Final Restoration!

For Thursday, August 20, 2026:

Acts 3:21 NLT, Peter, preaching in the Temple: “For Jesus must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.”

How are you at planning for the future? It’s not my strength. When I visit the dental hygienist, they always want to set an appointment for next year. How would I know if I might have a conflict a year from now? A serious disease, a car could run a red light... I dunno. Anything is possible! I thank God daily (and fondly remember Steve Jobs) for including a perpetual calendar in my iPhone – with reminders!

On the other hand, God’s memory is flawless. True prophecies from God always come true. We get to watch God’s scenarios play out. The entire plan for planet earth, mankind, the fall, repentance, and forgiveness was conceived over 6K years ago. It will conclude when it’s time for the final restoration. God never forgets his plan!

Here’s what that final restoration will look like. God will first rebuild the New Heaven and the New Earth. Things will go back to the way they were originally designed, the way they should have been if mankind hadn’t loused everything up by sinning. We talk of dying and going to heaven, to the Kingdom, but that’s only temporary. Our final destination will be the New Earth. God can join us here and will walk alongside us. That’s what the Bible says.

Jesus will return at just the right time as a Savior/soldier on a white horse in the sky. The whole world will know when Jesus has returned, and we enter the time of judgment for all. At judgment, Jesus will advocate for the faithful by restating their total forgiveness. Demons will be driven out, and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. Our old world, as we knew it, will have been transformed into a welcoming, safe eternal residence. If you’re a believer, there’s a room with your name on it! Godspeed!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Spirit of Truth!

August 10, 2026, Monday Message:

John 16:13 NLT, Jesus speaking to believers: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard (from me). He will tell you about the future.”

Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit, the one sent to be our counselor and advocate in his absence. Jesus said he would never leave us or forsake us, so he’s assuring our care while he’s absent for a few days. Our Father in Heaven cannot be seen. The Holy Spirit, being a spirit-being, cannot be seen. But Jesus walked alongside us on this earth. It’s easier to place our confidence in someone who can be seen and touched.

The Holy Spirit will push mankind towards obeying Jesus’ commands, so we can fulfill what he asked of us. Trust me – there’s nothing in the Holy Spirit’s agenda that you wouldn’t expect. If you have accepted Jesus as a perfect behavior model and follow life’s scenarios through to their logical conclusion, you’ll be aligned with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the poster boy for truth, and He calls the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of Truth!”

The Holy Spirit will also show us the future, and that too will be truth. He will paint a rosy picture. Where we’re going will be way better than where we’ve been!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Logic?

For Tuesday, June 30, 2026:

Romans 8:32 NLT: “Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”

Paul is asking the Romans to use logic to project their salvation. It’s a look into the future. It involves following a scenario through to its logical conclusion, though it may not have happened yet. It’s like an ‘if then’ line of computer code. ‘If’ the operator chooses this command, ‘then’ a specific thing happens.

Does our God love us? Yes! Has our God provided for us? Yes! Did God arrange for our sins to be forgiven? Yes! Is God’s desire for believers to join him in his eternal Kingdom? It hasn’t happened yet, but logic tells us that the answer would be a resounding yes!

God gave up the earthly life of his Son to rescue mankind. So it would behove us to be good stewards of his grace, that undeserved gift freely given to us. The love of the Father should be reciprocal!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Children of God!

For Saturday, May 9, 2026:

Romans 8:19 NLT: “All creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.”

John writes about believers being adopted into the Holy Family, becoming “Children of God.” We’ll get to meet our true Father in the life after this life. And what a glorious day that will be!

Jesus has prepared a place for us in the hereafter, so he’ll be glad to see us. His Father will be pleased. But joy goes deeper than that. This scripture says that “All Creation” is eagerly awaiting our arrival, when the holy family all comes together!

That day is in the future, but it’s closer than you think, so prepare yourself. Be prepared for the life after this life. Be prepared to meet the Father and his Son in person! Blessings!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Prejudice!

May 4, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 4:22 NLT: “Everyone spoke well of Jesus and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘How can this be?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’”

Prejudice. It’s a practical word that has taken on a bad connotation. Nowadays, when we think of prejudice, we think of people from one country disliking those of another, simply because they’re from that other country. Racial prejudice is hate based only on skin color. And a number of people always seem to hate the Jews, but I’m never quite sure why.

Prejudice simply means “to pre-judge.” Prejudice could be based on logical assumptions, and not necessarily hateful in nature. In human terms, Jesus was the son of Joseph, so everyone assumed that Jesus would have learned from his father, who was a tektōn, a builder or craftsman. Given the lack of trees in the region and the amount of stone available, it’s more likely that Joseph was a stone mason rather than a carpenter.

But the people are amazed when Jesus reads scripture and speaks in the Synagogue. They hadn’t seen this coming! If he could artfully cut stone, that would have fit their prejudice. But to discover that Jesus could not only read scripture, truly understand scripture, and clearly explain it to others didn’t fit their pre-judged model. Jesus’ gracious words were contrary to what was normal for the time, looking out only for oneself. Again, it wasn’t what they expected.

Jesus is setting the stage for what bystanders around him should expect to see in the future. Friends, prepare yourselves. Expect the unexpected. Watch for problems to be supernaturally resolved. Miracles will be brought to fruition right before your eyes. You can watch it all happen, and wonder, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Don’t allow your prejudice to overturn what your eyes can see!

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

Trust in Jesus!

March 2, 2026, Monday Message:

John 14:1 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.“

Followers of Jesus were worried. First off, all the Hebrews were living under Roman rule, and while the Romans tolerated religion, they really didn’t like it. They believed in all their false gods, like a god for rain, for a bountiful harvest, for the sun and moon and stars. Some Romans even claimed that Caesar was God. Of course, he wasn’t.

Next problem, the followers of Jesus found themselves at odds with the Temple leaders. The Temple wanted to be in charge of Hebrew religion, and didn’t like this relative newcomer Jesus pulling worshipers out of the Temple, which also pulled their tithes out of the Temple. As with many things in life, if you’re trying to figure out what’s wrong, just follow the money! Also, when Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, they considered it blasphemy. The Temple attitude was, “We’ve always done things this way, and we’re not about to change.”

Jesus wants to comfort the loyal believers, put them at ease, have them not worry. Rest assured knowing that Jesus and his Father are in charge. Since they’re the creators of everything, we know their power. We can securely leave everything in their hands. Trust God, and trust his Son.

So friends, don’t worry about the future, in this life or the next. Don’t let your heart be troubled. Don’t give defeat a second thought. Put a smile on your face, a Bible in your hand, Jesus in your heart and optimism in your head. With Jesus at the helm, everything will be A-OK. He said so himself! He promised!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

The Best is Yet to Come!

For Sunday, February 15, 2026:

Hebrews 13:14 NLT: “This world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.”

If only we could more clearly see the future! The Bible is truth. It tells us not only what happened, but also what lies ahead. History is interesting and important, but we can do nothing to alter what has already transpired. So it might be more beneficial to spend more time on Jesus’ words about what is to come. That’s something that we can change and make better!

Interesting sidebar: I’ve found that most Christians could retell a reasonably accurate version of the Christmas story with only a couple of missteps. They’ve sat through a number of Christmas pageants! The same group isn’t so clear about creation. Some know the Bible version, but don’t necessarily believe all of it. But when I teach about life after this life, I get a lot of blank stares. Our churches seem to teach a lot about what has happened, and very little about what is to come. Friends, I believe that we need to be prepared for the future!

Here’s the deal: If you’re alive today but headed in the wrong direction, there’s still time to set things right. By recasting our behavior, we can positively improve our place in eternity. We can join the group that calls Jesus the Lord and Savior of their lives. We can pray for Jesus to forgive our sins, wipe our slates clean and prepare a place for us in the hereafter. Eternity is a very long time! We want to be in the right place!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Worry Not!

February 6, 2023 Monday Message:

Matthew 6:34 NLT, Jesus speaking: “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

My father taught me to not worry about things over which I have no control. It’s futile! Only fret over situations you have some hope of changing. I have opinions about our nation’s policies and our state’s laws, but as the legislators debate, my phone never rings! I can fire off an occasional letter or fill out a survey, but further worrying will accomplish nothing except to confound my mental health. I need to accept the status quo, and vote for someone different in the next election!

Jesus teaches us to not worry, would prefer that we didn’t worry, but he knows that humans tend to agonize over what life brings. So if you must worry, confine it to today’s issues. When tomorrow comes, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to worry about tomorrow’s challenges.

Don’t borrow trouble in advance of it happening. “What if’s” and “He/She mights” haven’t happened yet, so they don’t deserve any of your time. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. It isn’t necessarily wrong to remember the past or plan for the future. Both of those are good to a certain degree, but don’t become so focused on either that today slips away. God wants us to remember the past, plan for the future, but live in the present.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps. 118:24)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Your Future!

For Tuesday, November 24, 2020 

Jeremiah 29:11 GNT: “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.”

The year 2020 may have been a train wreck in many ways, but God has plans to make our lives better. Are you watching for GOD’s plans for YOUR life? 

Remember that good things come from God, and bad things come from the evil one. God can only give you the good things he has: “…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

In The Message, God puts it like this: “I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Our hope is in the Lord! 

Blessings and safety to all!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406