Holy Spirit!

For Saturday, March 28, 2026:

John 14:15-17a NLT, Jesus speaking: “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

This expands on the original Old Covenant, wherein God-the-Father explained, “You will be my people, and I will be your God.” In the New Covenant, Jesus, being the Son of God, will be our Savior, and we will be his loyal followers. Then, as Jesus is leaving us, returning to the Father, he leaves another to fill the God-space in our lives. The Holy Spirit – Comforter, Encourager, or Counselor – the final one-third of the Trinity, will walk alongside us on our spiritual journey. The Holy Spirit (like Father and Son) can only give us truth, and truth is God’s opinion on everything!

We love Jesus because he died to pay the penalty for our sins so we could be forgiven. Note that Jesus didn’t send the Holy Spirit himself. He asked the Father to care for those who love the Son, so the Father sent our Counselor and Advocate, and we’re better off because of it.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for watching over all the believers!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Holy Spirit!

For Wednesday, December 31, 2025:

John 15:26 NLT, Jesus speaking: “But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth.”

Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit, the third person of our Trinity God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He’s so helpful and useful that it’s challenging to call him only one name. Bible translators have referred to him as Advocate, Comforter, Encourager and Counselor. In Greek, it’s “Paraclete.” The Holy Spirit is all these things, and more.

Jesus and his Father both said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Since Jesus will return to the Father in Heaven, the Holy Spirit is given to mankind to hold things together until Jesus returns. If we find ourselves in a courtroom, the Holy Spirit will be our defense attorney. He will help us when we’re doing good things, and he’ll put us on the right path when we’re not. He cures depression, telling us that everything will be all right in the end. God always wins. When we feel like giving up on life, he’ll keep us going. He’ll define right from wrong in our minds, and help us make the correct choice.

As believers, we seem to not know a lot about the Holy Spirit. Mankind is fine with believing in a God we’ve never seen, and we have eyewitness testimony about Jesus’ time on earth. But the Holy Spirit? I don’t know. We need more info on the Spirit. Believers should live on faith, not just in the Father and the Son, but also in the Holy Spirit. We must trust what the Father and the Son told us: that the Spirit is a part of God, and that he can and will do what they told us the Spirit is capable of doing.

Today would be the best time to lock in your relationship with the Spirit. Become a seeker, not just of God and Jesus, but also of the Holy Spirit. God would not have sent us another helper if we didn’t need one!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

God's Presence!

For Tuesday, October 7, 2025:

John 14:15-17a NLT, Jesus speaking: “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

Jesus wants us to obey his (and his Father’s) commandments. Sounds reasonable, but how does that work for mankind? Wasn’t it the Apostle Paul who said, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Paul was human. Paul experienced what we all experience: “shortcomings.”

The Bibles we read were translated from centuries-old writings that were hand-copied and therefore subject to minor differences. I discovered originals that said, “obey my commands,” “you will obey my commands,” and “you should obey my commands.” All of this tells us that following Jesus’ direction is a good idea, but we may not always get it right. After all, we’re flawed humans, subject to shortcomings. As pagans, we used to not care. But now that we know Jesus, we do the best that we can. We’re not perfect, but we have a goal in place of living our lives in a God-pleasing manner.

Jesus said he’d ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to us. (Aha – so there are three of them – Triune God!) He is sending someone to advocate for us, to comfort, encourage and counsel us, someone to walk alongside us through this lifetime. The Greek writers call him “Paraclete.”

Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” The “I” refers to the 3-in-1 God. Jesus was on earth with us and died so our sins could be forgiven. He ascended to Heaven, so the Holy Spirit will be our helper for the rest of our time here. And when we transition to God’s Kingdom, Heaven, the Father himself will be our master.

Pray that the Holy Spirit would keep all believers pointed in the right direction!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

 

June 9, 2025, Monday Message:

Luke 12:10 NLT: “Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”

 

The Holy Spirit didn’t just show up by accident. He was intentionally sent by Jesus to be our helper, encourager, counselor, defender and comforter. In Greek, it’s Paraclete. His primary task is to witness about Jesus, God’s Son. “I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.” (John 15:26, Jesus speaking.)

 

Think of the Holy Spirit as a last chance to cement a forever decision. Individual incidents in Jesus’ life may seem to good to be true, hence disbelief. But we have been blessed with complete Bibles, enough testimonies lining up to remove all doubt. That’s the Holy Spirit encouraging us to sign up for the “Jesus Team.” The body of evidence is overwhelming!

 

So if you reject the Holy Spirit, you’re rejecting Jesus. With Jesus, you’re in the eternal life group. Without Jesus, you’re forever separated from the Lord.

 

Never forget that Jesus called the Holy Spirit, “The Spirit of Truth!”

 

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Heaven-Sent!

For Friday, April 11, 2025:

John 16:7 NIV, Jesus speaking: “It is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate [Counselor, Comforter, Encourager] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.”

I’m always amazed at the quantity of teaching that took place between Palm Sunday and Good Friday. There’s a boat load of knowledge believers must have so that they can remain locked in after Jesus returns to the Father. He said, “I am returning to the one who sent me,” so we have no doubt as to Jesus’ origin.

"The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.” If we critically examine Jesus’ time on earth, it’s quite obvious that he’s heaven-sent. We should absolutely believe a truth-telling miracle worker. It must have been frustrating for Jesus when eyewitnesses refused to commit, refused to buck the status quo. They were afraid of what others might think, including Synagogue leaders and Pharisees. Confessed sin can be blotted out by Jesus’ work on the cross, but an additional sin is not entrusting Jesus with this task.

There will be judgment when we die and enter the next reality. The judge will find believers not guilty, their penalty having already been paid by the Son. Unbelievers, those of the world, will fall in with the prince of this world, Satan, who has already been judged.

Thank you, Jesus, for thoroughly teaching us prior to your departure. We’ll be eternally grateful!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Holy Spirit!

March 31, 2025, Monday Message:

John 14:16-17a NLT, Jesus speaking: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate (Comforter, Encourager or Counselor), who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

Believers already know about our Father in Heaven. And we now read the words of Jesus, who walked on the earth alongside mankind. Jesus said he’s returning to the Father, but that doesn’t mean we’ve been abandoned.

Think about this: The Son of God said he’s going to ask his Father to send an advocate for mankind, so that advocate is someone different, a third member of the Holy Trinity. We call him the Holy Spirit. He is our unseen defender against Satan and his demons. He gives us strength and assistance when we’re trying to complete the missions assigned to us by Jesus. He can facilitate solutions that answer our prayers. He’s our lawyer in the court of judgment and a trusted advisor for everything else. The Holy Spirit, like the Father and the Son, can only deal in truth, and remember that truth is God’s opinion on everything!

Jesus said that he would never leave or forsake believers and that he would never leave us without spiritual guidance. Hence, the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity is complete!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Holy Spirit of Truth!

For Wednesday, June 8, 2022:

John 16:9 NLT, Jesus speaking: “The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.”

Jesus is teaching about the life after this life, that it is necessary for him to go away. Then he can send an advocate, a comforter, the Holy Spirit to be with us. Believers receive this helper when they declare Jesus their Savior! Righteousness and salvation are available to believers because Jesus paved the way. He returned to the Father, and now believers can follow in his footsteps.

Remain loyal and stedfast. Satan is running amuck all over this world, but know that he has already been judged, and it was not favorable!

The Holy Spirit, at work in our lives, is showing us Jesus’ way. “The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me. The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth.”

Remember what the Spirit orchestrated on Pentecost!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Holy Spirit!

For Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Acts 1:8a NLT, Jesus speaking: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”

Knowing his assent into heaven was imminent, Jesus wanted his loyal followers well cared for. He wanted everyone to know that they were not abandoned; they were not alone.

The Holy Spirit is sometimes called the “Comforter” or our “Advocate” – someone to walk with us, someone to be on our side. Just to be clear, the Holy Spirit is another form of the same God we already know and love. If we accept that God is ‘spirit’ and we are the personification of our souls, then the Holy Spirit fits right in.

Jesus told the believers to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit before starting anything new. When the Holy Spirit fell upon them, they were filled with awe and hope for their future and the future of their ministry.

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Christmas Comforter

December 06, 2010 Monday Message:

John the Baptist said that while he could only baptize with water, Jesus would baptize us with fire, i.e. with the Holy Spirit. If that’s what Jesus is doing, I’m IN!

The Holy Spirit eternally co-exists with the Father and the Son. He was present at creation, with the Jews and Moses as they left Egypt, and was with most of the “good” judges and kings. As we approach Christmas, we remember the Holy Spirit’s part in bringing the King of kings to us. “What is conceived in her (Mary) is from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20b

Remember that Jesus said he would send a comforter, the Holy Spirit, to be with us after he ascended to heaven. This Spirit is necessary for our salvation. “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. John 3:5

So don’t neglect that one-third of our triune God, our helper, our advocate and our healer. Without the Holy Spirit we are powerless, but with the power of the Holy Spirit we can do anything. This Christmas season, let’s worship God, welcome Jesus into our world, and give thanks for the Holy Spirit.

Norton Lawellin