His Name is John!

For Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Luke 1:63 NLT: “Zechariah motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, ‘His name is John.’”

Zechariah had been rendered mute after questioning the angel’s ability to bring God’s miracle of a son to fruition. And now they find themselves at the eight-day circumcision, and we need a name for that baby boy. Elizabeth, the mom, said to call him “John.” There was no relative in their family named John, and children were traditionally named in honor of an ancestor. So the mohel demanded verification from the dad. Zechariah wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately, Zechariah’s ability to speak returned.

Their friends and neighbors were in awe! First, the miracle of childbirth. Elizabeth had been barren throughout her life, and Zechariah was well past the age of fathering children. Then an encounter with an angel, a promise from God that came true, and Zechariah losing his voice and regaining it immediately after following the angel’s instructions for naming! With his newly found speaking voice, he began praising God!

Nowadays we have newspapers, radio, TV and the internet. But back then, word-of-mouth was the only way to spread the news. All throughout the Judean hills, word moved quickly. The names Zechariah, Elizabeth and John were on the tips of everyone’s tongues. It was obvious that God’s hand was on this special family. Everyone asked, “What will this child turn out to be?”

We know this child as John the Baptist, the one who would prepare the way for Jesus, God’s only Son! And Jesus is God’s gift to mankind!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Jesus + Nothing

Nov. 26, 2018 Monday Message:

“By grace you have been saved through faith. This is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Eph. 2:8

The Christian Church teaches “Solus Christus,” or “Only Christ” as the means for our eternal salvation. It’s never Jesus plus something else.

Do you need to give a certain amount of money? No, Jesus is all that is required; you can’t buy your way into heaven. It would be nice if you could tithe and occasionally give something extra for a special cause, but it’s not required.

Do you need to be a Baptist? A regular Sunday School attender? Able to speak in tongues? Receive Catholic Sacraments? No to all of it! It’s Christ alone.

The big question 2,000 years ago was circumcision. The first Christians were all Jewish, so the men were all circumcised, and some thought the new Gentile Christians should be too. But after much prayer and a meeting between Paul and the Jerusalem Christians, it was decided that circumcision was not required. It’s always Jesus plus nothing else.

God loves us unconditionally no matter how checkered our past. And if we have Jesus in our heart, we’re ‘good’ to enter eternity. Jesus plus nothing.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Michael Pilla will lead us through the first Sunday of Advent.