Spirit of Truth!

August 10, 2026, Monday Message:

John 16:13 NLT, Jesus speaking to believers: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard (from me). He will tell you about the future.”

Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit, the one sent to be our counselor and advocate in his absence. Jesus said he would never leave us or forsake us, so he’s assuring our care while he’s absent for a few days. Our Father in Heaven cannot be seen. The Holy Spirit, being a spirit-being, cannot be seen. But Jesus walked alongside us on this earth. It’s easier to place our confidence in someone who can be seen and touched.

The Holy Spirit will push mankind towards obeying Jesus’ commands, so we can fulfill what he asked of us. Trust me – there’s nothing in the Holy Spirit’s agenda that you wouldn’t expect. If you have accepted Jesus as a perfect behavior model and follow life’s scenarios through to their logical conclusion, you’ll be aligned with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the poster boy for truth, and He calls the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of Truth!”

The Holy Spirit will also show us the future, and that too will be truth. He will paint a rosy picture. Where we’re going will be way better than where we’ve been!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Take Me Home!

For Sunday, August 9, 2026:

Romans 9:5b NKJV, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “Christ came, who is Lord over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”

There is only one God. Our one God is known to us in three different forms: Father God in his Heavenly Kingdom, Jesus who came to earth as the offering for mankind’s sins, and the Holy Spirit, our helper and advocate. The three forms are all of one mind with the same goals, the same mission. The rescue of mankind must have been on God’s agenda when Jesus arrived on our planet.

Sin and holiness cannot coexist, and the Bible says that “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” How many sinned? ALL! Therefore, unless sins could be forgiven, no one would have been seeing heaven from the inside! As Jesus died, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, making believers once again eligible to reside in the Kingdom.

God loves everything that was created and declared it to be “very good!” Therefore, having believers occupy his Kingdom pleases God. He’s glad to see us! Christ is the forgiving conduit that reconnects mankind with our Maker.

If you see God on the streets of gold, tell him, “Good to see you!” He may answer, “Good to see you, too!” The Father’s Kingdom is our forever home!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

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

Paraclete!

For Friday, July 24, 2026:

John 16:7 NLT, Jesus speaking to believers: “In fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.”

Jesus promised to send the Advocate after he leaves. “Go be with the faithful, tout suite!” Advocate can also be translated Counselor, Encourager or Comforter. The Greek reads Paraclete. The KJB calls this form of God the Holy Ghost. Nowadays we refer to him as the Holy Spirit.

With those traits, we’ll certain be better off knowing the Holy Spirit. Having a supernatural God who is pulling for us can only be good, making our lives more tolerable. Remember that Jesus said our lives will be a struggle, filled with tribulation. Other people won’t like us simply because we know the Son. But Jesus also said not to worry as he has overcome the world.

Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” It was necessary that he return to the Father, but he sent the Holy Spirit to be with us in his absence. We are never alone!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Paid In Advance!

For Thursday, July 16, 2026:

Colossians 1:29 NLT, Paul speaking: “That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.”

After meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was thoroughly convinced. He threw himself into evangelism, telling everyone the Good News and planting new churches wherever God sent him.

But Paul doesn’t think he can do it all by himself. He knows that Christ is working through him to complete heaven’s mission. We also have a divine helper, the Holy Spirit, to be our advocate as we share with others the truth about God, his Son, sin, forgiveness and redemption. Since the Holy Spirit is working alongside us, we’re responsible for the effort, not the outcome. God’s in charge of that!

Paul is working hard to hold up his end of the partnership, as should we. We’ve all been assigned the task of making disciples of all nations. Half-measures won’t get us 50% of the way to the Kingdom! In fact, all-out effort only works when combined with an unshakable belief that Jesus is God’s Son and that his words are the truth. It’s our faith in the Risen Savior that lets us see heaven from the inside!

When I worked in sales, the letters ‘PIA’ on an invoice stood for ‘Paid in Advance!’ There is an invoice due for your sins and my sins, but it’s marked ‘PIA.” Jesus, through his death on the cross, paid the price to redeem mankind from our sin problem. He took those sins to the place of the dead and left them there, never to haunt us again.

Make a decision today to accept Jesus’ gift of forgiveness. Yes, it’s undeserved, but God sometimes does us a solid. Accept the gift with gratitude and a smile!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Spirit of God!

For Thursday, July 2, 2026:

Romans 8:9 NLT: “As believers, we are not controlled by our sinful nature. We are controlled by the Spirit if we have the Spirit of God living in us.”

This is freedom week in the US, which begs the question, “Are we really free?” Our country has laws, rules if you will, and not following the rules will result in a penalty. A fine or imprisonment will be the result of not following the rules. So we remain free as long as we obey the rules.

My point is that we have a choice. Most people choose to obey our laws, so their lives go on smoothly, without incident. But if we choose to disobey, all hell can break loose. Literally. Inviting Satan into our lives is always a bad choice.

Fortunately, believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He is the insulator that keeps believers separated from the evil one. Light and darkness cannot coexist. Light always wins. We have the freedom to choose light or darkness. Our choice will have eternal consequences, and eternity is a very long time!

Joshua advises us to “Choose today whom you will serve.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Creator!

For Thursday, June 25, 2026:

Romans 8:31 NLT: “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”

Satan isn’t worthless. He can always serve as a bad example!

Our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the Creator of everything and has the final say in any situation. We are created beings, made in the image of God. Satan, on the other hand, is not a creator. He too is a created being who got too big for his britches. He is not bigger than God. He is not better than God. He is far less powerful than God. In the battle to end all battles, he is destined to be the loser!

So the God of everything is cheering us on, pulling for each one of us. Why? Because God is on the side of everyone who’s a fan of his Son. As Christian believers, we have a special connection with the Son. Jesus took the sins of the world upon himself, leaving mankind suitable for residence in God’s eternal Kingdom. We have assurance of salvation! So we gratefully choose the Son, and he looks out for us as adopted members of the Holy Family. Satan is not a member.

If God is for us, who could ever be against us?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Holy Spirit!

For Tuesday, June 23, 2026:

John 15:26 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.”

Jesus is promising that after he returns to the Father, we will not be abandoned. God himself will send us the helper we know as the Holy Spirit, described as Counselor, Advocate and Encourager. It’s like we have a lawyer, a mentor and someone to cheer for us, all in one!

Does our Holy Spirit bucket have a leak? No, I don’t think the Holy Spirit goes away, but we can drift away, backslide a little. Think of the Holy Spirit with a gauge, just like your car. When the gauge reads “E,” it’s time for a refill! We need to pull in to the Holy Spirit station, and top off our tanks!

I heard a pastor compare the Holy Spirit to an American Express card. “Don’t leave home without it,” was the advice!

Why on earth would you go through life on your own when God has provided an easily accessible helper?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

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