Who's First?

For Saturday, May 23, 2026:

Colossians 1:18 NLT: “Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, firstborn over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.”

The Bible says that the church is the bride of Christ, making Jesus the head of the church. Without Jesus, there would be no reason for any church to exist. Mankind could have just stayed with Synagogues. It’s important that we understand the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

Under the Old Covenant, mankind was expected to conform to God’s commandments, sometimes called the Law of Moses since God sent most of the commandments through his servant Moses. The grading scale was tough: Live life 100% right, pass; miss one, fail. Any sin disqualified a person from accessibility to heaven.

God’s desire, though, is that none would perish, so he gave us a chance to repent and return. We call this the New Covenant. God’s Son Jesus died to atone for the sins of the world. In other words, He gave us a second chance, a do-over! Forgiven believers, those who would put their faith in Jesus, are given an opportunity to see heaven from the inside!

Abbott and Costello asked, “Who’s on first?” The answer should always be, “Jesus!” He’s responsible for creation, the forgiver of mankind’s sins and head of the church! Jesus is first in everything!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Not Guilty!

For Thursday, July 10, 2025:

John 11:57 NLT, as people were gathering for Passover: “The leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report the sighting immediately so they could arrest him.”

To say that Jewish leadership had it in for Jesus would be an understatement. As Jesus’ popularity increased, leadership sensed an impending church split, and they wanted to nip it in the bud. As I’ve said before, when worshipers leave, their tithes leave too! The case against Jesus was primarily centered on power and wealth.

Theologically though, Jesus was spot on. He preached loyalty to the same God. He exalted the same prophets. He observed the law of Moses, the commandments God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai. There was only one point of contention. Jesus claimed to be the heaven-sent Son of God. Blasphemy, they called it! Religious leadership had never seen or heard of anything like this, and they not only didn’t believe but wanted to crush this errant philosophy.

Jesus’ arrest would be the first step in his demise, leading to sham trials in kangaroo courts and ultimately to the cross. When this scenario came to fruition, the Pharisees thought they had won. But on the cross, Jesus took mankind’s sins to the place of the dead, thereby redeeming believers and fulfilling God’s vast eternal plan. In fact, God won!

And because of what Jesus did, all believers are winners!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Eternal Life!

For Saturday, May 10, 2025:

Luke 10:25 NLT, Religious expert questioning Jesus: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

That’s a good question, one that we should all have, and this man was knowledgeable in religious matters! So Jesus turned the question back to the alleged expert. “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

The man answered from Old Testament scriptures: “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

"Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

Loving the Lord is the easier part of that command. He is, after all, God! God, the creator of everything, can easily occupy the top spot in our devotions. God is unchanging, predictable and repeatable, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. With God, you know what you’re going to get!

But loving your neighbor involves unpredictability. We can show kindness to our neighbors, but we can’t always anticipate their response. Some people can be jerks, and that’s their problem, not ours. Jesus wants his followers to take the high road, always being nice, friendly and helpful, regardless of the other person’s response. Christians can proudly hold our heads up knowing we did the right thing for the right reasons. If we’re OK with what happened and God’s OK with it, we should care little about what others think or say.

Jesus is safeguarding our reward in the next reality!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Covenant!

March 3, 2025, Monday Message:

Exodus 34:27 NLT: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down all these instructions, for they represent the terms of the covenant I am making with you and with Israel.”

A covenant is an agreement or a contract. It’s a 2-way obligation. “You do this thing for me, and I’ll do that thing for you.” Since this covenant was given to Moses, it’s often called the Mosaic Covenant, but it’s really God’s Covenant. We also call it the Old Covenant, since Jesus updated it and gave mankind a much better deal.

The Law given to Moses contains dietary instructions and marks celebrations to honor what the Lord had done for the Hebrew people. The New Covenant, our connection with Jesus, acknowledges that mankind isn’t very good at remembering or observing all those rules and traditions. Instead, we worship Jesus as God’s Son and claim him as Lord and Savior of our lives. In return, Jesus removes our sins, as far as the East is from the West. Our sin lies at the bottom of the deepest ocean. The Book of Life no longer contains any record of our sin. That’s Jesus’ gift to believers!

Mankind is destined to die once and then go before the judgment seat to determine our eternal destination. This will be a terrible time for non-believers. But those walking with Jesus will have him as their advocate, as their defense attorney, so to speak. With our sins forgiven, our destination is predetermined. Jesus has already gone ahead to prepare a place for us in the hereafter!

"But to all who believed him (Jesus) and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Believers are adopted into God’s Holy family. Enjoy eternity with your brothers and sisters!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faith Requires Action!

For Thursday, July 20, 2023:

Romans 2:13 NLT: “For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.”

Many heard Jesus speak just as many attend our churches nowadays. They hear the words of Jesus, so they know truth. But the words are wasted on people unless they choose to act, choose to do what those words teach.

Herod Antipas was the perfect example of someone who heard truth straight from the mouth of Jesus, yet didn’t become a believer. He chose to maintain his power in Galilee, not wanting to admit that God could be more powerful and more right. Responsible for the execution of John-the-Baptist, Herod also declined to intervene on Jesus’ behalf, sending him back to Pilate. Many times he had heard the truth, but chose to not act on it.

While we are no longer under the Law of Moses, our New Covenant rules come from our Lord Jesus. His summary of the Law tells us to love God and love our fellows. Be nice, be helpful, be kind. Figure out what you could do that would make the situation better. Do the next right thing!

When in doubt, ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Judge Not!

For Tuesday, February 7, 2023:

Matthew 7:1-2 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

As Jesus continues his Sermon On the Mount, he moves from our interior spiritual life to our interactions with others. Those who do not know the Bible love to lift “Do not judge...” out of context, resulting in an incorrect interpretation. There’s a fine line between being discerning and being judgmental. Of course we are to determine right from wrong and good from evil. That’s what God wants his children to do as they grow closer to him!

But the Pharisees and Scribes had made their life’s work the judgment of others, and that’s wrong. They maintained a complete list of God’s commandments, and their mission had become one of catching people doing something wrong. Their joy came from pontificating and enforcing the laws. Jesus called them hypocrites who totally missed the instructions about kindness and loving your neighbor.

Jesus said, “The measure you give will be the measure you get back.” “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive others.” Kindness will be repaid with kindness, evil with evil. So think about it: Being kind actually benefits you!

We should not judge an entire life only by its worst moments.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Holy Family!

September 5, 2022 Monday Message:

​Romans 7:4 NLT: “So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.”

​Mankind was never successful at keeping the Law. So God provided a better solution. Jesus came to earth to prepay the penalty for our sins, making us suitable for residence in the kingdom. The old Law, the Law given to Moses, is no longer relevant for those who trust Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives.

​So now you’re on the team! You’re in the game! You’ve been adopted into the Holy Family! Jesus has taken you under his wing and granted you Assurance of Salvation. He has gone ahead to prepare your place in heaven.

​Christians are known for their kindness and good works. Every time there’s a disaster somewhere in the world, it’s always Christians who are first on the scene. But it’s important to remember that we serve not to earn our way into heaven. We serve out of gratitude for what Jesus did – our redemption! Thank you Jesus!

​Ps. 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days o my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord – forever!” Amen!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Common Sense vs The Law!

November 8, 2021 Monday Message

Matthew 12:9 TLB: “Then Jesus went over to the synagogue.”

It was the Sabbath, so of course Jesus went to worship. The question came up about which tasks were appropriate on the Lord’s Day.

A man was present with a deformed hand, and the Pharisees asked Jesus if the Law permitted healing on the Sabbath. In the strictest sense, no work is allowed on the Sabbath, but Jesus taught that common sense should prevail. We are always to love our neighbor, but especially on the Sabbath. We should approach worship with love and kindness, figuring out what we can do that would be helpful. Jesus healed the man, restored his hand, which turned out to be Jesus’ death sentence with the Pharisees. But Jesus did the right thing, used common sense!

If you’re driving home from church and come upon a bad accident, don’t explain that it’s the Sabbath and you need to wait for the sun to set, for it to become a new day, and then you could call for help! No! Take out your little cell phone and call 911 right away. It’s the right thing to do. It’s what Jesus would do!

God puts good people in key positions, gives us brains, and expects us to figure out the right thing to do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

New Covenant!

August 2, 2021 Monday Message

John 1:17 NIV: “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

What a contrast! God gave mankind laws through his servant Moses, but try as they might, mankind was unsuccessful. God’s desire is that no one would perish, so what’s a better solution?

This is where we find God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves! He sent his Son Jesus to earth to offer us all the gift of eternal salvation through our faith in the Son. It’s a free gift – it’s grace – undeserved favor! The law was rigid rules, but the New Covenant under Jesus is love, forgiveness, redemption and salvation.

Today is the accepted day to day ‘yes’ to God’s new deal! He wants to welcome you into the Holy Family!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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