Conspiracy Theory!

For Thursday, May 21, 2026:

John 15:18 NLT, Jesus speaking: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.”

That scripture tells us that the world somehow got turned around, 180º from where it should have been. After all, Jesus was always kind, nice and helpful. He would give of his own time to heal anyone who needed healing, and there seemed to be no end to this gift of healing. Every word he spoke was the truth, and he was religious, teaching from both the Prophets and Torah. What’s not to like about this guy?

Those against Jesus were cursed with greed and the desire for power. Although Rome ruled the country, the citizens were allowed to practice their ancestors’ religion, as long as they didn’t disrupt the Roman government. No riots, no rallies, no protests. Just follow your ethnic religion – quietly!

This left the Pharisees at the top of the pecking order. They were the ones trying to maintain power and resources. If worshipers went with this radical Jesus cult, they were NOT at the Temple! Furthermore, they probably took their tithes with them! So both influence and shekels going to Jesus threatened the Pharisees’ way of life. Jesus, you understand, was just doing what pleased his Father. But Pharisees initiated a conspiracy to have Jesus killed, to take him out permanently. He was that much of a threat to them that they would violate their own religious commandments!

Hatred for Jesus started as a conspiracy by the Pharisees. Israelites were accustomed to looking up to Pharisees for direction and advice. They were the religious leaders to be followed. When Pharisees spoke ill of Jesus, there was an implied obligation that people should follow their thinking. They convinced the surrounding world to hate the Messiah, which is unfortunate. The crowds changed their mantra from “Hosanna,” save us now, to, “Crucify him!, in less than a week.

I’ve said before that I believe Christianity should have been Judaism, the next chapter. It should have been a continuation of the life believers already knew, following God-the-Creator, God who brought them out of Egypt, God who delivered them to the Promised Land, and now God who sent them the Messiah as a redeemer for the sins of the world. Like Paul Harvey would have said, “The r-r-rest of the story!”

We’re presently living in the rest of the story. Jesus was here for us and promised that he’ll be back. Should we die first, he promised to prepare a place for us in his Father’s eternal heavenly Kingdom! Secure your spot today! All it takes is faith!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Holy Saturday!

For Holy Saturday, April 4, 2026:

Matthew 27:64 NLT, asking Pilate: “We (the leading priests and Pharisees,) request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”

The leading priests seemed unconcerned with spiritual authenticity, unconcerned with truth. To them, Jesus was a threat to their power and money. People had left the Synagogue to follow Jesus, and their tithes had gone to Jesus rather than the Temple. Because Jesus was a perceived threat, the leading priests and Pharisees plotted to kill him, which goes against everything they stood for. Now they were worried that Jesus’ prophecy would come true, that he would rise in three days. Men were sent to guard the tomb so that no one could steal the body and falsely claim that Jesus was alive.

The Great Exchange: Remember that while on the cross, the sins of the world were heaped upon Jesus, and His innocence was imparted to believers. That’s a massive amount of forgiveness, but that was the Father’s plan to bring believers home. That was Jesus’ mission, to rescue mankind from Satan’s territory. You could say that Jesus was on a mission trip to planet Earth!

One more thing: Many of us learned the Apostles’ Creed growing up. There’s a mistranslation that has always bothered me. The creed states, “Jesus was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell.” Friends, Jesus did not go to hell. He went to Sheol, a place for the dead. It is not heaven, and it is not hell. It may involve judgment, since Moses wrote, “The anger of Yahweh is a flame which burns in the ‘depths’ of Sheol.” But believers are already forgiven by the work Jesus did on the cross.

I suspect that not much happened on Holy Saturday, since that day is the Sabbath for Jews. It’s the Lord’s day, not a day for customary work. Jesus will be back to work tomorrow, walking away from his grave. Christians worship on Sunday, the day we realized that Jesus had conquered sin and death at the same time! In the meantime, "Shabbat Shalom!"

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Palm Sunday!

For Sunday, March 29, 2026:

John 12:12b-13 NLT: “A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet Jesus. They shouted, ‘Praise God! [Hosanna!] Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!’”

Today is Palm Sunday, when Christians everywhere celebrate Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Jesus had recently healed Lazarus and brought him back to life. A large crowd had been present for that event, and there was much anticipation when word got out that Jesus was coming back into town. They lined the streets as if a parade were about to take place.

Meanwhile, Jesus sent two disciples to borrow a donkey, who were told to say, “The Lord has need of it.” The donkey had never been ridden, and I look at this like asking to borrow a new Buick off the showroom floor. It fulfills the prophecy, “Look, your king is coming to you,... riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.”

As Jesus entered the city, the crowd waved palm branches in the air and lined the streets with brightly colored cloth, shouting, “Hosanna,” which means, “Save us; save us now!” I suspect that the crowd knew mankind had a sin problem, and the only solution was an alliance with the man who could raise someone from the dead. They wouldn’t have asked Jesus to save them, to rescue them, unless they believed it to be possible.

Shouts rang out, “Hail to the King of Israel!” Recall John (the baptist) saying, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” as he introduced Jesus to the world. Only a King has a Kingdom, and Jesus is the one King! This upset the Roman Government, which thought Herod was their king. It also upset the Pharisees. “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”

So this is all about money and power. Pharisees didn’t like worshipers leaving to follow Jesus, and they didn’t like tithes going to the Jesus team rather than the Temple. Furthermore, the Roman government already had a king and didn’t want another, and certainly not a Jew! Jesus’ demise seemed certain, and he predicted his own death.

People are fickle. In just a few days, they went from “Save us now!” to “Crucify him!” No one understood that Jesus would take the sins of the world to the place of the dead, and that mankind could be forgiven and have a shot at eternity! Those railing against Jesus were actually fulfilling God’s vast eternal plan!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Rumors of Wars!

For Friday, January 16, 2026:

Matthew 24:6 NLT: Jesus speaking: “You will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.”

Jesus is teaching about warning signs, signs that the end times is drawing near. One of those signs is wars and rumors of war. Rumors would be threats from one nation to another before actual fighting takes place. No war seems to start without some words being thrown first.

Some wars are new; some have been going on for thousands of years. Palestine has been upset ever since God settled Jews in the Promised Land. That’s a long time!

More recently, last week, the US took over Venezuela. It wasn’t exactly a war. Venezuela was so disorganized under a corrupt leader that fighting back wasn’t an option, and many in the country welcomed the intervention. Nonetheless, their president was deposed, and the US president is now setting policy for that country.

Afghanistan and Pakistan can’t agree on the border between their two countries. Russia is still trying to annex Ukraine. At least eight countries are undergoing civil wars, unable to agree on a government within their own country. The US did that in the 1860’s. Other governments are threatened by gangs and terrorists, mostly involving drugs. Illegal drugs represent a lot of money, and to find the source of the conflict, just follow the money! By the way, illegal drugs are only valuable because there’s a huge market for them. That’s our country’s problem!

Note that Jesus doesn’t say that these wars are the end. “The end won’t follow immediately.” But each war is a step closer to the end. These are times to lock in our commitment to Jesus and to God’s way. As God reveals the New Heaven and the New Earth, believer’s salvation will also be revealed. If we stick with Jesus, we’ll be given a ticket for eternal life in God’s forever heavenly Kingdom.

All aboard!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Love vs Hate!

December 22, 2025, Monday Message:

John 15:24 NLT, Jesus speaking: “If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father.”

People are fickle. Their attitudes toward others swing back and forth like a pendulum. We excitedly welcome a new baby, but may grow to hate them later in life. Sometimes that behavior is justified; sometimes, not.

On the church calendar, we draw close to Christmas, celebrating the birth of our savior. Believers had waited over 700 years for the prophesied Messiah. Angels told us that Jesus was the one! God doesn’t send His Messenger Angels on a fool’s errand. If the message is heaven-sent, it’s true!

Here’s what’s odd. Fishermen, laborers and even a tax collector became believers. Priests, religious teachers and Temple leaders never got on the Jesus bandwagon. They weren’t prepared to worship a triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That concept was new, a deviation from their present theology. They thought they had it all figured out. They did not!

I believe power and money stood in the way of a sound decision. Yes, Jesus taught at the Temple, but only in the outer courtyards. He was never accepted into the inner circle of Temple leadership. Furthermore, if Jesus taught and people brought tithes, they were supporting Jesus and his disciples, not the Temple treasury.

Jesus is declaring unbelievers guilty, guilty of not using their eyes, ears and the brain God gave them. If you consider all the miracles and healings performed by Jesus, there is only one logical conclusion: That Jesus is indeed the heaven-sent Messiah. We later discern that he is the Son of God, and his mission is the rescue of mankind.

Today is the accepted day to commit or re-commit yourself to following and believing in God’s Son Jesus. If you consider all the well-documented evidence, you can only reach one conclusion: That Jesus is the key to life after this life. He was sent by the Father to bring us home!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

ALL-IN Generosity!

For Tuesday, October 14, 2025:

Luke 21:2 AMP: “Jesus saw a poor widow putting two small copper coins in the collection box.”

Money was not a personal concern for Jesus. But money is necessary, in that you can’t do ministry without resources! He watched as others gave from their surplus. Typical. But he took special note of the poor widow, who dropped in two lepta, the smallest of Jewish coins. That was everything she had!

When Jesus atoned for the sins of the world, He gave everything. That’s typical of how God wants things done. You’re either ALL in, or just forget doing anything. Hot is good, cold lets Him know where you stand, but God doesn’t like lukewarm. Wishy-washy isn’t in God’s vocabulary.

The first portion and the best part of everything already belongs to God. The best livestock and the first harvest go to the Lord. Leaving only our surplus to the Almighty is akin to serving Him leftovers. God deserves better.

Jesus summarized the situation: “The rich have given a tiny part of their surplus, but this widow, poor as she is, has given everything!” Jesus’ message to us is that we should be more like the widow and less like the rich. Generosity is a desirable trait!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Evil Betrayal!

For Wednesday, September 3, 2025:

Mark 14:10 NLT: “Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them.”

One rotten apple spoils the barrel, and Judas Iscariot was the bad one. Jesus had been teaching fervently and gaining followers. People were seeking knowledge about the life after this life, and Jesus was giving them solid answers. Their faith in the Son would put them in line for eternal salvation!

Note that the leading priests didn’t survey the 12, seeking a defector. Judas approached them, volunteering to betray his mentor. He was offered money. Judas took the deal and went right to work. It wouldn’t take long to demolish most of Jesus’ forgiveness/salvation project.

In fact, I’m amazed at how quickly it all fell apart. Passover dinner, betrayal, arrest, kangaroo court trial, beatings and eventually crucifixion, all within a couple of days. It was the end of Jesus’ time on earth, and also Judas’ demise. That’s right, he did not survive the evil deed.

What the disciples uncovered and what we believe is that this scenario was all a part of God’s vast eternal plan. We are to believe, to have faith in Jesus who will return to usher the faithful into the forever Kingdom.

Our Father in heaven knows best!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Love of Money

For Thursday, July 24, 2025:

Luke 16:13 NLT, Jesus speaking: “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

In the audience listening to Jesus’ teaching that day were Pharisees, who dearly loved their money. Jesus is challenging them to love God more than their money, to always put God first. Let me summarize this for us: Money – you can’t take it with you. But the love of God can be an eternal part of your life, and even the life after this life! Jesus is counseling us to pick one!

When the subject of money comes up, I’m always reminded of one of my go-to sayings: “People get squirrelly about money!” That’s not good, but it’s my observation. Regular people, nice guys and gals, sometimes turn possessive and narcissistic when money is involved. It’s like something within them changed when the topic turned to money. Irrational statements are made, and irrational decisions come forth all because of money. Squirrelly.

We need money and we need God, but they’re two separate things. Money is never to be worshiped; God is! It’s that same God who gives us money so that we can help widows, orphans and the poor among us. So be generous and love your neighbor! If you run short, God can always give you more!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

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

Pentecost!

June 2, 2025, Monday Message:

Acts 2:1 NLT: “On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place.”

The Jewish Pentecost, 50 days after Passover or Pesach, celebrated the upcoming harvest. Also known as the Festival of Weeks, it occurred seven weeks after Passover. Most Christian churches celebrate Pentecost this coming Sunday, so let’s have a look!

The first Christian Community, known as The Way, were a tight-knit bunch. They had all been eyewitnesses to the many healings and other miracles performed by Jesus. They had watched him die on the cross, and yet rise from the grave three days later. Their eyes did not lie; they were 100% committed to the fact that Jesus was God’s Heaven-sent Son.

Opposing The Way were the Roman government and Jewish leadership. Caesar claimed to be god and didn’t like any competition. He taxed all who lived there. The Temple priests and Pharisees led religious matters in the region, and they intended to keep that power. Tithes were brought to the Temple or a local Synagogue, and those leaders didn’t like the idea of tithes going anywhere else. In both cases, it was all about power and money!

So believers met privately in secret places that only they knew. They lived in fear of both opposing groups. This “togetherness” gave them fellowship and a sense of community and safety. When God decided it was time to make his move, he found the believers all together in one place, their minds on the same page, all willing to pull in the same direction. This seemingly residual team would be the start of something big – the birthday of the church! What an exciting day! Don’t you wish you could have been there?

Each of us can help with church growth nowadays. Just invite someone to come to church with you. Offer to pick them up! That’s what Jesus said we should do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Financials!

December 30, 2024, Monday Message:

2 Thessalonians 3:12 NLT: “We command such (lazy) people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.”

When “The Way,” the first church, was founded, people sold houses and property and donated the proceeds to the church, with a “what’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine” attitude. It sounds a little like communism, and mankind isn’t very good at that! Before you know it, people are tempted to take more from the co-op than they’re putting in. Lazy! And in reality, widows and orphans are unable to add resources, so some of us need to contribute extra to care for those needy. That’s what Jesus would have us do!

It’s the same in our churches nowadays. Some will be able to donate large amounts, others much smaller. Churches have very real expenses. I once worked for a church with leaky windows, where paying for heat in January and February was always challenging. We’d often have to launch a “second effort” mid-year financial campaign, but we always survived. Those who could give gave even more!

But there comes a time when it’s obvious that donations will no longer support the amount of ministry to which we’re called. Sometimes the current business plan is unsustainable. Time to increase donations or cut back on ministry, or both!

As leaders, we need to be good stewards of God’s resources!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Worthless Money!

For Tuesday, February 6, 2024:

Mark 10:21b NLT, Jesus speaking to the rich man: “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

A few more thoughts on the rich man and his money. Apparently he couldn’t let go of it to follow Jesus. But let’s think this through to its logical conclusion.

Remember the old saying, “You can’t take it with you?” If the rich man had been going to heaven (and I don’t think he was,) he couldn’t have brought money. And if he was joining Satan’s team, he still couldn’t have brought his riches. So what happened to the money that seemed so important to him at that time? Maybe his family inherited some of it. Maybe some of it went to Roman taxes. The truth is that we really don’t know. But what we DO know for certain is that upon the rich man’s demise, his contact with the money ceased.

Jesus wanted followers who were “all in.” This man’s insistence on hanging onto anything, especially this money, disqualified him from following Jesus.

The lesson for us is to not let our love of anything disqualify us from following Jesus.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship