Use Your Head!

For Tuesday, September 30, 2025:

John 14:9 NLT: Jesus replied, “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!”

 God designed mankind with brains and the ability to think things through to their logical conclusion, and he expects us to do just that. In this example, Philip had traveled with Jesus, ate meals with him, and observed miracle after miracle as Jesus ministered to the Hebrew people. From everything Philip saw, Jesus’ identity should have been obvious.

 But sometimes we want reassurance, verification that our conclusion is correct. Jesus couldn’t have been clearer in his answer: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father!”

 Q: Why should we read our Bibles and attend Bible studies with others? A: To learn as much as we can about the Father and the Son. We want to familiarize ourselves with their similar traits and trends. And when our eyes have been opened as to who Jesus is, we can share that Good News with others, something we are all called to do.

 Do you believe Jesus is the Son of the Most High? Not just because the Bible says so (and the Bible is always right!) But because you’ve arrived at your answer through critical examination of the evidence, all of which points to the only possible conclusion: Jesus is Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

A Sign from God!

For Friday, May 23, 2025:

Luke 11:30 NLT, Jesus speaking: “What happened to Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man [Jesus] will be a sign to you people that he was sent by God.”

Here’s the short version of the sign of Jonah. God was fed up with the wickedly disobedient people of Nineveh. So God called Jonah to go there and tell the people to repent and return – or else! Jonah, fearing what those citizens would do to him, caught a boat headed in the opposite direction. God wasn’t having any of his rebellion. God made the seas rough and all the sailors feared for their lives. Jonah knew he was the source of their bad luck, and to save the others he was eventually thrown overboard, only to be swallowed up by a big fish. Three days later, the fish spit Jonah up on the beach of – (you guessed it) – Nineveh! Those people fasted and repented and earned their way back into God’s favor. That incredible journey was Jonah’s sign that he was sent by God. Lesson: If God wants you in Nineveh, you’ll soon find yourself in Nineveh, regardless of what you choose to do!

Jesus knew his future was to rise from the grave three days after the crucifixion. The Jews had never seen anything like that before. That would be Jesus’ sign that he truly was heaven-sent. Rising from the dead would be the miraculous sign that changed fence-sitters into believers. It still does today.

If you examine the evidence and listen to the eyewitness testimonies, you too will be convinced that Jesus is the Son of God. And if you believe with all your heart, you can tell others. That’s what Jesus told us to do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faith = Trust!

For Tuesday, March 25, 2025:

John 14:1 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

For the past couple of months, I’ve been writing about God getting the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land, and how his instructions might apply to us in 2025. But with Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday quickly approaching, I want to shift our focus to Jesus’ final days on earth. Knowing that he’s returning to the Father, Jesus wants to reassure the believers that everything will be OK.

Jesus is telling the believers to double down on faith. “Trust in God, and trust also in me.” Nowadays we can read our Bibles and find out that we’re delivered by unshakable faith in Jesus being God’s Son. But when Jesus walked on our earth, the entire New Testament had yet to be written. Faith had to be garnered from Jesus’ spoken words. On one hand, I wish that I’d been there to see it all. But on the other hand, I’m glad we have Bibles, so I can read and re-read the stories from beginning to end, examine the facts and make an informed decision for Jesus.

I would encourage everyone to do just that. Pretend that you’re the judge, and re-read the Biblical evidence. Then you can render your decision in favor of Jesus. He’s looking forward to all believers joining him in the hereafter!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth!

For Wednesday, April 10, 2024:

Colossians 2:3 NLT: “In Christ himself lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

You can read the entire Bible cover-to-cover and you won’t find any scripture where God was wrong. God’s people can do wrong, and sometimes God has to rethink his plan because of mankind’s mistakes. But from God comes all wisdom and knowledge! Truth is God’s opinion on everything!

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. So Jesus had the same value system as his Father. It’s said that he lived a perfect life. No other person has been able to accomplish that! In proving who Jesus was, his perfect life rose to the evidential surface. He was never wrong, and obedient to his Father even onto the end when it cost him his life.

Paul wrote, “You will only find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Jesus. He has them all.” It’s not wrong to seek wisdom and knowledge, but we must seek it through the life of Jesus and his teaching.

Slow down your pace of living just a bit. Take time to ask, “What would Jesus do?” Whatever he would do is the right thing!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship