Sanctified!

For Wednesday, June 12, 2024:

1 Peter 2:9 NLT: “You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”

Followers of Jesus are different. They were hand-selected by God, sanctified, set apart from the general population. If you’re a part of that group, God has something special in mind for you. You have a purpose in his vast eternal plan!

Friends, our lives should be an example of living in the goodness of God. We should be doing our best to love the Lord and to love our neighbors. That’s an uncommon way for most people to live. But by living God’s way, we can teach others the goodness of God. We can lead by example! Christianity can grow through attraction!

Talk about being blessed! If you’re a believer, God called you out of the darkness (a sinful world) and into the light, a perfect world hosted by Jesus the Christ. God only wants the best for you, and he has great plans for you!

Remember to say ‘yes’ when God taps you on the shoulder!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Chosen!

For Thursday, May 12, 2022:

Romans 9:15 NLT, God’s words to Moses: “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”

Jesus came to the world through the Jews, but he is to be the Light of the World, the whole world! God loves all of mankind! Everything he created he declared to be ‘very good!’

Therefore Gentiles have been issued an invitation to seek the Kingdom of God. God commissioned Paul to make new Christians, to plant new churches, and none of them are found in Israel! Today we ALL have an invitation to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. God’s desire is that none would perish, so say ‘yes!’ Do it today!

God has issued the invitation. We all need to RSVP!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Chosen!

For Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Ephesians 1:11 TLB: “Because of what Christ has done, we have become gifts to God that he delights in, for as part of God’s sovereign plan we were chosen from the beginning to be his, and all things happen just as he decided long ago.”

God has had his eye on you for quite some time. He knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb!

Mankind is God’s premier creation. God loves us, guides us, forgives us when we are wrong, and gladly welcomes us when we repent and return. We are forgiven by the work of Jesus on the cross, destined to be citizens of heaven. Knowing God is on our side places eternal hope within us!

God chose us, and God always gets his way!

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

Chosen by God!

For Wednesday, January 13, 2021

1 Peter 1:2 GNT: “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure.”

Nobody wants to be left out; we ALL want to be chosen, whether it's for a sports team back in grade school or a promotion at work nowadays. As a Christian, you have been chosen to spend eternity with the Father. Doesn't it feel great to be included!

Peter wrote this to strengthen and encourage the new believers, to give them hope! God's choosing you isn't random or uninformed. Rather it's because of his foreknowledge, his omniscience. God already knew what your response would be when offered the Gospel!

God could have picked anybody, but God picked YOU!

Blessings and safety today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Spiritually Curious

June 10, 2013 Monday Message:

“The crowds found out where Jesus was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.” Luke 9:11

Jesus had sent his disciples out to heal those who needed healing, to cast out demons, and to preach about the Kingdom of God. Now they had returned, and Jesus wanted to spend some time with them, choosing a quite place in Bethsaida. This didn’t work for long.

Word was out about Jesus. Nowadays we sing a song about this, calling Jesus, “the Famous One, the Famous One.” A New York City public relations firm would envy the size of Jesus’ following, and the persistent pursuit of his followers, especially with no TV, no Internet, no Facebook and no Twitter. The entire ad campaign was simply disciples and word-of-mouth: “Son-of-God speaking today – 9AM sharp – don’t miss it!” And 5,000 men and their families showed up!

People are spiritually curious when the Holy Spirit has opened their spiritual eyes. We’ve all sung the song, “Open the Eyes of My Heart.” Not the eyes on my physical face, but the eyes of my spiritual heart.

When people find out that I work for a church, they often have a question or two. I have personally seen these encounters spark new Bible studies and small groups, and increase church attendance. Not because of MY great evangelistic skills; it’s because once the Holy Spirit has paved the way, spiritual appetites are insatiable. It’s a God-thing.

Norton Lawellin

It’s Father’s Day this Sunday, and Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) is a great place to start the day. Pastor Michael Pilla teaches Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke. We gather at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. See you at church!

NL

  

Spritually Blind

May 27, 2013 Monday Message:

“Was blind, but now I see.” from the hymn “Amazing Grace”

Paul was a “type A” get-‘er-done kind of a guy. His persecution of Christians was legendary, and the Pharisees held Paul up as a prime example of someone who would go the extra mile for the sake of his religion.

But Paul’s religion had distorted Biblical facts over the years, and put ceremonies and rituals into practice that had no heavenly basis. These people had seen Jesus with their own eyes, and totally missed the fact that it was the Son of God standing right before them. And remember, God wants more than just religion. God desires a relationship with us – a relationship, not repetitious religion.

Understand that Paul was spiritually blind – God had not yet opened his spiritual eyes. It’s not that Paul wouldn’t see the light (didn’t want to,) or that he didn’t see the light (somehow missed it) – no, he was spiritually blind. He could not see the light.

Paul being struck blind on the road to Damascus is the perfect visualization of spiritual darkness, of not yet being enlightened. And as God eventually lifted the scales from Paul’s eyes, so he also lifted the veil from Paul’s spiritual eyes, so that Paul was no longer blind – now he could see!

God first chose Paul, Paul answered, “Yes, Lord,” and then God called him into ministry. Paul could not find God on his own, because at the time he was spiritually blind. Besides, God knows where God is; it was Paul who was lost, so God had to do the seeking.

Next week – Are you chosen, and what’s the deal with the dead burying their dead?

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10:30am every Sunday. We’ll open up Luke Ch. 10, Jesus sending out disciples. We gather in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. See you at church!