Son of God!

For Sunday, June 7, 2026:

Luke 4:40 NLT: “Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at Jesus’ command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.”

Jesus had healed Simon’s mother-in-law. Word got out, and soon people from miles around were bringing their sick and injured to Jesus. Some of the people were plagued by demons, oftentimes the root cause of their illness. Jesus would send the demons away as part of his cure.

The demons identified Jesus. “You are the Son of God!” But Jesus knew that if he claimed to be the Son of God, he’d be accused of blasphemy, so he didn’t let the demons speak.

Nowadays, we don’t have to be so cautious with our words. Believers should tell the world that Jesus is truly the Son of the Most High. We should shout out the Good News!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Forever and Ever!

For Wednesday, May 13, 2026:

Colossians 1:15b-16a NLT: “The Son existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.”

This scripture lines up perfectly with John’s Gospel account: “Jesus existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”

Therefore, we know that Jesus existed long before our world was created, and long before he came to earth in human form. When he showed up, it was big news to mankind. God’s people had been watching and waiting for the promised Messiah. They were excited to meet Jesus and hear him speak! None of this was news to God, whose Son had been around from the beginning.

What we need to remember is that Jesus is a perpetual spirit, just like Father God. The Son was here before the creation of our world, and he’ll be here long after it’s gone. The place Jesus prepares for us will be in the New Heaven and the New Earth. When Jesus’ forgiveness promises to give us eternal life in the presence of the Father, we can’t even imagine how long that is. The Father and the Son have set us up for a life expectancy similar to their own.

We are only on this earth for a very short time – like a blink of an eye! I believe eternity is somewhat beyond our comprehension. I cannot over-stress the importance of being on the right side of things as we transition from this reality to the next. Decide today to live in harmony with God and mankind, until we get a face-to-face meeting with God’s Son! It may happen sooner than you think!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Mothers' Day!

For Sunday, May 10, 2026, Mother’s Day:

Luke 1:31 NLT: “You, Mary, will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.”

Jesus’ Father is in his heavenly Kingdom, but he needed a mother on earth. Everyone born here needs someone to love them, care for them, feed them, and change out their nappy! Jesus' mother had been told by the angel Gabriel that baby Jesus would actually be the Son of the Most High, so she wasn’t surprised when miracles happened. She 100% supported her Son, God’s Son.

Mom had faith in Jesus’ abilities even before his ministry began. At the wedding in Cana when the wine supply was exhausted, Mary told the servers, “Do whatever Jesus tells you.”

Jesus protested. “It’s not my time yet,” but Mary persisted. Giant jars of water were available for Jewish ceremonial washing, and were now brought to the sommelier who determined the jars contained the finest wine. In fact, he questioned why it had not been served first! Thank you, Jesus!

Mary knew her Son was special, and Jesus had honored his mother’s request even though it was not yet his time. And on the cross, he arranged for his mother’s perpetual care. Jesus used every day to honor women, even those who aren’t mothers. For our Messiah, every day was Mother’s Day! May God bless the women!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Family Business!

For Friday, May1, 2026:

Romans 8:14 NLT: “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

In this life, we don’t get to choose our families. We stick with them not because they’re always desirable, but because they’re blood-relatives. You may have heard that blood is thicker than water, meaning that family ties are strong. But what if you could choose your family? In a way, we can!

Believers have been adopted into the holy family. John writes, “But to all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Since we can choose to follow Jesus, we can choose to be members of his family. We are “born again” into the family of God!

We used to sing a song with the words, “Come join the family, the family of God.” That implies more than just joining a church or aligning with a denomination. There’s really only one church, the church of Jesus the Messiah. That’s the family to join. Jesus’ invitation is open!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Stay Connected!

For Thursday, April 30, 2026:

John 15:5 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

Jesus is restating the vine/branches example. But the last sentence adds a stern warning: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

Believers have been endowed with incredible power. Jesus wants us to do the things he did, impossible as this seems. He sent disciples to disparate cities to spread the Good News that the Kingdom of God was now with them; that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah; and that there now is forgiveness through Jesus which leads to renewed hope for eternal life. Those sent were told to heal the sick including leprosy, raise the dead and cast out demons. Seems like a tall order, but those serving were on a first-name basis with Jesus. They were connected to the vine, as are we! Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he left instructions for us to do these same things.

Jesus said believers could ask a mountain to move in his name, and it would obey. Nothing frivolous, of course. But if you needed to move a mountain to block a stream and save 200K people in the downstream village from drowning, it’s possible, but only if your branch is still connected to the vine.

There are no Lone Rangers in Heaven. We can’t go off on our own and accomplish anything. But believers have been drafted to play on Team Jesus. That one vine can feed many little branches, and Jesus has invited you to be a part of the action! So get in the game, (already!)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Authorized!

For Saturday, April 11, 2026:

Mark 16:19-20 NLT: “When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with his disciples, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples then went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.”

Jesus had prepared his disciples, saying that he would not be with them forever. He said that he would suffer and die, rise after three days, and eventually return to the Father. Everything happened exactly as he prophesied! It’s now time for these disciples to put Jesus’ final instructions into play.

Remember that “Apostle” refers to the original 12, but “disciple” is a much larger group of people, both men and women, who believed in Jesus, believed he was the Messiah and that his words were God’s words.

Mark just gives us the Reader’s Digest “condensed” version of the Great Commission: “The disciples then went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.” When Jesus sent disciples on previous evangelistic mission trips, he told them to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons, and it’s no different this time. They would preach the Good News, and God would prove them “authorized” by these miraculous signs!

Those original disciples covered most of Israel, but did not venture far into Asia Minor. God was preparing Paul, Timothy and Silas for that mission field. Where is your mission field? In my previous churches, we supported many missionaries in faraway foreign countries. And each summer, our youth group would lead a VBS in Mexico. I prayed and prayed about this, and finally God sent me to Lake Street in Minneapolis. Turns out He has plenty of work that needs doing right here in town!

So the best place to do ministry is wherever God calls you to do ministry! Pray and then be obedient. Do what Jesus asked you to do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Prophecy Fulfilled!

For Wednesday, April 8, 2026:

Luke 24:13 NLT: “The same day as the resurrection, two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem.”

The story of Resurrection Day wouldn’t be complete without a look at the walk to Emmaus. The two men were believers, and had traveled to Jerusalem for Passover. But the crucifixion put a damper on things, and the two decided to return home.

Their walk began as the women discovered the tomb open, and the body of Jesus missing. Where was he? Suddenly a third man began walking alongside the first two, and they struck up a conversation. The newcomer asked, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”

The first two looked sad. “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about what happened the last few days; bad things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth.” Somehow, they didn’t recognize Jesus. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.”

Jesus responds by explaining scripture: “Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Arriving in Emmaus, it was getting late, and the two invited Jesus to stay the night with them. He agreed. As they sat down to dinner, Jesus blessed the bread, broke it, and... Voilà! Their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus, who immediately disappeared from sight!

The two did a 180º and headed back to Jerusalem. They felt compelled to share this Good News with the remaining 11 apostles. Jesus is alive! He can walk and talk! He has risen from the dead, just as he said he would!

To Jesus and those who love him, death is not the end!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Good Friday!

For Good Friday, April 3, 2026:

Matthew 27:20 NLT: “The leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death.”

Many people had pilgrimaged to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover at the Temple. So Jesus’ trial before Pilate was witnessed by many. The custom was to release one prisoner on that special day, giving them a second chance. Barabbas was a horrible man, but the priests convinced the crowd to ask for him rather than Jesus.

Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

This dialog went back a forth a number of times. Pilate literally washed his hands of the matter, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood.” Pilate’s wife had suffered a nightmare over what was about to happen. The guards took Jesus to be flogged, and eventually crucified. It’s a horrible death. The body grows weak, collapses and dies of asphyxiation, unable to support itself to take in one more breath.

Jesus was fully God and fully human. We sadly remember the human part dying on this day. Our spiritual mentor, our life coach, was gone. His body was quickly placed in a tomb donated by Joseph of Arimathea, and secured with a huge stone. No further work could be done as the Sabbath (Saturday) was drawing near. The women would finish preparing the body on Sunday.

The fully human part will remain in the grave, at least until Sunday. But what will the God-part be doing?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Kingdom At Hand!

For Saturday, March 14, 2026:

Luke 3:16 NLT, John the Baptist speaking: “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

In Jesus’ day, Hebrews were plagued with Roman oppression. They hung on tightly to a prophecy about a Messiah coming to rescue them. People would come to the Jordan and confess their sins, wanting to live a better life. They desired to get right with God. As John baptized the repentant, they questioned him: “Might you be the Messiah for whom we have been waiting?”

John assures them that he is not that Messiah. According to John, there’s a huge difference. He can only baptize with water. He warns the group that the Kingdom of God is near. They will see it soon, baptism with the fire of the Holy Spirit and the Son of God walking on Earth alongside mankind. It’s kind of hard to explain, as no one had ever seen anything like this before! John had a little inside information, being a cousin of Jesus.

I could repeat John’s message today, and the information would still be correct. We should all repent and return to the Lord, because the Kingdom is at hand. Jesus said he would return. Everything he told us has been true, and we expect that this would be likewise – true! Jesus gave us signs to watch for, hints that his return was imminent. We see more and more of them all the time as the date draws closer.

Churches pray for world peace, but Jesus said there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. There are currently about 40 wars in the world, people shooting real bullets at one another. The wars we hear about on the news are the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Russia and communist North Korea are attacking Ukraine with soldiers and weapons. The US and other NATO allies are pouring defense assets into Ukraine. What we have here (just my opinion) is Communist Russia fighting a world war against Democratic countries. It’s just not obvious because the fighting is all on Ukrainian soil! That war is bigger than you think!

As for the Middle East, it’s Islam vs Judaism. Christians come down on the side of the Jews, our ancestors. Russia has been supplying intelligence and weapons to Iran, while Israel and the US intend to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons. In 2001, when hijacked airplanes demolished the World Trade Center towers, I told my Jewish friends that this was a Holy War. I still believe that.

Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. If we read those signs, Jesus should be on the way. With each passing day, we’re one day closer to his return. Friends, the Kingdom of God is at hand!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Colossal Crowds!

For Tuesday, March 10, 2026:

Matthew 4:25 NLT: “Large crowds followed Jesus wherever he went—people from Galilee, Decapolis (10 towns), Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.”

"Hear ye, hear ye! The Great Healer is coming to your town! Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! You don’t want to miss this. Jesus Christ, in the flesh! Be there, or be left behind! Tickets available at OneNation.com.”

OK, I wrote a radio commercial for the next Jesus event. Of course they didn’t have radio back then, so this is all the result of my fertile imagination! Word-of-mouth got the job done as well as any radio station might have.

"Large crowds followed Jesus.” Imagine large crowds, much larger than you think. The Apostles were present, but also disciples, hundreds of loyal believers who showed up every time. They just weren’t part of the original 12. They were 100% convinced that Jesus was the heaven-sent Messiah. They didn’t want to miss a single word. Soon, they’d start inviting family and friends to come with them. And before you knew it, the crowd of hundreds had become thousands.

All four Gospels report the miracle of Jesus feeding 5K men, not counting women or children. But most of the men were married, so the number becomes 10K. Let’s assume families had at least two children, so now our number is 20K, quite a significant number of people traveling with Jesus. I’m glad I wasn’t in charge of logistics!

When Jesus heard that John the Baptist was dead, he wanted to be alone, so he got on a boat and headed across the lake. There was no GPS, so nautical navigation was to remain close enough to visualize the shoreline while staying far enough away to be in deep water. The disadvantage was that not only could those on board follow the coastline, but those still on the shore could easily follow the boat. So as Jesus sailed up the coast, the crowd could simply follow on land. There was no escape from the throng, at least not for very long!

Eventually, Jesus fed the 20K with five fish and two barley loaves, but that’s a different message. Today’s lesson speaks of the colossal crowd following Jesus. The key was that core believers shared the Good News with their families and friends. They invited others to join.

A friend of mine was recently voted in as pastor of a hundred-year-old church. They attract only about 60 people each week. I hope he can positively alter their trajectory. Only 60 people in 100 years? Jesus had 20K in attendance, and he preached for only three years!

See you at church! Bring your friends!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

One God!

For Saturday, March 7, 2026:

John 14:7 NLT, Jesus speaking: “If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three forms of the same God. Think of it like this. We turn on our tap and get water, good for cooking, drinking and washing. In the freezer, it’s known as ice, good for cooling beverages. We might say that a summer day feels humid, and that’s a surplus of water vapor in the air. It’s all still water, H₂O.

As I compose these daily messages, I often mix up our God labels. Jesus may have said it, but I might call it a command of God. Or the other way, Jesus tells us to do something and research shows us that the words originally came from the Father. I usually catch myself and straighten it out, but the truth is I don’t believe it really matters. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all of one mind, with the same goals, pulling in the same direction. They will never contradict one another. So there really is only one God.

Prophesy told the Jews to expect a Messiah to rescue them, they believed from Roman oppression. God indeed sent Jesus, the Messiah, but to rescue them from their sin burden, not the Romans. Jesus was sent to love and forgive. In this case, the desire of the God “team” is to return more souls to God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom. Jesus is the one who puts the plan in motion. On the cross, the sins of the world are heaped upon him, and as he dies a human death, he takes those sins to the place of the dead and leaves them there. Now repentant humans can be forgiven, be made suitable for residence in the eternal Kingdom.

If we repent of our sins and claim Jesus as our hope and salvation, we will be forgiven. We will get to see heaven from the inside. Friends, that’s assurance of salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Corrupt Tax Collectors!

For Saturday, February 28, 2026:

Luke 3:12-13 NLT: “Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ John the Baptist replied, ‘Collect no more taxes than the government requires.’”

A lone Roman didn’t feel safe amongst the Jewish population. The Jews were angry, having been mistreated, persecuted and over-taxed. So Rome lined up others to do their dirty work. They arranged for Jews to do the tax collecting from other Jews. This meant that the tax collector would have to have abandon his fellows, his family and probably his religion. Consequently, he had no friends and was known as a scoundrel, a traitor. But he got paid well for his misery.

Our scripture today calls them “corrupt tax collectors.” That’s almost a redundancy! Tax collectors were known for assessing a little extra to put in their own pockets, so most tax collectors were wealthy. Now, they may have put religion on the back burner, but it never entirely left them. So here we find them listening intently to John the Baptist. He stops their sinful, corrupt nature in its tracks. “Collect no more taxes than the government requires!”

A few listened to John, many vowed to change their life and stop the skimming. This is an example of the radical transformation we talk about as people come to know the Messiah. Each of us has habits in our lives that we’ve put off changing. It’s never too soon to change direction, to leave the sin behind and follow the right path. Don’t put it off! Cause God to smile down on you! Do the right thing!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Healing Messiah!

Daily message of hope...
For Wednesday, February 25, 2026:

Matthew 4:23 NLT: “Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.”

As he gathered his disciples, Jesus continued his ministry around Galilee. Tradition said that if a guest showed up to worship in a Synagogue, he would be invited to speak. Jesus had plenty to say!

He could tell the people to repent and return to the Lord. He could explain God’s willingness to forgive all who would call him Lord and Savior. He could explain that he was God’s Son, God’s representative on earth. He could share the knowledge that believers become Children of God, eligible for residence in the Heavenly Kingdom. He could explain assurance of salvation!

Jesus would take as much time as needed to heal all who needed healing. No disease or illness was higher than the prayers of God’s Son. Jesus would oftentimes begin by casting out the demons, which were the root of the problem. No demon is higher than God’s Son.

People were quick to notice the healings and would tell others. Although they had no television, no newspapers and no internet, somehow the word spread swiftly. Soon, all who needed healing were being brought to Jesus. He healed them all, even though that wasn’t his purpose in coming to earth.

Soon, large crowds were following Jesus around, people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem – people from all over Judea, even those east of the Jordan River. The Hebrew people had been expecting a Messiah, and here was Jesus!

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

Immediately!

For Saturday, February 21, 2026:

Matthew 4:21-22 NLT: “A little farther up the shore, Jesus saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.”

Jesus was continuing his ministry around the Sea of Galilee. Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew were now walking with Jesus, his first two disciples. I’m sure all the fishermen on this body of water knew each other, so as Jesus said the names James and John, Simon called out, “We have found the Messiah!”

Most of the Hebrew nation had been waiting for the moment God would send a rescuer to his people, and if this was it, James and John didn’t want to be left out. An emissary from God could certainly counter the grief they experienced dealing with the Roman government and army. They immediately took a leave of absence from the family business and joined up with Simon, Andrew and Jesus on their trek around the lake.

The key word here is “immediately.” No hesitation, no hemming and hawing, just go with Jesus when he calls you. Pretend you’re the kicker on a football team, it’s fourth down, and the coach says, “Now! Get in the game. We need you to kick that field goal!” You don’t dawdle. You don’t waste any time. You go running onto the field, eager to serve!

Each of us has been given unique spiritual gifts, and the time will come when your gifts are exactly what the Lord needs. He’ll tap you on the shoulder and say, “Now! Get in the game. We need you!” The quicker you respond, the better!

We all need to be walking with the Lord, just like Simon, Andrew, James and John. If you’re closer to Jesus, it’s easier for him to tap you on the shoulder!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Fishing for Souls!

February 16, 2026, Monday Message:

Matthew 4:19 NLT: Jesus called out to Simon and his brother Andrew, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

I told you that Jesus did a lot of his ministry around the Sea of Galilee. It starts now as he begins to assemble his team. Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew were fishermen by trade. And like most people of Hebrew descent, they were keeping a watchful eye out for the Messiah. Imagine being told all your life to expect a Messiah, and suddenly along comes Jesus, THE Messiah!

Fishermen were judged by the quality and quantity of their catch. You can’t make a living by catching only a few fish, and some breeds of fish are more desirable than others. Jesus promises an even loftier goal. “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” Now, instead of fishing, they were in the “Repent and Return” business. It’s the same business in which we find ourselves nowadays. Have you caught any big ones lately?

When the Messiah calls you to his ministry team, the right thing to do is to drop everything and immediately become a disciple. Secure your boat, your nets, and your other fishing paraphernalia and get in step with God’s Son. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Simon and Andrew. And it can be a lifetime opportunity for you and me!

Blessings on this Presidents’ Day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church