Freedom & Truth!

For Saturday, July 4, 2026:

John 8:32 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Today we celebrate Independence Day in the US, the day the 13 United States decided to no longer answer to British monarchy. A foreign government could no longer influence our decisions. It involved a war, but we emerged victorious. That bought us some earthly freedom, but what about spiritual freedom?

Almost 1,800 years earlier, Jesus brought us truth. We remember the healings and miracles, and the knowledgeable preaching. An even bigger gift was Jesus, on the cross, taking the sins of the world upon himself, and taking those sins to the place of the dead, leaving mankind forgiven simply by declaring faith in the Son. But let’s not forget that every word spoken by Jesus was true. That truth is the foundation of our religion.

How spiritual leaders can get so far off track is a mystery to me. To many leaders, ceremony overtakes substance. The ritual itself becomes more important than our reason for celebrating. And tradition overcomes truth. “We’ve always done it that way” carries more weight than the reason for the action. Pharisees thought they had memorized God’s Laws, but they skipped the part about compassion, about loving their neighbor. Their actions didn’t line up with Jesus’ teaching.

There is really only one church – the church of Jesus Christ. So why do we have so many denominations? – over 45,000 worldwide, each claiming their way is the only way. Something’s off.

My advice would be to check your Bible and see what Jesus did. Then do that. Read Jesus’ advice. Then follow those instructions. Don’t adopt any new-agie whims. Stick with the basics. The main things are the plain things.

I treat “truth” as a noun, a desirable commodity we should all seek. (Spell-checker may disagree with me…) Jesus hasn’t rehearsed speaking “the truth.” In fact, he can do no other! If Jesus opens his mouth, truth comes out! There are no alternative narratives within him.

Jesus says that all true believers will know the truth, which is the origin of our spiritual freedom. Happy Freedom Day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Deaf Ears!

For Thursday, March 07, 2024:

Isaiah 6:9 NLT, God, speaking to Isaiah: “Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’”

Considering he had just signed up for the ministry team, God was handing Isaiah a pretty rough assignment. It was almost guaranteed that nobody would pay attention to Isaiah’s preaching, and God warned him of this. He’s preaching to one tough audience!

God intends to give these people one last chance. It’s a test. If they fail to respond, then their guilt is certain. Isaiah probably wasn’t happy about this assignment. He’s facing a terrible crowd! The people weren’t happy either. They had no interest in listening to Isaiah. But God would be pleased when Isaiah completed his assignment! God is the only one who’s opinion matters.

If you’re a Christian serving the Lord, you may be given some challenging assignments. Sometimes ministry isn’t easy! Remember that we don’t always know God’s purpose behind an assigned task. We don’t really need to know!

Like Isaiah, our response should be obedience. “Here am I; send me!”

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Jesus Preaches!

For Wednesday, January 4, 2023:

Matthew 4:17 NLT: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”

This is the same message John-the-Baptist had been preaching prior to Jesus’ arrival. It seems that mankind wasn’t making it back to heaven by doing good works and following commandments, so our Lord sent Jesus to ‘fetch’ us. ‘Repent and return to the Lord’ was his timely message.

The Jesus-method was new to the Jews. Jesus preached that our salvation is a free gift, grace, given because of our faith in that process, faith in God-the-Father and faith in Jesus personally paying for our redemption. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me!” God’s desire is that none would be lost, and Jesus is making it so! He brought solid hope to a world that was wandering in darkness!

Then as now, today is the accepted day to return to the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship