesday, August 12, 2026:

Colossians 2:5b NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.”

It would seem that Paul received a positive report regarding the Colossian church. No one is reporting problems. Everything seems to be running smoothly. As a group, they’re living the way they should, the way Jesus instructed.

But the best news of all was that their faith is unwavering. Some people’s faith plot looks like a roller coaster, up and down, up and down. But the Colossian church’s graph continued up and to the right. They celebrate their faithfulness daily, even increasing belief as time goes on.

Faith is the cornerstone of Christianity. Jesus will return, and on that day everything will happen just as Jesus told the faithful. The sheep will be separated from the goats. As we enter the next reality, we’ll arrive at judgment and be told that our sins are forgiven by the work Jesus did on the cross. And being without sin, we’ll learn that we have been chosen to reside in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom. That’s Good News indeed!

We have faith because Jesus never told a lie. If everything else he said proved true, our destination in the life after this life must also be true. Jesus will be there to welcome us with open arms!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Take Me Home!

For Sunday, August 9, 2026:

Romans 9:5b NKJV, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “Christ came, who is Lord over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”

There is only one God. Our one God is known to us in three different forms: Father God in his Heavenly Kingdom, Jesus who came to earth as the offering for mankind’s sins, and the Holy Spirit, our helper and advocate. The three forms are all of one mind with the same goals, the same mission. The rescue of mankind must have been on God’s agenda when Jesus arrived on our planet.

Sin and holiness cannot coexist, and the Bible says that “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” How many sinned? ALL! Therefore, unless sins could be forgiven, no one would have been seeing heaven from the inside! As Jesus died, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, making believers once again eligible to reside in the Kingdom.

God loves everything that was created and declared it to be “very good!” Therefore, having believers occupy his Kingdom pleases God. He’s glad to see us! Christ is the forgiving conduit that reconnects mankind with our Maker.

If you see God on the streets of gold, tell him, “Good to see you!” He may answer, “Good to see you, too!” The Father’s Kingdom is our forever home!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Victory!

July 20, 2026, Monday Message:

Romans 8:37 NLT: “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

Despite all these things: trouble, calamity, persecution, hunger, being destitute, in danger, or even death. That’s the list, but it’s not an exhaustive list. Let’s just call it, “everything that could possibly go wrong!” These may seem like monumental problems, but to a Christian who has a certain life after this life, they’re just minor bumps on our road of life.

The Bible says “victory IS ours,” not “victory WAS ours,” or “victory Will Be ours.” In other words, Jesus has settled the matter ahead of time. Our tribulation becomes a small inconvenience after Jesus. Before we even know that we have a problem, he has the solution all worked out. It’s because of Christ’s love for us, his creations. That love is never-ending. We can always count on this to be true.

Jesus came to earth to bring us home, and he won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Jesus himself was victorious, walking away from the tomb after three days. Our eternal future will be victorious if we stick with the Savior and love Him as much as He loves us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Paid In Advance!

For Thursday, July 16, 2026:

Colossians 1:29 NLT, Paul speaking: “That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.”

After meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was thoroughly convinced. He threw himself into evangelism, telling everyone the Good News and planting new churches wherever God sent him.

But Paul doesn’t think he can do it all by himself. He knows that Christ is working through him to complete heaven’s mission. We also have a divine helper, the Holy Spirit, to be our advocate as we share with others the truth about God, his Son, sin, forgiveness and redemption. Since the Holy Spirit is working alongside us, we’re responsible for the effort, not the outcome. God’s in charge of that!

Paul is working hard to hold up his end of the partnership, as should we. We’ve all been assigned the task of making disciples of all nations. Half-measures won’t get us 50% of the way to the Kingdom! In fact, all-out effort only works when combined with an unshakable belief that Jesus is God’s Son and that his words are the truth. It’s our faith in the Risen Savior that lets us see heaven from the inside!

When I worked in sales, the letters ‘PIA’ on an invoice stood for ‘Paid in Advance!’ There is an invoice due for your sins and my sins, but it’s marked ‘PIA.” Jesus, through his death on the cross, paid the price to redeem mankind from our sin problem. He took those sins to the place of the dead and left them there, never to haunt us again.

Make a decision today to accept Jesus’ gift of forgiveness. Yes, it’s undeserved, but God sometimes does us a solid. Accept the gift with gratitude and a smile!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Right Hand Man!

For Tuesday, July 14, 2026:

Romans 8:34 NLT: “Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”

Paul is writing to the church in Rome, to those in opposition to the tyranny of the Roman government; in a way, protesters, since the government didn’t have much time for the church. So the ‘us’ he’s writing to is fellow believers, first in Rome, and following the canonization of Paul’s writings, for the faithful everywhere.

Paul asks a rhetorical question: “Who then will condemn us?” Believers should already know the obvious answer. Certainly God won’t condemn us. In fact, he sent his Son to rescue us. And Jesus won’t condemn us. He gave up his earthly life to pay the penalty for the sins of the world. And who is more powerful­ – the creator of the universe or the Roman government? God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is all-powerful. The Romans only think they have power. Their influence is limited and short-term.

There are benefits to joining any organization of like-minded individuals. If joining wasn’t beneficial, no one would ever sign up! Believers have joined the ‘Jesus Team.’ Benefits include fellowship and a sense of community, spiritual education that will serve us well in this life and the next, the Holy Spirit as a helper in this life, and the Father with his Son, pleading for our success from heaven’s throne. They’re our advocates, cheering for us all the time!

Have a blessed day! Stay cool and stay hydrated!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Assurance!

For Saturday, June 27, 2026:

Colossians 1:27b NLT, Paul speaking: “This is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.”

It might have been a secret back then, but it’s not nowadays! Christians everywhere know that Christ lives in them, forgiving all sins and preparing them to meet the Father.

People used to believe they needed some kind of priest as a go-between to communicate with God. But with Jesus living in us, we can directly approach the Father. It’s like Jesus, his Son, coming home, and we’re best friends with the Son.

Remember, Paul was converting the Gentile world, who had no knowledge of the real God, only pretend made-up gods. But that tells us that mankind was made to worship. The Gentiles just needed to be guided in the right direction!

Nowadays, many people in our communities need a gentle push in the right direction. Jesus’ desire is that everyone hears the Good News. Have you told anyone lately?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Who's First?

For Saturday, May 23, 2026:

Colossians 1:18 NLT: “Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, firstborn over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.”

The Bible says that the church is the bride of Christ, making Jesus the head of the church. Without Jesus, there would be no reason for any church to exist. Mankind could have just stayed with Synagogues. It’s important that we understand the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

Under the Old Covenant, mankind was expected to conform to God’s commandments, sometimes called the Law of Moses since God sent most of the commandments through his servant Moses. The grading scale was tough: Live life 100% right, pass; miss one, fail. Any sin disqualified a person from accessibility to heaven.

God’s desire, though, is that none would perish, so he gave us a chance to repent and return. We call this the New Covenant. God’s Son Jesus died to atone for the sins of the world. In other words, He gave us a second chance, a do-over! Forgiven believers, those who would put their faith in Jesus, are given an opportunity to see heaven from the inside!

Abbott and Costello asked, “Who’s on first?” The answer should always be, “Jesus!” He’s responsible for creation, the forgiver of mankind’s sins and head of the church! Jesus is first in everything!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Spirit World!

For Thursday, May 14, 2026:

Colossians 1:16b NLT: “Christ made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.”

There is an entire reality, parallel to our world, that we cannot see. But it affects us greatly. Many Christians dream of going to heaven, a spirit reality, but balk at believing the size and complexity of the spirit realm. It’s truly difficult to believe in what we can’t see, what we can’t verify with our own eyes.

The risen Jesus delayed Paul on the road to Damascus. Christ cleared up who he is and proved that he can do everything he promised. I believe he also gave Paul a glimpse into the life after this life. As Paul describes it to the Colossians, the world we cannot see may be greater than the one we can see. He includes kingdoms with kings on their thrones and battles between them. Just as there is good and evil on the earth, there are spirits on God’s team and demons on Satan’s team. We’d do well to watch out for the latter.

Humans live this life, and then transition to the life after this life. Very few ever return, Lazarus and a few others. Jesus is the only one who existed in the unseen reality, came to earth to forgive mankind’s propensity for sin, and then returned to the spirit realm. These facts may or may not affect our earthly lives. But God doesn’t want to hear us say, “I didn’t see that coming!” Knowing what’s ahead, we can better conform to God’s commandments.

When we approach the pearly gates, they’ll say, “We’ve been expecting you!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Forever and Ever!

For Wednesday, May 13, 2026:

Colossians 1:15b-16a NLT: “The Son existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.”

This scripture lines up perfectly with John’s Gospel account: “Jesus existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”

Therefore, we know that Jesus existed long before our world was created, and long before he came to earth in human form. When he showed up, it was big news to mankind. God’s people had been watching and waiting for the promised Messiah. They were excited to meet Jesus and hear him speak! None of this was news to God, whose Son had been around from the beginning.

What we need to remember is that Jesus is a perpetual spirit, just like Father God. The Son was here before the creation of our world, and he’ll be here long after it’s gone. The place Jesus prepares for us will be in the New Heaven and the New Earth. When Jesus’ forgiveness promises to give us eternal life in the presence of the Father, we can’t even imagine how long that is. The Father and the Son have set us up for a life expectancy similar to their own.

We are only on this earth for a very short time – like a blink of an eye! I believe eternity is somewhat beyond our comprehension. I cannot over-stress the importance of being on the right side of things as we transition from this reality to the next. Decide today to live in harmony with God and mankind, until we get a face-to-face meeting with God’s Son! It may happen sooner than you think!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Eternal Life!

For Saturday, April 25, 2026:

Romans 8:11 NLT: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

Two important things happened between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. First, the sins of the world were heaped upon Jesus, who was otherwise sinless. His primary mission in coming to earth was the rescue of mankind from our sin problem. I believe this occurred when Jesus declared, “It is finished.” His mission had been accomplished. He would take those sins to the place of the dead, leaving mankind spotless, eligible to take up residence in God’s heavenly Kingdom.

And on resurrection Sunday, Jesus was raised from the dead and walked out of the tomb. He proved to everyone that there is life after this life, and that death is not the end. Believers, those who call Jesus “Lord,” will receive that same reward. We call it Assurance of Salvation.

If you’re looking for a guarantee of someday seeing heaven from the inside, here it is. No other religion can promise Assurance of Salvation. This scripture quotes the words of Jesus, which we know to be true! They’re in the Bible, which is also truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Advent!

 December 1, 2025, Monday Message:

Luke 1:59b-60 NLT: “They wanted to name Elizabeth’s baby Zechariah, after his father. But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

As this baby matured, we would know him as John the Baptist. John was the forerunner, opening people’s minds and hearts as he set the stage for Jesus.

We too prepare for Jesus’ arrival with the Christian tradition of Advent, which means the arrival of something of great importance. On the church calendar, Advent is the four weeks preceding Christmas. Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent, with three more to come. Advent is not in the Bible, although God arranged for John to pave the way for Jesus.

In the US, with Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve) and Thanksgiving behind us, our focus turns to Christmas. We bring trees and decorative branches indoors. We wrap special gifts for the wee ones. We lend extra support to charitable needs in our communities.

But most of all, we should keep Christ in Christmas. Yes, we’re celebrating Jesus’ arrival, his human birthday. But more importantly, we’re celebrating the rescue of mankind and the forgiving of our sins. And having been forgiven, Jesus prepared a place for us in the hereafter, eternity in the presence of the Lord. We’re celebrating the Assurance of Salvation for believers, made possible by his Son!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

My Lord!

For Saturday, July 19, 2025:

Mark 12:36 AMP: “David himself said [when inspired] by the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord (the Father) said to my Lord (the Son, the Messiah): Sit at My right hand, until I put Your enemies under Your feet.’”

Jesus was teaching in the Temple, which in and of itself seems odd since the Temple leaders weren’t big fans of Jesus. Part of what he was doing was correcting incorrect theology put forth by the other Temple teachers. In this case, they were claiming that the Messiah was David’s son. Not so!

In Psalm 101, David himself wrote, “The Lord said to my Lord...” So the first “Lord,” God Almighty, was speaking to the other “Lord,” Jesus the Messiah. It’s a confusing generational puzzle the way it’s stated, but the Amplified Bible helps clear things up!

If you want to learn theology, choose your teacher carefully. Jesus is a safe bet. God’s Son would certainly know what’s going on with God stuff! It’s called truth, and the Bible is full of it. The “High View” of the Bible believes that every word is true, and that things happened just the way the Bible says. But be discerning. A lot of bad stuff happened in the Bible. The text documents it accurately, but we should not engage in such behavior.

Remember, the Lord (God) spoke to our Lord, and our Lord should be Jesus the Christ!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship