Miraculous Signs!

For Sunday, January 25, 2026:

Mark 16:17a,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 place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

These are some of Jesus’ last words, his final instructions before ascending back to the Father. He first gave us our “Priesthood of all believers” doctrine, saying, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” This isn’t optional. Every Christian is to help make new Christians. Each of us will have a different portion of that task using our God-given gifts and talents. But encouraging others in their faith should be top-of-mind for all of us.

You should be aware that there’s a supernatural spirit-world operating alongside life on Earth as we know it. A lot of it is not good. Satan and his demons reside in the spirit dimension. Our goal is to settle in the Father’s heavenly Kingdom. Satan’s goal is to derail us, to keep our souls for himself. Obviously, God’s way is the better choice.

Jesus doesn’t throw us to the wolves. He leaves believers with his power and authority to deal with evil. We can bring back to life the victims of premature death. We can lay hands on our fellows and, in Jesus’ name, cure any sickness or disease. We can cast out demons, the source of much of the world’s trouble. Cast out the demons first, because they might be the root cause of the illnesses. That’s what Jesus did!

We are saved by grace through faith. Faith is the cornerstone of our salvation. Take a high view of the Bible. Every God-inspired word is truth, and every incident happened just the way the Bible says. Pray, do things in Jesus’ name, and repent of nonconforming scenarios. Know that this life is temporary, and have confidence that Jesus is preparing an eternal place for you. If you’re with Jesus, life couldn’t be better!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Rewards for Obedience!

December 15, 2025, Monday Message:

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.”

Obedience is rewarded. Jesus chose you to join his group of believers. He assigns task to each of us, according to our gifts and talents. He will not ask you to take on a job for which you lack the necessary skills. In other words, God’s asks are most certainly possible. He needs the job done, and we want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” See, this is gonna work out!

The last thing Jesus asked us to do is to make disciples of all nations. There are many pieces in that puzzle. Some of us are better at small, 1-on-1 encounters. Others are gifted at speaking to large groups. Some are gifted at teaching adults; others, children. Some have the gift of hospitality. They can make everyone feel welcome. Others plan and lead evangelical events.

No matter your skill set, the reward is the same. God will give us whatever we ask in Jesus’ name. Ask to spend eternity in God’s presence in His Heavenly Kingdom. That’s called Assurance of Salvation. Believers are adopted as children of God, so we can simply come home!

Lessons for your church: The lead soprano in the choir may not be able to cook. (Better left to the hospitality department!) Your talented maintenance man may have a gruff personality. (I know his first name!) Teenagers may not know how to clean the youth room; they need to be taught. (You made the mess – you clean it up! I’m not your mother!) A pastor who loves the Lord and loves people may not be gifted in public speaking. (I’ve seen that more times than you might think!) If the children need to put on a program, singing may not be the best option. They don’t all have that skill! Utilizing our God-given gifts honors the Lord who created us!

Don’t shirk your responsibility, and we’re all responsible for something. Remember, obedience is rewarded!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

In Jesus' Name!

For Friday, December 8, 2023:

Mark 1:25-26 NLT: “Jesus reprimanded the evil spirit. ‘Be quiet! Come out of the man,’ he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him.”

Evil spirits are not on holiday. We don’t perceive them because we’re not looking for them. But evil is still out there, doing as much harm as possible. Just look at the world around you. Wars, prejudice and violence are far too common. It’s no accident! Someone or something is accelerating evil in our lifetimes.

From today’s scenario, we learn that evil spirits obey the Son of God. So if you’re trying to help someone who appears to be caught up in evil, you need to use the name and invoke the power of Jesus. Yes, it still works nowadays!

Paul taught us to never stop praying. Pray that goodness will overcome evil. Pray for goodness to be victorious. Pray “in Jesus’ name!”

"The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee!” It’s still being spread nowadays.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Pray!

For Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Luke 9:28 NLT: “Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray.”

Praying is important. Jesus prayed all the time, and he often included a few close friends, but just a few. Jesus, being fully God but also fully human, would require a pause, a break in his intense ministry. So he’d go to a quiet place and talk things over with the Father.

As Jesus paid the price for the sins of the world, the curtain separating mankind from God was torn from top to bottom, so it had to be God doing the tearing, wanting to include us. We can now pray directly to God, and that gives us a lot of hope! We no longer need a priest to pray on our behalf. We can pray straight to the Father, in Jesus’ name!

The best reason to pray is because that’s what Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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