Beatitudes!

For Sunday, July 26, 2026:

Luke 6:20 NLT: Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.”

Thus begin the Beatitudes, Jesus’ declarations of blessedness from his Sermon on the Mount message. Let’s have a look.

If someone was struggling through their earthly life, was poor or sick and turned to the Lord for assistance, they would be included in the Kingdom, since they already knew the Lord, having cried out to him for help. They value God’s assistance both in this life and the next.

On the other hand, many people living rich, abundant lives think they have it all together. A lot of them have no need for a God since they believe the world revolves around them! Not so! They will not see the Kingdom as they never knew the Lord.

This is what Jesus meant when he said that the first will be last and the last will be first. Those having a rough time and seek the Lord will continue to know him. Those who don’t know the Lord on this earth also won’t know him in the life after this life. So be intentional about cementing your relationship with the Almighty. If life has been good to you, become a leader in loving your neighbors. Do what Jesus would have you do here on earth. Then he’ll smile on you in the next life!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Delivered from Demons!

Daily message of hope...

For Sunday, July 19, 2026: 

Luke 6:13 NLT: “The large crowd had come to hear Jesus and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed.”

 Jesus and his disciples came down from the mountain after the selection of 12 Apostles. A surprisingly large crowd awaited them. People from all over Israel had gathered both to hear Jesus speak and for healing. Word about Jesus was out!

 Luke, our investigative reporter, took notice that many were healed from diseases and sickness. But many others were delivered from the unclean spirits haunting them. Satan is never on holiday, and constantly sends demons to throw sand into the gears of our lives. Jesus knew this was a first-order problem. People could not be physically healed when evil was side-tracking their lives. We know that divine healing includes the casting out of demons. 

 The crowd tried to get close to Jesus and touch him. Healing power seemed to emanate from him. Jesus isn’t a quitter. The Bible says he healed everyone.

 How many were healed by Jesus? (Say it with me:) “EVERYONE!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church 

Is the Doctor In?

For Sunday, July 5, 2026: 

Luke 5:31-32 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

 Nowadays, even healthy people need a doctor. They call it ‘preventive medicine.’ Doctors want to spot little problems before they become big ones. I take prescriptions daily, not because I’m experiencing any problem, but because my numbers are just a little off. As a result, life expectancy is much higher now than it was when Jesus walked the earth! Preventive medicine works!

 2K years ago, people would only call on a physician if they were really sick or severely injured. When people had exhausted all their personal healing options, it was time to summon a professional. Hence Jesus’ analogy, comparing physical healing with spiritual healing.

 The physically sick are eager to find a solution. They welcome the opinion of a trained medical professional. But those who are spiritually ill oftentimes are embarrassed by their situation and reluctant to seek help. For example, one symptom of addiction is vehemently denying the problem.

 When sinners are ready to repent, ready to seek help, Jesus stands ready to forgive, forget and absolve. ‘Repent’ in the Hebrew language literally means to get closer to God. Someone sinning is said to be far from God. Someone reversing the course of their lives, repenting and returning, is said to be closer to God.

 That’s the best place for us all to be, closer to God. We should have Jesus looking out for us, forgiving our sins, and clearing the way for believers to live closer to God. You’ll find that Jesus has prepared a place for you in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom! If you repent and return, there’ll be a room with your name on the door!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Doctor in the House?

June 29, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 5:31 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.”

Jesus’ analogy compares physical health with spiritual health. Healthy people have little use for a doctor. But those with a malady or injury will be first in line at the emergency room.

Those who think they have religion all figured out have little use for the Son of Man. That works out, because Jesus has no time for ‘know-it-alls!’ He came for the repentant, sinners trying to return to the straight and narrow, backsliders who have done a 180º. Jesus dispenses mercy to all who repent and return.

“Repent and return” is a key phrase in Jewish theology. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they were told to repent and return. Be truly sorry for what went wrong, and submit to God’s leadership. When the Hebrews leaving Egypt rebelled, Moses told them to repent and return to the God who had rescued them. When God called Jonah, he went in the opposite direction. He feared for his own safety. He finally repented, either on a stormy ship or in the belly of a great fish, who spit him out on the beach at Nineveh. He returned to his God. He was able to counsel the people of Nineveh to repent and return. They did, and God restored their kingdom!

Remember, God’s desire is that ALL would repent and return. He doesn’t want to lose a single soul. You can lock in your eternal destiny today by calling Jesus your “Lord and Savior.” God loves everyone who loves his Son!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God's Solution!

For Sunday, June 21, 2026:

Luke 5:19b NLT: “The men went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus.”

When a situation looks hopeless, God oftentimes provides a way. The men had brought their paralyzed friend on a stretcher, seeking healing from God’s Son. Jesus’ reputation preceded him. He was known for divine healing, just what the guy on the stretcher needed. If fact, Jesus may have been his last hope for a normal life.

But big problem – the huge crowd who had come to hear Jesus completely filled the room! So the men somehow wrangled their injured friend onto the roof, removed some of the roof’s covering, and using ropes, lowered their friend into the room, right in front of Jesus! There was no other way to get the man on the stretcher in front of the Master! I would have loved to see the Pharisee’s faces when they saw a man, suspended by ropes, in the air above Jesus. This is faith on steroids, as we say!

God’s solution to a dilemma may be unconventional, but he has a divine plan! In the end, everything will work out. Go up on the roof, remove some tiles, requisition some ropes and lower the injured man as needed. No one in the room expected to see the injured man that day, but voilà, there he is! Healing is imminent! God is good!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church 

Word's Out!

For Friday, June 19, 2026:

Luke 5:17b NLT: “One day while Jesus was teaching, people showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.”

The word was out about Jesus! People wanted to hear him teach and preach, and they wanted to see him heal. In fact, that was the big draw, the legendary healings. This was something heretofore unseen. Crowds would line up to be next! Many traveled long distances to get close to Jesus. And they would transport friends and relatives with maladies or injuries, and Jesus could render them back to original specs, without the sickness or injury, fully healed!

We have weekly meetings featuring the words of Jesus. It’s called ‘church.’ Do people travel long distances to hear the Good News? Usually not. Do they bring the sick and injured? No, those typically stay home. Perhaps a renewed emphasis on the miracles of Jesus would attract more souls! Personally, when I consider the heaven-sent supernatural nature of God’s Son, no other options exist for my choice of Savior!

To those in Israel 2K years ago, Jesus was worth the trip. He should also be worth the trip nowadays!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Son of God!

For Sunday, June 7, 2026:

Luke 4:40 NLT: “Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at Jesus’ command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.”

Jesus had healed Simon’s mother-in-law. Word got out, and soon people from miles around were bringing their sick and injured to Jesus. Some of the people were plagued by demons, oftentimes the root cause of their illness. Jesus would send the demons away as part of his cure.

The demons identified Jesus. “You are the Son of God!” But Jesus knew that if he claimed to be the Son of God, he’d be accused of blasphemy, so he didn’t let the demons speak.

Nowadays, we don’t have to be so cautious with our words. Believers should tell the world that Jesus is truly the Son of the Most High. We should shout out the Good News!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Do What Jesus Did!

For Thursday, April 9, 2026:

Mark 16:17-18 NLT, Jesus speaking: “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes safely, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

Once again, Jesus has separated the sheep from the goats. There are only two types of people in this world: believers and unbelievers. Jesus says that those who refuse to believe will be condemned. End of story. But those who believe will be blessed with the ability to continue doing what Jesus himself had been doing. He wants us to love our neighbors and bring joy into the world!

Notice that the first mention is the casting out of demons. As Jesus’ work is documented in our Gospels, this was often his first order of business. Satan’s demons are likely the root cause of many of the problems we witness. Since they live in the Spirit realm and can’t be seen, many of us fail to perceive the problem. Jesus never skipped this step. Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that Satan is on holiday. He’ll happily keep us miserable until the end of the age. Remember, Mary Magdalene became one of Jesus’ most enthusiastic supporters, but not until he sent away the seven demons holding her back!

I’ve decided not to personally test the snakes and poison thing. But I have laid hands on the sick. God once told me that healing would begin in two days, and like clockwork, 48 hours later, my phone rang saying the patient had a radical turnaround! I’ve concluded that the world would be a better place if there were more Christians in it doing what Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Serving Mankind!

March 9, 2026, Monday Message:

Matthew 4:24 NLT: “News about Jesus spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.”

As he documents what occurred, Matthew seems amazed that news of Jesus’ healings spread into Syria. But if we look at a map nowadays, the news traveled only about 300 miles. The remarkable thing is that this happened without radio, TV, newspapers or internet! No journalists were reporting on Jesus’ activities. Back then, word-of-mouth was how information went out!

Being heaven-sent with the power of God Almighty, Jesus could fully heal the sick, the injured and the mentally impaired. We often underestimate the negative effects of demon-possession, but Jesus took care of that, too. People healed by Jesus were fully healed!

As this news spread, people began bundling up their sick and bringing them to Jesus. They would travel many miles, sometimes for weeks, to find Galilee, where the healings took place. Jesus wasn’t a slacker. He kept the line moving until everyone who needed healing was healed. Only then was it a time for rest.

As impressive as this all seems, healing wasn’t Jesus’ primary purpose in coming to Earth. It was a side-benefit of Jesus being God in the flesh. Mankind are the beneficiaries of Jesus’ goodness. Around Jesus, miracles were commonplace. We shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus preached for us to love our neighbors. Those who came needed help, he could provide the solution, and not helping wasn’t an option in Jesus’ playbook.

Later in his ministry, Jesus would take the sins of the world to the place of the dead, thereby healing not only the physically sick, but also all of mankind who were cursed with their sin problem. Jesus brought heaven’s healing to everyone willing to accept his help, everyone who desired to repent and return to the Father’s way.

Jesus’ offer of love and forgiveness is still open! Have you made your decision?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

For Saturday, November 16, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 4:1 NLT: “We urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.”

Paul is encouraging the Thessalonian church: We have taught you to live in God’s ways, according to his commandments, according to his value system. We know that you are already living that way, but can you go a step further? Can you prioritize God even more in your lives? When God looks down from heaven upon the Thessalonian church, don’t you all want him to have a smile on his face? And when God looks down on each of our churches, aren’t we also looking for that smile of approval?

Can we all love the Lord a little more each day? More time and stronger devotion? And certainly we can do a better job of loving our neighbors, of taking care of the needy, the sick, the orphaned and the widowed. We should be the hands and feet that pour God’s mercy into the world. Friends, this kind of help and love has to come from the church. We cannot count on the government for benevolence, and we cannot legislate virtue. Only from God and his church can come these planks in our moral platform.

God’s will is for us to be holy!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Sick Need Healing!

For Wednesday, March 1, 2023:

Matthew 9:12 NLT: Jesus speaking: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.”

Matthew, now having joined up with the apostles, invited Jesus and his disciples to dinner at his home. Since tax collectors were known for skimming tax dollars, Matthew must have been able to afford a lavish home and a bountiful dinner. They were joined by many other sinners and tax collectors for the feast.

The Pharisees, observing this, asked, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum, the sinners and tax collectors?”

Jesus explained, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

In a few short words, Jesus summed up his earthly mission. Those who think they have it all together are on their own. But repentant sinners have been sent a Savior, a Redeemer. Jesus freely offers forgiveness and eternal life to those who call him Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship