Gifts & Talents!

For Wednesday, June 10, 2026:

Colossians 1:25 NLT, Paul speaking: “God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you.”

It’s easy for Paul to identify his spiritual calling. The incident on the road to Damascus leaves no doubt!

Each of us is also called to serve, but our calling might not be as straightforward as Paul’s. I knew a man, an architect, who was nationally known for his large building designs. He sat in a pew week after week, wondering how he should serve. Eventually he retired, and that’s when his church decided they needed a new, much larger sanctuary on their campus. He went to work immediately! His purpose became obvious! Also, there was a woman who only knew a few chords on the guitar. She didn’t have the skill for the main worship team in the big room, but she was perfect for leading kids’ songs at church camp.

Sometimes the challenge is identifying your inherent skill. Other times it’s finding the proper venue to fit the available skill. The local church is better when we all share our God-given talents with others in the fellowship.

Are you still trying to identify your gifts, or are you figuring out how to put them to use?

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

Slave vs Friend!

May 11, 2026, Monday Message:

John 15:14-15 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”

Life was different 2K years ago. Nowadays, if we use the word ‘slave,’ our minds go primarily to African people, taken against their will and forced to serve their captors. But in Jesus’ day, being a slave could be voluntary, kind of like having a job or mutually beneficial employment.

If I pitch my tent near Abram’s, I can help him with the herds. He in turn will see that I have food for my family, and protection from raiders. He can command me because I’m there to help. I do what he asks because living within Abram’s group is a better, safer life for my family.

Jesus cleans up the language a bit, calling the relationship ‘friends.’ He confides in his friends, sharing prophecies given to him by God Almighty. As Jesus traveled with his itinerant ministry, there were first the 12 apostles, and then many other disciples in the group. Perhaps hundreds! They were like slaves in that they would do Jesus’ bidding. They were also friends in whom Jesus could confide. They would protect each other. You could say they were all playing for the same team.

So do like Jesus did. Identify your friends, and let them know that they are friends, not slaves. A group of friends with religious beliefs in common is called a church. If you are not part of one, today is the accepted day to sign up. It could be a relationship that lasts a lifetime!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Invite & Include!

For Sunday, May 3, 2026:

Colossians 1:7 NLT: “You learned about the Good News (Gospel) from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker.”

How did you learn about Jesus? You’re fortunate if your parents taught you, brought you to church as a child. But nowadays, many people aren’t so lucky. A lot of families don’t have a church home, and may not be believers.

Consequently our territory, our evangelism responsibility increased. One pastor I know claims people are in our pews because somebody told somebody who told somebody. I believe that’s right!

Two words need to be in our vocabulary: invite and include. “I’d like to invite you to my church. Where you live is on my way. I could pick you up next Sunday!” -or- Three of us are going to the Bible study at my church. There’s room in the car for a fourth. We’d like to include you!”

Jesus told all believers to make disciples of all nations, not just the pastors. We should start in our own backyards!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Sabbath!

 For Sunday, April 26, 2026:

Luke 4:16 NLT: “When Jesus came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.”

 Looking at that text, we already know about Jesus, we know about Nazareth, we know about synagogues and the Sabbath. What strikes me as the teachable moment are the words, “as usual.” It was normal and customary to attend a religious gathering, to praise God and worship him on the Sabbath. It would have been far more unusual to NOT attend!

 I know a pastor whose son asked on Sunday morning, “Dad, do we have to go to church today?”

Dad: “That‘s about the dumbest question I’ve ever heard! We don’t HAVE to go to church; we WANT to go to church!”

 Church is where we meet our best friends, like-minded individuals. Church is our community, our fellowship. But most of all, we gather to praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, giving thanks for our creation and rescue from sin. We worship God as the head of everything. We’re thankful for the offer of life after this life, and for God honoring us with the offer of eternity in his Kingdom. We get to hear scripture from the Bible to inspire us to face another week!

 Church is a good, safe place to invite others. Bring your new friends. Help make disciples of all nations!

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

1-on-1 with Jesus!

 For Friday, February 6, 2026:

Luke 3:8 NLT, John the Baptist speaking: Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.”

 How you live and what you do will be signs that you have discarded your sinful ways and repented and returned to the Lord. God has stretched out the hand of forgiveness. All we have to do is grab on and decide that God’s way is the better way.

 People tend to make excuses for not doing the right things. In those days before Jesus, the excuses ranged from, “I was born Hebrew,” to “I’m in the Synagogue every Sabbath.” Those are good things, but they won’t open heaven’s gates. Salvation is a contract between you and God. It’s dependent on your heartfelt belief, your faith in the Father and his Son. We are saved by grace through faith.

 When evangelizing, people tell me, “When I was young, I went to Sunday School; My mom was a Baptist; My wife attends a church; and We’re pledging members.” All good things, but they won’t get you into heaven. Assurance of Salvation is a 1-on-1 deal with Jesus, putting your faith, hope and trust in God’s Son.

 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” The way to heavenly eternity, and everything he speaks is truth about the life after this life. “No one can come to the Father except through me.”

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

Jericho!

For Sunday, November 16, 2025:

Hebrews 11:30 NLT: “It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.”

God called Canaan “The Promised Land” and “the land of milk and honey.” He had rescued his people, the Hebrew people, from Egyptian slavery and brought them across the Jordan. The first obstacle to be conquered was the city of Jericho, where they had locked the gates of the city’s protective wall.

God gave Joshua the formula for victory, but it sounds ridiculous nowadays. They needed a big bunch of faith to trust in God’s absurd plan: “March around that wall for six days, and on the seventh, play your trumpets. Sound your shofars! Make a mighty sound that praises the Lord, and the walls will crumble.” It all happened just the way God said, and the Hebrews emerged victorious in the battle of Jericho. With God, anything is possible.

Believers attend churches. We join communities where God is honored, trusted and praised. The Creator is the object of our praise. Decide now what time you need to leave to get to church on time. See you there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom

Attend Your Local Church!

For Wednesday, October 8, 2025:

Hebrews 10:25 NLT: “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

If ever there were a good time for attending church, this would be it. Of course, it goes without saying that corporate worship of the one true God is always good. But what are some of the benefits for us?

We can double-check that we’re still on the same page with other believers. We can double-check that our beliefs still conform to the truths found in the Bible. We can encourage and support one another. We can fellowship together, even when it’s not a worship moment. We can “belong” in our community of believers. Our church friends can be our best friends.

I remember when I started a business with a partner. A lot of remodeling was necessary to make the space suitable for our business, and we did the work ourselves. If I became overwhelmed and discouraged, I still kept working because I didn’t want to let him down. He did the same for me. Even after we both decided it was time to take a break, one of us would jump up and pound the last few nails or measure a board for the next cut. It seems that we didn’t even know how to properly take a break! The point is that we accomplished way more as a team than I would have by myself.

A pastor told me that he believes we are in the end times of the end times. Jesus told us to watch for certain signs, and we’re routinely seeing some of them. I always hesitate when discussing eschatology, because Jesus said that no one knows exactly when it will all happen – the Second Coming of Christ, death, judgment, and the afterlife. After today, we’re one day closer than we were yesterday. The Bible says that God may be moving slowly to give more people a chance to be redeemed. God’s desire is that none would perish, but that all would repent and return. God will set the wheels in motion at the perfect time.

Watch for it with your brothers and sisters as you meet together!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Arrested!

For Thursday, October 2, 2025:

Mark 14:46 NLT: “Then a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs grabbed Jesus and arrested him.”

The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders had been planning Jesus’ demise for quite some time. They didn’t want to arrest Jesus in the Temple. It would seem wrong. It would look bad if a temple teacher were arrested. “Keep police action out of our worship space!”

One of Jesus’ defenders produced a sword and sliced off an ear of the High Priest’s slave. Jesus restored the ear, to which I would say, “Look at what just happened. The man you’re arresting can heal whatever’s wrong and cure any disease! Perhaps we should rethink this!”

But without knowing it, the Pharisees were fulfilling God’s plan. The blood of Jesus was to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. Mankind would thereby be redeemed. It would be a rough couple of days for Jesus, but after that, his mission would be complete. (“It is finished!”)

Jesus would have to walk through the fire by himself. (50) “All his disciples deserted him and ran away.” God was keeping them safe. If they stayed close to Jesus, they too would have been killed as accomplices. But God was counting on the disciples to function as leaders of “The Way,” the new Christian church! They needed to be preserved!

The church that the disciples established still exists nowadays, with many franchised locations. We worship at one each week. Thankfully, God had the disciples temporarily step back. When Jesus rose from the grave, they regrouped and came back stronger than ever. 2K years later, people are still signing up for the Jesus team!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Count the Cost!

For Tuesday, July 8, 2025:

Luke 14:28a NLT, Jesus speaking: “Don’t begin (following me) until you count the cost.”

Disciples of Jesus don’t come and go. They come and stay. Accepting Jesus as your Savior, as Lord of your life, is a forever decision. So before you climb aboard, be certain you understand the cost.

Personally, I’m blessed, fortunate that my parents knew Jesus and brought me to church. My spouse was raised attending church. It’s easier to be a Christian yourself when everything is harmonious.

However, those coming from different countries or religions have a much more challenging row to hoe. They may find themselves at odds with friends and/or family. Therefore, their new Christian friends will be instrumental in cementing their decision.

Jesus says that only a fool would lay out a foundation but lack the funds to complete the building. So if you’re choosing to get on the Jesus train, be prepared to ride it to the end of the line. There’ll be plenty to do along the way!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

We Are the Church!

June 23, 2025, Monday Message:

Hebrews 3:6 NLT: “Jesus Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.”

In Heaven’s pecking order, Jesus sponsors the earthly faithful. When we knock on the pearly gates, we can point and say, “I’m with that one guy over there, the man seated just to the right of God!” Picture Jesus jumping up and welcoming you with open arms!

In the Bible, Jesus’ welcoming doesn’t mention any church building. And Jesus steers clear of including a specific denomination. Heaven isn’t about man-made rules or organizations. Heaven, the House of God, is always about people, specifically those who claim Jesus as God’s Son and Lord and Savior of their lives. And a Savior will do just what the name says. He will usher the faithful into his heavenly reality.

At my Sunday church, we’re frequently challenged: “Who is the church?”

The congregation shouts back, “WE are the church!” Not the building, not a denomination, but people! Believers are the church!

Today’s scripture was written as a response to backsliders, those who might lose their fire and backslide out of the fellowship. Following the Christian path isn’t always easy, but the reward at the end makes it worth our effort!

Today is the best day to take backsliding off the table. Let’s all commit or re-commit ourselves to knowing Jesus as Lord. Ask him to live in your heart today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Pentecost!

June 2, 2025, Monday Message:

Acts 2:1 NLT: “On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place.”

The Jewish Pentecost, 50 days after Passover or Pesach, celebrated the upcoming harvest. Also known as the Festival of Weeks, it occurred seven weeks after Passover. Most Christian churches celebrate Pentecost this coming Sunday, so let’s have a look!

The first Christian Community, known as The Way, were a tight-knit bunch. They had all been eyewitnesses to the many healings and other miracles performed by Jesus. They had watched him die on the cross, and yet rise from the grave three days later. Their eyes did not lie; they were 100% committed to the fact that Jesus was God’s Heaven-sent Son.

Opposing The Way were the Roman government and Jewish leadership. Caesar claimed to be god and didn’t like any competition. He taxed all who lived there. The Temple priests and Pharisees led religious matters in the region, and they intended to keep that power. Tithes were brought to the Temple or a local Synagogue, and those leaders didn’t like the idea of tithes going anywhere else. In both cases, it was all about power and money!

So believers met privately in secret places that only they knew. They lived in fear of both opposing groups. This “togetherness” gave them fellowship and a sense of community and safety. When God decided it was time to make his move, he found the believers all together in one place, their minds on the same page, all willing to pull in the same direction. This seemingly residual team would be the start of something big – the birthday of the church! What an exciting day! Don’t you wish you could have been there?

Each of us can help with church growth nowadays. Just invite someone to come to church with you. Offer to pick them up! That’s what Jesus said we should do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Church Etiquette:

For Saturday, March 8, 2025:

Leviticus 10:8-9 NLT: Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your descendants must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink before going into the Tabernacle.”

The Tabernacle was a special place. It was where God’s chosen spiritual leaders could meet with him. They would then convey the Lord’s instructions to all the Israelites. When God calls a meeting, you don’t want to miss a thing. The Lord deserves your full attention. So don’t imbibe prior to going before the Lord.

It’s the same way with our churches nowadays. Worshiping God deserves our full attention. Put on your Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, and put a smile on your face. Come with a sober mind, prepared for the day’s teaching. You may be asked to meet with a newcomer or give your testimony to God’s goodness. When we go to church, we should be prepared to serve.

If our churches are to grow, each of us must have the Good News on our lips 24/7. While church is a place we attend, it should also be a place to which we bring people. Forgiveness and redemption are gifts we shouldn’t keep to ourselves. Jesus is handing out tickets to the hereafter, where forgiven souls can spend eternity with their creator. God’s desire is for everyone to meet there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Prayer and Worship!

February 24, 2025, Monday Message:

Exodus 25:8 NLT: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them.”

God wants to live among his people. The people miss not having a designated place to worship. The solution to both dilemmas is to build something suitable. God was the architect. He specified all the dimensions and chose the materials to be used. The Israelites were the workers, bringing God’s vision to fruition! This tabernacle needed to be portable, as everyone was still wandering across the sand, so it was called an ark. The tablets God created of his 10 Commandments, his Covenant with mankind, would eventually be placed inside, hence the “Ark of the Covenant.”

Jews would worship at that tabernacle until they could build Synagogues and eventually the Temple. Christians build churches where believers can gather for worship and a sense of community. But remember that we can pray and worship anywhere. God is omnipresent, meaning he’s everywhere, not just in church buildings. Prayer and worship are trusting and loving the Lord.

We’re also commanded to love our neighbors, and a church gathering is where we often meet them. Being a believer isn’t a solo endeavor! So let’s all show up, roll up our sleeves and get to work.

See you at church!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faithful!

For Sunday, December 29, 2024:

2 Thessalonians 3:3 NLT: “The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.”

Think about it – Humans make one faith decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, and in return God walks with us for all of our remaining days on earth, even ushering us into the next reality. Believers eventually get to live in God’s presence in God’s eternal Kingdom! Seems like believers get the better end of that deal!

But that’s the character of our God – far more generous than we deserve. God wants each of us on his team, and once we make that decision, his mercy is never-ending. The Bible says that God and his Son Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. He will give you strength to reject the temptations of the evil one.

Strength comes from a close association with like-minded believers. We support one another. If we’re all of the same mind, pulling in the same direction, it will be far more difficult for Satan to divert us. Satan is never on holiday, but it’s hard for him to accomplish much if we’re true believers and those surrounding us are also true believers.

On Sundays we gather in God’s house! Satan is not welcome there.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship