Entourage!

March 24, 2025, Monday Message:

Numbers 1:44, 46 NLT: “These were the men registered by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, all listed according to their ancestral descent. The total number was 603,550.”

How many people love the Lord? And how many of them could fight if the need arose to defend the Israelites? It’s important for a leader to have an inventory of assets, so that leader can make good decisions when problems arise. The Lord commanded Moses to take this census, and the Israelites made it happen.

God wanting Moses to know the potential size of his army tells me that he expected trouble. The people already living in Canaan, modern-day Israel, were not going to roll over and willingly give up their territory. But the Israelites will emerge victorious because it was the Lord making this their destination. God was on their side, and if God is on your side, who can stand against you?

Resettlement of the people of Israel was no small endeavor. I always assume that the majority of the 600K men are married and each family has at least two children. That means 2.5M people followed Moses out of Egypt, a much larger Exodus than in the movie!

God sent his Son Jesus to forgive the world’s sins and give everyone who would call him “Lord” a fresh start. The first Christians were all converted Jews, looking to get closer to God. And you can’t get any closer than following God’s Son! Nowadays we can be born into a Christian family. But make no mistake, each of us must make our own personal decision to claim Jesus as Lord. Heaven celebrates when even one person repents and returns to God Almighty. Like the angels, we too should celebrate when someone comes to know Jesus as Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Escape from Egypt!

For Wednesday, February 5, 2025:

Exodus 13:18 NLT: “God led the Israelites in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.”

God is providing visionary leadership. He knows human nature better than anyone. He knew that Pharaoh would have second thoughts about letting the Israelites go. He knew that Pharaoh would send his army to retrieve the Jews. That army would have expected to find the Hebrews on the most direct path to Israel. So to buy them a little extra time, God aimed the Israelites toward the Red Sea, the Sea of Reeds.

Coming up against this body of water may at first look like a problem, but it was actually a solution. God had more in mind. He allowed Moses to part the water, allowing the Hebrews to escape to the other side. Then, as the Egyptian army pursued them, Moses closed up the sea, drowning the Egyptian army.

(Sidebar: This incident is dramatized in the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille classic, ‘The Ten Commandments.’ Just remember that Moses was probably a short, ruddy-looking Jew, not tall and handsome like Charlton Heston!)

The goal in all of this was to return the Hebrew people to Israel. All the plagues, all the meetings with Pharaoh and the colossal exodus march were stepping stones toward that goal. God will be with them all the way as the trek continues. The job won’t be finished until the Israelites are back home.

Both God and his Son Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Count on it! If God is “in” your mission, he’s “in” for the entire duration until your goal is achieved! God is good – very good!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Passover – A Celebration!

For Sunday, February 2, 2025:

Exodus 12:11 NLT: Then the Lord said to Moses, “These are your instructions for eating this (Passover) meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover.”

God wants his people prepared. We’re going somewhere. Today! Be ready! Get dressed and be ready to go. Wear shoes and have your walking stick nearby. Don’t dawdle. Get right to it! God has an agenda for you today. Today is the day we’re all leaving Egypt!

By now you should have asked your Egyptian hosts for silver and gold. Surprisingly, they will be glad to finance your exit. Pharaoh is your foe, but the general Egyptian population was glad to host the Hebrew people for a time, and they will comply with your request.

This Passover miracle is so important, it is to be remembered and celebrated annually. God said so. Let us never forget all the good things He has done for us. The Passover lamb was for the Hebrew people. God’s Son served as the Passover lamb for Christian believers. He took our sin away so that we could reside in God’s forever Kingdom.

There is just one God in the entire universe, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is the Hebrew God, and He is the Christian God. He is a loving and forgiving God. He is our God! Hallelujah!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship