Use Your Head!

For Tuesday, September 30, 2025:

John 14:9 NLT: Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!”

 God designed mankind with brains and the ability to think things through to their logical conclusion, and he expects us to do just that. In this example, Philip had traveled with Jesus, ate meals with him, and observed miracle after miracle as Jesus ministered to the Hebrew people. From everything Philip saw, Jesus’ identity should have been obvious.

 But sometimes we want reassurance, verification that our conclusion is correct. Jesus couldn’t have been clearer in his answer: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father!”

 Q: Why should we read our Bibles and attend Bible studies with others? A: To learn as much as we can about the Father and the Son. We want to familiarize ourselves with their similar traits and trends. And when our eyes have been opened as to who Jesus is, we can share that Good News with others, something we are all called to do.

 Do you believe Jesus is the Son of the Most High? Not just because the Bible says so (and the Bible is always right!) But because you’ve arrived at your answer through critical examination of the evidence, all of which points to the only possible conclusion: Jesus is Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

World Peace?

July 21, 2014 Monday Message:

Jesus: “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matt. 10:34b ESV

If you’re in the business of making new Christians – and we all should be – you might step on a few toes as you lead people to the Lord. Jesus did.

But Jesus did not want us to hold back, to make a wimpy presentation on his behalf. Rather, we are told to go boldly.

We are filled, and often re-filled with the Holy Spirit. This protects us and fills us with courage to speak up, even when it’s not popular.

Generally, non-believers feel threatened by Christianity. It was so even during Jesus’ time. If the Old-Testament prophecies were all fulfilled through Jesus, the Temple leaders would no longer have power over the people. They took Jesus and his followers to be a threat to their authority.

The Romans thought they were above everyone else, and their leader, Caesar, claimed to be Lord. This new Christian sect claimed that Jesus was Lord, flying in the face of the Roman government.

If the world could all be Christian and live by the Acts 2 church model, we would truly love our neighbors and know peace. But that hasn’t happened, and so we have wars and rumors of war, and it will be that way until Jesus returns.

We could pray for world peace, or we could pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.”

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday, at 10:30am, in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, I’ll wrap up Acts 4 - the believers were of one mind, which gave them power to change the world!