Pentecost!

For Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026:

Acts 2:47b NLT: “Each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”

Today we celebrate Pentecost. Counting Easter as day 1, Pentecost is the 50^th day, hence the “pente” prefix. A great many people were visiting Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot, thanking God for the harvest or anticipated harvest, among other things.

The believers were all together in one place, praying. In a visible way, the fire of the Holy Spirit descended on the group, preparing them for what was to come next. God made a sound like a mighty wind, which caused the curious to venture out to see what was happening. The Bible doesn’t say there was wind – just the sound!

With everyone now on the street, Peter got up on his soapbox and started preaching the Gospel, saying the same things that got Jesus crucified! Since the crucifixion was over 50 days in the past, I’ll venture a guess that a lot of the attendees had had time to rethink what had transpired. Peter walked them through all of Jesus’ miracles, his teaching, and his authority over life and death itself! He called Christ the heaven-sent Messiah, and this time the multitude was convinced. “Brothers, what should we dot”

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” There were healing pools nearby, so everyone headed in that direction, and the baptisms began! Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

It’s good for a church to recruit 3K new members, but assimilating that many could present a problem. But members of “The Way” didn’t mind and gave their all to welcome the newbies. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.

And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Praying for God's Will!

For Friday, May 22, 2026:

Romans 8:27 NLT: “The Father who knows all hearts knows what the Holy Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers [God’s Holy People] in harmony with God’s own will.”

Do you ever have trouble expressing yourself? Do you ever have a thought in your head, but have difficulty finding the right words to express it? That’s why we should always include the Holy Spirit when we pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit was given to help us. He can convert our good thoughts into heavenly words, and the Father is always listening.

The Holy Spirit can also guide our thoughts to line up with God’s will for us. When we do not know exactly how we should pray, the Holy Spirit can intercede for us. So don’t only pray by yourself. Be sure to include the Holy Spirit, your counselor and advocate!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Abba, Father!

For Friday, May 8, 2026:

Romans 8:15 NLT: “You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’”

A spirit occupying a human body is more common than you think. The bad ones are demons, sent by Satan to get us off track. Most people don’t talk about it nowadays, but Jesus would repeatedly cast out demons, so we need to take notice of this.

In a way, becoming a believer, a Christian, is trading a bad spirit for a good one. Evil thoughts and deeds depart, replaced by the Holy Spirit of God himself. When filled with the Holy Spirit, we become children of God, adopted into the holy family. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven...”

Believers are no longer tied to the evil one. When tempted, we can tell that spirit, “Don’t waste your time. I’m a child of God!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Good vs Evil!

For Thursday, May 7, 2026:

Colossians 1:13-14 NLT: “For the Father has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom (with his blood) and forgave our sins.”

The Father rescued us through the Son’s actions, and the Spirit keeps us on the Holy path! We hear about “God’s vast eternal plan,” and this is part of it. The rescue of mankind was no accident. It was well planned out by God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s perhaps easier for us to think of them as three separate entities, but they are of one mind. Mankind was living in the darkness of Satan’s world, but Jesus showed us light. The story of Jesus’ actions is called the Gospel or Good News.

Here’s how the story develops: Humans were floundering like fish without enough water. Our lives had no goal, no purpose. Not surprisingly, very few ever made it to heaven. But the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. All! How’d that happen? I can picture God saying, “What went wrong? What happened here?”

Let me explain. There is good in this world, and there is evil. God is good, and Satan and his demons are evil. Those who have bonded with Jesus belong to God. The rest are subject to constant tempting by Satan. In fact, we’re all subject to the devil’s temptations, and the result is always pain and misery. But Christians have a higher standard, something to live up to. If Christ is our model, we have his reward in our sights, which is eternal life in the Father’s Kingdom. Eternity is a long time!

Paul advised us to focus our eyes on the prize!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Love Your Neighbor!

For Wednesday, May 6, 2026:

John 15:12 NLT, Jesus speaking: “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”

Life was not easy 2K years ago. If you wanted to eat, you had to grow food. If you wanted meat, you or someone you knew well needed to butcher an animal, no small task. You could perhaps barter for food by trading your skill, but there was no Cub, Rainbow, Hy-Vee or Aldi. Consequently, the standard modus operandi was to selfishly look out for #1. (or #1’s family.) Daily living became competitive!

When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” He continued, “The second is like the first: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus was setting forth a new paradigm for how to live one’s life. He was teaching mankind to be less competitive in daily living.

Be nice. Be kind, be helpful. Share what you have with others who don’t have anything. Do the next right thing. These commands all fit with Jesus’ goal.

You can see it play out after the Pentecost celebration following Jesus’ ascension. On Pentecost, thousands pilgrimaged to Jerusalem for the celebration. Simon Peter got up on his soap box and said essentially the same things that got Jesus killed. This time, the crowd listened and asked, “What should we do?”

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” 3,000 new believers were added to their group that day. Wow! Imagine 3K new members all showing up at your church on the same day! That’s a big problem, but a good problem to have! These newbies didn’t have any place to live, didn’t have more than a day’s food, and didn’t have jobs in Jerusalem. Yeah, big problem. Let’s see how it played out.

Acts 2 concludes, “All the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”

Jesus wants us to love our neighbors. It worked out on the first Pentecost, and it can still work out today. Decide today to live Jesus’ way!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Family Business!

For Friday, May1, 2026:

Romans 8:14 NLT: “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

In this life, we don’t get to choose our families. We stick with them not because they’re always desirable, but because they’re blood-relatives. You may have heard that blood is thicker than water, meaning that family ties are strong. But what if you could choose your family? In a way, we can!

Believers have been adopted into the holy family. John writes, “But to all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Since we can choose to follow Jesus, we can choose to be members of his family. We are “born again” into the family of God!

We used to sing a song with the words, “Come join the family, the family of God.” That implies more than just joining a church or aligning with a denomination. There’s really only one church, the church of Jesus the Messiah. That’s the family to join. Jesus’ invitation is open!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Confident Hope!

For Tuesday, April 28, 2026:

Colossians 1:4-5 NLT: “We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.”

Paul is writing this Epistle to the church in Colosse. It could have been written to any group of believers. Paul could have been writing to your church today!

Church is more than a social gathering. The common denominator is what Paul calls “confident hope,” also known as belief or faith. We believe everything that Jesus told us: Everything that we know was created by God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus is our rescuer, our redeemer. Jesus forgave our sins and proved that there is life after this life. When he said, “See you later,” he was going to prepare a place for us in the eternal Kingdom. Death is not the end for us, just as it was not the end for Jesus.

Believers share unshakable faith in the promises of Jesus. When we first heard the Gospel or Good News, it made sense to us. Our devotion has only grown stronger as time marches on. Like Paul and like the Colossians, we’re blessed by sharing confident hope!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Eternal Life!

For Saturday, April 25, 2026:

Romans 8:11 NLT: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

Two important things happened between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. First, the sins of the world were heaped upon Jesus, who was otherwise sinless. His primary mission in coming to earth was the rescue of mankind from our sin problem. I believe this occurred when Jesus declared, “It is finished.” His mission had been accomplished. He would take those sins to the place of the dead, leaving mankind spotless, eligible to take up residence in God’s heavenly Kingdom.

And on resurrection Sunday, Jesus was raised from the dead and walked out of the tomb. He proved to everyone that there is life after this life, and that death is not the end. Believers, those who call Jesus “Lord,” will receive that same reward. We call it Assurance of Salvation.

If you’re looking for a guarantee of someday seeing heaven from the inside, here it is. No other religion can promise Assurance of Salvation. This scripture quotes the words of Jesus, which we know to be true! They’re in the Bible, which is also truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Sin's Influence!

For Wednesday, April 22, 2026:

Romans 8:5 NLT: “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.”

Think about it. What dominates your mind? If your mind wanders and you find yourself daydreaming, what was your topic?

Satan wants to plant sinful thoughts in your mind because the result is so predictable. At first, a lot of sin can appear to be fun, releasing dopamine, the feel-good hormone, into our brains. Mankind seems to find excitement in taking a little risk, in doing something just a little bit naughty. But as Christians, that isn’t where we should be.

The lie is in thinking that sin is fun, but the truth is that in the long run, sin is devastating. (Satan is always telling us lies!) Sin destroys homes and families, can separate children from their parents, and is a bad example for the next generation. But even worse, it saddens your Father in heaven.

Let me make a broad theological assumption. I’m guessing that if you’ve prayed and asked Jesus to be Lord and Savior of your life, you weren’t intending to exclude Father God or the Holy Spirit. Being a Trinity, you can’t really have one without the others. Being a Christian is family business, the family of God.

So get out of the driver’s seat of your daily life, and let the Holy Spirit call the shots. The Holy Spirit is not influenced by Satan’s temptations, and your life will immediately improve. Tune your ears to only listen to the words of God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Teaching Truth!

For Sunday, April 19, 2026:

Luke 4:14-15 NLT: “Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.”

Jerusalem to Galilee is about 80 miles. In Jesus’ day, most people were on foot, so it was about a week-long hike. Depending upon the route, you might encounter mountains, have to cross a river or deal with unclean Samaritans. So many went to the Mediterranean and just proceeded North up the coast.

The region around the Sea of Galilee is where Jesus grew up, specifically the city of Nazareth. At the time, little is known about him other than that he’s Joseph the builder’s son. But immediately, he begins teaching in the Synagogues. The congregants are amazed by his knowledge and wisdom.

I like that my Bible calls this “teaching.” Personally, I’m better at teaching than preaching. I believe that if I teach the truth from the Bible, what someone should do becomes self-evident. I don’t like to harp at them. My 2¢.

This is Sunday morning, a good time to attend church. Hopefully, your church will teach truthful topics from the Bible. They should teach eternal salvation through the goodness of Jesus the Christ, fulfilling his Father’s plan for the rescue of mankind. It’s a good plan. We should leave with smiles on our faces!

Have a blessed day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Miracle Source!

For Thursday, April 16, 2026:

John 12:17-18 NLT: “Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were testifying about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign.”

Jesus could perform miracles, and miracles impress people. Many were in Jerusalem for Passover, hence the large crowds. They had traveled to experience religious things, and all the buzz was about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Everyone was impressed, but it was kind of like they all had attended a magic show. They worshiped the miracle itself, but not where it came from, who did it, why they did it and who that person is.

Jesus intentionally took his time traveling to Martha and Mary’s house, arriving after Lazarus had died. “O Lord, if only you had been here,” cried the women. They’re thinking in earthly terms. Knowing what we now know about Jesus, he could have healed Lazarus from far away. But to Jesus, this needed to be an event. This was about showcasing the glory of the Lord. He wanted Lazarus clearly dead before calling him out of the tomb – a BIG miracle! Perhaps then people would recognize that this was heaven-sent, and that Jesus was God’s only Son!

Friends, don’t just appreciate the miracle, the event itself. Worship the supernatural entity that brought the miracle to fruition. Worship God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – as they bestow miracle after miracle on believers!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Temptations!

For Wednesday, April 15, 2026:

Luke 4:1b-2a NLT: “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days.”

This was a major event in Jesus’ life. He must have talked about it, retold the story many times. He had not yet called the 12, and yet they write about it.

It’s the classic battle between good and evil. Satan’s goal is to derail anything God is for. Truth and honesty are prime targets. Lust and greed are high on Satan’s list. He offers authority and influence, worthless because Jesus already has those traits. In the end, Jesus refuses each of Satan’s offers, countering with scripture: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”

Satan should have just given up. Was God’s Son ever going to oppose his Father? I think not! And yet Satan has to try. It’s in his job description! Jesus refuses Satan’s offers, and that fits his job description. Our job as Christians is to do what Jesus did. Be nice, be kind, love our neighbors, and most of all love the Lord and all that he stands for!

Many temptations will confront us in this life, and our job is to reject Satan and side with Jesus. He was heaven-sent to deal with mankind’s sin issues. He carried away our sins, leaving believers unblemished, spotless in God’s eyes, and eligible for residence in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom!

Keep your eyes on the prize!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Baptized!

For Tuesday, April 14, 2026:

Luke 3:21-22 NLT: One day, when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

This happened over 2k years ago. I’m amazed that with no telephones or texts, no radio or TV, no internet or Twitter, that somehow a crowd of people would hear that John the Baptist was once again in the Jordan River, advising people to repent and return. The crowd assembled, and John shouted, “The kingdom of God is at hand!” Oh, to have been in the crowd that day!

Jesus was present, and he stepped forward to be baptized. In a semi-private conversation, John said that Jesus should be baptizing him! After all, God’s Son didn’t need his sins washed away! He was sinless! But this was a lesson in obedience, honoring God the Father as Lord of your life. Jesus is said to be fully God and fully human, and the human side of him submitted to the Father as he walked on this Earth.

I wish I could have seen the dove descending upon Jesus and heard the voice of the Father. I imagine God’s voice to be big, booming and bold, but that’s just conjecture, not in the Bible.

Christians are to be baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It matters little who leads the ceremony. This is a case where Jesus said, “Use my name!” That’s what’s important. Baptism is part of making disciples of all nations, Jesus’ final instructions before ascending into heaven.

He went on ahead to prepare a place for believers! Is your name on his “Things to do” list?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Holy Spirit!

For Saturday, March 28, 2026:

John 14:15-17a NLT, Jesus speaking: “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

This expands on the original Old Covenant, wherein God-the-Father explained, “You will be my people, and I will be your God.” In the New Covenant, Jesus, being the Son of God, will be our Savior, and we will be his loyal followers. Then, as Jesus is leaving us, returning to the Father, he leaves another to fill the God-space in our lives. The Holy Spirit – Comforter, Encourager, or Counselor – the final one-third of the Trinity, will walk alongside us on our spiritual journey. The Holy Spirit (like Father and Son) can only give us truth, and truth is God’s opinion on everything!

We love Jesus because he died to pay the penalty for our sins so we could be forgiven. Note that Jesus didn’t send the Holy Spirit himself. He asked the Father to care for those who love the Son, so the Father sent our Counselor and Advocate, and we’re better off because of it.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for watching over all the believers!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Creation, Condensed Version!

For Friday, March 20, 2026:

Genesis 1:31 NLT: “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!”

God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – created the planet Earth, made light and darkness, separated land and water, grew vegetation, put the stars, moon and sun in the sky, gave us fish and birds, next land animals, and finally male and female human beings. That all took six days, and God rested on the seventh, designating it as Holy. After each day, God declared his creation “good,” but in its entirety, following the sixth day, God declared everything to be “VERY good!”

We have been given the privilege of living in that well-designed world. At one time, it was all very good. Unfortunately, mankind has done a lot to make that not so. Sin, lust and corruption have tarnished God’s creation. Satan and his demons have done all they can to derail the project. Right now, the world we live in is a big mess!

The Good News is that God promised to fix everything! He sent his Son, our Savior Jesus to take away the sins of the world. He’ll restore the earth to be the New Earth, just the way it was originally designed. He’ll splash total forgiveness on loyal believers so they can join him in the hereafter. God’s desire is for all to repent and return. You and I can sign up for that program!

Let’s all join God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom, where there’s no sin, no sickness or disease, where people love God and love their neighbors. What God wants turns out to be a very good way for us to live! Hallelujah!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church