Wars and Rumors...

 Daily message of hope...
For Thursday, September 11, 2025:

Matthew 24:6...8 NIV: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning.”

I remember when 911 was only the phone number you’d dial in an emergency. Nowadays, 9/11 (2001) is remembered as the day the United States was attacked by radical Muslims, killing about 3,000 people and destroying the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the worst attack ever on the continental US. In retrospect, we should not have been surprised.

Jesus told us that there would be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. We’re often told to pray for world peace, but I pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” That’s when we’ll see peace! Currently, the goats and the sheep are roaming the earth together. When Jesus returns, he will separate the goats from his flock. Evil will be sent down, and believers will enter God’s eternal Kingdom, where Jesus has already prepared a place for us. This is God’s plan, and in the end, God always wins. A created being who became evil can never overtake its creator (God.)

People tend to be stubborn, stuck in their ways. If Hamas returned the Israeli hostages, Netanyahu could back off on trying to capture Gaza City. Neither side will budge, neither wants to lose face, and so the war continues. 64,000 (some say 84,000) innocent civilian lives have been lost in this conflict. God cannot be pleased.

Three years ago, Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine. There was no good reason. Putin just wanted a bigger chunk of our planet. Over 1M people have died in the fighting. Despite US attempts to broker peace, the war continues. Nowadays, a drone can be dispatched to blow-up the opposition, with no risk to the sender. Ukrainian people are quite religious, exalting Jesus. Putin doesn’t believe in any god, so the conflict continues. Again, our Lord cannot be pleased.

What is your territory, and what is mine? The lines on a globe separating different countries were drawn by mankind, often the result of harsh conflict. These lines and country names mean little to God. He has no obligation to honor mankind’s divisions. But he did give the promised land to the Jews!

With over 40 conflicts worldwide, it would be easy to surmise that we’re nearing the beginning of the end. Only God knows the exact date. But I can promise you that each day we’re one day closer to the end of the age!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship

Rumors Bad – Truth Good!

For Wednesday, October 23, 2024:

1 John 3 NLT: “We know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.”

Two hurricanes, Helene and Milton, recently crossed Florida. Milton traveled East and dissipated over the Atlantic. But the first hurricane, Helene, surprisingly headed almost straight north, not stopping until it reached the Appalachian mountains over Asheville, North Carolina! Who would have thought that a mountainous city that far inland would be devastated by a storm from the Gulf of Mexico!

Long before the waters receded, rumors and conspiracy theories flew across news outlets and the internet. Most were proven to be false. But my point is that it took no time at all for the rumor mill to get started. Mankind is like that.

Similarly, following Jesus’ ascension, it took no time at all for untruths to start flooding the scene, and Jesus was no longer here to set things straight. “Some said Jesus wasn’t real, that he never actually existed, that he was all in our imaginations. Opposers tried to disprove the miracles, claiming sorcery or optical illusions. It was further claimed that Jesus couldn’t be the Son of God. After all, he was crucified. If he was truly God’s Son, God would have plucked him right out of harm’s way!”

Friends, re-read today’s scripture. The writer is stating truth, what’s obvious to Christian Believers, that Jesus–Son of God–actually walked among us and updated our knowledge of the Father. And because we believe in Jesus, we also live in fellowship with God Almighty. There is only one true God, and Jesus is the only way to eternal life in the presence of that God. Throw out the rumors and falsehoods. Believe this scripture, and then go teach others the Good News! Teach the truth!

Truth is God’s opinion on everything!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship