Truth!

For Thursday, April 10, 2025:

John 16:2 NIV, Jesus warning believers: “You will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.”

God doesn’t change, and sin doesn’t change. If God said a behavior was sin 3k years ago, it’s still sin today. Mankind can’t and shouldn’t arbitrarily adopt a new law or ignore the old laws and assume that it’s OK with God. Sin, disrespecting God, is never OK.

I once worked for a church that was seriously off track. The Sr. Pastor and I were brought in to help get them back to the Word. Unfortunately, that pastor became ill, so I was the lone voice advocating for God’s way. I led a Bible Study for the Worship Team, often attended by many other church members. Our discussions frequently contradicted what had been taught the previous Sunday! The denomination eventually assigned a new Sr. Pastor, and one of his first moves was my termination. They must not like dissension! Pastor David Housholder said it best: “We were voted off the island!”

That’s precisely what happened to Jesus. He was no longer welcome at Synagogues led by the Pharisees. Heresy was being taught at the Temple, his Father’s House. And as Jesus is preparing to leave the earth and return to the Father, he leaves us with these warnings. If it can happen to Jesus, it can happen to anyone!

So always seek a church with a high view of the Bible. Be a part of the truth team! May God bless each and every one of you – have a joyful Palm Sunday weekend!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Get Back On Track!

For Thursday, March 9, 2023:

Matthew 10:5-6 NLT: “Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: ‘Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep.’”

Jesus was sending the 12 on a mission trip, to spread the Good News that the Kingdom of Heaven was near, and that there was now a New Covenant! At this point, their target market wasn’t to be the entire world. They were to begin by getting God’s chosen people – the people of Israel – back on track. Man-made rules and traditions had clouded their worship, and it was time to return to God’s intent. In Jesus’ words, they were like sheep without a shepherd!

In the 1500’s, man-made ceremony and traditions were again central in the church. Martin Luther compared what they were doing with what the Bible said, and made a list of what was incorrect. For all his trouble, he was thrown out of the church, but nowadays we know he was right. Good works don’t get you into heaven. Neither does paying a certain sum. Salvation is a gift that we can’t buy, and faith in Jesus is the key! We are saved by grace through faith!

Plenty of churches nowadays are not honoring the Bible’s commands, and we need to pray that they get back on track. It always bothers me when churches with “Jesus” in their name aren’t living like he instructed. Pray that those with a high view of the Bible are sustained.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship