Call to Serve!

 Daily message of hope...
For Thursday, August 27, 2026:

Acts 3:26 NLT, Peter, preaching in the Temple: “When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”

Jesus came to mankind through the Jewish people. It makes sense. They were the ones with the previous relationship with God. But Jesus’ final command was “to make disciples of ALL nations.” Our God is inclusive. His hope is that ALL would repent and return. Because mankind has been given free will, that may not happen, but it’s nonetheless God’s desire.

Where is your mission field? When we speak of a ‘mission trip,’ we think of going to another city, another state or another country. But it doesn’t have to be that complicated. You can minister to coworkers, fellow students and neighbors. There are enough Christians in the US that there’s no excuse for everyone to not have heard about Jesus. The Good News should be common knowledge in our country.

I’ve personally prayed a great deal about this, and the Lord has given me two answers at different times. First, I was elected leader of a church supporting over a dozen overseas missionaries. My piece of the puzzle was to sustain that local church, so that we’d have a strong base from which to send the others. I was also called to preach at a men’s in-patient treatment facility just off Lake Street. I led services for them once a month for over 25 years. My mission field was Lake Street, Minneapolis, where drug use was prevalent, single parents were the norm and poverty was out of control. There was a lot to do, but life was always better with Jesus in it!

Being obedient to Jesus, we all need to identify our piece of the mission puzzle and add action to our conclusions.

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

New Covenant!

For Friday, September 12, 2025:

Mark 14:22-24a NLT: “As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take it, for this is my body.’ And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, ‘This is my blood, which confirms the new covenant between God and his people.’”

This scene details the origin of Holy Communion. Jesus said that we should do this in remembrance of him. So, being obedient, we still do it 2,000 years later!

Picture yourself at the table that night. Jesus had been saying some pretty strange things lately, including predicting his own death. It might have been hard to take him seriously! It seems unlikely that the man who could cure any illness and walk on water would be dying! Even if those present understood the words, it seems unlikely that the described scenario would come to pass.

Only Jesus and his Father knew why this was all necessary and exactly what would happen. God had created mankind, loved what he created and blessed us with free will. But that allowed mankind to succumb to Satan’s temptations, and no one carrying a sin burden would find themselves in heaven. The sin had to be forgiven and blotted out. Jesus, who was sinless himself, was to be the sacrificial lamb to redeem mankind.

God’s plan was fulfilled, mankind was redeemed and heaven was populated! Sin was removed from loyal believers! Jesus abandoned the grave three days later, and eventually returned to the Father, preparing a place for all who would join him.

Let obedience and loyalty be your characteristics today. Prepare to join the Son in the hereafter!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship