Second Chance!

March 23, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 3:17 NLT, John the Baptist speaking: “The one coming soon (Jesus) is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

Before you can make bread from wheat, the protective outside part of each kernel, the chaff, must be removed. Nowadays, we just buy flour at a store, but in Jesus’ day, people had to do their own milling, so this was common knowledge, and a good analogy about mankind and the life after this life.

The good portion is preserved, gathered and kept in God’s storehouse. We call that God’s heavenly Kingdom. The remaining worthless chaff is permanently disposed of in a fire. In Revelation, John writes about a lake of fire for the unrepentant.

Friends, we are living in our second chance. We can choose Jesus as our Savior, or we’re allowed to make a bad choice. But there are no more do-overs! The right or wrong choice has eternal consequences.

Choose wisely!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Kingdom At Hand!

For Saturday, March 14, 2026:

Luke 3:16 NLT, John the Baptist speaking: “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

In Jesus’ day, Hebrews were plagued with Roman oppression. They hung on tightly to a prophecy about a Messiah coming to rescue them. People would come to the Jordan and confess their sins, wanting to live a better life. They desired to get right with God. As John baptized the repentant, they questioned him: “Might you be the Messiah for whom we have been waiting?”

John assures them that he is not that Messiah. According to John, there’s a huge difference. He can only baptize with water. He warns the group that the Kingdom of God is near. They will see it soon, baptism with the fire of the Holy Spirit and the Son of God walking on Earth alongside mankind. It’s kind of hard to explain, as no one had ever seen anything like this before! John had a little inside information, being a cousin of Jesus.

I could repeat John’s message today, and the information would still be correct. We should all repent and return to the Lord, because the Kingdom is at hand. Jesus said he would return. Everything he told us has been true, and we expect that this would be likewise – true! Jesus gave us signs to watch for, hints that his return was imminent. We see more and more of them all the time as the date draws closer.

Churches pray for world peace, but Jesus said there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. There are currently about 40 wars in the world, people shooting real bullets at one another. The wars we hear about on the news are the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Russia and communist North Korea are attacking Ukraine with soldiers and weapons. The US and other NATO allies are pouring defense assets into Ukraine. What we have here (just my opinion) is Communist Russia fighting a world war against Democratic countries. It’s just not obvious because the fighting is all on Ukrainian soil! That war is bigger than you think!

As for the Middle East, it’s Islam vs Judaism. Christians come down on the side of the Jews, our ancestors. Russia has been supplying intelligence and weapons to Iran, while Israel and the US intend to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons. In 2001, when hijacked airplanes demolished the World Trade Center towers, I told my Jewish friends that this was a Holy War. I still believe that.

Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. If we read those signs, Jesus should be on the way. With each passing day, we’re one day closer to his return. Friends, the Kingdom of God is at hand!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Tall, Tall Trees!

For Wednesday, February 11, 2026:

Luke 3:9 NLT, John the Baptist speaking: “Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

John’s audience is Hebrew people, Jewish people, people who think they are planted in God’s orchard because they were born into it. Not necessarily! John is about to set the record straight!

Listen to this: God will not import worthless trees into his Kingdom! Every tree expecting to be with the Lord must bear good fruit. It must be furthering God’s agenda, not standing idly by. By now you probably know that this analogy is about people, not trees.

Here’s another one. If you’re hot, you’re with the Lord. Let’s get to work! If you’re cold, you’re the enemy. At least I know where we stand, and I can fight for what’s right! But lukewarm??? Wishy-washy? God says lukewarm is worthless to both of us.

God is not going to just stand around waiting. There will come a day of decision, a day of judgment when he will pick up his ax, chop down the worthless trees and cast them into the fire, to be absent from his presence forever.

Friends, this is serious. Believers all need to have Jesus in their hearts, a Bible in their hands and the Gospel on their lips. Let the world know that you’re playing for the Lord’s team. Let the world know that you’re not wishy-washy!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Face of God!

For Saturday, March 1, 2025:

Exodus 33:3 NLT: The Lord said to Moses: “Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.”

God forgave the Israelites for the golden calf incident, but he did not forget. In his mind, he has put these people in the “stubborn and rebellious” category. Their decision to follow the Lord doesn’t seem to be a “forever decision.” Their minds could change as the wind blows! Nonetheless, God will honor his half of the agreement. God’s word can always be trusted.

As they traveled, Moses would set up the Tent of Meeting some distance from the main encampment. There God would meet with Moses and his helper Joshua. At that time, the people would pray in front of their own tents.

Now Moses was a human, just like all of us. He had seen a burning bush, fire on the mountain and a pillar of cloud leading their journey, but he had never actually seen the Lord. Curiosity gets the best of him, so he asks, “Show me your glorious presence.”

God offers Moses a solution. “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”

Christians still battle this dilemma as we evangelize, asking newcomers to believe in a God they can’t see. Oh, there’s plenty of evidence of intelligent design. Consider the vast universe, our four seasons growing crops to feed us, and the complexity of the human body, to name a few things. Like Moses, we’ll never see God’s face, but it’s easy to know he exists.

We are saved by grace through faith. Grace is the goodness of our merciful God. Faith is belief and trusting in a God that we can not see. He’s there for each of us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Fire from Heaven!

For Tuesday, May 14, 2024:

Ephesians 4:25b NLT: “Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.”

Truth is conforming to fact, to actuality. Truth is valuable; lies are worthless! Eyewitnesses verify the truth of the Bible.

On Mt. Carmel, Elijah said to the people of Israel, “How long will you waver between two opinions?” Elijah, one man, was working for the true God. 450 were working for Baal, and 400 for Asherah, false gods! Kind of lop-sided, wouldn’t you say? The deck was stacked against Elijah!

Elijah challenged the groups to sacrifice a bull and place it on their altar. We’ll see which one God chooses! The prophets of Baal went first, dancing around their altar from sunrise until noon. Nothing happened. They regrouped and continued until evening. Still nothing happened.

Next Elijah prepared his altar: a stone base piled high with wood, and pieces of his bull on top. Finally, just to be more dramatic, he had his oppressors pour 12 big jars of water onto everything. Then he prayed to the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Everyone’s jaws dropped when fire fell from the sky, igniting the burnt sacrifice! Elijah and his God were vindicated that day, victorious! All the people were convinced because they had seen truth with their own eyes! (I Kings 18)

Some churches avoid controversy by steering clear of biblical truths. The hot topics today seem to be sexual identity and abortion. We can choose to hide from these topics, or we could choose to teach the entire Bible. God’s value system isn’t about to change!

Choose a pastor and a church where you can learn truth! See you in church!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Holy Spirit!

For Saturday, December 30, 2023:

Luke 3:16 NLT: “John (the Baptist) answered their questions by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’”

Everyone assumed the Messiah’s arrival was imminent, just around the corner. John was telling people to repent of their sins as he baptized them. They knew that only God could forgive sins against God’s law. So the question arose, is this “John” the one for whom we’ve been waiting?

John is quite clear in his response. He’s a number of things. He’s a baptizer, preparing the world for the soon-to-come Messiah. In a way he’s like a prophet, heralding the Messiah’s arrival. But he is not the one.

John makes mention of receiving the Holy Spirit, the ‘fire’ baptism. The gift of the Holy Spirit is received by believing in Jesus Christ. Peter explains in Acts 2:38 “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit never leaves a believer, but mankind can become lax in worshiping God-the-Spirit. That’s why it’s essential to stay plugged in to a church, to recharge your Holy Spirit battery, to top off your Holy Spirit tank.

With the Spirit, we are prepared to do battle in the world in the name of Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Happy New Year!

For Saturday, December 31, 2022:

Matthew 3:11b NLT, John-the-Baptist’s prophesy about the coming Messiah: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. I baptize with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

This is the final day in our calendar year. At midnight everywhere, people will say, “Out with the old; in with the new!” It’s a time to start afresh!

A good start would be including more of Jesus in your life and in your heart. It’s a good time to commit or re-commit to believing that Jesus was who he said he was, could do what he said he could do, and to make him Lord of your life! Seek Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It’s a decision you’ll never regret.

The birth of this one humble man turned out to be so significant that we re-started our calendars with the birth of our Savior. The years after Jesus’ birth are AD, Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord. Before Jesus was BC or before Christ. Secularists have changed that to “Before Common Era,” but Christians know what it really is. Without Jesus, there would be no BC or AD! Now you know what we’re really celebrating!

Happy New Year!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Pentecost!

For Pentecost Sunday, June 5, 2022:

Acts 2:36 NLT, Peter speaking: “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

Today we celebrate Pentecost, a magnificent day! The believers were all together, waiting and praying, when the Holy Spirit came upon them like little flames. A sound like a big wind drew a huge crowd. Peter got up on his soapbox and gave the best “come to Jesus” speech ever, using many of the same words that caused Jesus to be crucified 50 days earlier. He spoke truth, using Hebrew scriptures to back up his words.

This time the crowd listened, and asked, “Brothers, what should we do?” 3,000 were baptized and added to their flock that day.

Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church. You can attend one of those churches today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Pentecost!

May 17, 2021 Monday Message

Acts 2:1 NLT: “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.”

Next Sunday, May 23, 2021, is Pentecost Sunday in a lot of our churches. There was a traditional wheat harvest festival about this time of year; the Jews celebrated Moses receiving the 10 Commandments Tablets from God on Mt. Sinai; and for Christians, Pentecost is the birthday of the Church!

Jesus told the believers to wait in Jerusalem – to not start anything new until they had received the Holy Spirit. They were meeting, praying, when they heard a sound like a big wind from heaven, like a giant storm coming. They heard the sound, but the Bible doesn’t say it actually got windy! Then what looked like flitting tongues of fire fell onto them, but nothing actually caught on fire! It’s God’s sign that they are now empowered with the Holy Spirit!

Peter then gave the best-ever sermon, which could miraculously be understood in all languages. He used the fulfillment of Hebrew prophecy to prove Jesus was the Messiah! At the altar call, 3,000 people came forward and were baptized that day!

Believers are filled with the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus as our Savior, and that fills us with hope! Keep the Holy Spirit front-of-mind, high up on your agenda. Use the bright red paraments to decorate your church; wear something red to church next Sunday. Send the Fire; send the Holy Spirit!

Each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved!

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Pentecost Coming!

May 09, 2016 Monday Message:

“When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover, the believers were gathered together in one place.” Acts 2:1

This coming Sunday, May 15, is celebrated in many churches as “Pentecost.” Pentecost is the Greek name for the Hebrew “Shavuot” or “Shavuous.” In the Anglican (Episcopal) church, it’s called “Whitsunday.” The Hebrew people were celebrating God giving them the Law through Moses on Mt. Sinai.

But the day has a much different meaning for Christians. First, this is the day when the gathered believers received the gift of the Holy Spirit. There was a mighty sound, like a giant wind, and little flickering flames descended from heaven and landed on each person. There was no mistaking it – no one could miss what was happening. Many churches nowadays use red paraments on their altars, wear red clothing that day and sing, “Send the Fire!”

Next, everyone in Jerusalem heard that sound of mighty wind, and gathered to see what was taking place. Peter then preached the first large-scale Christian “Repent-and-Return” message to the crowd, and many were persuaded. 3,000 were baptized and added to their number that day, so we now celebrate Pentecost as the “Birth of the Church.”

But remember, the first step in that first Pentecost is that the believers were all gathered in one place. They actually got out of bed, got dressed, and went to worship and pray with their brothers and sisters – kind of like us going to church. They were all of one mind, on the same page, shared the same intents and purposes. And look what happened!

So following the example of the early church, I encourage each one of us to leap out of bed next Sunday morning, don something red, and go join your brothers and sisters in worship and prayer. Who knows what could happen next? Send the Fire!

Norton Lawellin

Join us for worship on Pentecost Sunday, May 15. Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10 am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. We’ll look into the Birth of the Church on that first day of Pentecost as it happened in Acts Ch. 2. See you at church!

Filled with the Spirit

June 9, 2014 Monday Message:

“The Spirit of God was moving over the water.” (Gen. 1:2b)

The Holy Spirit was present at creation. And since the Holy Spirit is in fact God, he never ceases to exist. So what was happening when “tongues of fire” fell upon the believers on the day of Pentecost? Had the Holy Spirit gone somewhere and now needed to return?

Think of it this way – I’ve used this analogy before and it works well here: Think of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – as the sun. He shines brightly, unceasingly. Think of these believers – in fact, all of mankind – as the earth.

In the evening, we say that the sun “set.” But the sun is actually right where it always was, a bright, pure light, shining forever. It is us - the earth – who turned away from the light.

People are often like that, turning away from God from time to time. We turn toward God when we need extra help, when we’re in a jam. But after God rescues us, we tend to say, “Thanks God, but I can handle things now.”

The believers had recently seen their religious beliefs persecuted, their main guy crucified, resurrected, and then ascend into heaven, and now they were alone. No wonder the believers were somewhat confused and maybe a little depressed. Their lives had been turned upside down, and now they needed reassurance.

Jesus had promised that he would be with them until the end of the age, and now he’s making good on that promise. Matt. 28:20 It wasn’t just, “Remember to call on the Holy Spirit.” As the story unfolds, there was a loud sound like a big wind, but it was not windy. Flickering flames fell from heaven and landed on everyone, but nothing caught fire. This was a visible and audible confirmation that God was still in control, and that they had been filled with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. And with that power, great things would unfold.

“Apart from me you can do nothing.” from John 15:5

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday, at 10:30am, in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week Pastor Van Dickerson begins his Freedom in Christ series.