Mission!

June 1, 2026, Monday Message:

Matthew 10:8a NLT, Jesus speaking: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons.”

There is only one Jesus, one Son of God. He is fully God, but while walking on earth, he’s also fully human. His goal is to share the Good News (Gospel) with all Israel. To multiply his efforts, he sends out the 12, 2 X 2, equipping them with his supernatural powers so the populous will understand the mighty power of God.

Jesus would not have told his Apostles to do these things unless it was possible for them to succeed. Jesus was known for healing, but now Jesus’ FOLLOWERS would be known for healing! Later, Jesus would include other disciples in the groups he sent out to evangelize. Everyone he sent would have power over Satan and his demons if they used the name of Jesus!

Faith can affect the success rate of miracles. We should pray as if the miracle had already happened. Jesus personally gave us this power – now claim it! A couple more things. Loud prayers aren’t necessarily better. Just explain what you need to happen, and use Jesus’ name, calmly. Our God is orderly. And leave out the “justs” and “onlys!” They usually add nothing to the praying. “Oh Father, we just come before you today asking only for mercy.” Bad example.

Jesus authorized proselytization. Believers have been called to make disciples of all nations, so let’s get out there, get busy and work our assignments. Use Jesus’ name. Smile!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Prejudice!

May 4, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 4:22 NLT: “Everyone spoke well of Jesus and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘How can this be?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’”

Prejudice. It’s a practical word that has taken on a bad connotation. Nowadays, when we think of prejudice, we think of people from one country disliking those of another, simply because they’re from that other country. Racial prejudice is hate based only on skin color. And a number of people always seem to hate the Jews, but I’m never quite sure why.

Prejudice simply means “to pre-judge.” Prejudice could be based on logical assumptions, and not necessarily hateful in nature. In human terms, Jesus was the son of Joseph, so everyone assumed that Jesus would have learned from his father, who was a tektōn, a builder or craftsman. Given the lack of trees in the region and the amount of stone available, it’s more likely that Joseph was a stone mason rather than a carpenter.

But the people are amazed when Jesus reads scripture and speaks in the Synagogue. They hadn’t seen this coming! If he could artfully cut stone, that would have fit their prejudice. But to discover that Jesus could not only read scripture, truly understand scripture, and clearly explain it to others didn’t fit their pre-judged model. Jesus’ gracious words were contrary to what was normal for the time, looking out only for oneself. Again, it wasn’t what they expected.

Jesus is setting the stage for what bystanders around him should expect to see in the future. Friends, prepare yourselves. Expect the unexpected. Watch for problems to be supernaturally resolved. Miracles will be brought to fruition right before your eyes. You can watch it all happen, and wonder, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Don’t allow your prejudice to overturn what your eyes can see!

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

Miracle Source!

For Thursday, April 16, 2026:

John 12:17-18 NLT: “Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were testifying about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign.”

Jesus could perform miracles, and miracles impress people. Many were in Jerusalem for Passover, hence the large crowds. They had traveled to experience religious things, and all the buzz was about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Everyone was impressed, but it was kind of like they all had attended a magic show. They worshiped the miracle itself, but not where it came from, who did it, why they did it and who that person is.

Jesus intentionally took his time traveling to Martha and Mary’s house, arriving after Lazarus had died. “O Lord, if only you had been here,” cried the women. They’re thinking in earthly terms. Knowing what we now know about Jesus, he could have healed Lazarus from far away. But to Jesus, this needed to be an event. This was about showcasing the glory of the Lord. He wanted Lazarus clearly dead before calling him out of the tomb – a BIG miracle! Perhaps then people would recognize that this was heaven-sent, and that Jesus was God’s only Son!

Friends, don’t just appreciate the miracle, the event itself. Worship the supernatural entity that brought the miracle to fruition. Worship God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – as they bestow miracle after miracle on believers!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Move that Mounain!

For Sunday, April 12, 2026:

Mark 11:22-23 NLT: Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.”

All believers have supernatural powers. Most never use them. The question becomes one of motivation. Why do we want to move the mountain into the sea? What is the purpose? Perhaps it’s a metaphor for other things.

We are called to heal the sick. Stopping the growth of cancer might be the mountain we’re sent to move. Raising the dead would certainly qualify, but we can’t override God’s decision to call a person home. Many Christians have never seen a demon, but if you have, it’s scary. Not casting them out would not be an option. Getting that job done would be monumental.

Jesus told us to love the Lord and love our neighbors. Loving your neighbor might involve moving a mountain. We should do whatever is needed to make their lives better. Then, because we’re following Jesus’ instructions, our lives will be better!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

For Sunday, March 8, 2026:

John 14:8 NLT, Philip speaking: “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Jesus has been telling the disciples about the life after this life. Philip, one of the 12, has questions about the Trinity, the 3-in-1 God. I understand. As I meet with people to answer their Bible questions, this is the #1 topic!

Understanding the awesome power of God Almighty helps us make sense of the Trinity. First, God is omnipotent, meaning all powerful. Mankind can imagine supernatural things, but God can actually do them. God had the power to create planets, our solar system, the whole universe and the space into which it could all be put; plants, animals and human beings, from scratch! He can create anything and do anything, so don’t be surprised when God does something out of the ordinary, something kind of unusual.

Our all-powerful God is also omnipresent. He can be in more than one place at the same time, simultaneously. Being omnipresent, God can decide to walk on planet Earth to rescue mankind, while remaining in Heaven. Sort of like cloning, but still of one mind. God can also do different things at the same time, multi-tasking, if you will. And if you pray to God, He’s never too busy to take the call. God doesn’t have voicemail or call waiting. Omnipresence makes him perpetually available.

Omniscience is another God trait. He possesses all knowledge. God is smart, much smarter than any of us! He knows what’s good for us, and even if it hurts, He’ll give us what’s best for us. Mankind is better off living under God’s plan.

So can Jesus show the Father to Philip? Jesus answered, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” I hope Philip gets it; I hope we ALL get it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & 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

Deceivers!

For Tuesday, October 29, 2024:

2 John 7 NLT: “Many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.”

Believers know that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. He arrived in our world as a little baby, one who could have died when Herod was trying to exterminate all the Hebrew babies. That’s why his parents took refuge in Egypt. In fact his human body would eventually die as he took our sins to the place of the dead.

But the extraordinary wisdom, the healings and other miracles were straight from heaven. The resurrection was not Jesus dying; He was returning to his Father in heaven, saying, “Mission accomplished!”

There are credible writings, both sacred and secular, that clearly acknowledge the supernatural feats of this Jesus who walked alongside mankind. Yes, the stories about him are true, these things actually happened, and a denier is at least wrong, a deceiver and a candidate for antichrist-of-the-year.

Believers need to steer clear of deceivers. Truth can be reinforced by associating with other believers!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Super-Natural!

For Saturday, June 3, 2023:

1 Peter 1:3b-4 NLT: “It is by God’s great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.”

Our God believes in forgiveness and second chances. Jesus took the sin of the world upon himself, and gave mankind a fresh start. By confessing our sins and acknowledging Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have been assured of salvation. We are saved by grace through faith!

God can redeem us out of any worldly situation. Any! God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are supernatural, not constrained by our human limitations. God has the power to derail Satan and his evil plans for us, and he will do just that! Believers are born again as children of the Almighty. So protecting us is family business!

Pray and expect a miracle from a supernatural God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship