Predictions!

For Tuesday, April 21, 2026:

John 14:29 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.”

Q: How can you tell if a prophet is the real deal?
A: The prophecies all come true!

As his ministry draws to a close, I don’t think Jesus looked at these words as any long-term prophecy. But he didn’t want any of the believers to lose faith. He didn’t want them to give up or be scared. That could easily happen when your spiritual mentor is hanging from a cross!

As it happened, everything played out just as Jesus predicted. In death, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, leaving mankind forgiven, eligible for life after this life. Three days later, he walked out of the tomb. Death could not hold him! And with sin and death both conquered, mankind was given a fresh start! God is good!

Even the bad things that happened should increase our faith, because it all happened just as Jesus said it would!

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

Prisoners!

For Tuesday, January 20, 2026:

Hebrews 13:3a NLT: “Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself.”

Some people belong in prison to ensure the safety of the rest of our population. Many seem to be inherently evil, filled with demons. Along with incarceration, an exorcism might be in order!

Or not! Some people are imprisoned unjustly, because of lies, false testimony or revenge agenda. They never belonged in prison in the first place. Others have repented of their wrongdoing and deserve forgiveness and a fresh start. That’s what Jesus would have us do.

What is the purpose of a prison? If it’s only to incarcerate people, it’s just a hole into which we pour money. There’s no ROI – return on our investment. But rehabilitated people can excel at their jobs, help grow our economy and become good neighbors. Our vision shouldn’t be to keep people in prisons; it should be to expedite the offender’s release! Our society needs to be more inclusive of the reformed.

If you were imprisoned, what would you expect life to be like? A former prisoner described it to me as “three hots and a cot!” – three meals a day and a place to sleep. Sounds boring to me. A day’s agenda should include helpful work at the institution, job training with specific skills added to the inmates’ repertoires, educational opportunities to get candidates at least a GED and perhaps some college credits, and of course Bible teaching, so their lives could progress in the Lord’s direction. Insist that prisoners set goals, and then celebrate their milestones!

Let us remember those in prison. We pray that they experience kindness, the way we would want life to be if we were there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Freedom to Choose!

For Wednesday, January 1, 2025 New Years Day!

Genesis 1:2 NLT: “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

God had a blank slate. He could create anything he thought best in his new world. I picture the Holy Spirit hovering over the waters, excitedly saying, “C’mon, man. We’re ready to go! You just give the word, and we’ll get this thing started!”

Everything was going fine. But on the sixth day, God created mankind. In what must have been a difficult decision, he gave mankind the freedom to choose to obey God or not. That way, if mankind truly loved God, it would be real, not just a robot doing the only thing they were programmed to do. That same freedom also gave mankind the ability to make incorrect decisions, to disobey God.

But c’mon friends, we are the Christians, the ones who have chosen to play on God’s team. We’re not perfect and we’ll still make mistakes from time to time. But our heart belongs to the Lord. Think of this new year a dividing line between your old behavior and your new behavior. Make a commitment: “I can live a better life this year, a life more pleasing to God.” Look at this new year as your version of a clean slate, a fresh start!

Get as much as you can out of your gift of another year!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Restoration!

January 15, 2024 Monday Message:

Psalm 32:5 GNT: “I confessed my sins to you; I did not conceal my wrongdoings. I decided to confess them to you, and you forgave all my sins.”

God’s desire is that each one of us would repent and return; that none would be lost. So when we confess our sins before the Father, his eye isn’t so much on the sin as it is on our restoration. That’s what’s most important to him. God is focusing in on our repentance. God is in turn dispensing forgiveness and restoration. Remember, forgiveness follows repentance!

Q: If God is willing to completely forgive confessed sin, what should we do? The answer is obvious. We should forgive just as God forgives! God sends our record of sin to the bottom of the deepest ocean; separates it from us as far as the east is from the west.

Therefore when a believer returns to our midst asking for forgiveness, our job is to offer complete and total forgiveness and restoration, no exceptions! Welcome the transgressor back into our community with open arms. Restore their pecking order within the Holy family. Treat them with love and kindness. That’s what God would do.

Remember the woman caught in adultery? The religious leaders dragged her in front of the crowd, demanding that she be stoned. “What do you say, Jesus?”

Our Savior showed the woman an abundance of mercy. “Let the one who has never sinned cast the first stone!”

At this point, I believe she was plenty sorry she ever considered adultery! It all ended like this. One by one her accusers dissipated until no one remained except Jesus and the woman. He counseled her, “Go and sin no more!” No anger; no vengeance. Just love and a second chance – a simple, “Make a fresh start and try to do better next time!” That’s what Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Holy Spirit Baptism!

For Tuesday, December 13, 2022:

Mark 1:7-8 NLT: “John (the Baptist) announced: ‘Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!’”

Most people understand water-baptism. We confess our sins, and next comes the water. It’s an outward sign of an inward change. We’re turning our backs on darkness, and enjoying the light of Jesus. We still may stumble, but we’ll get up again and keep going!

Holy Spirit baptism is different. It’s part of our permanent decision to be a Christian. On the Day of Pentecost, for the first time, believers were indwelt by the Holy Spirit. 3,000 were added to their number that day. It was the beginning of the church. “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit.” This is not a special experience for only a few. All believers have received the Holy Spirit baptism, synonymous with the gift of salvation!

Believers are aligned with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection through Holy Spirit baptism. This separates us from the power of sin, and we can now walk in newness of life, having been given a fresh start by our Savior!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

New Life!

For Thursday, October 27, 2022:

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

Jesus has placed a dividing line in our lives. There’s the “before-Jesus” life, and the “after-Jesus” life. The old life is gone, and a new life has begun!

Jesus described it as being “born again.” I look at it as getting a fresh start. Jesus took our former full-of-sin life to the place of the dead, and left believers as cleansed children of God, prepared for the Kingdom. Our lives are not just repaired or mended. Followers of Jesus are made anew by God’s workmanship. As with all of God’s creation, he can look upon it and declare it “very good.”

How blessed are we that God gives us a re-start in the midst of our lives!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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