Repent and Return!

August 17, 2026, Monday Message:

Acts 3:19 NLT, Peter, preaching in the Temple: “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.”

Paul is giving everyone the Cliff’s Notes condensed version of how to get right with God. You may know it as the Reader’s Digest condensed version. Friends, coming under God’s umbrella may not be as complicated as you think!

“Repent and Return.” It’s that simple. God already knows you’ve sinned and the Bible says that ALL have sinned, so that’s a pretty inclusive group! What everyone needs to do is realize what has gone wrong, repent for those actions, and then turn back to the Lord. Put God back up on his pedestal. Give him the place in your life that he should have had all along.

In the Hebrew language, the process is described as turning, like we were headed North but should have been going South. Ideally, we should be growing closer to God, but sin left us falling away. We were backsliders. NOW is the best time to turn or (re)turn to God. Closer to God is always better than farther from God.

Adam and Eve were the first to sin, to think they could be like God. They could not. They had to realize their mistake, their sin, and place themselves back under God’s care. Understand that God still loved them. While they had been sinning, God was making clothes for them.

When God’s people were still doubting, (doubting the Lord is a sin…) God sent 10 plagues, convincing Pharaoh to let God’s people go! When God’s people were afraid to trust in Yahweh, (not trusting Yahweh is a sin…) little David decided to take on the mighty Goliath. It was easier to convince God’s people to return after Goliath’s defeat!

If anyone asks you what to do to become a Christian, to square things up with the Almighty, explain “Repent and Return.” Don’t overcomplicate it. Realize that God WANTS everyone to Repent and Return!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

See You Later!

For Saturday, August 15, 2026:

John 16:17-18 NLT: Some of the disciples asked each other, “What does Jesus mean when he says, ‘In a little while you won’t see me, but then you will see me,’ and ‘I am going to the Father’? And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.”

When the disciples say that they don’t understand, that’s an understatement! Jesus is about to do what has never been done before! He will be crucified and buried in a tomb. He will not be seen for three days, but will eventually walk away from it all. Everybody will see him again! Then Jesus will ascend into the sky as he returns to the Father, not to be seen for quite some time. But as our lifetimes come to an end, we’ll enter the Kingdom where we’ll see Jesus once again!

Believers will for sure see Jesus! At judgment, he’ll explain how our sins are forgiven. He’ll welcome us into the Kingdom with open arms!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Faith in Colossae!

For Wednesday, August 12, 2026:

Colossians 2:5b NLT, Paul writing to the church in Colossae: “I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.”

It would seem that Paul received a positive report regarding the Colossian church. No one is reporting problems. Everything seems to be running smoothly. As a group, they’re living the way they should, the way Jesus instructed.

But the best news of all was that their faith is unwavering. Some people’s faith plot looks like a roller coaster, up and down, up and down. But the Colossian church’s graph continued up and to the right. They celebrate their faithfulness daily, even increasing belief as time goes on.

Faith is the cornerstone of Christianity. Jesus will return, and on that day everything will happen just as Jesus told the faithful. The sheep will be separated from the goats. As we enter the next reality, we’ll arrive at judgment and be told that our sins are forgiven by the work Jesus did on the cross. And being without sin, we’ll learn that we have been chosen to reside in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom. That’s Good News indeed!

We have faith because Jesus never told a lie. If everything else he said proved true, our destination in the life after this life must also be true. Jesus will be there to welcome us with open arms!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Love Your Enemies!

For Tuesday, August 11, 2026:

Luke 6:27-28 NLT, Jesus speaking: “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”

Notice how Jesus begins: “To those who are willing to listen.” He already knows that this message may be unpopular. He’s teaching, “Love your enemies!” Seems counterintuitive. Don’t we hate our enemies?

That’s how the world works, but that’s not how Christians should operate. Jesus wants us to include enemies in our prayers. We can pray for a change in their evil ways. We can pray that they would see the light! We can pray that they would switch sides, come to know Jesus and become one of us! After all, that’s what Paul did!

Pray that our enemy would become our friend. Pray that we could let go and let God, and no longer hold a grudge. Pray that forgiveness would be our hallmark, because the Lord will forgive us as we forgive others. And as the Lord’s prayer says, “Lead us not into temptation.” Mankind so easily succumbs to temptation that we need to pray to stay far from it. We ask God to separate the sheep from the goats as he promised. If evil has crept too close to us, deliverance may be in order. Satan needs to be kept at bay, and Jesus said to pray, “Deliver us from evil.”

Every day God gives each one of us a yellow pad and a pen. At the top, write: Things To Do Today! Number down the left side. Now start filling in the lines. You get to decide your own agenda! Ideally, loving the Lord should be first. Loving your neighbors is next. Praying for your enemies should be somewhere on the list. After all, that’s what Jesus said to do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Take Me Home!

For Sunday, August 9, 2026:

Romans 9:5b NKJV, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “Christ came, who is Lord over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”

There is only one God. Our one God is known to us in three different forms: Father God in his Heavenly Kingdom, Jesus who came to earth as the offering for mankind’s sins, and the Holy Spirit, our helper and advocate. The three forms are all of one mind with the same goals, the same mission. The rescue of mankind must have been on God’s agenda when Jesus arrived on our planet.

Sin and holiness cannot coexist, and the Bible says that “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” How many sinned? ALL! Therefore, unless sins could be forgiven, no one would have been seeing heaven from the inside! As Jesus died, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, making believers once again eligible to reside in the Kingdom.

God loves everything that was created and declared it to be “very good!” Therefore, having believers occupy his Kingdom pleases God. He’s glad to see us! Christ is the forgiving conduit that reconnects mankind with our Maker.

If you see God on the streets of gold, tell him, “Good to see you!” He may answer, “Good to see you, too!” The Father’s Kingdom is our forever home!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God's Love!

For Thursday, July 30, 2026:

Romans 8:39 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Our Bibles tell us that God loves us. But mankind asks, “Really? How do we know for sure?”

The first humans disobeyed God by sinning, by deliberately doing what he said to NOT do! They succumbed to Satan’s temptation. I believe God was disappointed with the return rate of his Creations. If earthlings were to return to the Father, God himself would have to intervene.

Therefore, God sent his Son Jesus to our planet. I’ve said before that Jesus healed many, taught God’s ways, and interpreted Torah. But I believe his primary mission was to take away mankind’s sins, to offer forgiveness. Once earth’s residents were made sinless by Jesus’ sacrifice, the Father could welcome them back into his forever heavenly Kingdom.

Q: So how do we know for sure that God loves us? A: He sacrificed his only Son for our freedom. We are no longer slaves to Satan. We belong to the God whose Son paid the price for our redemption.

Rejoice! Believers belong to their Creator! Believers have been rescued!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Rescue Plan!

For Thursday, July 9, 2026:

Romans 8:33 NLT: “Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.”

Who can stand in God’s presence? Certainly not anyone with a sin history! To make that so, the Son and his Father first chose believers. Then, knowing that sin and holiness cannot coexist, Jesus personally took the sins of the world to the place of the dead and left them there. A further check into the Book of Life will find believers’ names inscribed, and the column titled ‘Sin’ will be empty. No scratch-outs, no erasure marks, just blank white space. In the official record of our life on earth, it will appear that we never sinned.

That’s not quite true, and to be honest, Jesus has to keep on his toes! By nature, mankind will sin again. But now, having a relationship with the Almighty, mankind will be sorry and repent, and Jesus will be quick to forgive, keeping our flawless record intact.

If anyone questions this, they’re not just doubting man; they’re doubting God himself. Never forget that God’s desire is for all to repent and return. He doesn’t want to lose a single soul! And God always gets his way!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Is the Doctor In?

For Sunday, July 5, 2026: 

Luke 5:31-32 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

 Nowadays, even healthy people need a doctor. They call it ‘preventive medicine.’ Doctors want to spot little problems before they become big ones. I take prescriptions daily, not because I’m experiencing any problem, but because my numbers are just a little off. As a result, life expectancy is much higher now than it was when Jesus walked the earth! Preventive medicine works!

 2K years ago, people would only call on a physician if they were really sick or severely injured. When people had exhausted all their personal healing options, it was time to summon a professional. Hence Jesus’ analogy, comparing physical healing with spiritual healing.

 The physically sick are eager to find a solution. They welcome the opinion of a trained medical professional. But those who are spiritually ill oftentimes are embarrassed by their situation and reluctant to seek help. For example, one symptom of addiction is vehemently denying the problem.

 When sinners are ready to repent, ready to seek help, Jesus stands ready to forgive, forget and absolve. ‘Repent’ in the Hebrew language literally means to get closer to God. Someone sinning is said to be far from God. Someone reversing the course of their lives, repenting and returning, is said to be closer to God.

 That’s the best place for us all to be, closer to God. We should have Jesus looking out for us, forgiving our sins, and clearing the way for believers to live closer to God. You’ll find that Jesus has prepared a place for you in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom! If you repent and return, there’ll be a room with your name on the door!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Logic?

For Tuesday, June 30, 2026:

Romans 8:32 NLT: “Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”

Paul is asking the Romans to use logic to project their salvation. It’s a look into the future. It involves following a scenario through to its logical conclusion, though it may not have happened yet. It’s like an ‘if then’ line of computer code. ‘If’ the operator chooses this command, ‘then’ a specific thing happens.

Does our God love us? Yes! Has our God provided for us? Yes! Did God arrange for our sins to be forgiven? Yes! Is God’s desire for believers to join him in his eternal Kingdom? It hasn’t happened yet, but logic tells us that the answer would be a resounding yes!

God gave up the earthly life of his Son to rescue mankind. So it would behove us to be good stewards of his grace, that undeserved gift freely given to us. The love of the Father should be reciprocal!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

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

Jesus Way!

For Tuesday, June 2, 2026:

John 15:21 NLT, Jesus speaking: “The world will persecute you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.”

In my mind, Jesus should have been the unifying piece of the puzzle. When people heard him speak of heaven, watched him heal the sick and broken and raise souls from the dead, they all should have been on board. Jesus could be none other than the heaven-sent Son of the Most High! How anyone could reject him befuddles me!

Nonetheless, Satan wields significant influence on earth, and he was cheering for the status quo, the Old Covenant, whereby citizens weren’t getting into heaven very often. But people were familiar with the rules. They knew the system and didn’t have to change anything.

Jesus, on the other hand, ushered in a New Covenant whereby mankind’s sins could be forgiven and many more people would find their names in the book of life! But this new system required a change in beliefs, a theological reorientation. Jesus is right up front, telling believers that the new way wouldn’t be popular with everyone. In fact, if we do what Jesus said to do, we should expect a certain amount of trouble. Satan will do his best to sideline our efforts!

Our reward for following Jesus is eternity in the Father’s Kingdom. Once we realize the enormity of that reward, it becomes impossible to consider non-compliance. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him, and everyone seeking eternal residence in the Father’s House knows his name!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Love Each Other!

For Sunday, May 17, 2026:

John 15:17 NLT, Jesus speaking: “This is my command: Love each other.”

Life was a bit more challenging 2K years ago. So caring for others was a radical departure from just caring for yourself. Jesus could have put any command in this space, but he chose “Love each other” as his theme.

While we were still sinners, Jesus gave his life for mankind’s sins. This is the primary thing for which he’s remembered, not just for wiping our record of sin clean, but for the love driving such an action.

So be nice. Be kind. Care for one another. Share with those who don’t have enough. Love those who don’t look like you or dress like you. Do the next right thing.

As we live our daily lives, quickly run each incident through your God filter. Is it good, is it right, is it fair, is it honest, is it helpful? Should we be doing this thing? Should we be doing more?

The Lord will tell you what to do if you ask!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Good vs Evil!

For Thursday, May 7, 2026:

Colossians 1:13-14 NLT: “For the Father has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom (with his blood) and forgave our sins.”

The Father rescued us through the Son’s actions, and the Spirit keeps us on the Holy path! We hear about “God’s vast eternal plan,” and this is part of it. The rescue of mankind was no accident. It was well planned out by God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s perhaps easier for us to think of them as three separate entities, but they are of one mind. Mankind was living in the darkness of Satan’s world, but Jesus showed us light. The story of Jesus’ actions is called the Gospel or Good News.

Here’s how the story develops: Humans were floundering like fish without enough water. Our lives had no goal, no purpose. Not surprisingly, very few ever made it to heaven. But the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. All! How’d that happen? I can picture God saying, “What went wrong? What happened here?”

Let me explain. There is good in this world, and there is evil. God is good, and Satan and his demons are evil. Those who have bonded with Jesus belong to God. The rest are subject to constant tempting by Satan. In fact, we’re all subject to the devil’s temptations, and the result is always pain and misery. But Christians have a higher standard, something to live up to. If Christ is our model, we have his reward in our sights, which is eternal life in the Father’s Kingdom. Eternity is a long time!

Paul advised us to focus our eyes on the prize!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Stay Connected!

For Thursday, April 30, 2026:

John 15:5 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

Jesus is restating the vine/branches example. But the last sentence adds a stern warning: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

Believers have been endowed with incredible power. Jesus wants us to do the things he did, impossible as this seems. He sent disciples to disparate cities to spread the Good News that the Kingdom of God was now with them; that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah; and that there now is forgiveness through Jesus which leads to renewed hope for eternal life. Those sent were told to heal the sick including leprosy, raise the dead and cast out demons. Seems like a tall order, but those serving were on a first-name basis with Jesus. They were connected to the vine, as are we! Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he left instructions for us to do these same things.

Jesus said believers could ask a mountain to move in his name, and it would obey. Nothing frivolous, of course. But if you needed to move a mountain to block a stream and save 200K people in the downstream village from drowning, it’s possible, but only if your branch is still connected to the vine.

There are no Lone Rangers in Heaven. We can’t go off on our own and accomplish anything. But believers have been drafted to play on Team Jesus. That one vine can feed many little branches, and Jesus has invited you to be a part of the action! So get in the game, (already!)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Confident Hope!

For Tuesday, April 28, 2026:

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 is writing this Epistle to the church in Colosse. It could have been written to any group of believers. Paul could have been writing to your church today!

Church is more than a social gathering. The common denominator is what Paul calls “confident hope,” also known as belief or faith. We believe everything that Jesus told us: Everything that we know was created by God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus is our rescuer, our redeemer. Jesus forgave our sins and proved that there is life after this life. When he said, “See you later,” he was going to prepare a place for us in the eternal Kingdom. Death is not the end for us, just as it was not the end for Jesus.

Believers share unshakable faith in the promises of Jesus. When we first heard the Gospel or Good News, it made sense to us. Our devotion has only grown stronger as time marches on. Like Paul and like the Colossians, we’re blessed by sharing confident hope!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church