Kingdom At Hand!

For Saturday, March 14, 2026:

Luke 3:16 NLT, John the Baptist speaking: “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

In Jesus’ day, Hebrews were plagued with Roman oppression. They hung on tightly to a prophecy about a Messiah coming to rescue them. People would come to the Jordan and confess their sins, wanting to live a better life. They desired to get right with God. As John baptized the repentant, they questioned him: “Might you be the Messiah for whom we have been waiting?”

John assures them that he is not that Messiah. According to John, there’s a huge difference. He can only baptize with water. He warns the group that the Kingdom of God is near. They will see it soon, baptism with the fire of the Holy Spirit and the Son of God walking on Earth alongside mankind. It’s kind of hard to explain, as no one had ever seen anything like this before! John had a little inside information, being a cousin of Jesus.

I could repeat John’s message today, and the information would still be correct. We should all repent and return to the Lord, because the Kingdom is at hand. Jesus said he would return. Everything he told us has been true, and we expect that this would be likewise – true! Jesus gave us signs to watch for, hints that his return was imminent. We see more and more of them all the time as the date draws closer.

Churches pray for world peace, but Jesus said there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. There are currently about 40 wars in the world, people shooting real bullets at one another. The wars we hear about on the news are the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Russia and communist North Korea are attacking Ukraine with soldiers and weapons. The US and other NATO allies are pouring defense assets into Ukraine. What we have here (just my opinion) is Communist Russia fighting a world war against Democratic countries. It’s just not obvious because the fighting is all on Ukrainian soil! That war is bigger than you think!

As for the Middle East, it’s Islam vs Judaism. Christians come down on the side of the Jews, our ancestors. Russia has been supplying intelligence and weapons to Iran, while Israel and the US intend to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons. In 2001, when hijacked airplanes demolished the World Trade Center towers, I told my Jewish friends that this was a Holy War. I still believe that.

Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars until he returns. If we read those signs, Jesus should be on the way. With each passing day, we’re one day closer to his return. Friends, the Kingdom of God is at hand!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Miraculous Signs!

For Sunday, January 25, 2026:

Mark 16:17a,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 place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

These are some of Jesus’ last words, his final instructions before ascending back to the Father. He first gave us our “Priesthood of all believers” doctrine, saying, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” This isn’t optional. Every Christian is to help make new Christians. Each of us will have a different portion of that task using our God-given gifts and talents. But encouraging others in their faith should be top-of-mind for all of us.

You should be aware that there’s a supernatural spirit-world operating alongside life on Earth as we know it. A lot of it is not good. Satan and his demons reside in the spirit dimension. Our goal is to settle in the Father’s heavenly Kingdom. Satan’s goal is to derail us, to keep our souls for himself. Obviously, God’s way is the better choice.

Jesus doesn’t throw us to the wolves. He leaves believers with his power and authority to deal with evil. We can bring back to life the victims of premature death. We can lay hands on our fellows and, in Jesus’ name, cure any sickness or disease. We can cast out demons, the source of much of the world’s trouble. Cast out the demons first, because they might be the root cause of the illnesses. That’s what Jesus did!

We are saved by grace through faith. Faith is the cornerstone of our salvation. Take a high view of the Bible. Every God-inspired word is truth, and every incident happened just the way the Bible says. Pray, do things in Jesus’ name, and repent of nonconforming scenarios. Know that this life is temporary, and have confidence that Jesus is preparing an eternal place for you. If you’re with Jesus, life couldn’t be better!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

End Times Signs!

For Thursday, November 13, 2025:

Luke 21:34 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap.”

The end times will be here someday soon. Jesus said so. He counseled mankind to watch out! Stay alert! That is why he taught about signs pointing to the end times, so that we would recognize what’s happening AS it happens!

When Jesus calls believers to meet him in the sky, we’d never want to miss that opportunity. A party might seem like good temporary fun, but it’s no good if it distracts us from accompanying Jesus into the next reality.

That day will be a day of last chances. It’s our last chance to join the line going with Jesus. It will also be Satan’s last chance to cloud our thinking, to divert our attention from the light. On that day, Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats. Everybody say, “Baa, baa…” Good job!

God’s desire is that all would repent and return, that none would be lost. He’s given us signs to recognize the day of decision. He’s allowing a little extra time so that more can get on board. Today is the accepted day to commit or re-commit our lives to Jesus’ mission. When Jesus says, “Let’s get going,” our desire should be to be first in line. We’ll all know when. He’s given us plenty of signs!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Warning Signs!

For Wednesday, November 5, 2025:

Luke 21:29 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near.”

"Sign, sign, everywhere, a sign!” There are good signs, and bad signs. A good sign is a good reminder. If there are far too many signs, no one will pay attention to any of them.

For close to ten years, I helped manage a non-profit organization with nearly 200 signs on the walls of its seven-room complex. “Replace your chairs as you found them. No gossip! Turn the lights out when you leave. Push the water button only once. Switch the coffee machine ‘off’ when empty. Respect confidentiality. Don’t leave trash in the building!” I would counsel them that the large number of taped-up signs made us appear less professional. The good we were doing appeared less competent. I didn’t have much luck with my campaign. Every time something happened that someone else didn’t like, up would go another sign. I can’t say that any of them were ever truly effective!

Jesus didn’t leave us with word signs. We were given prophetic signs so that when we’d see them, we’d know what was happening. Jesus gave us signs pointing to the second coming and the end times, and he told us so. Just as new leaves on a tree tell us that summer is near, the end times signs tell us that Jesus is returning soon. In a way, it’s a warning to get your house in order – or else! The anticipated day of judgment is imminent, and it’s time to claim our promise of salvation.

The prophetic signs are warnings for those who will witness the end times scenario. Those witnesses are the people who can utilize Jesus’ signs, informing them of what’s about to happen. Jesus said that the generation seeing these signs will not pass until the prophesied things have taken place. So keep your eyes open! We may end our lives in a different reality than the one into which we were born!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Wars and Rumors of War!

For Friday, October 17, 2025:

Luke 21:8 NLT: Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them.”

We have all heard rumors that the world would soon be ending, that Jesus would be returning on a certain date. The predictions are always wrong. Don’t believe anyone who tells you such things. Jesus said that even he doesn’t know the exact date, that only the Father knows. If someone says they know, they’re lying!

Jesus did give us signs that we’re getting closer to the second coming, and a major sign is the proliferation of wars and insurrections. In case you haven’t heard the news lately, our world currently has wars in spades! The one conflict with Biblical overtones started about two years ago when Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,000 and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, a radical terrorist organization that had taken over Gaza. Hamas would not release the captured Israelis, even as Gaza was reduced to rubble.

Today, two years later, the hostages that were still alive were finally released, and a peace agreement was signed. Israel is still complaining that all the bones of the deceased were not returned. My advice would be just to let it go. When someone has died, their soul no longer occupies a human body. Their eternal essence has (hopefully) gone to be with the Lord. The body is no longer relevant. (That’s the Christian view, not necessarily the Jewish view.)

I said the current conflict started two years ago, but the overall disagreement goes back 3,000 years. After wandering on the desert, God set the Hebrew people down in the Promised Land. A Rabbi once told me, “It’s our land – God gave it to us!” However, those who had previously lived there were displaced. Hence the conflict.

(Just my opinion:) I don’t believe this peace treaty will last, because at its roots, this is a religious war. We can fight over territory, over governments, over countries, but people cannot be forced to change their beliefs. Historically, people will rot in prison while hanging on to their religion.

Jesus is the only one who can straighten out this mess. Our prayer for peace should include, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Attend Your Local Church!

For Wednesday, October 8, 2025:

Hebrews 10:25 NLT: “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

If ever there were a good time for attending church, this would be it. Of course, it goes without saying that corporate worship of the one true God is always good. But what are some of the benefits for us?

We can double-check that we’re still on the same page with other believers. We can double-check that our beliefs still conform to the truths found in the Bible. We can encourage and support one another. We can fellowship together, even when it’s not a worship moment. We can “belong” in our community of believers. Our church friends can be our best friends.

I remember when I started a business with a partner. A lot of remodeling was necessary to make the space suitable for our business, and we did the work ourselves. If I became overwhelmed and discouraged, I still kept working because I didn’t want to let him down. He did the same for me. Even after we both decided it was time to take a break, one of us would jump up and pound the last few nails or measure a board for the next cut. It seems that we didn’t even know how to properly take a break! The point is that we accomplished way more as a team than I would have by myself.

A pastor told me that he believes we are in the end times of the end times. Jesus told us to watch for certain signs, and we’re routinely seeing some of them. I always hesitate when discussing eschatology, because Jesus said that no one knows exactly when it will all happen – the Second Coming of Christ, death, judgment, and the afterlife. After today, we’re one day closer than we were yesterday. The Bible says that God may be moving slowly to give more people a chance to be redeemed. God’s desire is that none would perish, but that all would repent and return. God will set the wheels in motion at the perfect time.

Watch for it with your brothers and sisters as you meet together!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Peter's Pentecost Speech!

For Thursday, June 5, 2025:

Acts 2:14, 16 NLT: “Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, ‘Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. What you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel.’”

God made the ‘roaring wind’ sound on the Day of Pentecost, drawing a large, curious crowd. God had tapped Peter on the shoulder to be the spokesperson for the believers. Never one to appear shy, Peter spoke in a loud voice, as if everyone had come just to hear him! He explained that, like so many things in the Bible, that day’s activities were a fulfillment of scripture. The Holy Spirit was in motion. The end result would be a mass ‘repent and return.’ Joel’s prophecy concludes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The audience was Jews who were familiar with God, scriptures and religion in general, so Peter’s words came as no surprise. And by now, everyone in Israel had heard about Jesus. Peter connected the dots for them: “God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.” No surprises. No new information. Just an acknowledgement of what had been going on around them. Yes, Jesus was heaven-sent! Everyone should have concluded as much had they taken the time to think things through. “God released Jesus from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.” How’s that for a God-sized miracle?

Peter continues to make his case for Christ, saying many of the same things that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. But by this time, the Holy Spirit had opened minds. Foregone opinions were cast aside in favor of using brainpower and thinking things through. Peter’s message concludes, “Let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

His words touched their hearts, and the listeners asked, “Brothers, what should we do?”

Take a moment and put yourself in Peter’s shoes. If you had been the featured speaker that day, how would you answer their question? All believers are supposed to share the Good News, the Gospel about Jesus. Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations. If their hearts are touched and they’re ready to sign up, what should the next step be? We all need to know the best answer, the correct answer!

May the Lord’s blessings go with you today as you fulfill God’s purpose for your life!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Imminent Return!

February 26, 2024 Monday Message:

Mark 13:29 NLT, Jesus speaking: “When you see all these things taking place, these signs, you can know that the Son of Man’s return is very near, right at the door.”

Jesus is speaking about the end times. He says that preceding his return to us, there will be signs, warning us that the day is imminent. And believers need to be ready for the trip of a lifetime!

The signs are wars and rumors of wars, extreme weather, earthquakes, and famine. Close friends may abandon you. Believers will be persecuted. We will no longer see the light of the sun, moon and stars.

Jesus himself claimed to not know the exact day. Angels in heaven do not know. Only the Father knows. So we need to be ready every day. That’s why each day is a good day to repent. Square things up with your neighbor before nightfall. And don’t fall for any false Messiahs!

Jesus says, “We must watch. Anyone who watches is not caught by surprise. People are not ready because they fail to watch.” So stay alert! Be ready to join Jesus, whenever that day arrives!

Jesus promises, “The one who endures to the end will be saved!” (Mark 13:13)

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship