Father Knows Best!

For Saturday, October 18, 2025:

John 14:24b NLT, Jesus speaking: “Remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.”

We have grown accustomed to Jesus speaking this way. Most of us, one way or another, have some sort of Christian education, so Jesus’ words don’t sound strange to us. But 2K years ago, people were still trying to figure out religion. If Jesus had told them everything straight away, they might not have believed him. So he keeps feeding them pieces of the theology puzzle that they can assemble as the Holy Spirit leads.

In today’s scripture, Jesus tells us that the words he teaches are not his own. They originate from God the Father. From this we can assume that Jesus and the Father know each other well and are on the same page. They believe the same things, and both want mankind to behave the same way. Their commandments are identical. And apparently, Jesus knew the Father long before he came to Earth. Apparently, Jesus has already seen heaven from the inside! When he says, “The Earth is not my home,” there’s another place, Heaven, God’s Kingdom, their eternal residence. Jesus is right there alongside his Father.

We would be wise to cherish all of Jesus’ hints, the theology puzzle-pieces. Pray that the Holy Spirit would show you the big picture, the truth about who Jesus is, who sent him to visit the Earth, and his mission. I believe his primary mission is the redemption of mankind by forgiving our sins. Once forgiven (and therefore sinless,) we can join God in his eternal Kingdom.

The Lord’s desire is that none would perish, and all would repent and return. Jesus is the Captain of the team, bringing God’s desires to fruition!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Rich Man

For Wednesday, June 11, 2025:

Luke 12:18 NLT: “Then the rich man said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.’”

Look at the trend in the US. Every room in our houses is filled; Our closets are overflowing. Next, we fill up the basement, leaving little paths through all the stuff. Over half the people with garages can no longer get cars inside because of all their stuff. When we run out of space, the solution is to rent a small storage unit, an ongoing, never-ending expense to keep stuff you haven’t used or even seen in over a year!

One of my churches put forth a challenge: Get rid of 30% of your unneeded stuff in 30 days. I may not get there, but it’s a worthy goal.

Jesus confronts us with the harsh reality that we could die tonight. Who knows when your heart might stop beating, or your lungs stop taking in oxygen? And just like that, in a flash, it’s over! Given that scenario, it’s obvious that we’d be better off building our relationship with the Father, rather than amassing more worldly goods that we can’t take with us.

Jesus advised, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Holy Spirit!

For Tuesday, June 3, 2025:

Acts 2:4 NLT: “Everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.”

On the Day of Pentecost, the believers were all together in one place. A sound like wind filled the room, but the Bible doesn’t say it got windy – just the sound! Flames which looked like little lapping tongues of fire floated down, settling on each of them. God had big plans for this day, and in preparation was filling the faithful with the Holy Spirit. This was so important that God was making a show of it!

Not that believers hadn’t previously known the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had been around since before creation. Genesis 1:2 “The Spirit of the Lord hovered over the waters of creation!” Forgive my crude analogy: The Holy Spirit is like the battery in my laptop. I plug it in for a recharge every night. If I don’t, it won’t be ready to go the next time I need it! Aid from the Holy Spirit is available to all believers, but we must top off our Holy Spirit tanks for tomorrow’s adventure! We must stay connected!

Christians believe in a triune God, one God who has made himself known to us in three different forms: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father sits on heaven’s throne, Jesus walked on earth alongside mankind, while the Holy Spirit is our advocate, encourager and helper until Jesus returns. The Bible says that without the Holy Spirit we can accomplish nothing, but with the Holy Spirit we can accomplish anything! As Jesus sends us out to heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead, it’s obvious that we’ll need a heavenly helper.

Not only were believers’ tongues touched to speak in other languages, but their ears were touched as well. Instantly, they could clearly understand languages unknown to Israelites. This would be valuable as this Day of Pentecost unfolds! It’s about outreach and evangelism, about sharing the Good News with others. It’s about doing those things that Jesus commissioned us all to do! Are you “in?”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Snakes and Scorpions?

For Friday, May 16, 2025:

Luke 11:11-12 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!”

In your mind’s eye, picture Jesus saying these words. I see him smiling. Jesus has already made his point about Yahweh being a God of supply and provision. He’d already taught ask, seek and knock. Now he’s giving over-the-top examples that should elicit at least a chuckle from those present! Nowadays, we might refer to his words as a “Dad joke!” The human side of Jesus was just a regular guy with a sense of humor! If you met him, you’d like him and want to hang out with him!

Snakes and scorpions? No one would really do such a thing. Other manuscripts include children asking for bread, and the dad giving them a stone. That’s a little more down-to-earth – no scary animals – but no parent would would actually do that either.

And speaking of parents, Jesus said that God should be thought of as “Our Father in heaven!” This isn’t meant to sideline our earthly parents. We’re still to honor our Mothers and Fathers. (Commandment #5)

Jesus came to earth to be a friend of mankind. He came to take the sins of the world to the place of the dead. He came to rescue us, to redeem our souls, to personally usher us into the hereafter. Jesus (God) wants to no longer be unreachable. After all, the curtain separating God from mankind was torn, top to bottom. We can now interact directly with God Almighty!

Worship should be fun, enjoyable. Spending time with God should be something we all anticipate with gladness. I want to be a friend of Jesus. If he talks about giving children a scorpion, I’m gonna laugh like crazy!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Lord's Prayer!

For Wednesday, May 14, 2025:

Luke 11:1 NLT, Disciples: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John (the Baptist) taught his disciples.”

Jesus: “When you pray, this is what you should say.” He then spoke his version of what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Our Father is in heaven by definition. The rest of us have to achieve heaven. We get there through grace, forgiveness and faith. God is also holy or hallowed by definition. We pray that his Kingdom will come, and that his desires will be executed here on earth, as they are now in heaven.

We ask prayerfully for our daily sustenance, more than just food. We pray for Jesus’ eternal intervention in our forgiveness, using our forgiveness of others as an example. (We’d better get that part right!) And since we are forgiven, please don’t tempt us any further! Deliver us out of this evil planet. Father God, yours is the only Kingdom that matters. Knowing you have all power, we glorify your holy name! In the name of your Son Jesus, the Messiah, we pray. Amen.

Over the years, the spelling and language of The Lord’s Prayer have been updated, but the meaning hasn’t changed. The version we all know was published in the Book of Common Prayer (Anglican or Episcopal) in the late 1700’s. More modern versions have been penned, but no one seems keen on changing what we already have memorized!

I don’t believe Jesus was giving us an all-inclusive prayer that we should recite verbatim. I believe he was giving us bullet points, categories to be intentionally included as our prayers rise upward.

We should pray these things because Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Heavenly Words!

For Sunday, April 6, 2025:

John 14:24b NLT, Jesus speaking: “Remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.”

In John ch. 14, Jesus has been leaving urgent last-minute instructions for the believers. Before going to the cross, he claims the ultimate authority for his words, telling the believers that what he speaks is actually from Father God! Now are you listening? Now are you paying attention?

In the believer’s mind at the time, this might have made a difference. But to us nowadays, with the completed Bible in hand, we know that Jesus and the Father are one. Their thoughts are the same, and they’re pulling in the same direction. And when the Holy Spirit, our comforter and advocate, joins us on the planet, it will be more of the same. Those three are one! C’mon, Pentecost!

When the words are from Our Father in Heaven, we should listen up! We should be obedient!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Glory to the Father!

For Sunday, March 30, 2025:

John 14:13 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.”

Jesus performed quite a number of miracles while he was here on earth. Many of them involved healing. He could take a person born lame and have them dancing a jig in no time! For that person, the miracle was life-changing, but it also fulfilled another purpose!

Jesus made no secret that he was the Son of the Most High and that any power he had originated with God himself. God, who created heaven and earth, should be exalted every day, but especially when we are eyewitnesses to his goodness. Healings showcase God’s love for mankind, and his desire to be a part of our lives.

Picture Jesus bragging, “Let me show you what my dad can do!” He never took credit himself. Jesus’ power to improve lives always came from above. That power has not ended. So we pray to Father God, “...in Jesus’ name – Amen!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

One God!

For Sunday, April 7, 2024:

Colossians 1:15a NLT: “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”

So people have been after you to sign up for the Jesus team. Why should anyone do that? Paul answers that common question with authority. “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” Paul is, after all, the one who had a (violent) encounter with the Savior on the road to Damascus. He got his theology straightened out in a hurry on that day, and has been teaching people the truth ever since.

In John 14:9, Jesus explains who he is to Philip. “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!”

We get a little more detail in John 10:28-30: “I give my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Jesus had claimed to be the spitting image of God. He claimed to be the source of eternal life. His religious opponents kept asking the question, “Who is this guy?,” but they didn’t like his answer. “I and the Father are one.” In the past, Jesus performed miracles and healed people, clearly power from heaven. But this, “claiming to be one with God,” seemed like blasphemy, a scriptural untruth. His opponents picked up stones!

The truth is that if you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father. Those were words straight from Jesus’ mouth, and God cannot lie! Do you believe? You should! This is a key plank in Christian theology. One of the mysteries of Christian faith is the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There are differences in how we perceive them, but deep down they’re all the same: God!

If you know Jesus, you know the Father!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Son of God!

For Thursday, December 28, 2023:

Luke 2:43 NLT: “After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers.”

Have you ever lost a child, even for just a short time? In the Atlanta airport, my youngest daughter, about four years old, wandered off. She had been with us a minute ago, but now was missing. We were all franticly searching, calling out her name. Finally, we located her having quite a conversation with a kind, grandfatherly man. Problem quickly solved!

But Jesus and his parents were part of a large entourage that made the pilgrimage from their hometown to Jerusalem each year. As they were returning, Jesus wasn’t with his family, but they all assumed he was with friends. It wasn’t until they stopped for the night that Mary and Joseph confirmed his absence. There was no choice except to trace their steps back to Jerusalem and hopefully locate this precocious youth. After all, if you’re entrusted with the Son of God, you’d better not lose him!

For three days, Mary and Joseph searched high and low, until finally Jesus was discovered in the Temple conversing with the teachers. To all who witnessed this, Jesus appeared wise beyond his years. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers!

I can just hear his mother: “Son, we were so worried! Why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

To which Jesus replied, “How is it that you searched for me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” To Jesus, this all made perfect sense! This was just one of the many things Jesus pursued in his lifetime that others did not fully understand.

As Christians, we answer a lot of naysayers who question Jesus’ authenticity. They say he never stated who he was. But here he stated that God was his Father, and if God is his Father, then what does that make him? Son of God? I think so, no doubt!

Have a blessed day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship