Slave vs Friend!

May 11, 2026, Monday Message:

John 15:14-15 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”

Life was different 2K years ago. Nowadays, if we use the word ‘slave,’ our minds go primarily to African people, taken against their will and forced to serve their captors. But in Jesus’ day, being a slave could be voluntary, kind of like having a job or mutually beneficial employment.

If I pitch my tent near Abram’s, I can help him with the herds. He in turn will see that I have food for my family, and protection from raiders. He can command me because I’m there to help. I do what he asks because living within Abram’s group is a better, safer life for my family.

Jesus cleans up the language a bit, calling the relationship ‘friends.’ He confides in his friends, sharing prophecies given to him by God Almighty. As Jesus traveled with his itinerant ministry, there were first the 12 apostles, and then many other disciples in the group. Perhaps hundreds! They were like slaves in that they would do Jesus’ bidding. They were also friends in whom Jesus could confide. They would protect each other. You could say they were all playing for the same team.

So do like Jesus did. Identify your friends, and let them know that they are friends, not slaves. A group of friends with religious beliefs in common is called a church. If you are not part of one, today is the accepted day to sign up. It could be a relationship that lasts a lifetime!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Lies!

For Tuesday, April 7, 2026:

Matthew 28:11 NLT: “As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened.”

The tomb was discovered open, and the body of Jesus was missing. This is exactly what the Jews didn’t want to happen. That’s why guards were placed at the tomb. But what happened next is even more unbelievable.

The leading priests met with the elders and agreed to pay a large bribe, asking the guards to lie. They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’’’ Religious leaders without truth have no platform on which to stand. Lying violates every commandment that they teach.

Verse 15 concludes this section: “So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.”

Question: Why would anyone stick with a religion predicated on a lie? This is one more example of religion getting seriously off-track. God rescued his people from Egypt and gave them the Promised Land. Then God’s Son came to Earth to rectify mankind’s sin problem. Forgiven, the people should reconcile with the Lord, not be fighting over the authenticity of the Son. God had everything worked out until mankind lied. It’s like the Garden of Eden all over again!

God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Love all three and love your neighbor, and the Lord will smile on you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Colossal Crowds!

For Tuesday, March 10, 2026:

Matthew 4:25 NLT: “Large crowds followed Jesus wherever he went—people from Galilee, Decapolis (10 towns), Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.”

"Hear ye, hear ye! The Great Healer is coming to your town! Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! You don’t want to miss this. Jesus Christ, in the flesh! Be there, or be left behind! Tickets available at OneNation.com.”

OK, I wrote a radio commercial for the next Jesus event. Of course they didn’t have radio back then, so this is all the result of my fertile imagination! Word-of-mouth got the job done as well as any radio station might have.

"Large crowds followed Jesus.” Imagine large crowds, much larger than you think. The Apostles were present, but also disciples, hundreds of loyal believers who showed up every time. They just weren’t part of the original 12. They were 100% convinced that Jesus was the heaven-sent Messiah. They didn’t want to miss a single word. Soon, they’d start inviting family and friends to come with them. And before you knew it, the crowd of hundreds had become thousands.

All four Gospels report the miracle of Jesus feeding 5K men, not counting women or children. But most of the men were married, so the number becomes 10K. Let’s assume families had at least two children, so now our number is 20K, quite a significant number of people traveling with Jesus. I’m glad I wasn’t in charge of logistics!

When Jesus heard that John the Baptist was dead, he wanted to be alone, so he got on a boat and headed across the lake. There was no GPS, so nautical navigation was to remain close enough to visualize the shoreline while staying far enough away to be in deep water. The disadvantage was that not only could those on board follow the coastline, but those still on the shore could easily follow the boat. So as Jesus sailed up the coast, the crowd could simply follow on land. There was no escape from the throng, at least not for very long!

Eventually, Jesus fed the 20K with five fish and two barley loaves, but that’s a different message. Today’s lesson speaks of the colossal crowd following Jesus. The key was that core believers shared the Good News with their families and friends. They invited others to join.

A friend of mine was recently voted in as pastor of a hundred-year-old church. They attract only about 60 people each week. I hope he can positively alter their trajectory. Only 60 people in 100 years? Jesus had 20K in attendance, and he preached for only three years!

See you at church! Bring your friends!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Nazareth!

For Tuesday, February 10, 2026:

Matthew 2:20 NLT: “Get up!” the angel said to Joseph. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”

There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that their persecutor Herod had died, so it now appeared safe for the Holy family to return to Israel. Then they received the bad news, that Herod’s son Archelaus would be the new ruler. Like father, like son. This was no improvement.

But there’s even more good news! Rather than Jerusalem, the family could settle in Nazareth, only a four to seven day hike away, far enough to remain safe, but close enough to attend religious festivals at the Temple. Jesus would be known as a Nazarene.

Jesus could safely start his ministry around Nazareth. And just to the Northeast is Tiberias on Lake Gennesaret, also known as the Sea of Galilee. Jesus blessed many believers around that lake, including the twelve. Nazareth was his home base, his safe haven, while Jerusalem would ultimately be his demise.

We thank God for allowing Jesus to safely begin his ministry in Nazareth, and for allowing him to complete his mission in Jerusalem. That’s where he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, allowing mankind to reunite with the Father! That’s where believers stand today, forgiven by the work of Jesus on the cross, and servants of the Lord Most High!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Believe the Eyewitnesses!

For Thursday, February 5, 2026:

Mark 16:14 NLT: “Jesus later appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.”

That Jesus would appear to the remaining 11 disciples. This should have removed all doubt concerning his resurrection. They could all see him and hear him speak. Unfortunately, he spoke a chastisement for their previous unbelief!

Jesus previously told them that he had to leave, but would come back for them. Prophets long ago had said that the Messiah would be persecuted, suffer and die. God saw to it that the disciples knew everything in advance. They were warned! But when it actually happened – when Jesus was crucified – they didn’t believe they’d ever see him again. They could not fathom their spiritual mentor dying a human death. And in their experience, once someone died, that was final.

But not for Jesus! He took another 40 days before ascending to God’s heavenly Kingdom. In that length of time, hundreds could have seen the risen Jesus! By then, life after this life should be known by all. “Should be...” The reality is that most didn’t understand what was taking place and tended to dismiss what they had seen with their own two eyes! It’s hard to convince people of conclusions that differ from their personal experiences!

Evangelists fight this same battle daily, trying to coax faith from unbelievers. Remember that Jesus said, “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” So believe! Be blessed by the Messiah!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Love!

For Tuesday, November 18, 2025:

John 15:12 NLT, Jesus speaking: “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”

Jesus didn’t issue a lot of commandments. He mainly did the right things for the right reasons, honoring God the Father and respecting his fellows. If we simply do what Jesus did – imitate his behavior – we’d all be on the right track.

Many Christians, especially those fluent in theological detail, can over-complicate things. Jesus told us to love God and love our neighbors, which was restating Old Testament principles. Nothing new there. Since Jesus took away our sins, making it possible for us to spend the hereafter in God’s presence, he told us to share this Good News with others. In fact, make them into disciples. Coach others until they’re all-in believers!

As a teenager, I told my pastor, “I think being a Christian is all about love.” He told me that it’s way more complicated than that. I still think I was right!

So be nice, be kind, be helpful, step up if you can lighten someone else’s burden. Look for the next right thing to do. I used to see little bracelets with the letters WWJD reminding us to ask, “What would Jesus do?” Still a good plan. If you do what Jesus did, you won’t be wrong!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Rotten Apple!

For Friday, July 18, 2025:

John 12:6b NLT: “Judas Iscariot was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.”

As the New Covenant was being introduced to Israel, it was Jesus and the 12 leading the way. We accept Jesus, the heaven-sent Son of God, without question. The other 12 require a second look.

They were a diverse lot, ranging from tax collector to fishermen. To say they were religiously uneducated would be an understatement. It was on-the-job training as they ministered alongside Jesus, adopting his theology and philosophy as they taught others.

With a dozen random members on the leadership team, we would be naive to not expect one rotten apple in the barrel. Judas Iscariot was that guy. In his Gospel, John calls Judas a thief. Apparently, he stole from the group for personal gain, and apparently, this was well known within the group. Jesus must have known too, but other matters were higher up on his agenda. And if Jesus was eventually destined to give his life to atone for the sins of the world, someone would need to betray him, and that task had Judas’ name written all over it! I mean, Jesus didn’t just show up one day and say, “Kill me now!” No, fulfilling his Father’s plan turned out to be highly confrontational!

Friends, we need to always look at the big picture. Yes, Judas was a bad guy, but he was the one to fulfill God’s rescue plan for mankind! While you’re cursing Judas, remember to praise God!

No one is worthless; they can always serve as a bad example!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Children of God!

For Friday, May 9, 2025:

Luke 10:21 NLT, Jesus, praying: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.”

Nobody likes a know-it-all, especially God. If we are to learn from Jesus, we must be in “learning” mode, open-minded, not thinking we have everything already figured out. As we study the Bible and learn more about Jesus, we’ll be presented a lot of new information. We’ll see things we’ve never seen before. An open mind can take on that new information!

That’s why Jesus chose fishermen as disciples. When it came to religious matters, their minds were malleable. Nowadays, we might call them “seekers.” They wanted to learn about God, but their minds were not yet settled.

On the other hand, the Pharisees thought they had religion all figured out. They were wrong! They had memorized God’s commandments, and their mission had become to catch someone doing something wrong. Gotcha! But they had overlooked grace, forgiveness and loving their neighbor. Jesus was about to change all that. Loving the Lord is in first place, while loving our neighbors walks hand in hand with it! Jesus never said this was optional! He wants us all to be nice, kind and helpful. He wants us to do the next right thing.

Jesus says that our minds need to be like little children’s, a slate on which he can write. If we’re seeking truth, Jesus will fill in the blanks!

Remember, the first will be last and the last will be first! In the hereafter, some fishermen outrank Pharisees!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Walk in the Light!

For Tuesday, April 15, 2025:

John 12:36 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”

Jesus, God and heavenly things are light. Satan, demons and all evil are darkness. Addressing the crowd, Jesus shows that he still has a sense of humor, stating the obvious in a “duh” moment: “Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going!”

Ever the evangelist, Jesus is recruiting for his team until the end. For him, sharing the Good News is a 24/7 task. That job has been reassigned to today’s believers. We’re to make disciples of all nations. Jesus has delayed his return so we can add to our number. He wants to give everyone the chance to have an abundant life after this life!

The Apostle John, arguably Jesus’ best friend, said it best: “To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God,” daughters and sons of the Most High! We’ve been adopted into the Holy Family!

Walk in the light!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Jealous God!

For Sunday, March 2, 2025:

Exodus 34:12 NLT: God, speaking to Moses: “Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped.”

God decided to settle the Hebrew people in Israel. God’s decision. A Rabbi once told me, “It’s our land. God gave it to us!”

Of course the people previously living in the land weren’t happy with God’s decision, and we’ve witnessed conflict in the Middle East for over 3k years. Those people worshiped other gods and made idols. God said, “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.” Remember the covenant: “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” God sees this relationship as a marriage. If some other god is worshiped, our God considers that adultery!

God knows his people, their weaknesses and their trends. If they were to intermarry with the locals, idols could be brought into their homes. If they shared a meal sacrificed to a false god, they would be supporting that god. God’s people were told to, “Break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles.“ Our Creator-God has no patience for other-god stuff.

Nowadays we must tread carefully. If we are called to “make disciples of all nations,” we must have some interaction with nonbelievers. But we need to have our feet firmly planted in a Christian community that then sends us to evangelize, and to which we can safely return. We are not to join with the pagans, but they are welcome to worship our God, the jealous God!

Acknowledging our God as the only God isn’t negotiable; it’s a fact; it’s truth. Through His Son Jesus, he’s willing to forgive our past and include us in his eternal Kingdom. Hope to see you there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Holy Spirit!

For Saturday, December 28, 2024:

2 Thessalonians 2:14 NLT: “He (the Holy Spirit) called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jesus told all of us believers to go and make disciples of all nations. Sounds simple enough, but in practice you can experience widely varying results, which may not depend on whether or not you did a good job!

Q: Did you first ask the Holy Spirit to intervene? Believers can explain the Good News, the Gospel, the truth about who Jesus is. But it’s the Holy Spirit who first opens a person’s mind and heart to salvation. So invoke the Holy Spirit, and use Jesus’ name! Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

You can also use Jesus’ name to cast out demons, which may be the person’s stumbling block! That’s what Jesus did when he healed, and he gave us permission to use his name. He’d first cast out any demons. Next he’d heal the person, who, through the healing, would then become a believer. They’d understand that Jesus was God’s Son, the Messiah! Being healed is a powerful testimony!

Making new disciples for Jesus requires more than a few casual comments. In fact, it becomes a project. We should do it often enough that we get good at it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Coming Soon!

For Saturday, September 7, 2024:

Revelation 22:7 NLT: “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

Jesus will return in the manner in which he left. He will come from the sky on a white horse with a 2-edged sword coming from his mouth. The sword is for judgment, for separating the sheep from the goats. His preferred city is Jerusalem, his address is the Mount of Olives.

Souls of those who sleep will join the army of Jesus in new, glorified, forever bodies, not temporary bodies like we have now. Believers will be caught up into the sky, joining Jesus on the Day of the Lord.

Ultimately God will restore a New Heaven and a New Earth, and the New Heaven will descend upon the New Earth, becoming one. So Heaven as we know it now is a temporary residence for souls until the New Earth is restored. Earth is a believer’s final destination, but it will be a much better earth than we presently know. God will be in charge, and God will have his way with the world.

We are called to make disciples of all nations to reduce the number in the lake of fire! Let’s all do what Jesus said!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

 

 

Day of the Lord!

For Thursday, August 8, 2024:

2 Peter 3:9 NLT: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise (to return), as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

The Day of the Lord when Jesus returns will be a day of judgment and reckoning. It’s a hard line drawn in the sands of time. Things will be one way before that day, and everything will be different after that day.

Those who repent and return, putting their faith, hope and trust in Jesus, will be saved on the Day of the Lord. Sins will be forgiven, slates will be wiped clean, and Jesus will prepare a place for believers in his Father’s eternal Kingdom.

Judgement awaits dedicated sinners. They’ll find themselves struggling to survive in a lake of fire. They will not be successful.

You and I can help souls settle their eternal destination. It’s a decision all souls need to make. We are to share the Good News with all who will listen. We are to teach, thereby making disciples of the new believers. And we are to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, including them in the Holy Family.

Jesus counts on all believers being a part of the “Jesus team!” Now let’s all get to work!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Circumstances!

For Thursday, April 18, 2024:

Philippians 1:12-13 NLT: “I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.”

Paul was called to be an evangelist. He was to share the Good News of Jesus with the Gentile world. Pretty big territory, but Paul accepted the challenge!

If I had known Paul back then, I might have grown weary of hearing his story over and over. This guy Jesus – that’s all Paul ever talked about! Although he had trained to be a Pharisee, Paul lost favor within the Hebrew community when he started preaching Salvation and Good News. Although they rallied against him, Paul never ceased his preaching efforts!

Rome also had a problem with Jesus. The Romans were taught that the current emperor was a deity, a god. Loyalty to Paul and his Savior conflicted with that Roman teaching. Therefore Paul found himself writing to the Philippians from inside a prison cell. Did that stop Paul from evangelizing? Certainly not! He looked at this as another opportunity to tell people about Jesus!

By this time, Paul’s guards had figured out that he was non-violent, and in an odd way they all became friends. So why not tell them about Jesus? Paul accepted his circumstances and freely shared the Gospel with other prisoners and with the prison guards, many of whom believed and were saved! Paul’s willingness to relinquish his freedom in order to stand up for Jesus was quite a convincing testimony!

Paul was on a mission trip, and we all should be on a mission trip. Our assignment straight from Jesus’ lips is to make disciples of all nations, in other words to share the Good News and show others the way to salvation. Don’t ever feel unqualified. If Paul can teach, evangelize and encourage while imprisoned, surely we can overcome any obstacle in our path.

Jesus assigned the work; now get going!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship