Benevolent Leadership!

For Saturday, August 8, 2026:

Luke 6:26 NLT: “What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.”

OK, show of hands: Who wants to be famous? Be careful; it’s a double-edged sword! There can be generational rewards but also generational curses. People will talk about the good a family did, but the bad will not be forgotten either.

Examples: Elvis Presley was known as the king of rock ‘n’ roll, but died with many drugs listed on his toxicology report, which forever tainted his success. Teens used to say, “I want to be just like Elvis!” Today, not so much. Brawny James is expected to play basketball as well as his father LeBron. He has a lot to live up to! Donald Jr. and Eric Trump are forever linked to their father. Whatever good or bad you attribute to him is reflected in your opinions of the sons.

The Bible says that the sins of one generation will be passed down to the next. I don’t think that God has it in for the next generation, so much as the next generation inherits the previous generation’s shortcomings. People copy what they’ve learned. If someone is raised around poverty and drug abuse, they’ll probably continue to live in those conditions. It takes a strong force such as a miracle from Jesus or the Holy Spirit, or the casting out of a demon, a spirit of addiction, to break the chain.

Jesus questions the value of people “praised by crowds.” Those people see themselves up on a pedestal, and the crowds keep them there. They have forgotten “humble.” Jesus, the Son of God, says he is here to serve others. The King, the one with a forever Kingdom, serves the less fortunate. Today we call it benevolent leadership. This King doesn’t delight in telling others what to do. He comes to love mankind, to be compassionate and helpful. Jesus has offered to forgive the sins of the world if you will just call him Lord and Savior of your life. Accept the free gift from our humble King!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

I'll Be Back!

For Thursday, December 26, 2024:

Isaiah 7:14 NLT: “The Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”

It’s Dec. 26^th, the day after Christmas – sort of. Most of you know by now that Jesus wasn’t actually born on Dec. 25. Traditional theories say sometime in April or May. Modern thinking says September, probably between 4-6 BCE. In the dead of winter, little work could be accomplished, so Dec. 25, near the winter solstice, seemed a good time for a major celebration. Does it really matter? This isn’t a redeeming ordinance!

God’s timeline is not our timeline. God, through the prophet Isaiah, promised a Messiah would be arriving soon. It took about 750 years for that to happen. If we estimate a generation to be about 25 years, the Messiah’s arrival took about 30 generations! That’s 30 times people watched, prayed, and eventually had to pass the dream on to their offspring! So when Jesus finally arrived, Israel was filled with skeptics and doubters, among them the Pharisees and Temple leaders! They weren’t about to step away from power, position and financial security to let some youngster get into the driver’s seat!

Remember, when the resurrected Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised to return. Optimists thought he meant perhaps by Friday, or certainly later this month. I’m sure the believers were amazed when a year passed and there was still no sign of the Savior! They’d be astounded that 2k years later, we’re still watching and waiting. Jesus may be busy preparing our place in the hereafter.

Everything Jesus ever said was truth, so we fully expect his return. Each day we’re one day closer!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship