When We Die

For Friday, November 18, 2022:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NLT: “The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.”

Yesterday I promised to answer the question: “What happens when we die?” Here we go!

We only need a body because we live on earth. But in the spiritual realm, what matters is your eternal essence, your soul; nefesh in Hebrew. Interestingly, nefesh can also be translated as “life.” So your soul is what is life to the Lord; your body is just an accessory. Your body can die and be put in the ground, but your soul cannot. Heaven is not concerned with the demise of your body, but the Bible says, “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.” When you die, your soul finds God right away! The soul of a believer is very important to our Lord!

In the end times, Jesus will come to earth again, with much ceremony, riding on a white horse signifying purity. Graves will open and fully restored bodies will be reunited with their souls, joining Jesus in the sky! After that, believers who are still alive will be raptured, joining Jesus and the others. The best news ever is that believers will then be with the Lord forever!

Salvation is permanent!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Restoration!

For Sunday, August 7, 2022:

Psalm 23:3a NKJV: “He (the Lord) restores my soul.”

At church today we’re going to thoroughly dissect the 23^rd Psalm. It’s all good, but my ears perk up when I hear this promise of restoration.

If we indicate that we want to repent and return to the Lord, God will offer us help. The Bible says that he will lift us up out of the mire and place our feet on solid ground, his ground, thereby restoring us.

This is a step beyond healing a body. Your soul, your nefesh, is your eternal essence, your spirit. A restored soul is being prepared for eternity in the presence of the Lord. We call it heaven!

“...and I will dwell in the house of the Lord - forever!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

He Restores My Soul

For Thursday, July 16, 2020.

Psalm 23:2a ESV: “He (the Lord) restores my soul.”

Believers oftentimes sing, “The earth is not my home,” and they’re right! We are from somewhere else, and we are on our way to somewhere else, and that’s what we’re concerned with today. We’re looking at ‘life after this life!’

Following life on Earth, we move on to a different reality. Our earthy bodies are temporary, but our soul, our eternal essence, will live forever. So the question to ask is, “Where will I be spending my time?” The simple explanation is that good people go to Heaven to be with God, and bad people wind up with Satan. Trust me – you want to be with the good group!

Unfortunately, we’ve all made mistakes, done things wrong; the Bible calls it ‘sin.’ And to reserve a room in Heaven, we have to be without sin. We can’t get there on our own, but the Lord provides a way. He restores our souls. God sent his Son Jesus to take care of our sin problem, to be substitutionary atonement for us, so that our names could be on Heaven’s guest list.

When you knock on Heaven’s door, tell them to look for your name in the Book of Life. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior – if you’re saved by grace through faith – your name will be there! They’ll check in the column labeled ‘sin,’ and it will be empty. You can point to Jesus and say, “I’m with THAT guy – the guy just to the right of God!” Congratulations - you made it!

On your own you didn’t have a chance. But the Lord restored your soul – as promised!

Blessings and protection to you all this week!

Pastor Norton

Jesus in the City Fellowship

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