Believers!

For Sunday, September 6, 2026:

Acts 4:4 NLT: “Many of the people who heard Peter and John’s message believed them, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.”

Peter and John had been arrested and jailed for preaching the truth about Jesus. Nonetheless, many people believed them and the number of believers grew to about 5,000 men. Only counting the men was like counting “families,” as most men were married and had at least two children. So this probably represents about 20K people, thereby leaving a significant hole in the Temple’s population.

Previously, the Pharisees and Temple leaders ran everything. All the Jewish people and their tithes automatically went to the Temple. But with these kind of numbers, Jesus and his followers posed a serious affront to both the Temple’s power and its pocketbook.

I believe that Christianity was never supposed to be a new, separate religion. After all, Jesus was raised Jewish. His arrival should have been the next chapter. Instead, the desire for power and the love of money got in the way. Many of those who loved God wouldn’t accept the Son of God!

The life of Jesus is well documented in the four Gospels. If you only consider healings and raising of the dead, it would be hard not to believe that Jesus was heaven-sent. His other miracles serve to reinforce the truth we’ve already learned.

Christianity grows through attraction, so today is always the best day to invite someone to join you for worship. Everyone deserves to know the truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Children of God!

For Friday, August 28, 2026:

Romans 9:26 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

When Jesus visited us on our planet, it makes sense that he would come through the Jewish people, those who had an existing relationship with Yahweh. But the territory increased greatly after Paul’s encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul was called to leave Israel and evangelize Asia Minor, where he planted church after church after church. And the prophet Hosea called those new believers ‘children of the living God.’

John also tells us, “To all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Once again, ‘children.’ The faithful are adopted into the Holy Family, whereby God is our Father and Jesus is our brother. It’s a good family, and believers can be proud to be part of such a loving and accepting community.

God has opened the offer of eternal life in his Heavenly Kingdom to everyone. He also created us with freedom to choose, and we have the right to choose incorrectly. That’s unfortunate. Eternity is a long time, and we should want to be in the right place forever!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Call to Serve!

 Daily message of hope...
For Thursday, August 27, 2026:

Acts 3:26 NLT, Peter, preaching in the Temple: “When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”

Jesus came to mankind through the Jewish people. It makes sense. They were the ones with the previous relationship with God. But Jesus’ final command was “to make disciples of ALL nations.” Our God is inclusive. His hope is that ALL would repent and return. Because mankind has been given free will, that may not happen, but it’s nonetheless God’s desire.

Where is your mission field? When we speak of a ‘mission trip,’ we think of going to another city, another state or another country. But it doesn’t have to be that complicated. You can minister to coworkers, fellow students and neighbors. There are enough Christians in the US that there’s no excuse for everyone to not have heard about Jesus. The Good News should be common knowledge in our country.

I’ve personally prayed a great deal about this, and the Lord has given me two answers at different times. First, I was elected leader of a church supporting over a dozen overseas missionaries. My piece of the puzzle was to sustain that local church, so that we’d have a strong base from which to send the others. I was also called to preach at a men’s in-patient treatment facility just off Lake Street. I led services for them once a month for over 25 years. My mission field was Lake Street, Minneapolis, where drug use was prevalent, single parents were the norm and poverty was out of control. There was a lot to do, but life was always better with Jesus in it!

Being obedient to Jesus, we all need to identify our piece of the mission puzzle and add action to our conclusions.

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Ancestry!

Daily message of hope...
For Wednesday, August 26, 2026:

Romans 9:25 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, ‘Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.’”

Early Christians were all Jews. But following Paul’s efforts, the ancestry ratio shifted so that most modern-day Christians originated in the Gentile population. As a group, we were not Jews, “God’s chosen people.” Friends, it matters not. God is God, and he can choose anyone he wants to. He has now chosen us, the faithful believers who love Jesus. (And yes, some believers were Jews!)

Scripture tells us that whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. And that scripture is speaking of eternal life, having a home in God’s heavenly Kingdom, living in the place Jesus prepared for you.

As it turns out, our ancestry isn’t the deciding factor. It’s our love for the Son and the Father’s love for us that cement the bidirectional relationship. It’s good to have friends in high places!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Son of God!

For Friday, August 21, 2026:

Acts 3:22-23 NLT, Peter, preaching in the Temple: “Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you. Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’”

Peter was speaking to a Jewish audience at the Temple, so quoting Moses, God’s man to lead the Jews out of Egypt, was normal and customary. It leant credibility to his greater message, that Jesus was the Messiah. These highly respected words of Moses summarized what Peter had been preaching.

Jesus was born to Jewish parents. Even observers who didn’t yet realize that he was the Messiah heard him speak and knew that he was some kind of heaven-sent prophet. Word-of-mouth was sufficient to attract huge crowds when Jesus would teach, so a great many learned the truth.

1 John 5:12 mirrors Moses’ message: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” The Bible is speaking of eternal life in the presence of out Lord. Basic Christianity is simple, and I would advise you to not overcomplicate it. The quality of your life after this life is dependent upon your relationship with Jesus, end of story.

A forthright decision in favor of our Savior takes only a moment, but has eternal ramifications. Have you made your decision for Jesus?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Truth Defended!

For Wednesday, July 29, 2026:

Colossians 2:4 NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “I am telling you these things so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.”

2K years ago, a lot of people would frequently switch religions. The core beliefs of each group were not always clearly defined, the exception being Jews who had previously encountered the real God. But others – the idol worshipers and such – were constantly proselytizing that there was value in their ever-changing beliefs. There was not. But remember, Christianity was the new kid on the block!

Once people had been introduced to the Son of God, Paul didn’t want their minds polluted with Higher Power misinformation. The Risen Savior personally met Paul on his way to Damascus, so Paul had truth straight from the horse’s mouth. (That’s a common expression; I’m not dissing Jesus! And he’s not Mr. Ed!)

Truth is worth fighting for. Paul’s truth wasn’t based on a rumor or what some random person told him. He’d heard from Jesus, he learned the truth and he was blessed to share it with others. Paul doesn’t want any believer to be side-tracked, because truth is nonnegotiable. Truth is not up for debate.

Truth is what’s in our Bibles!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Prejudice!

May 4, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 4:22 NLT: “Everyone spoke well of Jesus and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘How can this be?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’”

Prejudice. It’s a practical word that has taken on a bad connotation. Nowadays, when we think of prejudice, we think of people from one country disliking those of another, simply because they’re from that other country. Racial prejudice is hate based only on skin color. And a number of people always seem to hate the Jews, but I’m never quite sure why.

Prejudice simply means “to pre-judge.” Prejudice could be based on logical assumptions, and not necessarily hateful in nature. In human terms, Jesus was the son of Joseph, so everyone assumed that Jesus would have learned from his father, who was a tektōn, a builder or craftsman. Given the lack of trees in the region and the amount of stone available, it’s more likely that Joseph was a stone mason rather than a carpenter.

But the people are amazed when Jesus reads scripture and speaks in the Synagogue. They hadn’t seen this coming! If he could artfully cut stone, that would have fit their prejudice. But to discover that Jesus could not only read scripture, truly understand scripture, and clearly explain it to others didn’t fit their pre-judged model. Jesus’ gracious words were contrary to what was normal for the time, looking out only for oneself. Again, it wasn’t what they expected.

Jesus is setting the stage for what bystanders around him should expect to see in the future. Friends, prepare yourselves. Expect the unexpected. Watch for problems to be supernaturally resolved. Miracles will be brought to fruition right before your eyes. You can watch it all happen, and wonder, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Don’t allow your prejudice to overturn what your eyes can see!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship
The Father’s House
Truth and Freedom Church

Tall, Tall Trees!

For Wednesday, February 11, 2026:

Luke 3:9 NLT, John the Baptist speaking: “Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

John’s audience is Hebrew people, Jewish people, people who think they are planted in God’s orchard because they were born into it. Not necessarily! John is about to set the record straight!

Listen to this: God will not import worthless trees into his Kingdom! Every tree expecting to be with the Lord must bear good fruit. It must be furthering God’s agenda, not standing idly by. By now you probably know that this analogy is about people, not trees.

Here’s another one. If you’re hot, you’re with the Lord. Let’s get to work! If you’re cold, you’re the enemy. At least I know where we stand, and I can fight for what’s right! But lukewarm??? Wishy-washy? God says lukewarm is worthless to both of us.

God is not going to just stand around waiting. There will come a day of decision, a day of judgment when he will pick up his ax, chop down the worthless trees and cast them into the fire, to be absent from his presence forever.

Friends, this is serious. Believers all need to have Jesus in their hearts, a Bible in their hands and the Gospel on their lips. Let the world know that you’re playing for the Lord’s team. Let the world know that you’re not wishy-washy!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Escape from Egypt!

For Wednesday, February 5, 2025:

Exodus 13:18 NLT: “God led the Israelites in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.”

God is providing visionary leadership. He knows human nature better than anyone. He knew that Pharaoh would have second thoughts about letting the Israelites go. He knew that Pharaoh would send his army to retrieve the Jews. That army would have expected to find the Hebrews on the most direct path to Israel. So to buy them a little extra time, God aimed the Israelites toward the Red Sea, the Sea of Reeds.

Coming up against this body of water may at first look like a problem, but it was actually a solution. God had more in mind. He allowed Moses to part the water, allowing the Hebrews to escape to the other side. Then, as the Egyptian army pursued them, Moses closed up the sea, drowning the Egyptian army.

(Sidebar: This incident is dramatized in the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille classic, ‘The Ten Commandments.’ Just remember that Moses was probably a short, ruddy-looking Jew, not tall and handsome like Charlton Heston!)

The goal in all of this was to return the Hebrew people to Israel. All the plagues, all the meetings with Pharaoh and the colossal exodus march were stepping stones toward that goal. God will be with them all the way as the trek continues. The job won’t be finished until the Israelites are back home.

Both God and his Son Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Count on it! If God is “in” your mission, he’s “in” for the entire duration until your goal is achieved! God is good – very good!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Christians First!

For Tuesday, April 30, 2024:

Philippians 3:3 NLV: “The act of becoming a Jew has nothing to do with us becoming Christians. We worship God through His Spirit and are proud of Jesus Christ. We have no faith in what we ourselves can do.”

At the time the resurrected Jesus ascended back to the Father, there was no New Testament. It hadn’t been written yet. Those who ministered with Jesus eventually documented what He said and what we should do. But that comes much later.

At that time, those who ministered with Jesus were all Jews who became followers of Christ, hence “Christians.” When they shared the Good News with their friends, those friends were converted Jews as well. So the mistaken notion developed that one needed to first become a Jew to eventually become a Christian. Not so fast!

It was Jesus himself who personally called Paul to itinerant ministry all over Asia Minor. Paul was put in charge of sharing the Good News with Gentiles, the non-Jews. Paul told everyone he met about Jesus – right away! There was no middle step of becoming a Jew first. After considerable prayer and consulting with the Jerusalem elders, the matter was settled. You did NOT have to first become a Jew in order to become a Christian!

God wants people who worship in truth and in spirit. The truth part is obvious, but our spirit needs to also connect with the Lord’s spirit. Each of us needs to accept the free gift offered by Jesus, eternal salvation in the presence of the Father.

By ourselves, no salvation is accomplished; but with God and his Son, everything is possible!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Second Coming!

November 20, 2023 Monday Message:

John 4:28-29 NLT: “The woman (at the well) left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?’”

We need to be more excited! We need to show more enthusiasm! This woman left her water jar, RAN full tilt back to the village, told EVERYONE what had happened, and posed the question, “Could he possibly be the Messiah?” She caught their curiosity!

Remember that these people are Samaritans, not Jews, but they knew the scriptures promising the arrival of a Messiah. They had been watching and waiting, anticipating Jesus coming to earth. They were expecting a Savior, a Redeemer! Could this man be the one?

I heard a pastor say that he believes we are in the last days. Jesus gave the disciples many signs that would point to the end of the world as we know it. We are seeing many of those signs right now. I heard another pastor say that he believes we are in the end times of the end times! The Kingdom of God is at hand!

If the return of Jesus doesn’t excite you, I don’t know what will. We should not walk but instead RUN to our friends, our relatives, our co-workers and the corners of the earth to share the Good News with everyone! Turn on the excitement! Turn up the enthusiasm! This event will be the most important thing that ever happens in your life! With each passing day, we’re one day closer to Jesus’ second coming!

More tomorrow! Blessings!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Jesus said...

For Friday, November 10, 2023:

Matthew 24:7 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.”

Jesus said that he and the Father are one, so if he’s describing the end times, I’d listen up! Jesus said that wars and fighting would be one sign of the end times. For the last year or so, North Korea and China have been funneling munitions through Russia from the east, while the US and NATO countries are bolstering Ukraine from the west. This worldwide battle is being played out on Ukrainian soil, so it appears smaller and less significant than it really is!

About a month ago, in the dark of night, Hamas attacked Israel killing 1,400 Israelites and taking 241 hostages. This Holy War has stolen headlines from the Ukrainian conflict. The Bible predicted a mass return of Jews to Israel. Almost 10 million have accepted that invitation. That has happened in our lifetimes, since the country didn’t exist until after WWII. The Bible says to expect a worldwide persecution of Israel. Surrounded by Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, it would seem that Israel doesn’t have a fighting chance. God will intervene!

Knowledge of the end times is a gift from God. He wants his loyal followers to know the truth, to not be taken off guard by activities in this world. God wants believers to recognize the signs, and be ready to join Jesus in heaven! He’s already preparing your place!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Everyone's Included!

For Friday, October 28, 2022:

Ephesians 2:18 NLT: “Now all of us – both Jew and Gentile – can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”

Christianity got its start with Jews in Jerusalem. But the itinerant evangelist Paul brought Jesus to the Gentiles in Asia Minor. Here, Paul is counseling the Gentile Christians in Ephesus, saying that they should not regard themselves as “second-class citizens” in God’s kingdom in any regard. They are not only full citizens, but also full and equal members of God’s household.

So race doesn’t matter, and your country of origin doesn’t matter either. Even your past doesn’t matter if you have now decided to follow Jesus. We are given a fresh start with a clean slate! Everyone who calls Jesus “Lord” is a “Child of God,” fully accepted as a member of the Holy Family.

Everyone who calls Jesus “Lord” is included in the forever Kingdom!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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