Afterlife!

For Wednesday, September 2, 2026:

Acts 4:2 NLT: “The priests and Temple guards were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead.”

We tend to not believe what we haven’t seen with our own eyes. Jesus broke new ground by proving that there is life after this life. Although he was pronounced dead by Roman soldiers, he walked away from his tomb three days later. He could walk and talk, and appear to various groups seemingly at will.

The risen Jesus had supernatural abilities, and Peter and John were eyewitnesses to all these things. They were filled with enthusiasm having seen the miracles firsthand. So their natural response was to begin sharing the Good News with others.

At that time, most Pharisees were hoping that there was a life after this life, but they weren’t sure. Sadducees taught that there was no life after this life. So Peter’s and John’s preaching radically opposed the best thinking of the day.

As followers of Jesus, we now know the truth. Jesus rose from the grave, opening the door for us all to be welcomed into a life after this life. These eyewitnesses documented exactly what Jesus did so that all believers would know the truth.

Yes, friends, there IS life after this life!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Opportunity Knocks!

For Friday, August 14, 2026:

Acts 3:16 NLT, Peter, preaching in the Temple: “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.”

The man in question had been crippled from birth. The man was well known, and everyone was aware of his situation. To make ends meet, he begged at the Temple gate. As Peter and John entered, Peter explained that they had no silver or gold, but were willing to share what they had.

Previously, Jesus had sent Peter and John and the rest of the Apostles as well as numerous disciples to other towns in Israel to multiply his evangelistic efforts. They were all told to heal the sick, cure leprosy, raise the dead and cast out demons. These things were to be done in the name of Jesus, the power source for this project.

That day at the Temple, Jesus’ power had not ended. Peter took the man’s right hand and told him to stand up and walk. Everyone was amazed to see the man first walking, then running and finally jumping. They all recognized him as the crippled beggar at the gate. Suddenly, Peter and John were the talk of the town!

Peter allowed his impulsive nature to take over, and he began preaching to the crowd. He exalted Jesus, the one the crowd had handed over to Pilate. Peter called them out on this: “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!”

Peter never missed a chance to tell others about Jesus. This healing miracle was opportunity knocking, and Peter opened the evangelism door! That’s our take-away from this scripture. Recognize when an opportunity has presented itself, and take advantage of it while the iron is hot. It’s what we do as Christians!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Rescue Plan!

For Thursday, July 9, 2026:

Romans 8:33 NLT: “Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.”

Who can stand in God’s presence? Certainly not anyone with a sin history! To make that so, the Son and his Father first chose believers. Then, knowing that sin and holiness cannot coexist, Jesus personally took the sins of the world to the place of the dead and left them there. A further check into the Book of Life will find believers’ names inscribed, and the column titled ‘Sin’ will be empty. No scratch-outs, no erasure marks, just blank white space. In the official record of our life on earth, it will appear that we never sinned.

That’s not quite true, and to be honest, Jesus has to keep on his toes! By nature, mankind will sin again. But now, having a relationship with the Almighty, mankind will be sorry and repent, and Jesus will be quick to forgive, keeping our flawless record intact.

If anyone questions this, they’re not just doubting man; they’re doubting God himself. Never forget that God’s desire is for all to repent and return. He doesn’t want to lose a single soul! And God always gets his way!

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

Kingdom!

For Wednesday, March 4, 2026:

John 14:3 NLT, Jesus speaking about our next life in the Kingdom: “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.“

Jesus said he would prepare a place for loyal believers, and when that’s ready, he’ll meet us with open arms as we transition to the next reality. At that time, it might have seemed like a lot was going wrong around Jesus. But he’s not worried, and he doesn’t want the believers to worry either. It’s all going to work out for the best!

Think about it. If Jesus hadn’t been betrayed, he wouldn’t have been arrested. Without the arrest, there would have been no mock trial in the kangaroo court where he was found guilty and eventually crucified. We usually think of death as a bad thing, but this time Jesus took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, and mankind was given a fresh start! With our sins forgiven, we could once again seek residence in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom! You see, everything that happened was part of God’s vast eternal plan!

It all played out exactly as Jesus knew it would, a series of illogical steps in exactly the right order that allowed God’s plan to come to fruition. God knows exactly what he’s doing, wouldn’t you say?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Prodigal Son - 2

For Tuesday, July 15, 2025:

Luke 15:13 NLT: “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.”

Today we’re continuing with Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, the one who demanded his share of the inheritance while dear old dad was still alive. Moving to the big city, he quickly squandered all his money on wine, women and song. And in a perfect Murphy’s Law scenario, when his money ran out, the region’s food also ran out. Our prodigal was forced to accept employment from a farmer who raised pigs! To Jewish people, pigs were unclean, non-kosher animals. And here he was tending to their needs like a slave. Pigs were fed pods after the desirable beans had been removed, and our prodigal was so hungry that he would sneak some for himself. Wow – taking a meal with pigs! He had hit his bottom.

The younger son thought about his situation and applied some logic. “Back home, even the hired hands have enough to eat, and here I am starving.” There was only one solution. “I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” And he did just that.

The surprise comes from the father, who was watching and waiting for the wayward son to return. The father ran out and met his son on the road. The kid confessed his inappropriate actions as he said he would, but the father’s response was quite unexpected. “Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.” So the lost son was fully forgiven and restored, and the celebration began. The lost son could be any of us. His father is our Father in heaven!

In relating this story, Jesus taught the value of repent and return. When our lives get off track, repent and return is the only solution. He also let us know that our Father has a boatload of forgiveness, more than you might expect. God is good, even when we’re not!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

No Ghosts!

For Thursday, April 24, 2025:

Luke 24:36 NLT: “Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among the disciples. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said.”

The disciples and those gathered with them thought they were seeing a ghost! In a way, they were right, a ghost supposedly being a dead person appearing to the living. But Jesus had not returned to haunt or frighten the faithful. His appearance was proving God’s scriptures to be correct!

Jesus told them, “Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” Ghosts are pictured as wispy aberrations, whereas Jesus stood before them with a complete body. “Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me.”

After the crucifixion, Jesus was called to teach one more Godly principle: that death is not the end. It can be the beginning of an exceptional eternal afterlife in the presence of the Father. We call it Heaven or God’s Kingdom.

Growing up, we all sang, “Jesus loves me.” God loves mankind so much that he wants us to spend eternity with him. God could have chosen anything, but he settled on mankind to be his companions. Believers will have been spared the pain and suffering of hell!

Thank you to God and his Son!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faith, Lots of It!

For Thursday, July 18, 2024:

Ephesians 2:1 AMPC: “And you [Jesus made you alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, in which you once walked.”

When mankind was living in sin, the Bible describes us as “spiritually dead.” Jesus brought forgiveness of those sins, leaving us “spiritually alive.” Thankfully, the “dead or alive” analogy also applies to the life after this life.

There are really only two destinations: #1. The place Jesus prepares for you in the presence of the Father, or #2. With Satan in the lake of fire. As Christians, we have something no other religion can offer: Assurance of Salvation! If we place our faith, hope and trust in Jesus, the Son of God, we can count on him taking our hand and ushering us into the next reality.

 Our eternal destination depends on our faith. We need to truly believe the testimony of the eyewitnesses who walked alongside Jesus. There are both sacred and secular witnesses who attest to the miracles, the healings and Jesus’ divine connections. Investigate everything, and draw your own conclusion.

You’ll find that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; there is no other way!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship