Repent and Return!

August 17, 2026, Monday Message:

Acts 3:19 NLT, Peter, preaching in the Temple: “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.”

Paul is giving everyone the Cliff’s Notes condensed version of how to get right with God. You may know it as the Reader’s Digest condensed version. Friends, coming under God’s umbrella may not be as complicated as you think!

“Repent and Return.” It’s that simple. God already knows you’ve sinned and the Bible says that ALL have sinned, so that’s a pretty inclusive group! What everyone needs to do is realize what has gone wrong, repent for those actions, and then turn back to the Lord. Put God back up on his pedestal. Give him the place in your life that he should have had all along.

In the Hebrew language, the process is described as turning, like we were headed North but should have been going South. Ideally, we should be growing closer to God, but sin left us falling away. We were backsliders. NOW is the best time to turn or (re)turn to God. Closer to God is always better than farther from God.

Adam and Eve were the first to sin, to think they could be like God. They could not. They had to realize their mistake, their sin, and place themselves back under God’s care. Understand that God still loved them. While they had been sinning, God was making clothes for them.

When God’s people were still doubting, (doubting the Lord is a sin…) God sent 10 plagues, convincing Pharaoh to let God’s people go! When God’s people were afraid to trust in Yahweh, (not trusting Yahweh is a sin…) little David decided to take on the mighty Goliath. It was easier to convince God’s people to return after Goliath’s defeat!

If anyone asks you what to do to become a Christian, to square things up with the Almighty, explain “Repent and Return.” Don’t overcomplicate it. Realize that God WANTS everyone to Repent and Return!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Davie vs Goliath!

Memorial Day Monday Message, May 25, 2026:

1 Samuel 17:32 NLT: “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”

In the US, this is Memorial Day, when we honor the lives of patriots who died in defense of our country. I don’t really like wars and fighting, and I don’t think God does either. But we can’t let the bad guys win either. When evil appears to be on a winning path, we have to put our feet down, draw a line in the sand and put a stop to it. Enough is enough!

Bible history tells us that Israel seemed to be in a perpetual war with the Philistines. For 40 days, Saul’s army was on one hill and the Philistines on another, fighting in the valley in between. (Why is it always 40 days?) Little shepherd-boy David was bringing gifts to his brothers who were in Israel’s army, and he saw everything. The Philistines held a distinct advantage via the 9-foot tall warrior Goliath.

David told king Saul, “Don’t worry about this Philistine. I’ll go fight him!”

Saul protested, “You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”

David justified his involvement. “I have fought lions and bears protecting my father’s sheep. This pagan has defied the living God. Let me at him!” He probably thought, “I’m saving you, your army and your country. Why should I have to justify myself?”

With his sling, David lobbed a river stone into Goliath’s forehead, the Philistines turned tail and ran away, and that pretty much wraps up the story. God, who wants us to love one another, granted victory to Israel. Sometimes fighting is necessary to stand up for the Lord’s value system. If something upsets God, it’s worth fighting for. Sometimes we have to be the ones doing the fighting!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God's On Our Side!

For Friday, September 10, 2021

1 Samuel 17:32 NLT: “’Don’t worry about this pagan Philistine Goliath,’ David told King Saul. ‘I’ll go fight him!’”

What chance did a shepherd-boy have against a Philistine giant? On the surface the match-up seems ridiculous. Did little David even have a chance? On his own, probably not. But David was not alone.

David was a believer, a worshiper of God-the-Creator. The Philistines were attacking the Army of God’s chosen people, dissing the Army of Israel. David called upon the power of the Lord as he engaged the giant, and we all know how it turned out! The giant lay dead, and the Philistine army fled in fear. As we’d expect, God’s people emerged victorious, full of hope for the future!

"If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31b)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Believe What You Believe

March 28, 2011 Monday Message:

Do you believe what you believe?

As David was coming of age, the Hebrew people were constantly threatened by their long-time rivals, the Philistines. Especially troublesome was the Philistine giant-of-a-warrior, Goliath, who stood nearly 10 feet tall. His armor weighed 125 pounds and had to be carried by others, and the head of his spear weighed 15 pounds. “Meanest man in the valley,” this imposing, uncircumcised pagan.

Each day, the battle went like this: The Hebrews and the Philistines would come to opposite sides of the valley of Elah. Then the Philistine giant would step forward, insult the God of Israel and issue this challenge: If anyone could fight him and win, the Philistines would become their subjects. But if Goliath won, the Jews would have to become servants of the Philistines.

It was believed that defeating Goliath was not possible. For 40 days, no one came forth to fight the giant. It was an embarrassing time for the Jews, hearing their God insulted daily, but not a single person willing to defend the name of Yahweh.

The Hebrews taught that God was the creator of all things. They knew that He was Jehovah-jireh, the God of provision; El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty; omnipresent (everywhere), omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscient (knows all.) Here’s the problem: God’s chosen people no longer believed what they believe. They had grown distant from God, and while their writings taught that the Lord God Almighty could win any battle, they no longer trusted it to be so.

It took a sturdy little shepherd-boy with faith in spades answer the Philistine challenge. David knew God had protected him from the bear and the lion; the LORD had worked in his life before, so David trusted that God would be there again. After all, this was really GOD’s battle! But key in David’s mission is that he truly believed what he professed to believe.

In the end, David triumphed over Goliath. Once again God came to the rescue right when it was needed. God will rescue each of us when we need it, too. We just need to give God credit for being God. We need to believe that Jesus is who he said he is. We need to believe what we believe.

May the Lord bless you and your loved ones during this Lenten season.

Norton Lawellin