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

Eternal Life!

For Saturday, April 25, 2026:

Romans 8:11 NLT: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

Two important things happened between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. First, the sins of the world were heaped upon Jesus, who was otherwise sinless. His primary mission in coming to earth was the rescue of mankind from our sin problem. I believe this occurred when Jesus declared, “It is finished.” His mission had been accomplished. He would take those sins to the place of the dead, leaving mankind spotless, eligible to take up residence in God’s heavenly Kingdom.

And on resurrection Sunday, Jesus was raised from the dead and walked out of the tomb. He proved to everyone that there is life after this life, and that death is not the end. Believers, those who call Jesus “Lord,” will receive that same reward. We call it Assurance of Salvation.

If you’re looking for a guarantee of someday seeing heaven from the inside, here it is. No other religion can promise Assurance of Salvation. This scripture quotes the words of Jesus, which we know to be true! They’re in the Bible, which is also truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Risen!

     For Tuesday, February 3, 2026:

Mark 16:9, 11 NLT: “After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. But when she told the disciples that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.”

Thus begins the longer ending of this Gospel. I suspect some writers assumed that once the tomb was empty, the story was complete. Not quite! There will be another 40 days to document. As Paul Harvey used to say, “the r-r-r-rest of the story.” Yes, the tomb was empty, but even more important is the fact that Jesus was alive! People could see him, hear him and follow him around. He proved that there is life after this life.

Before Jesus, Mary Magdalene was a tough case. After all, she was occupied by seven demons. But once freed from Satan’s influence, she quickly assumed the role of “most loyal to Jesus,” sort of a female equivalent of Simon Peter. It actually makes sense that she would be the first to see the risen Christ.

Notice the order in which Jesus did things. Before healing, teaching or including her in the group, he cast out her demons, all seven of them. Wow! She must have been a mess! But Satan’s minions have no power over the name of Jesus. We should learn from what Jesus did. He said believers should use his name!

Humans tend to believe what we expect to see. Our minds fulfill our expectations. In this case, the disciples had watched as Jesus died on the cross, was pierced with a spear, and then laid in a grave. So when Magdalene said she saw Jesus alive, she was doubted.

But it turned out that she was right. When Jesus called out, “Mary,” she knew his voice. Are you familiar enough with Jesus that if he called out your name, you’d recognize His voice?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Sinless!

For Thursday, January 15, 2026:

Romans 6:10b-11 NLT: “Now that Christ lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”

Jesus was crucified, died, and buried with the sins of the world. He was resurrected, leaving the sins behind. Believers stick with Jesus throughout all that happened, now following a Savior who has totally overcome sin. We want to look straight ahead, focusing on the sinless one, rather than wandering eyes searching for possible sin opportunities. Sin can’t get close to us if we’re close to Jesus!

Conflict in my home city of Minneapolis has been the lead story in the news recently, so I ask you to pray with me for peace. Thank you!!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

God of the Living!

For Saturday, October 11, 2025:

Luke 20:37 NLT: “As to whether the dead will be raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’”

There is only one version of the truth. There is only one Bible, one version of the Holy Scrolls. So everyone had the same information available, yet somehow the Sadducees didn’t understand life after this life. Jesus digs deeper, pointing out the scripture they missed. Think of it logically. There would be no point in being God if your followers were all dead. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had long ago ended their earthly days, yet they are still referred to in ‘first person,’ as if they are still alive. And they ARE alive, living in the next reality with the God who resurrected them. Jesus said, “He is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”

So to sum up Jesus’ response to the Sadducees: Yes, there is life after this life. Yes, those who are loyal and obedient will be with the Lord. When believers appear to have died, they will actually be living in God’s presence. People who died long before us will be with God as well. If we’re lucky, we’ll get to meet some of them.

Jesus said He would return to the Father first, so that He could prepare a place for us! People get ready, there’s a train a-comin’… It’s headed for Heaven!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Death Is Not the End!

September 1, 2025, Monday Message:

Luke 18:31-33 NLT: “Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, ‘Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.’”

The “going up to Jerusalem” would be the Triumphal Entry, what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. Following that, things would quickly go downhill. The Pharisees had been plotting to kill Jesus for quite some time, and this time they would get their wish. Judas-the-traitor would betray our Savior, who would be arrested, mocked, beaten and spit upon. On the following Friday, he would be nailed to a cross. Crucifixion always ended in death. The Romans were diligent about their evil task.

On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus had lived an innocent life, but at that point, I believe the sins of the world were heaped upon him. Since he really died, Jesus visited the place of the dead, and there he left the sins of the world, separating sin from believers as far as the east is from the west, as far as the ocean is deep.

Three days later Jesus went missing from the tomb. Everyone he encountered could see him, talk to him and hear him speak. Jesus continued to teach, and I suspect the main message was that death is not the end! Jesus was a walking, talking example of resurrection! In the life after this life, the sheep are separated from the goats, and Jesus will prepare a place for his flock in the Eternal Kingdom

Jesus was fulfilling prophesy after prophesy, proving him to be beyond a shadow of a doubt the expected Messiah. God’s plan was that mankind’s sins could be forgiven through faith in the Son. Jesus’ obedience made it possible for us to see heaven from the inside. God’s desire is that none would perish, but that all would repent and return. Have you made arrangements to join Jesus in the hereafter?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Jesus Messiah!

July 21, 2025, Monday Message:

John 12:10-11 AMP: “The chief priests planned to kill Lazarus also, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away [from the teaching and traditions of the Jewish leaders] and believing in Jesus [following Him as Savior and Messiah].”

Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus were close friends of Jesus. You may recall that Lazarus became quite ill and eventually died. It was Jesus, Son of God, who brought him back to life four days later! Jesus was intentional about waiting four days to arrive, so that observers could be certain of the miracle and glorify God Almighty! This same Jesus would eventually hold all power over sin and death.

2,000 years ago, there was no radio, TV or internet. So when someone returned home and asked, “What’s been happening,” they expected detailed information. “Tell me everything!” Lazarus being brought back to life was #1 on the local buzz. People couldn’t stop talking about it, and many perceived Jesus to be the prophesied heaven-sent Messiah. Many shifted their allegiance from the Jewish priests to Jesus. Nowadays, we’d call it a Church Split.

Sidebar, just my opinion: I believe that faith in God’s Son, Christianity, was never intended to be a separate religion. It should have been just Judaism Chapter 2, a continuation of God’s relationship with Earth’s people. Jesus was raised Jewish, and observed and taught the centuries-old commandments and traditions. Replacing the Old Covenant with the New Covenant should have been a continuation, not a complete break and a restart. Count on humans to get it wrong!

The Chief Priests first plotted to kill Jesus, and now they’re planning the demise of Lazarus. When your religious leadership has murder on its agenda, you know for certain that it’s time to make a switch. Clearly the train had gone off the tracks.

God always favors life. First, he created everything from scratch, and then he commanded all creation to, “Go forth and multiply!” Reproduce your own kind. Make more like yourself, and fill the earth! God never said, “Figure out who to kill, and make a few animals extinct. There are far too many _____.” (snails, tortoises, dolphins, birds – you pick!)

One more thing. Last Friday, I was at the Rice County Fair in Faribault, MN. A couple had brought their newborn baby, and everyone wanted to take a look. A young girl, all smiles, told me excitedly, “He’s not even a week old!” By the time I backed off, at least 35 people had gathered to see God’s creation! They were ignoring the cows, chickens, goats and horses on display and focusing on the infant! The parents should have been awarded a blue ribbon for their exhibit! Moments like this make God smile!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Author of Salvation!

For Thursday, July 17, 2025:

Hebrews 5:9 NLT: “God qualified Jesus as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.”

Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. This fulfilled God’s plan for Jesus to be “the author of our eternal salvation.” He is the source or the cause of our forgiveness and redemption. Jesus holds our reservation for residence in God’s forever kingdom.

Calling Jesus a High Priest is a nod to Jewish teaching and tradition. People would symbolically reconcile with God by having a High Priest take away their sins on the Day of Atonement. Jesus is the ultimate High Priest who came to forgive the sins of the world.

When someone dies and leaves an inheritance, it sometimes never gets to the intended recipient. Jesus died and rose again, so he could keep an eye on believers receiving their portion. We will not be robbed and we will not be short-changed! Jesus, who sits at the right hand of God, is the one distributing our salvation gift!

Claim your inheritance directly from the author of your salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Resurrected!

June 30, 2025, Monday Message:

John 11:4 NLT: “When Jesus heard about it he said, ‘Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.’”

In fact Lazarus DID die, but was raised back to life by Jesus. I’ve always been intrigued by that next reality. The line between life and death isn’t as rigid as we think. In the grocery store check-out line, you can read headline after headline about people who started that journey, but were somehow called back. Those stories fuel tabloids.

Their stories are always similar. The person travels down the transition tunnel, bright light at the end, and is finally overcome by a peaceful feeling that everything will be OK. Quite a contrast to all the crying and sadness at funerals!

Jesus sent advance teams of disciples to every town he planned to visit, telling them to heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead! So raising the dead might not have been commonplace, but it was certainly possible, through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Using Lazarus, Jesus was about to show everyone that death is not the end. Death is the same soul that we know and love, still alive but in a different reality.

If God calls you back to life, it’s because you’re not yet finished. He has more for you to do. As someone who was brought back to life, Lazarus could give firsthand testimony about God’s love and Jesus’ power! No one had ever witnessed the miracle of being raised from the dead through any other religion. But now Lazarus, Mary, Martha and everyone present that day could give eyewitness testimony to the truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Eyewitnesses!

For Tuesday, April 29, 2025:

Mark 16:9 longer ending, NLT: “After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.”

Did you ever notice that Jesus often casts out demons as he restores a person? Their healing will proceed better and faster if demons aren’t standing in the way. Demons are the devil’s workers, sent to disrupt our lives and divert our attention from the Lord. Indwelt by seven demons, Mary Magdalene must have been a mess! But with the demons out of the way, she became a loyal disciple of Jesus.

So after the crucifixion, it makes perfect sense that Mary Magdalene would be among the first group visiting the tomb, to prepare the body for long-term burial. We know how the story unfolds. When the women arrived, they found the stone rolled away and Jesus’ body missing. In fact, he had been resurrected, risen from the dead. Jesus had told everyone that things would play out this way, but never having seen this before, the disciples didn’t understand.

Mary lingered behind in the garden outside Jesus’ tomb. She assumed the man there was the gardener until he spoke, “Mary.” She answered, “Rabboni,” which means teacher. Mary ran straightaway back to where they had all been staying, and told the men what had happened, that Jesus was alive. As a group they didn’t believe her, but the ever-curious Simon Peter had to see for himself. John joined in and eventually won the footrace to the tomb. They saw for themselves what the women had experienced – stone rolled away and body missing! The risen Jesus would later visit the disciples who would come to believe.

What happened that day was so unusual that at first even the disciples didn’t believe the eyewitnesses. They eventually believed, especially after Jesus visited them! As the disciples evangelized, it was a difficult story for unbelievers to swallow, but it’s a major plank in our theology platform. It must be taught convincingly. Our eyewitnesses are from 2,000 years ago!

The world thinks death is the end. Believers know it’s the beginning of eternal life in God’s Kingdom!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Ascension!

For Sunday, April 27, 2025:

Luke 24:51 NLT: “While Jesus was blessing the believers, he left them and was taken up to heaven.”

What would you give to have been there that day? Kneeling down, head bowed, being blessed by the Son-of-God, he suddenly starts rising, ascending into the sky. His destination is heaven, to be seated at the right hand of the Father. As he disappeared from sight, I believe Jesus wasn’t the only one walking on air!

So much happened in the preceding 40 days. Mankind was redeemed as the sins of the world were taken away, Jesus was crucified, died, but rose again three days later! The resurrected Jesus still spoke to his followers, teaching and proclaiming the Kingdom. Ascension into heaven was the final step. Nothing this significant will occur until Jesus returns!

Awestruck, the believers returned to the Temple and continued to worship. That was the only possible response to what they had just seen!

Jesus was truth in a human body. Everything he ever uttered was honest and true. He said he would return, so we have no reason to doubt his words. At the second coming, Jesus won’t be hard to spot. The Bible says that the whole world will know when he arrives!

Nonetheless, keep your eyes peeled!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship