Jesus' Team!

For Tuesday, October 1, 2024:

1 John 4:6 NLT: “We belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.”

The Lord separates the sheep from the goats, and the sheep know their Shepherd’s voice and follow him. Goats of the world don’t (yet) know the Shepherd’s voice. They don’t listen to him and won’t follow him – unless God has opened their ears! My church calls them “not yet believers,” but still “potential believers.”

Jesus: “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen and understand.” The irony is that those who really need to hear the Gospel may have closed their minds to any new way of living. Believers can shout Good News at the top of their lungs, but unless the Holy Spirit has opened the ears and the minds of unbelievers, they will never hear or understand the redeeming message.

Jesus: “Whoever is not with me is against me.” It’s generally easy to tell who is on Jesus’ side. Those who adopt his lifestyle and value system are most likely “in.” But we still need to be cautious. Satan will lurk like a snake in the grass, unseen until he strikes out at the most inconvenient time!

So seek refuge in Father God’s lap in his big chair. Just as light and darkness cannot coexist, good and evil cannot coexist. Therefore the closer you are to God, the more you’ll be protected from evil!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Return of Jesus!

October 4, 2021 Monday Message

Mark 13:26 NLT: “Everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory.”

Jesus was leaving us with hope, promising that he’d return, and that’s good news for all believers. It’s also very bad news for unbelievers. Jesus’ return signifies a day of judgment, a day of reckoning, a day of accountability for all of mankind. It requires a previous decision – You can say ‘yes’ to Jesus, or you can say ‘no’ to Jesus, but there is no middle ground.

The Second Coming will be no small event. Everyone everywhere on earth will know what is occurring. The sun and the moon will no longer function, and the world will be wracked by cosmic catastrophes. This is the day the Lord separates the sheep from the goats. We have been given the privilege of living our lives as part of that preferred group. Angels will gather believers to be with Jesus. Unfortunately, some will choose the other group, and their wish will also be granted.

Choose wisely – we don’t get a do-over on this eternal decision!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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