Who Is This Guy?

April 27, 2026, Monday Message:

Mark 11:27-28 NLT: “Jesus and the disciples were walking through the Temple area, when the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”

Those posing the question didn’t really like Jesus. They were prejudiced against him. He was a threat to their authority and income. So they asked him kind of a trick question. If Jesus said he was on his own, he wouldn’t possess the authority to demand compliance. If he said he was sent by God, they would demand proof.

Jesus answers their question with one of his own, like the storybook troll asking you to solve a riddle before crossing a bridge. “I’ll answer your question if you can answer mine. What about John the Baptist? Who gave him authority?”

The priests and teachers didn’t know how to answer. They hadn’t obeyed John, so they couldn’t admit that his words were heaven-sent. On the other hand, they didn’t want to say John was merely human, because most people thought John was a prophet. So this collection of the greatest religious minds in all of Israel finally answered, “We don’t know.” Duh!

Consequently, Jesus refused to give them an answer. To him, the answer should have been obvious. Who would know all of God’s laws, the best way for us to live? Who could heal any malady, making people as good as new? Who could raise Lazarus from the dead? Everyone may not have known that Jesus is God’s Son, but they should have been able to discern that his actions were heaven-sent.

Jesus wants us all to answer that question, “Who do you believe he is?” Read and re-read the eyewitness accounts until you get it. Jesus is the heaven-sent Son of the Most High, who was sent here to rescue mankind. His mission was successful!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Jesus' Heavenly Plan!

January 5, 2026, Monday Message:

John 16:1 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.”

The New Covenant gives us God on speed-dial. Direct access! Under the Old Covenant, the general public didn’t know a lot about God. They only knew theology the priests chose to teach. God bless the priests, but some would repeat rumors, theories and traditions. They were no longer speaking for the Lord. They were no longer speaking truth!

Christians have been given Assurance of Salvation. We are saved by grace through faith. Grace means that our salvation is a free, undeserved gift from above. Our faith is in Jesus, believing he is who he said he was, and that he can do what he said he can do. Jesus’ primary mission in coming to earth was the rescue of mankind, reconciling our relationship with the Father, and believers put their faith in Jesus’ promise.

So believers’ assurance comes not from any priest or rabbi. Our assurance is not from any church, denomination, synagogue or temple. Our salvation deal is authored and guaranteed by Jesus, God’s own Son. Bypass any middlemen. Lock in your eternal destination today. At the pearly gates, Jesus said we should use his name!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Tabernacle!

For Friday, August 15, 2025

Hebrews 9:2a NLT: “There were two rooms in God’s Tabernacle.”

God gave very specific instructions about the Tabernacle, a place to worship and honor the Lord. The outer room, called the Holy Place, contained a lampstand, a table and sacred loaves of bread. Next was a heavy curtain separating the inner and outer portions. The inner space was called the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. This was thought to contain the presence of the Lord. In that room were the gold incense altar and a sizable wooden chest covered in gold known as the Ark of the Covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. That ark itself housed a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves and the stone tablets of the covenant.

Priests regularly performed their religious duties in the outer chamber. But only once a year could the High Priest enter the inner sanctuary. He would always offer blood sacrifices for his sins and the sins of the people, both intentional sin and sins of ignorance. Of importance to Christians is that the Holy of Holies was not freely accessible while the Old Covenant was in place.

But Jesus brought with him a New Covenant. As he spoke, “It is finished” from the cross, the curtain was torn from top to bottom. Mankind was no longer separated from our Creator. We no longer needed a priest to intervene on our behalf. We can now pray directly to God, because our sins have been forgiven. Jesus himself was the blood offering for the sins of the world.

Try it out! Pray directly to God today. It’s OK because you are forgiven! God is always listening and wants to hear from you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Priests!

March 17, 2025, Monday Message:

Leviticus 21:1 NLT: The Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.”

Under the Old Covenant, Priests were go-betweens. The general population was separated from God Almighty in the Tabernacle. On the people’s behalf, the Priests would offer sacrifices, sometimes to atone for someone’s sin, and other times just because that tithe belonged to the Lord. Priests were set apart from other Jews. They were considered special, sanctified.

In the New Testament, Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven...” So we no longer need a go-between, someone to speak with God on our behalf. Jesus said that any believer, you and I, can pray directly to God himself.

When Jesus died and took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, believers were purified. Our sins were blotted out, taken away, and now being without sin, we can speak directly with the Lord. The curtain separating the most holy place was torn from top to bottom, so it was God doing the tearing. People whose sins are forgiven no longer need to be separated from God.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Although he wasn’t born in Ireland, legend has it that Patrick did much to evangelize the region. And any day you can make new Christians is a good day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Pristhood!

For Friday, June 28, 2024:

1 Peter 3:15 NLT: “You must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”

Christians speak of the “Priesthood of all believers.” That doesn’t mean that we all have to wear black garb and quit our day-jobs! But remember that the early church, “The Way,” grew through attraction. Observers liked what they saw, and wanted to become a part of it. So they inquired of the general membership, people like you and me. Explaining their faith wasn’t limited to the apostles or church leaders. All of us are called to task, and should have the proper answers at hand whenever asked. In a way, we’re all evangelists for Jesus!

So a church member has a two-fold purpose:

#1. To worship God and his Son as creators of everything – the ultimate supreme God!

#2. To share the Good News of forgiveness, redemption and salvation through the Son. Remember, God’s desire is that none would perish!

Jesus said to make disciples of all nations, so let’s all get busy!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Called!

For Tuesday, May 21, 2024:

Ephesians 5:8 NLT: “Once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”

"All you have to do is change everything!” Does that sound simple to you, or quite complicated? When a person becomes a Christian, a radical transformation should take place. Rather than sin, the Christian now takes the high road. Rather than living in darkness, Christians now live in the light! An observer who knew the old person might not recognize the new person! That’s OK!

The change we see isn’t just for the sake of change. It’s a change for the better. Because our sins have been forgiven and we have an inside track to the hereafter, there should be more joy on our faces! By loving one another, everyone will know that we are Christians!

Jesus didn’t forgive you so you could mope around being earnestly pious. Jump for joy! The Bible says that we should share the Good News with everyone, that we should make disciples of all nations. In other words, teach Jesus’ redeeming truth to those who don’t look like you and don’t speak like you.

The Bible speaks of the “priesthood of all believers,” a priest simply being a religious leader or teacher. In the Old Testament, priests followed in the tradition of the tribe of Levi or the priest Melchizedek. Christians follow Jesus. You’re a priest, a Christian leader, if Jesus says you are. Churches don’t make pastors; Jesus ordains Christian leaders!

Are you called?

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Lies!

For Wednesday, March 20, 2024:

Mark 14:56 NLT: “Many false witnesses spoke against Jesus, but they contradicted each other.”

The trial of Jesus was bogus. The outcome had been decided before the trial began! The ministry of Jesus had been a thorn in the side of the Sanhedrin, who wanted to put an end to this matter.

The leading priests, religious teachers and high council of the temple didn’t know as much about God, heaven and the Torah as Jesus. It made them appear inadequate. Large crowds would gather to hear Jesus teach truths they’d never heard before, and quite a number believed him! Before Jesus, the pecking order at the Temple was set in stone, but now Jesus was disrupting everything. Temple loyalty was being divided. “But,” thought the Temple leaders, “if Jesus was eliminated, it would be easy to once again rein in the populous!”

The only good thing to come of all this is that it was fulfilling Jesus’ mission on earth. It was completing God’s vast eternal plan. At the end, from the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished.” His mission was finished; his task completed; his goal accomplished. Jesus would take the sins of the world to the place of the dead, leaving those who repent and return forgiven, acceptable for an afterlife in the presence of their creator.

That’s why it’s called, “Good Friday!” It’s the day mankind was given a second chance! It’s the day mankind was rescued!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

After Jesus!

For Sunday, March 17, 2024:

Mark 14:49 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there among you teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.”

It seems that when he was alive, Jesus was either extremely loved or severely abhorred. The Bible doesn’t reveal much middle ground.

The general population was impressed with Jesus’ teaching, amazed by his knowledge of God, the Kingdom and heaven, and in awe of the miracles he performed. These are the people who hollered, “Hosannah, save us, save us now,” as Jesus reentered Jerusalem riding a new donkey.

Not so with the Roman Government and the Religious leaders. There was no official religion in the Roman empire other than their made-up gods. Jesus drew huge crowds, so the Romans always felt the threat of a violent rebellion. Jesus came in peace, so that never happened.

Jesus taught on the Temple grounds and attracted thousands of followers. But to the Temple Leader’s dismay, Jesus pointed out all the principles the Pharisees had gotten wrong. The priests had exalted themselves – put themselves up on a pedestal – but after Jesus, they were no longer needed. After Jesus, believers could pray directly to God Almighty. They no longer needed a priest as an intercessor. Jesus pointed out that God’s desire is that everyone would repent and return to him, to come home. After Jesus, all who believed had access to a heavenly eternity. One more thing – if people were supporting Jesus’ ministry, they probably weren’t supporting the temple. Jesus was stripping the Temple hierarchy of power, influence and money.

Believers spent the last two thousand years upholding the Good News brought to us by Jesus. We should all continue that devotion nowadays, and share the Good News with others. We should repent and return to the Lord as God directed. Filled with joy and enthusiasm, we should shout the virtues of Jesus!

In God’s vast eternal plan, Jesus is bigger than Taylor Swift! Really!

See you at church! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Celebrate!

For Thursday, October 6, 2022:

Nehemiah 8:6 NLT: “Then Ezra the scribe praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”

Nehemiah had returned to Jerusalem, providing leadership for the rebuilding of the Holy City. That work was finished, and now it was time to rebuild their worship of the Lord.

Holy writings had been discovered - the Book of the Law of God! The people hadn’t heard these words for quite some time. Those reading also clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.

The people wept, knowing they had not honored God’s Laws. But the leaders told them to instead celebrate their re-connection with the Lord! When someone repents and returns, Heaven celebrates!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Direct Connection!

 For Thursday, October 28, 2021

Ephesians 3:12 NLT: “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.”

Before Jesus, people requiring God’s intervention in a matter needed to find a priest, someone approved to speak with God. To obtain the priest’s cooperation, a gift was presented, often grain or livestock. It started to look like you could buy God’s favor, and that’s never true. God isn’t for sale!

As Jesus died on the cross, the curtain separating God from mankind in the Holy of Holies was torn apart, from top to bottom, so God had to be the one doing the tearing! When Jesus took the sin of the world upon himself, it was no longer necessary to keep mankind separated from God. Therefore when we need to pray, when we need to speak with God, when we need hope, we can directly call upon our Father in heaven!

That’s what Jesus said to do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Congregation vs. Leaders

September 21, 2015 Monday Message:

Last week’s Monday Message was confusing at best. The Bible gives us a distinction between who should be in church leadership, and who is welcome to attend church, and I blurred the line. I’m sorry - I need to teach this better!

In ancient times, the “Presence of God,” the Shekinah, was believed to reside in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, in the inner sanctum. The Holy of Holies could only be entered by the high priest, the Kohen Gadol. No one else could even touch these Holy places, or they would die. Other priests performed specific religious duties, both within and outside of the Temple, similar in a way to today’s church leadership.

Note that the temple also had a very large outer court, plenty of space for the general congregation and even seekers. ALL were welcome there. This is like our congregations and those that attend our churches. ALL are welcome.

Just to be clear, EVERYONE is welcome to attend church, but not everyone can or should be part of the church leadership team. God has called specific individuals to His work, and each of us should serve as we are called.

Commentary:

The Bible says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James 3:1 NIV As I read the news nowadays, I am saddened by the number of fallen clergy, often causing their congregations to second-guess their commitment to Jesus. Beware of people who, under the cover of religion, hide unclean, impure and evil things. Beware of evil workers in the Kingdom, Priests who lie, and churches that prefer to bury the truth rather than tell the truth. God will hold these leaders to His higher standard.

May your churches be served by leaders with an intact value system, and may your congregations be filled with those who love our Lord, and with those seeking to learn about Him.

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. every Sunday in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Sept. 27, Paul, man of God, survives a stormy sea – a miracle! See you at church!