Mark's Gospel!

For Wednesday, September 23, 2026:

Mark 1:1a NLT: “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.”

I don’t know if anyone notices, but as I assemble these daily messages, we alternate topics from various books of the Bible. Some are Gospels, some are letters or Epistles, and Acts is the history of the first church. The idea is that if you read these messages, you’ll experience a good cross-section of the Bible. Today we add Mark’s Gospel to the mix. It’s thought to be written by the Jesus loyalist John Mark, as dictated by the outspoken Simon Peter. I call him “Mr. Impulsive,” as he often speaks and acts before thinking things through. But Jesus loved Peter’s enthusiasm, and he was chosen to lead the emerging church.

Let’s look at verse 1. Journalism students learn to write a condensed version of a story in its first sentence. It’s called the “lead.” This tells the reader what to expect in the remainder of the document. We’re first told that this is “Good News,” and since it’s capitalized, we can assume it’s a translation of “Gospel,” a Holy Book about Jesus the Nazarene, the earthly son of Mary and Joseph. We now know that Jesus is the Messiah, the Moshiach, the one promised in Isaiah. Turns out he’s the Son of God, or more accurately, God himself. Let me explain.

Christians know God in three different forms: Father God in Heaven, Jesus Son of God on Earth, and the Holy Spirit, our counselor, advocate and helper, here on Earth since Jesus returned to the Father. One God, three different forms. I heard a pastor call Jesus “God with skin.” Sounds odd, but kinda makes sense. God in Heaven is a spirit-being and needs no skin, just like the Holy Spirit – no skin, but helps us here on Earth. They’re all God, all of one mind.

If you’re a curious reader, this “lead” should ignite your curiosity about (as Paul Harvey would have said) the rest of the story. This wild ride culminates with mankind being the beneficiaries of Jesus’ sacrifice to forgive our sins, making a way for believers to spend eternity in Father God’s Kingdom. So keep your eyes on heaven, that prize, that goal, that reward for being faithful!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Sing To the Lord!

For Wednesday, October 9, 2024:

Jeremiah 20:13 NLT: “Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For though I was poor and needy, he rescued me from my oppressors.”

Jesus can rescue you from physical, earthly problems, like being poor and needy. And Jesus can stifle your oppressors and buy you some breathing room. If you trust in Jesus, he can also solve your spiritual dilemmas, freeing you from sin and preparing a place for you in the hereafter. That’s why he deserves our praise and worship!

So let’s wrap up our discussion of worship. Q: Are you singing TO the congregation, or leading so that THEY can sing songs of praise? I was taught to maintain 2 different song lists, one for each of those categories. The songs we LEAD – that the congregation sings – are the ones we use in our church service, like hymns in traditional worship. Songs that we sing TO the congregation are used as pre-service walk-in music, offertory, sermon support and exit music. A sermon support song is about a specific topic, reinforcing the message and scripture for the day.

All our music for church should be the best that it can be. We strive for excellence, but keep in mind that there’s a fine line between striving for excellence and OCD. Some days things will go better than others. That’s gonna happen. The important thing is that everyone tries, that everyone gives 100%. After all, this is for the Lord! If everyone tries their best and the performance doesn’t work out, I don’t chew anybody out. That performance is over – it’s history! After all, they gave their best. But next time we hit the platform, we will again give it our best, and it will go better!

As we’re rehearsing music, making suggestions and corrections, someone always comments, “It’s not a show.” True, but we have a program to lead, and it starts at 10AM! (Insert your own number.) People will be coming in, and newcomers will be getting their first impression of our church, and as the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression! As we present Jesus to everyone present, we need to make a strong, positive presentation, creating the impression that we’re happy to be there and that we’ve really got it together. We’re praying that newcomers like what they see, and that they would want to become a part of our church family.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship