Mistreated?

For Wednesday, January 21, 2026:

Hebrews 13:3b NLT: “Remember those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.”

Perhaps TV and the internet have numbed us to what we used to look away from. We can turn on the tube and see people beaten to a pulp, shot and killed every night. Sometimes it’s fictitious as in a movie or TV series. Ironically, law enforcement shows may be the worst. And other times, we may see truth, as in a newscast. We can watch Russia drop bombs on Ukrainian schools, leaving innocent student civilians with no possible escape. People can be shot right here in downtown Minneapolis. It happens almost every day. Drugs and gangs can lead to a lot of violence!

Sorry to start out with the most extreme examples. Mistreating someone can be amazingly simple. Husbands and wives can mistreat one another while living under the same roof. Parents can mistreat their children, and vice versa. We can feud with our neighbors over petty little things! People can be really nice in church, and unruly once they get back in traffic. Are we sometimes our own worst enemy?

Jesus would advise us to never be the source of the mistreatment. And should we witness mistreatment, know that it is bad. We should go to bat for the one being unjustly mistreated, and do what we can to reverse the situation. People should be nicer to one another. Jesus taught us to love God and love our neighbors. That’s what we should do! Pray for those being mistreated, as if their pain were in your own body. Use Jesus’a name!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Neighbors!

For Sunday, May 19, 2024:

Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT: “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus, telling everyone to be nice, treat others kindly and to live harmoniously. We would be wise to appropriate his teaching for the entire world!

Paul is following Jesus’ example, who was following his Father’s example. Did you ever stop and think – pretend with me for just a minute – what the world would be like if everyone followed Jesus’ example? Everyone would get along. Everyone would be nice, kind and considerate. There would be no more disagreements between countries. Wars would vanish!

There is enough food in the world for everyone, but we can’t seem to work out the logistics. In the US, food spoils daily and we simply throw it away. We have more. In other countries, children are dying for a lack of nutrition. We know that we need to get food to those who desperately need it. But various laws, countries and border lines prevent this from happening! As a human race, we could do better!

We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, so let’s define neighbor. The category is broader than it first appears. I believe that anyone you interact with is considered your neighbor and should be treated fairly and honestly. That’s what Jesus would do!

Jesus did a lot of favors for people he just met!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Helpful is Good!

 March 20, 2023 Monday Message:

1 John 2:7 NLT: “Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before.”

In Jesus’ day, the religious establishment put all their efforts into obeying laws and observing traditions. Loving their neighbor wasn’t on the day’s agenda! But Leviticus 19:18 says, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” They should have already known!

The command to love your neighbor doesn’t refer to a single isolated incident. For those Israelites and for many nowadays, it requires a total change of heart, a change in attitude. I explain this to people as figuring out what you could do that would be helpful.

Example: Friends recently took an airplane trip, the husband in a wheelchair, and the wife his caretaker. They boarded the man first, but would not allow his wife on the plane until much later. She explained their medical situation, but was offered no help. It seems that she didn’t have the right kind of ticket that would allow early boarding. When finally allowed on the plane, she was seated 20 rows from her husband. It seems the ticket agent’s goal was enforcing rules, not being helpful! The airline could have done better!

When faced with a situation, ask yourself, “What could I do that would be helpful?”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

God of Provision!

For Friday, September 16, 2022:

2 Kings 4:7 NLT: “When the widow told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, ‘Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.’”

Q: Did the widow run out of jars, or did God run out of olive oil?

A widow in their group appealed to the prophet Elisha: “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.”

Our God, a God of caring and provision, had Elisha tell her to gather every jar, pitcher and pot she could find and then prepare for a miracle. She sent her sons up and down the street to borrow containers from everyone. She poured from her flask into the others, filling every one until there were no unfilled containers. Then the oil stopped flowing.

So you see, God has all the provision we require. The question remains, are we ready to receive God’s gifts when he pours out his blessings on us? You can borrow containers from your neighbors if needed. That’s how Christianity is supposed to work!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

God's Way!

For Wednesday, October 14, 2020 

Romans 12:9 NLT: “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.”­

Jesus said to love God and to love our neighbors. That’s the summary of Jesus’ value system. We would do well to adopt it as our own. 

When we’re living in harmony with our Creator, we don’t have to question our decisions. We don’t have to worry if we’re right or wrong. We don’t have to concern ourselves with outcomes. Knowing we’re living as our Designer intended leads to confidence and gives us hope.

Tell yourself, “It’s God’s way or the highway!” 

Blessings to all!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

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

Hey - It's the Sabbath!

For Sunday, July 26, 2020.

Mark 3:4 NLT: “’Jesus turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.’”

For me, our Sabbath, Sunday, is a day I look forward to, a day of joy and celebration. And according to Jesus’ rhetorical question, there is no better day to serve your neighbors.

Nowadays the question seems silly. That we wouldn’t help someone because it was a certain day of the week seems ridiculous. We are called to love God and love our neighbors, and that’s all the time!

If you’re able to attend church today, worship God. If going to church isn’t a good idea right now, worship at home. And even if you’re social distancing from your fellows, phone someone, text someone, email someone – let them know you’re thinking of them and that God still loves them. There’s no better day than today!

Blessings to all this Sabbath day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

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

False Witness?

November 05, 2012 Monday Message:

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16

A false witness is a liar, a prevaricator, and if he lies about his neighbor, he probably lies about everything and can’t really be trusted at all. Of course, “deceiving your neighbor” flies in the face of “loving your neighbor as yourself.”

This well-known commandment isn’t just about courtroom testimony. In fact, it includes gossip, exaggeration, slander, and anything put forth as a truth, which is, in fact, false. Speech intended to rob a person of his good name or character is against the spirit of this law.

Suppressing the truth when the truth could benefit your neighbor is wrong, as is putting forth the truth when it can only injure someone. Not everything true needs to be said.

None of us likes being lied to, but we sometimes experience it in an imperfect world. We do not expect lies to come from the mouths of believers. It’s far worse when we’re deceived by pastors or church elders, and the Bible says that God will hold them to a higher standard.

“There are things that the Lord hates and cannot tolerate … someone who tells one lie after another." from Proverbs 6:16-19 GNT

Godliness and honesty must walk hand-in-hand. That’s what the Bible says.

Norton Lawellin

Exceptional worship and teaching last Sunday, and if you weren’t there, you missed it! This week we continue in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF,) North end of the Oliver Ministry Building, 27^th Street & Bloomington Avenue, 10:30am.

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