Atonement vs Forgiveness!

For Wednesday, August 21, 2024:

1 John 2:2 NLT: “Jesus himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”

The barrier between God and mankind is sin. But sin no longer holds that position if we receive the atonement, the payment of the penalty for sin, that God has provided through his Son Jesus. But atonement, paying the penalty, doesn’t equal forgiveness, so we must take the next step.

Jesus is holding the door to heaven open for us, but we have to walk through on our own. The penalty for our sin has been paid, but each of us needs to ask for personal forgiveness. Repent and acknowledge Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior. Jesus claimed that a place has been prepared in eternity for believers who repent and are forgiven. Does our faith let us trust that every word from Jesus is truth?

With gratitude, accept the free gift offered to you by the Savior. Lock in your salvation today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Redemption!

For Thursday, October 12, 2023:

Romans 11:6 NLT: “Since redemption is through God’s kindness, then it is not by anyone’s good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.”

What is your goal in becoming a Christian, in becoming a believer? I think we’re all seeking the best life-after-this-life. We’re looking ahead, planning for our future. Given the two options, heaven or hell, heaven is the obvious choice.

But the fact that salvation is a free gift is counter-intuitive to most of us. We’re so used to earning things. You do work for somebody, and they give you a check at the end of the week. We’re accustomed to a fair exchange. Even something as simple as returning a favor can even the score, and logic tells us that this is what should be done.

But heaven doesn’t work that way. Our redemption is a free gift, given through God’s kindness. He sent his Son Jesus so our sins could be forgiven, opening up the opportunity for heaven to be our final destination! Grace is undeserved favor, and we certainly don’t deserve all the good things that our Father has planned for us.

Believers are the beneficiaries of God’s redemption plan!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Accept the Gift!

For Wednesday, August 30, 2023:

Romans 6:23 NLT: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

As Paul counsels the Roman believers, he’s contrasting an eternal heavenly life in God’s presence with eternal death, separation from God and the Kingdom. God created mankind with the freedom to choose. In fact, a choice is required. We can choose to be a slave of Satan, or a slave under a benevolent God. The correct choice should be obvious!

Eternal life is a free gift, but we must choose to accept it.

Live like you made the right choice!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Reservation in Heaven!

For Friday, September 30, 2022:

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.”

If you were visiting another town, you’d reserve a room in a hotel. You would want to be assured of having a clean, safe place to stay. And as believers transition from this life to the next, Jesus assured us that we have a reservation in heaven. He said that he would go ahead and prepare a place for us! We have hope!

Our faith in Jesus assures us of a good life after this life. Forgiveness is his gift to all who trust in his name. Salvation is his gift to all who believe the Gospel.

For believers, the next life will be better than this life. We get to spend eternity in the presence of the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

The Gift!

For Thursday, August 27, 2020. 

Ephesians 2:8 CJB: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

God has a gift for you! And that’s cause for a celebration! Grace (of God) is unmerited divine assistance given to mankind, in this case to assure our presence with God in eternity. 

We receive that gift because of our faith, first believing that God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is the creator of all things, and believing that God can do what he says he can do. In this case, God says he will rescue us from our sin-problem. Do you believe he can do that?

The Bible says that God will sanctify us, make us holy, so that we can live with God in eternity. You can’t earn it – it’s a free gift, but we need to be willing to accept what is given to us. 

So friends, believe in God and his Son and prepare to receive a gift from above! Don’t forget to say, “Thanks!”

Blessings and safety to all this day! 

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

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

Psalms 121 - My Help Comes from the Lord!

Dec. 04, 2017 Monday Message:

“My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalms 121:2 NIV

People focused on legalism seem to think God is out to get them. They think He set incredibly high standards that no one could ever achieve, thereby dooming mankind forever.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. God’s desire is that no one would perish, and to that end, Jesus came to earth to help us. Jesus’ sacrifice paid the price for the sins of the world. The penalty for your sins and my sins has been prepaid. All we have to do is acknowledge our sin, declare Jesus to be our redeemer and stick with him in all things. It’s the best gift ever! In return, we get to spend eternity in heaven right along with Jesus, who is already preparing a place for us.

If you’re having trouble with this, God will arrange your rescue. When David’s train was going off the tracks – adultery and murder come to mind – God sent the prophet Nathan to point David in the right direction. Yes, it was God who arranged David’s rescue. He’s a God who loves you and is waiting for you to come home. He has a gift for you if you’re willing to accept it.

“The Lord will … watch over your life, … both now and forevermore.” from Ps. 121:7-8

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Michael Pilla leads us through Advent - See you at church!

"Do" vs. "Done" Religion

Sept. 02, 2013 Monday Message:

We’ve been looking at the most-asked Bible/Christianity questions, and the #1 question is, “Can we really know for sure that we’re going to heaven?” We’ve learned that Jesus is the direct connection to eternal life. Know that Jesus is the Anointed One (Christ.) Place your faith, hope and trust in Him, and Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise!” We also discussed that nothing we do (other than following Jesus) would earn us a place in heaven. The correct answer lies in what Jesus did for us.

(Sometimes Monday Message winds up on the same time path as our current sermon series – my apologies if you’re hearing this twice!)

Other religions are always having people “do” stuff to gain favor with God, to pile up “heaven-points.” To them, life is like a balance scale – good on one side, evil on the other. Unfortunately, bad stuff seems to pile up all by itself; so there is a perpetual effort to put enough good works on the other side, to tip the balance in favor of salvation. When have you done enough good to counterbalance the bad parts? I don’t know, and they don’t know, but they keep trying and hoping. We call these “Do” religions.

Unfortunately, “Do” is logical. It makes sense to us, and it creeps into Christian-based religions.

“You have to attend church every Sunday.” Good idea, but showing up each week doesn’t secure your place in heaven.

“You need to be baptized.” I highly recommend it because Jesus was baptized and said we should be too, but that’s not what secures your eternal destiny.

“You need to take communion.” Again, Jesus said to do this in remembrance of Him, but communion isn’t a heaven-ticket.

Some believer’s lives are perpetually stuck in the 1800’s, some wear special clothing, ring bells, offer sacrifices, tithe an exact amount, burn incense, light candles, wear ceremonial robes and hats, and sing only 200-year-old hymns accompanied by an organ. And I’m telling you today that none of this matters, because the securing of your eternal destiny isn’t controlled by anything that you can do.

In fact, all the work has been done for you, and it’s a gift to you from Jesus. Jesus did all the work on the cross, and your sins are forgiven. Christianity isn’t a “Do” religion – it’s a “Done” religion!

Accept the free gift!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. Sunday, Sept. 08, Dan Pilla wraps up Luke Ch. 13, and People of Hope provide special Worship Music! Join us!

NL

Free Gift!

April 23, 2012 Monday Message:

On the road to Emmaus, Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones and slow of heart, slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he (Jesus) interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning him. Luke 24:25-27 ESV

We are truly blessed to have Bibles in our own language, wherein we can follow the story of Jesus from creation to the end times of Revelation. New Christians in the 1^st Century weren’t so fortunate. They didn’t have all the facts written down, in one place. There were still debates and arguments about how this new “Christianity” thing worked. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus had to explain, to teach – to people who had been in Jerusalem and most likely knew the facts - how his death and resurrection fulfilled all prophesy.

When reading a mystery, are you ever tempted to flip to the last chapter to learn the murder’s identity? Well, you can do that with your Bible, and it’s not cheating! In fact, I encourage it. Flip to the back and see who wins. As you might expect, it’s the guys in the white hats, Jesus and his crew, who win the eternal battle of good vs evil.

In Revelation 22, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes [or wear robes of white] so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the Holy City [New Jerusalem] by its gates.”

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” Your eternal membership with the Holy Family in the Holy City is a free gift from Jesus, and that’s what we really live for. The solution to salvation is not to do more stuff; it’s to live closer to Jesus. When you’re closer to Jesus, your good/evil ratio improves. Then good things will follow: “Let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”

Accept the free gift!

Norton Lawellin