House of the Lord!

For Friday, June 12, 2026:

Psalm 23:6 NKJV: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

David showed confidence and trust in the Lord. He was a man after God’s own heart, but he was far from perfect. But despite his missteps, he always trusted God to be loving and forgiving. He would rise out of all the turmoil as a loyal supporter of God Almighty. That’s called faith!

Most believers are a lot like David. We will not live perfect lives, but on the cross Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of the world – your sins and mine. Believers all need to accept that free gift with open arms and a smile. God doesn’t want a bunch of sullen souls in his Kingdom. The Father’s love should elicit joy from everyone!

God’s goodness and mercy will follow us throughout this life, and follow us into the next as we take our place in his Kingdom. We’re enjoying a better life now that we’re adopted into the Holy Family, and it will be the best life ever when we move into the house of the Lord. Start filling out change-of-address forms today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Knowledge!

 

For Saturday, November 23, 2024:

1 Thessalonians 5:8 NLT: “Let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.”

 "Light” in the Bible signifies purity, cleanliness and things that are holy, things that are good, things that are of God. “Darkness,” on the other hand, represents bad things filled with evil, ideas perpetrated by Satan. It’s easy to tell the difference!

This scripture teaches us that those living in the light also have knowledge and confidence. For example, if the second coming was to begin today, a lot of earthly people would be confused by the strange goings-on. Many would be afraid. But believers know what to expect. Believers could witness the end-times events and know exactly what was happening. Jesus told us what to expect, and he’s never wrong! Graves will open and we’ll meet Jesus in the sky. His ultimate goal is to take us back home and live eternally in God’s presence. So no matter how strange things may appear, believers have confidence that everything will be OK.

Everything will be all right in the end; if everything is not all right, it’s not the end!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Rejection?

For Saturday, August 3, 2024:

2 Peter 2:21 NLT: “It would be better if they (false teachers) had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.”

If sin wasn’t fun, nobody would sin! Think about it: Satan can’t tempt you to try something icky! No one would do it! But sin’s pleasurable endorphin rush is short-lived, leaving much bigger problems in its wake! So when Jesus counsels us to not sin, it’s not to deny our pleasure; it’s protection from an aftermath of misery!

Can a believer change his/her mind? Are we able to jump in and out of God’s holy family? Sounds ridiculous, right? John says that believers become “children of God.” And we can’t be adopted as a son or daughter of God, and then say, “I quit!” It doesn’t work that way. My take is that if someone can know about God and the saving grace of his Son Jesus and quit, they were never really convinced in the first place.

I guess it comes down to faith. Due to our arrival date on the forever timeline, our faith is having confidence in the testimonies of those who were eyewitnesses 2,000 years ago.

Do you believe? Do you have faith? Is your confidence in the eyewitnesses so strong that it can never be taken away?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Confidence in God!

For Friday, September 29, 2023:

Psalm 55:16 NIV: “As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me.”

David was declaring his confidence in the Lord. Although his life consisted of one crisis after another, God would time-after-time rescue him. Others would see God rescue David from impossible situations, so then they would want to learn about David’s God.

This is how the original church, The Way, grew by leaps and bounds. People saw kindness and love, people caring for one another. They liked what they saw and wanted to learn about it and become a part of that community.

If your home church is not attracting others, you can be a part of the solution. We should live our lives following the example of Jesus, and that love, caring and kindness will draw others in. They will want what we have!

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Amazed!

For Saturday, May 13, 2023:

Colossians 1:4-5 NLT: “We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.”

Paul was encouraging the church in Colosse. This is all part of Jesus’ Good News. There is a place reserved in heaven for believers, and Paul calls this news “confident hope.” Jesus raised our level of confidence in the life after this life significantly. Believers now have “Assurance of Salvation!”

I knew a man who had just accepted Jesus, became a new Christian. Many Christian principles – forgiveness, redemption, heaven, assurance of salvation – were explained to him, and he was amazed, saying, “This is awesome! Just wait until everybody finds out!” And right there he not only confirmed his Christian beliefs, but became part of God’s plan to spread the Good News!

He evangelized over the next 50 years and never ceased to be amazed!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Hope in Death!

For Thursday, November 17, 2022:

1 Thessalonians 4:13 NLT: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.”

We know Paul as an Apostle and itinerant evangelist. We should also consider him a prophet. Jesus spoke directly to Paul, giving him not only proper theology but also information about the future. And now, Paul has been shown that it’s time to share some of this information with the church in Thessalonica.

It’s a good question that everyone has: “What happens when we die?” (Your Bible may say that some went to sleep, but that’s a euphemism for dying.) The point is that Paul wanted the church to have hope. We all have been given hope! Death is not the end for believers, and the church needed to replace worry about the life after this life with confidence.

We’ll dig in to what happens tomorrow. Hint: Jesus rose from the dead!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Heavenly Confidence!

October 3, 2022 Monday Message:

Romans 5:1 NLT: “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

Some people don’t seem to be concerned with the life after this life, with heaven or hell. It’s our job to teach them.

Jesus settled the matter of a believer’s eternal destiny once and for all. He took the sin of the world to the place of the dead, leaving his followers reconciled with God. He went ahead to prepare a place for us. Therefore we can relax, stop worrying about eternity and be at peace with the Lord. We can confidently enjoy the rest of our lives as a member of the “God-team!”

Assurance of Salvation is unique to the Christian religion. Believers have confidence that everything will work out just as Jesus said!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Confidence and Hope!

For Friday, August 19, 2022:

Job 4:6 NLT: “Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence? Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?”

These questions were asked of Job at the peak of his despair, but they’re really for all of us. Jesus said that there will be tribulation in this life, but that He has overcome the world. We should trust in him, no matter what life hands us!

Jesus delivered the New Covenant to mankind, saying, “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” And when heaven makes a contract with believers, God always keeps his side of the agreement. It’s mankind who is repeatedly plagued with shortcomings.

The promise of redemption and a heavenly reservation is intended to fill us with confidence and hope, regardless of our earthly circumstances. The rescue of Jesus is certain!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Never Give Up!

For Friday, February 19, 2021

Mark 9:23b GNT, Jesus speaking: “Everything is possible for the person who has faith.”

"Never give up,” is one definition of faith. Jesus taught the parable of the persistent widow. Over and over she approached a judge, insisting on fairness. The judge, probably a Roman, wasn't religious, but he grew weary of the woman's pleas and finally granted her a positive verdict. The point is, when the judge first said 'no,' she didn't give up! She believed that God would eventually change the judge's heart.

Is persistence a part of your life, or do you think you give up too easily? (Sorry – deep philosophical question!) Balance is the key. We're better off dismissing little things with no eternal ramifications. But bigger issues, things of eternal significance, deserve our persistence.

Those with persistent confidence in the Lord have hope!

Blessings and safety today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Patience and Confidence!

For Friday, November 6, 2020 

Psalm 130:5 ESV: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”

Patience is a virtue. Longsuffering is a fruit of being a believer, of being filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s not so much about waiting for God as it is about how we think and act while waiting. 

Confidence in the Lord, forbearance, gives us peace knowing that God will come through for us. In this case, the Psalmist had confessed sin and asked God for forgiveness. He’s fully convinced that if he waits for God’s response, God will answer just as he promised. You can always count on God!

Whatever your burden, give it to the Lord and then wait patiently. In God’s time, he promises he will answer, and that promise gives us hope! 

Blessings and safety today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

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

Psalms 95 - Sing for Joy!

May 29, 2017 Monday Message:

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord.” Psalms 95:1a NIV

Does Psalm 95 sound familiar? Many denominations recite parts of Psalm 95 in their daily worship, sometimes called the Venite (veh-nee’-tey in Latin.) Venite means, “come.”

The first half is praise and worship – the words describe the goodness and greatness of God. The second half tells us to obey God. We need both halves in our lives.

Countless songs of praise were inspired by Psalm 95. “Come into God’s house and thank him! Tell him that he is great with music and songs!” (v2) Many great worship anthems based on Psalm 95 have not yet been written!

God welcomes these accolades from obedient believers. A big part of remaining obedient is having the faith to still believe even when faced with life’s challenges. God is still God, he’s still on the throne, and everything will turn out all right in the end. Don’t let your faith suffer because of a lack of confidence in God.

“Come, let us bow down in worship.” (v6a)

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship gathers Pentecost Sunday, June 4, 2017, at the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Peter gives the altar call and 3,000 are baptized! See you at church!