Truth!

For Thursday, April 10, 2025:

John 16:2 NIV, Jesus warning believers: “You will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.”

God doesn’t change, and sin doesn’t change. If God said a behavior was sin 3k years ago, it’s still sin today. Mankind can’t and shouldn’t arbitrarily adopt a new law or ignore the old laws and assume that it’s OK with God. Sin, disrespecting God, is never OK.

I once worked for a church that was seriously off track. The Sr. Pastor and I were brought in to help get them back to the Word. Unfortunately, that pastor became ill, so I was the lone voice advocating for God’s way. I led a Bible Study for the Worship Team, often attended by many other church members. Our discussions frequently contradicted what had been taught the previous Sunday! The denomination eventually assigned a new Sr. Pastor, and one of his first moves was my termination. They must not like dissension! Pastor David Housholder said it best: “We were voted off the island!”

That’s precisely what happened to Jesus. He was no longer welcome at Synagogues led by the Pharisees. Heresy was being taught at the Temple, his Father’s House. And as Jesus is preparing to leave the earth and return to the Father, he leaves us with these warnings. If it can happen to Jesus, it can happen to anyone!

So always seek a church with a high view of the Bible. Be a part of the truth team! May God bless each and every one of you – have a joyful Palm Sunday weekend!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God's Word!

For Tuesday, November 12, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 2:13 NLT: “We never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.”

Believers should have what’s called a “high view” of the Bible, meaning the scriptures are God-inspired and true. Therefore the theology we teach is not your idea or my idea; it’s all God’s ideas! The Holy Spirit opens people’s hearts, and we fill them with the Good News of salvation through Jesus!

Some preachers motivate their listeners with the fear of hell, and chastise them for wrongdoing. Personally, I’m not good at that. I’m more likely to teach what the Bible says, and assume that the desired action would be self-evident. If we truly believe that the Bible is God’s word, how could we not obey?

If we know what God has spoken, we’ll know what to teach!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Church!

For Thursday, July 11, 2024:

Luke 5:3 NLT: “Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon-Peter, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.”

I hope you remember singing the contemporary song, “The Heart of Worship.” The story was that they removed everything from the sanctuary of a church, and then put back only what was necessary for worship. It was a lesson in “back to basics.” We tend to think that we need so many things for worship – but we really don’t! If you glace around your church, you’ll see many accouterments based on man-made tradition rather than inspired by the Bible. Nicky Gumbel spoke of this in his “Alpha” series.

Nowadays we need chairs or pews, some place for people to sit, although in Jesus’ situation listeners sat along the shore. I’ve seen churches in developing countries where everyone sat on the floor! Nowadays we should have Bibles so that everyone can read the truth for themselves. In Jesus’ day, HE was the Word of God. It’s good to have some kind of a raised platform so everyone can see the presenter. The boat served as Jesus’ platform. In 2024, it would be good to have a sound system so all could hear the Word! Voice travels well across open water, and Jesus took advantage of that. He used what was available and made it work!

Do we need banners, flags, statues, candles, communion railings, gold and silver utensils and fancy crosses? No! Now don’t misunderstand – none of these things are ‘bad,’ and they may inspire some and be meaningful to others. But they’re not required for worship.

In this scene described in the Bible, we needed a teacher and people willing to listen. Period. Jesus’ words will carry the presentation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship