Exalt the Lord!

For Tuesday, July 11, 2023:

Romans 1:19 NLT: “Sinful wicked people know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.”

In Jesus’ day, people would routinely discuss and debate religion and philosophy and first order questions like the origin of the earth. They were trying to figure things out, how life worked. There were a lot of false gods to weed out. And before Jesus, people had not experienced a Messiah, who could answer numerous questions!

Paul is setting the record straight. Anyone who examines nature’s annual rejuvenation, the planets, sun and our solar system, the tilt of the earth resulting in four seasons can only conclude that God is real. Our sustenance was intelligently designed! God has made himself obvious. And those not accepting God are rejecting him.

Here’s the problem: “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him.” If God has made himself obvious to us, we need to praise and worship and lift up his holy name! It is right to do so. God loves you, and you should love him back!

Nothing is more important today than exalting the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

God's Intended Design!

For Sunday, May 29, 2022:

Psalm 67:4 NLT: “Let the whole world sing for joy, because you, God, govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world.”

I have dreamed that if the whole world lived according to Jesus’ directions, this would be a wonderful planet on which to live! Unfortunately, that has not yet happened. Sin is run amuck all around us, and human life itself is not valued in the way God intended.

Of course the solution would be for everyone – including our leaders – to read their Bibles and then actually do what the Bible says! We could end wars and truly love our neighbors if we all trusted in the Lord. We could feed the poor and care for widows and orphans like Jesus commanded. Everyone could have clean, abundant water. Then the whole world could sing for joy!

If the world lived according to the Bible, earth would be closer to God’s intended design!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Creator!

For Saturday, October 24, 2020 

Romans 1:19 JBP: “It is not that evil people do not know the truth about God; indeed he has made it quite plain to them.”

Deep down, everyone knows that there is a God, a Creator, someone responsible for setting the universe in motion. God has written it on our hearts. If we open our eyes, it is plain to see. 

Who spins the Earth so that the sun comes up every morning and sets every night? Who tilted the Earth so we could have 4 seasons? Who set the Earth the exact correct distance from the sun so we’re not too hot and not too cold? It’s obvious that Intelligent Design was involved!

So now that we all have this valuable information the question is, what are we going to do with it? God lets us choose. We can try to go it alone, or we can choose to be a member of God’s Holy Family. If you believe in His Son, God will adopt you into the Holy Family and Jesus will call you “brothers and sisters.” I choose to walk with my brother Jesus! 

Blessings to all this weekend!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

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

Thank God!

For Saturday, July 11, 2020.

Ephesians 5:20 NLT: “Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

It seems like people want to pray more when things go wrong. But today, let’s pray for things that have gone right! Think about it – there are only a few things wrong, but millions of things go right every single day, things we may not even see if we’re on autopilot.

God keeps us alive until it’s time to call us home. Our heart keeps on thumping, and our blood keeps on pumping, and we don’t do that on our own – it’s Intelligent Design! Every day we get something to eat. Granted, some people have fancy dinners, and some go to the food shelf, but God looks after us. We have a place to live, we have clothes, we have freedom to worship our God in our country. We have friends, we have family, we have a church!

Today, let’s give thanks for the colossal number of things that have gone right!

Blessings,

Pastor Norton

Jesus in the City Fellowship

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

Intelligent Design!

March 9, 2020 Monday Message:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

Intelligent Design vs Incredible Coincidence? What do you think?

In spite of a lot of deep space exploration, we have discovered no other planet suitable for human life. There is nothing else out there, no other home for us. If the earth were any closer to the sun, we would burn up. If we were farther away, everything would freeze. Where we are is perfect. No planet is like ours!

In addition to our planet earth, we have also been given a moon! The moon keeps our oceans alive. The daily tides are not too big, not too small – in a word, perfect. If the moon were larger, tides would be like perpetual tsunami. And without tides, the ocean would stagnate and die. The way tides are is perfect, and it’s because of the moon.

Do all planets have water? Most don’t, but ours does. With most substances, the solid form is more dense than the liquid form, but water is the exception. The solid form is lighter – ice floats, right? This is why lakes freeze from the top down, ice on top, liquid underneath, so fresh-water aquatic creatures can survive.

Vegetation uses our carbon dioxide as part of photosynthesis, and in turn gives us oxygen, which mankind needs to survive. There always seems to be enough oxygen to go around – I’d say God has our back on this one. The ratio seems to be ideal.

For life as we know it to come into existence, far too many things have to be exactly right for me to believe it’s a coincidence. I’m sticking with Intelligent Design!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, March 15, 2020, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Michael Pilla opens up Luke 6.