Spirit of God!

For Thursday, July 2, 2026:

Romans 8:9 NLT: “As believers, we are not controlled by our sinful nature. We are controlled by the Spirit if we have the Spirit of God living in us.”

This is freedom week in the US, which begs the question, “Are we really free?” Our country has laws, rules if you will, and not following the rules will result in a penalty. A fine or imprisonment will be the result of not following the rules. So we remain free as long as we obey the rules.

My point is that we have a choice. Most people choose to obey our laws, so their lives go on smoothly, without incident. But if we choose to disobey, all hell can break loose. Literally. Inviting Satan into our lives is always a bad choice.

Fortunately, believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He is the insulator that keeps believers separated from the evil one. Light and darkness cannot coexist. Light always wins. We have the freedom to choose light or darkness. Our choice will have eternal consequences, and eternity is a very long time!

Joshua advises us to “Choose today whom you will serve.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Slave or Free?

For Wednesday, July 1, 2026:

Romans 8:2 NLT: “Because we belong to Christ, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed us from the power of sin that leads to death.”

This coming weekend, people in the US will be celebrating freedom, so let’s use that for our topic for a while. On July 4^th, we remember the Declaration of Independence, declaring the 13 original colonies independent from European rule, specifically the British monarchy. We fought them in the Revolutionary War, won, and determined that states united were better (safer) than states separated. Subsequently, a constitution was written for the United States of America.

Are we really free? Probably not totally, but life seems better under our own government rather than someone else’s government. Our country has endured for 250 years!

In our minds, we need to separate our earthly life from our spiritual life. The Bible uses the word “doulos” which is often translated as servant. A better translation would be “slave,” but “slave” carries a negative connotation to a lot of people. As much as translators tried to clean the text, the fact remains that we are slaves serving the Lord.

What’s unusual for slaves is that we get to choose who to serve. We’ll be working for Satan or for Christ Almighty! Joshua chose wisely. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Have you made a similar choice?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Choose Me!

For Saturday, May 16, 2026:

John 15:16 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”

Jesus would only choose people he wants to work with. People who have already chosen Jesus have an edge in this department. If people already love Jesus and want to help increase the number of believers, Jesus will assign them a territory to be their battleground. Your battleground and mine are probably different.

Think of signing on with Jesus like a sports draft. Believers have signed on with the “Jesus” team, doing our best to be forever loyal to his cause. Jesus says that the Father will give us whatever we ask for if we use his name. We are to make disciples of all nations and to do everything Jesus asks. The Father rewards obedience!

Jesus commanded us to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons and preach the Good News. We understand the assignment. Now let’s get to work!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Family Business!

For Friday, May1, 2026:

Romans 8:14 NLT: “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

In this life, we don’t get to choose our families. We stick with them not because they’re always desirable, but because they’re blood-relatives. You may have heard that blood is thicker than water, meaning that family ties are strong. But what if you could choose your family? In a way, we can!

Believers have been adopted into the holy family. John writes, “But to all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Since we can choose to follow Jesus, we can choose to be members of his family. We are “born again” into the family of God!

We used to sing a song with the words, “Come join the family, the family of God.” That implies more than just joining a church or aligning with a denomination. There’s really only one church, the church of Jesus the Messiah. That’s the family to join. Jesus’ invitation is open!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Choose Wisely!

For Saturday, February 7, 2026:

Romans 6:18 NLT: “Now you (believers) are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.”

That great songwriter (and philosopher) Bob Dylan observed, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody.” Realize that, and decide today who you will serve.

The easy way and oftentimes the most profitable way is to follow the corrupt. Accept bribes, perpetrate scams, and only look out for yourself.

The better way, God’s way, puts truth and honesty at the top of our things-to-do list. We’re to love our fellows, and see that they have enough to eat and clothes to wear. Jesus specifically tells us to care for widows and orphans, those beaten up by wars, violence and corrupt governments.

We understand that we become slaves of whatever we choose to obey. You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living on earth and eternal life in the hereafter. It’s a choice! As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

"Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you!” Romans 6:17

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Serve the Lord!

For Friday, January 23, 2026:

Romans 6:12 NLT: “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let sin reign in your body, which is subject to death.”

Bob Dylan sang that each of us winds up serving somebody. We get to carefully choose who we will serve. This is the same declaration that Joshua, Moses’ assistant, made 3300 years earlier. “Choose today who you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Your decision is an alliance and an allegiance. Which team do you want to play for, Jesus’ team or the other team? Jesus’ team aligns with our Creator God, while the other team is always battling their wrongdoings. Surprisingly, it’s easier to align with God, although at times we may be outnumbered!

Choosing Jesus’ team doesn’t instantly make us perfect. But deciding in favor of heaven’s ways gives us standards, goals for which we can strive. Believers wisely choose to adopt God’s value system, and the longer we bond with God, the better we get at serving him. We see progress, but our goal is perfection!

Satan’s sinners face death, while Jesus’ team is destined for eternal life in God’s heavenly Kingdom. Jesus made it possible for believers to view that Kingdom from the inside! Choose today who you will serve.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Rewards for Obedience!

December 15, 2025, Monday Message:

John 15:16 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”

Obedience is rewarded. Jesus chose you to join his group of believers. He assigns task to each of us, according to our gifts and talents. He will not ask you to take on a job for which you lack the necessary skills. In other words, God’s asks are most certainly possible. He needs the job done, and we want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” See, this is gonna work out!

The last thing Jesus asked us to do is to make disciples of all nations. There are many pieces in that puzzle. Some of us are better at small, 1-on-1 encounters. Others are gifted at speaking to large groups. Some are gifted at teaching adults; others, children. Some have the gift of hospitality. They can make everyone feel welcome. Others plan and lead evangelical events.

No matter your skill set, the reward is the same. God will give us whatever we ask in Jesus’ name. Ask to spend eternity in God’s presence in His Heavenly Kingdom. That’s called Assurance of Salvation. Believers are adopted as children of God, so we can simply come home!

Lessons for your church: The lead soprano in the choir may not be able to cook. (Better left to the hospitality department!) Your talented maintenance man may have a gruff personality. (I know his first name!) Teenagers may not know how to clean the youth room; they need to be taught. (You made the mess – you clean it up! I’m not your mother!) A pastor who loves the Lord and loves people may not be gifted in public speaking. (I’ve seen that more times than you might think!) If the children need to put on a program, singing may not be the best option. They don’t all have that skill! Utilizing our God-given gifts honors the Lord who created us!

Don’t shirk your responsibility, and we’re all responsible for something. Remember, obedience is rewarded!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Choose!

For Friday, July 05, 2024:

1 Peter 4:4 NLT: “Your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you.”

Has something like that ever happened to you? Now that you’re following Jesus, do your former friends think you’re no fun anymore? Do they say that you’re “square?” But, do we really care what they think?

After careful consideration, following Jesus sounds like a much better path than living a reckless life of sin. Living the next life with Jesus in heaven sounds so much better than an eternal lake of fire! So I’m not “square;” I intentionally chose Jesus, and I’m glad that I did!

Have you made your choice yet?

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Freedom to Choose!

For Thursday, July 13, 2023:

Romans 1:22 NLT: “Claiming to be wise, they (those who reject God) instead became utter fools.”

Mankind was made to worship. And if someone rejects the one true God, that person will likely find something else to worship. Then they’ll tell everyone about their new god, their new hero, hoping to be perceived as cutting-edge, wise and innovative. But those who already love the Lord know a fool when they see one!

A person’s rejection of God’s general revelation does not make him smarter or better. In fact, once a person rejects the truth of God in Jesus, he will fall for any foolish thing, and trust far more feeble and fanciful systems than what he rejected from God.

It must sadden God when his presence is made so obvious to mankind, yet some search further. For this God doesn’t dish out vengeance, but he will allow us to suffer the full consequences of choosing the wrong path, the damage to which our sinful course leads.

God created us with the freedom to choose correctly!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Serve the Lord!

September 12, 2022 Monday Message:

Joshua 24:15 NLT: “If you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

There’s a lot of truth in the Bob Dylan song, Gotta Serve Somebody. The chorus ends, “It may be the devil, it may be the Lord, but you’re going to have to serve somebody.”

If you’re not proactive, you may find yourself working for the wrong team. The Good News is that God gave us freedom to choose, and we can use our God-given intelligence to choose correctly. Serving the Lord and his Son Jesus requires an intentional decision. Christians, armed with knowledge of forgiveness and salvation through the Son, purposefully choose the path of eternal life in the presence of the Father. Choose today whom you will serve!

If you have chosen to serve Jesus, you have chosen correctly!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Come and Drink!

For Thursday, June 10, 2021

Isaiah 55:1 TLB: “Say there! Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine and milk—it’s all free!”

God has an incredible gift for everyone! He’s issued a perpetual non-cancellable invitation for everyone to “come to the waters,” come to the spiritual source of life, and that fills us with hope!

While God’s desire is that everyone would repent and return to Him, he put “free choice” into the mix. This Sunday we’ll sing “I have decided to follow Jesus.” Understand that God first chose us. Now we need to take him up on his offer! It’s a good decision – you won’t be sorry!

Spiritual food is always free!

Blessings today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Choose the Lord!

For Thursday, May 6, 2021

from Joshua 24:15 ESV: “Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

In Joshua’s day, people worshiped many pagan gods. Only the descendants of Abraham knew God-the-Creator, and they encouraged others to believe as well. Nowadays we know that “God” is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we encourage others to join with those of us who believe. Joshua is challenging people to make a decision and stick with it! That way they’ll have hope!

Most of the pagan gods have faded away, but they’ve been replaced by other things in our culture that divert attention from the Creator. Is God on your ‘things-to-do’ list today?

If your decision to serve the Lord is locked in, a lot of other things simply fall into place!

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Chosen!

 For Sunday, January 24, 2021

John 15:16a NLT, Jesus speaking: “You didn’t choose me. I chose you.”

Suffice it to say that if you know about Jesus; if you're curious about Jesus; if you've been investigating the life of Jesus, you're one of the chosen! And knowing that we've been chosen by Jesus plants hope deep within our souls!

Believers are chosen not only to be saved themselves, but to bear fruit for the Kingdom, a lot of which involves leading others who have also been chosen. Jesus says that chosen workers in the Kingdom should use His name, and God will give them whatever they ask.

Jesus commanded us, “Love each other as I have loved you.”

Blessings and safety on this Sabbath!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Choose Wisely!

For Wednesday, September 23, 2020 

1 John 5:19 NLT, the Apostle John writing: “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.”

Well, that explains everything! Believers, followers of Jesus, are blessed to live in fellowship with other believers, who do their best to follow Jesus’ commands to love God and love their neighbor. Life is relatively good! 

But the rest of the world is a big mess! For a time, Satan is allowed to do business in our world. This forces mankind to choose. We’re required to make a conscious decision to follow the Lord, and there is no middle ground. Those who are not ‘with’ the Lord are ‘against’ him.

This explains wars, prejudice, riots and killings, none of which are good and all of which are fueled by the evil one. It also explains disaster relief, food shelves and homeless shelters. Christians are always the first to step up when there’s a problem. Choose today whom you will serve. Choose wisely! 

Blessings and safety to all,

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Psalms 141 - Ya Got Trouble!

May 14, 2018 Monday Message:

“My eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord.” Psalms 141:8a NIV

As we’re living each day for Jesus, trouble lurks around every corner. There’s a lot of evil in this world. David writes of these things:

“Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil.” Ps. 141.4a

“My prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.” Ps. 141:5d

If we get down to basics, there are just two groups of people, good and evil. Both groups want you to join. But Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me; whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Matt. 12:20

Jesus commissioned us all to help him gather in believers. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.” Matt. 28:19a

Since God created us with free will, it’s up to each of us to choose good over evil. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, May 20, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Pilla continues our sermon series in Hebrews 2:5-18.