Jesus Way!

For Tuesday, June 2, 2026:

John 15:21 NLT, Jesus speaking: “The world will persecute you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.”

In my mind, Jesus should have been the unifying piece of the puzzle. When people heard him speak of heaven, watched him heal the sick and broken and raise souls from the dead, they all should have been on board. Jesus could be none other than the heaven-sent Son of the Most High! How anyone could reject him befuddles me!

Nonetheless, Satan wields significant influence on earth, and he was cheering for the status quo, the Old Covenant, whereby citizens weren’t getting into heaven very often. But people were familiar with the rules. They knew the system and didn’t have to change anything.

Jesus, on the other hand, ushered in a New Covenant whereby mankind’s sins could be forgiven and many more people would find their names in the book of life! But this new system required a change in beliefs, a theological reorientation. Jesus is right up front, telling believers that the new way wouldn’t be popular with everyone. In fact, if we do what Jesus said to do, we should expect a certain amount of trouble. Satan will do his best to sideline our efforts!

Our reward for following Jesus is eternity in the Father’s Kingdom. Once we realize the enormity of that reward, it becomes impossible to consider non-compliance. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him, and everyone seeking eternal residence in the Father’s House knows his name!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Mission!

June 1, 2026, Monday Message:

Matthew 10:8a NLT, Jesus speaking: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons.”

There is only one Jesus, one Son of God. He is fully God, but while walking on earth, he’s also fully human. His goal is to share the Good News (Gospel) with all Israel. To multiply his efforts, he sends out the 12, 2 X 2, equipping them with his supernatural powers so the populous will understand the mighty power of God.

Jesus would not have told his Apostles to do these things unless it was possible for them to succeed. Jesus was known for healing, but now Jesus’ FOLLOWERS would be known for healing! Later, Jesus would include other disciples in the groups he sent out to evangelize. Everyone he sent would have power over Satan and his demons if they used the name of Jesus!

Faith can affect the success rate of miracles. We should pray as if the miracle had already happened. Jesus personally gave us this power – now claim it! A couple more things. Loud prayers aren’t necessarily better. Just explain what you need to happen, and use Jesus’ name, calmly. Our God is orderly. And leave out the “justs” and “onlys!” They usually add nothing to the praying. “Oh Father, we just come before you today asking only for mercy.” Bad example.

Jesus authorized proselytization. Believers have been called to make disciples of all nations, so let’s get out there, get busy and work our assignments. Use Jesus’ name. Smile!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Jesus' Power!

For Sunday, May 31, 2026:

Luke 4:40 NLT: “As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one.”

Jesus has exceptional healing power. If a human body isn’t working right, odds are there’s a defect that needs to be corrected. That defect is the result of sin in the world, the result of Satan’s efforts. This isn’t to imply that the sick person did anything wrong. But sometimes Satan picks at us, hoping we’ll give up and abandon God.

When Jesus began healing in the Bible, a lot of details is written about the process. “Jesus prayed; he laid hands on the person; he made a paste out of mud, and rubbed it on the blind man’s eyes.” But Jesus’ healing became so commonplace that later accounts simply say, “He healed all those who needed healing.”

Those Jesus sent out were given a mission: Heal the sick, cleanse leprosy, raise the dead and cast out demons. He also gave us instructions to make disciples, baptize and welcome the newcomers into the fellowship. We are to love God and love our neighbors.

As we go about our work, Jesus said we should use his name. Make it a habit!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Choose Me!

For Saturday, May 16, 2026:

John 15:16 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”

Jesus would only choose people he wants to work with. People who have already chosen Jesus have an edge in this department. If people already love Jesus and want to help increase the number of believers, Jesus will assign them a territory to be their battleground. Your battleground and mine are probably different.

Think of signing on with Jesus like a sports draft. Believers have signed on with the “Jesus” team, doing our best to be forever loyal to his cause. Jesus says that the Father will give us whatever we ask for if we use his name. We are to make disciples of all nations and to do everything Jesus asks. The Father rewards obedience!

Jesus commanded us to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons and preach the Good News. We understand the assignment. Now let’s get to work!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Jesus = Father = One!

For Tuesday, May 12, 2026:

Colossians 1:15a NLT: “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”

I love the story of a little girl putting her crayons to work in the church’s gathering space.

Pastor: What are you drawing?

Girl: I’m making a picture of God!

Pastor: Do you realize that no one knows what God looks like!

Girl: They will when I’m done!

Paul calls Jesus a “visible image” of God. Jesus was created for interaction with humans. He lived alongside us after coming to earth as a little baby. He taught God’s commandments as his own, taught Torah, and healed a great many who needed healing and casting out of demons. Finally, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, leaving believers forgiven, reconciled with God!

The word translated “image” could mean an engraving or some kind of picture. And it could also mean “manifestation.” There is a God we cannot see, but seeing Jesus is what God would be like if he were visible. Not only can’t God be seen, but he is unknowable past a certain point. It’s through Jesus that we can learn about God.

Jesus said, ”I and the Father are one.” He’s not only teaching a fact. He’s showing us things about the Father that we could never discern on our own. Jesus also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus will lead believers into the hereafter. We can follow him into heaven, into eternity!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Stay Connected!

For Thursday, April 30, 2026:

John 15:5 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

Jesus is restating the vine/branches example. But the last sentence adds a stern warning: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

Believers have been endowed with incredible power. Jesus wants us to do the things he did, impossible as this seems. He sent disciples to disparate cities to spread the Good News that the Kingdom of God was now with them; that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah; and that there now is forgiveness through Jesus which leads to renewed hope for eternal life. Those sent were told to heal the sick including leprosy, raise the dead and cast out demons. Seems like a tall order, but those serving were on a first-name basis with Jesus. They were connected to the vine, as are we! Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he left instructions for us to do these same things.

Jesus said believers could ask a mountain to move in his name, and it would obey. Nothing frivolous, of course. But if you needed to move a mountain to block a stream and save 200K people in the downstream village from drowning, it’s possible, but only if your branch is still connected to the vine.

There are no Lone Rangers in Heaven. We can’t go off on our own and accomplish anything. But believers have been drafted to play on Team Jesus. That one vine can feed many little branches, and Jesus has invited you to be a part of the action! So get in the game, (already!)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Move that Mounain!

For Sunday, April 12, 2026:

Mark 11:22-23 NLT: Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.”

All believers have supernatural powers. Most never use them. The question becomes one of motivation. Why do we want to move the mountain into the sea? What is the purpose? Perhaps it’s a metaphor for other things.

We are called to heal the sick. Stopping the growth of cancer might be the mountain we’re sent to move. Raising the dead would certainly qualify, but we can’t override God’s decision to call a person home. Many Christians have never seen a demon, but if you have, it’s scary. Not casting them out would not be an option. Getting that job done would be monumental.

Jesus told us to love the Lord and love our neighbors. Loving your neighbor might involve moving a mountain. We should do whatever is needed to make their lives better. Then, because we’re following Jesus’ instructions, our lives will be better!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Authorized!

For Saturday, April 11, 2026:

Mark 16:19-20 NLT: “When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with his disciples, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples then went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.”

Jesus had prepared his disciples, saying that he would not be with them forever. He said that he would suffer and die, rise after three days, and eventually return to the Father. Everything happened exactly as he prophesied! It’s now time for these disciples to put Jesus’ final instructions into play.

Remember that “Apostle” refers to the original 12, but “disciple” is a much larger group of people, both men and women, who believed in Jesus, believed he was the Messiah and that his words were God’s words.

Mark just gives us the Reader’s Digest “condensed” version of the Great Commission: “The disciples then went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.” When Jesus sent disciples on previous evangelistic mission trips, he told them to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons, and it’s no different this time. They would preach the Good News, and God would prove them “authorized” by these miraculous signs!

Those original disciples covered most of Israel, but did not venture far into Asia Minor. God was preparing Paul, Timothy and Silas for that mission field. Where is your mission field? In my previous churches, we supported many missionaries in faraway foreign countries. And each summer, our youth group would lead a VBS in Mexico. I prayed and prayed about this, and finally God sent me to Lake Street in Minneapolis. Turns out He has plenty of work that needs doing right here in town!

So the best place to do ministry is wherever God calls you to do ministry! Pray and then be obedient. Do what Jesus asked you to do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Do What Jesus Did!

For Thursday, April 9, 2026:

Mark 16:17-18 NLT, Jesus speaking: “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes safely, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

Once again, Jesus has separated the sheep from the goats. There are only two types of people in this world: believers and unbelievers. Jesus says that those who refuse to believe will be condemned. End of story. But those who believe will be blessed with the ability to continue doing what Jesus himself had been doing. He wants us to love our neighbors and bring joy into the world!

Notice that the first mention is the casting out of demons. As Jesus’ work is documented in our Gospels, this was often his first order of business. Satan’s demons are likely the root cause of many of the problems we witness. Since they live in the Spirit realm and can’t be seen, many of us fail to perceive the problem. Jesus never skipped this step. Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that Satan is on holiday. He’ll happily keep us miserable until the end of the age. Remember, Mary Magdalene became one of Jesus’ most enthusiastic supporters, but not until he sent away the seven demons holding her back!

I’ve decided not to personally test the snakes and poison thing. But I have laid hands on the sick. God once told me that healing would begin in two days, and like clockwork, 48 hours later, my phone rang saying the patient had a radical turnaround! I’ve concluded that the world would be a better place if there were more Christians in it doing what Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Serve like Jesus!

For Sunday, March 15, 2026:

John 14:12 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

There’s only one Jesus. He wanted to multiply his efforts. So he sent disciples, believers, to spread the Good News. “God loves you, repentant sinners can be forgiven, there is life after this life and you can be included.” Think of this like McDonald’s franchising new locations. Sending teams of disciples to other towns would open up entirely new markets, convincing more people to repent and return! Good plan, Jesus!

In the same way, as Jesus returns to the Father, he wants to empower the faithful to continue his work. “Go and make disciples of all nations,” he tells them. “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons and preach the Good News!” In 2K years, the job description for a believer hasn’t changed!

A non-serving Christian is a contradiction!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

 

Feed Five Thousand?

For Wednesday, March 11, 2026:

Matthew 14:15-16 NLT: That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”

When Jesus heard that his cousin John the Baptist had been executed, he wanted some alone time. So he boarded a boat, seeking peace on the other side of the lake. It didn’t work. The huge crowd followed him up the shoreline and met him on the other side. Full of love and compassion, Jesus healed the sick among them.

That’s when his disciples advised dismissing the crowd, sending them away to obtain food. No one had had supper, let alone lunch, and this was about to become a big problem. Proving he still had a sense of humor, Jesus replied, “YOU feed them!” To understand how ridiculous this was, realize that there were 5K men present, most with their wives and some with a few kids! So the crowd could have numbered close to 20K! The disciples were horribly under-resourced! They had already counted the available food: five barley loaves and a couple of fish! No way this was going to work.

Jesus told his disciples to seat the people in groups, 50-100 people. Then he lifted the bread and fish toward heaven and blessed it. Breaking the bread and fish, he sent a suitable portion to each group and never seemed to run out of food, as if this simple meal had a never-ending supply. Everyone ate their fill, and afterward the disciples gathered up 12 baskets of leftovers!

This miracle is documented in all four Gospels, and typical emphasis seems to be on the “miracle.” That’s not bad, but I also like to remember the love and compassion Jesus showed for his loyal followers. That’s typical Jesus behavior. As we live our lives for Christ, most of us will never get the chance to feed 5K. But we’ll get plenty of chances to lend aid to those seeking the Kingdom.

When in doubt, do what Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Love and Forgiveness!

For Wednesday, December 17, 2025:

John 15:17 NLT, Jesus speaking: “This is my command: Love each other.”

Some days, when writing, I can’t top what actually happened. One of our regular readers wrote about a shopping incident that involved caring, compassion, love, and forgiveness. Dana Jo used this incident as an allegory to our relationship with God. It’s a little longer than usual, but I ask you to read to the end. There’s a message in here for all of us.

 "I was at Kohl's today and heard a loud crash and something shattering. Being nosy, I walked towards the sound and saw some people whispering and looking back to the end of the next aisle. When I walked down that aisle, I saw that an older lady had hit a shelf, and many things had fallen to the ground and were broken. She was kneeling on the floor, embarrassed, frantically trying to clean up. I felt so bad for her. Everyone was just standing there staring at her.

So I went and knelt beside her and told her not to worry, and started helping her pick up the broken pieces. After about a minute, the store manager came and knelt beside us and said, ‘Leave it, we will clean this up.’

The lady, totally embarrassed, said, ‘I need to pay for all this.’

The manager smiled, helped her to her feet, and said, ‘No ma’am, we have insurance for this; you do not have to pay anything!”

 If you have read this far, give me another minute. Wherever you are, close your eyes, and imagine God doing the same for you! Imagine the broken pieces of your mistakes, or the pieces of your broken heart from all the blows life has thrown at you, all over the floor, and you’re there trying to collect all of the pieces and fix them yourself. Now imagine God comes and kneels right down beside you, smiles and says to you, ‘Leave it all there, I will clean this up for you.’ He loves you that much and wants to put all of those pieces back together if you will let Him! With Him, we have this insurance, and it’s called GRACE! It’s free! All you have to do is ask Him to forgive you, help you, and to heal you. He’s faithful, I promise! ❤️”

 I vowed a message for each of us in this anecdote, so here we go! God doesn’t order us around like slaves. He presents us with opportunities, and watches how we respond. The woman in this story needed a helper, and we’re all supposed to love one another. So my friend jumped in to help. God is waiting for each of us to do the next right thing. Life will present us with plenty of opportunities. When any of us offers help to someone, God smiles!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Miracle of Faith!

For Friday, September 5, 2025:

Luke 18:35 NLT: “As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road.”

I love this story! I could preach on it all day. But I won’t!

As usual, a crowd was following Jesus as he made his way toward Jerusalem. A blind beggar heard the commotion and asked what was happening. He was told, “Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.”

It turns out that the blind man knew some theology and had heard about Jesus being the Messiah. It turns out that our blind man was a believer! So he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Some told him to quiet down, but he shouted the same thing over and over, louder and louder!

Jesus asked that the man be brought to him, and then asked, “What do you want me to do for you?“ Duh! Everyone knew the man was blind. What do you think he wants? But I believe Jesus also had a little sense of humor, asking the man to state the obvious!

It also teaches us that when we need help in this life, we need to ask. Who? God! We need to pray about our problems and our predicaments. We sometimes need to restate the obvious, what God already knows. God wants to be involved in our lives, and communicating our needs shows that we consider God our friend and helper. “Lord,” said the blind man, “I want to see!”

Jesus’ response was positive. “Receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” It’s always our faith in God’s grace that saves us. Faith in Jesus can restore sight, heal other infirmities, and give us the best gift of all, access , Praisingto the Kingdom of Heaven!

This miracle didn’t take a long time. Instantly the man could see, and he joined the others following Jesus, praising God all the way! And everyone who saw it praised God, as should we all when we receive God’s blessings!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Resurrected!

June 30, 2025, Monday Message:

John 11:4 NLT: “When Jesus heard about it he said, ‘Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.’”

In fact Lazarus DID die, but was raised back to life by Jesus. I’ve always been intrigued by that next reality. The line between life and death isn’t as rigid as we think. In the grocery store check-out line, you can read headline after headline about people who started that journey, but were somehow called back. Those stories fuel tabloids.

Their stories are always similar. The person travels down the transition tunnel, bright light at the end, and is finally overcome by a peaceful feeling that everything will be OK. Quite a contrast to all the crying and sadness at funerals!

Jesus sent advance teams of disciples to every town he planned to visit, telling them to heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead! So raising the dead might not have been commonplace, but it was certainly possible, through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Using Lazarus, Jesus was about to show everyone that death is not the end. Death is the same soul that we know and love, still alive but in a different reality.

If God calls you back to life, it’s because you’re not yet finished. He has more for you to do. As someone who was brought back to life, Lazarus could give firsthand testimony about God’s love and Jesus’ power! No one had ever witnessed the miracle of being raised from the dead through any other religion. But now Lazarus, Mary, Martha and everyone present that day could give eyewitness testimony to the truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Vast Eternal Plan!

For Sunday, June 22, 2025:\

Luke 13:32 NLT, Jesus replying to the Pharisees: “Go tell that fox (Herod Antipas) that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.”

Herod Antipas had threatened to kill Jesus. Jesus was disruptive to the stable world maintained by the Romans. Romans weren’t Jewish, but they tolerated religion as long as it kept the population peaceful.

But this new guy, Jesus, was rocking the boat! What should have been a continuation of the Hebrew relationship with God Almighty had turned into a kind of church split. People were leaving the Temple to follow Jesus. Tithes were leaving with the people. (Remember the words of Pastor Norton: People get squirrelly when there’s money involved. Count on it!)

Pharisees offered to kill Jesus for splitting their congregation. They claimed blasphemy, false doctrine, not understanding that the Son of God would surely know what his Father prefers!

Jesus was not afraid, even though he knew exactly what was coming. He vowed to cast out demons and heal people right up until the end. And when it was time for his earthly demise, those who opposed him would actually be fulfilling God’s plan. Jesus could then take the sins of the world to the place of the dead. It’s great that Jesus could heal, cast out demons and teach. But I believe his primary purpose was to solve mankind’s sin problem.

And everything played out just like Jesus knew that it would. After three days, he stepped out of the tomb, declaring, “Problem solved!” The gift of forgiven sin is for each of us who claims Jesus as our Savior.

Today is the accepted day to repent and return to the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship