Davie vs Goliath!

Memorial Day Monday Message, May 25, 2026:

1 Samuel 17:32 NLT: “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”

In the US, this is Memorial Day, when we honor the lives of patriots who died in defense of our country. I don’t really like wars and fighting, and I don’t think God does either. But we can’t let the bad guys win either. When evil appears to be on a winning path, we have to put our feet down, draw a line in the sand and put a stop to it. Enough is enough!

Bible history tells us that Israel seemed to be in a perpetual war with the Philistines. For 40 days, Saul’s army was on one hill and the Philistines on another, fighting in the valley in between. (Why is it always 40 days?) Little shepherd-boy David was bringing gifts to his brothers who were in Israel’s army, and he saw everything. The Philistines held a distinct advantage via the 9-foot tall warrior Goliath.

David told king Saul, “Don’t worry about this Philistine. I’ll go fight him!”

Saul protested, “You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”

David justified his involvement. “I have fought lions and bears protecting my father’s sheep. This pagan has defied the living God. Let me at him!” He probably thought, “I’m saving you, your army and your country. Why should I have to justify myself?”

With his sling, David lobbed a river stone into Goliath’s forehead, the Philistines turned tail and ran away, and that pretty much wraps up the story. God, who wants us to love one another, granted victory to Israel. Sometimes fighting is necessary to stand up for the Lord’s value system. If something upsets God, it’s worth fighting for. Sometimes we have to be the ones doing the fighting!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Wash Your Soul too!

May 26, 2025, Monday Message:

Luke 11:41 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.”

I tell my grandchildren to wash their hands before we eat. God told the Jews to wash their hands before a meal. The Pharisees called it a commandment or a law, and they came up with an elaborate ceremony ensuring its implementation. Sure, it pleases God if we don’t put germs and dirt into our God-given bodies. But God’s words weren’t about religion; they were about keeping mankind healthy!

Jesus was invited to a Pharisee home for a meal, and he skipped the hand-washing part. To say the Pharisees went nuts would be an understatement! Time for Jesus to separate man-made ceremonies from common sense!

The Pharisees washed their dishes, inside and out, but only cleaned their bodies on the outside. The inside portion, their souls, were a filthy mess. Obsessed with their concern for observing the Law, they overlooked God’s commands telling them to love their neighbors. That principle was huge with Jesus, who taught that the most important commandment was loving the Lord, and the next, like it or equal to it, is to love our neighbors. A person could perform a perfect religious ceremony that would be meaningless if they showed no compassion for their fellows.

Today is Memorial Day in the US. We remember and honor our ancestors. We remember and honor those who gave their lives so that we could live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. I don’t like wars, and there are currently about 80 conflicts in our world where people are shooting at one another with real bullets! Wars are typically about power and money. And wars become good people defending themselves against evil aggression. How much better our world would be if everyone could love their neighbors like Jesus taught, rather than shooting at them!

God will eventually have his way!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Memorial Day!

May 27, 2024 Monday Message:

Ephesians 6:13 NLT: “Put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.”

There is an ongoing battle for your soul, your spirit, your eternal essence. Thankfully, God has provided a path to victory. Put on the full armor of God as your defense. Put Jesus in your heart. Fill yourself with the Holy Spirit. Think of adding the Holy Spirit to your body’s defense as similar to filling your car with more gas. Every once in a while you need to pause, go back to your Bible and say, “Fill ‘er up!” It never hurts to top off your Holy Spirit tank!

Since good and evil cannot coexist, the best way to fight evil is to fill yourself with more good! Commit or re-commit yourself to Jesus, and pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit, your defender and advocate. Do it today! With the Holy Spirit watching out for your soul, you’ll be fine. When the battle ends, you’ll still be standing!

In the US, today is Memorial Day, a national holiday honoring the military personnel who lost their lives defending our nation. Without their efforts, our lives today would be far different. Our military protects us from human aggression, and the Holy Spirit protects us from spiritual aggression.

We would do well to remember both!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Memorial Day!

May 30, 2022 Monday Message:

Matthew 5:9 NLT: “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”

When it comes to fighting wars, the US takes a ‘non-aggressor’ position. We’re not trying to get more land or take-over another country. My father defended our country in WW2. The US didn’t enter that war until our navy was attacked at Pearl Harbor. The peace had been broken, so then we retaliated. When our country was attacked on 9/11, we retaliated. But the goal is peace.

Every night on TV we can see the results of war in Ukraine, the deaths and the devastation. Our country supports them with money and munitions, but the goal is to stop the aggression and establish peace.

Is world peace possible? Perhaps not! Evil people with sin in their hearts confound the peacemakers. And Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. The second-coming judgement may be what is ultimately required for sustainable world peace. But we still pray for the persecuted, the victims, the widows left behind and their children.

Today is Memorial Day, formerly Decoration Day, in the US. We honor those who died defending our country establishing the peace we know.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Memorial Day & Galatians

May 28, 2012 Memorial Day Monday Message:

As the Christian church started, the region known as Galatia hosted at least four distinct ethnic groups:

1. The indigenous Turks

2. Romans, still there after their conquering efforts

3. Jews, the merchants and bankers who facilitated the economy, and

4. The Gauls, middle-European transplants who stayed behind after their attempts to rule the region. Because of the number of Gauls and their colossal influence on the culture, we know the region as “Galatia.”

These four groups were quite distinct, bringing different customs, histories and traditions to the table. They didn’t always get along well; they didn’t agree on much. So it’s no surprise that when Paul planted start-up churches in the region and then moved on, the churches quickly fell into conflict and disagreement. Paul’s epistles to the Galatians represent his efforts to get them back on track.

Today, the US is a lot like Galatia – we’re all from different countries or different regions. We all want to hold on to our personal customs, histories and traditions. It’s no wonder that we don’t always play well with others. Recently it’s gotten worse instead of better. The left has moved farther to the left, while the right has moved farther to the right. We observe stalemates on needed legislation and witness government shutdowns precluding any progress. The taxation necessary to service our national debt crisis could take our country down – a country that was, ironically, founded by citizens protesting excessive taxation. Duh! How short is our memory?

Paul’s advice to the Galatians would be good advice for the US – Get back to the one true Gospel. And if anyone preaches a different message, let him be cursed. We know that things go better the closer we are to the Father. (See Galatians 1:7-9)

Those who gave their lives for our great country wanted to preserve our freedom to worship. As we honor these warriors today, let’s apply action to the principles for which they fought. Pray that the US would get back on track – and pray for revival in our nation.

Norton Lawellin

On July 29, Jesus in the City Sunday worship will move to the Oliver Ministry Center, 27^th Street & Bloomington Avenue. Prayers covering this transition and move would be appreciated.