Use Your Head!

For Tuesday, October 21, 2025:

John 14:26 NLT, Jesus speaking: “When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

The human brain is a miracle of God’s creation skill. Troves of valuable information are retained inside our heads. That’s long-term memory. Surprisingly, I can remember a lot of things I learned as a youth or in elementary or secondary school.

We also garner information on a need-to-know basis. Short-term memory. We remember everything we need to, now, but discard the data a short time later. Since I work with church musicians, I’ll use them as an example. Songs are typically assigned about a week in advance. I can look over the music and listen to examples of others performing the selection, but that’s a small part of the big picture. The most effective rehearsal is the one closest to the performance. It’s the rehearsal right before the church service that locks everything in place. That way, the details and any changes are fresh in our minds. Consequently, the best we ever do is when that music is performed for the congregation right after our rehearsal. Top of mind! But by Monday afternoon, I might not even remember the name of the song!

Back to today’s scripture… In Jesus’ absence, the Holy Spirit will (re-)teach us what we may have forgotten, reminding us of what Jesus said. That’s why it’s important to stake out our relationship with the Holy Spirit. He empowers us for service and connects us with spiritual gifts. While there is some denominational disagreement as to how best to connect with our Paraclete, there is no disagreement that we need to cultivate this relationship. The Holy Spirit can move Jesus’ teaching from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. As a believer, you’ll need this knowledge for quite some time!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God's Presence!

For Tuesday, October 7, 2025:

John 14:15-17a NLT, Jesus speaking: “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

Jesus wants us to obey his (and his Father’s) commandments. Sounds reasonable, but how does that work for mankind? Wasn’t it the Apostle Paul who said, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Paul was human. Paul experienced what we all experience: “shortcomings.”

The Bibles we read were translated from centuries-old writings that were hand-copied and therefore subject to minor differences. I discovered originals that said, “obey my commands,” “you will obey my commands,” and “you should obey my commands.” All of this tells us that following Jesus’ direction is a good idea, but we may not always get it right. After all, we’re flawed humans, subject to shortcomings. As pagans, we used to not care. But now that we know Jesus, we do the best that we can. We’re not perfect, but we have a goal in place of living our lives in a God-pleasing manner.

Jesus said he’d ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to us. (Aha – so there are three of them – Triune God!) He is sending someone to advocate for us, to comfort, encourage and counsel us, someone to walk alongside us through this lifetime. The Greek writers call him “Paraclete.”

Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” The “I” refers to the 3-in-1 God. Jesus was on earth with us and died so our sins could be forgiven. He ascended to Heaven, so the Holy Spirit will be our helper for the rest of our time here. And when we transition to God’s Kingdom, Heaven, the Father himself will be our master.

Pray that the Holy Spirit would keep all believers pointed in the right direction!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Come Holy Spirit!

June 06, 2011 Monday Message:

“If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:18

Jesus said he would send a helper, a comforter, to fill us with the power of heaven until he returns. In Greek the word is Parakletos, also translated as encourager, advocate and counselor, in the same way that a lawyer would stand beside you in a court of law.

Pentecost Sunday, June 12, is the day we celebrate the Holy Spirit, who, with a melodramatic arrival, filled the believers, following the ascension of Jesus. This appearance of the Holy Spirit was not the first. In fact, the 2nd verse of the Bible teaches, “The Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” Genesis 1:2

Why is the Holy Spirit such a big deal? Because we all need help. Mankind cannot ever live the perfect life. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

We need someone to rescue us. Jesus. And someone to redeem us. Jesus. But with Jesus in heaven, at the right hand of the father, who can help us now? The Holy Spirit. Who is our “connector” with God, Jesus, and with heaven? The Holy Spirit. Who will stand with us on judgment day, and remember that our name is written in the book of life? The Holy Spirit. Remember that if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are no longer under the law!

Even though Jesus ascended, we are not alone. The Holy Spirit can fill us with the super-natural power of heaven to accomplish super-natural things here on earth, in Jesus’ name, until he returns for us.

Pray, “Come Holy Spirit.” You are not alone.

Norton Lawellin

Get Ready for Pentecost

May 30, 2011 Monday Message:

“Everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit…” Acts 2:4a

Pentecost will soon be upon us, and most of our churches will celebrate on Sunday, June 12.

I think Pentecost should be one of the “Big 3” Christian Holidays: Easter, Christmas, and Pentecost. It celebrates the day the Holy Spirit came to be with the believers in a way that they could hear and see. There was a roaring sound, like a strong wind might make, a sound that everyone could hear. And “tongues of fire” fell from above and landed on each person.

The roaring-wind sound attracted a huge crowd, and Simon Peter preached his best, a sermon that could be understood in all languages. And when he gave the altar call, 3000 came forward and were baptized that day.

The Holy Spirit moved over the waters at creation, filled Old Testament prophets and saints, and came to be with Jesus at his baptism. Our one God shows himself to us in 3 distinct persons, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is our paraclete, our advocate to help us in this life until Jesus himself returns. When we fail to call upon our helper, the loss is ours.

Your church will be decorated in scarlet red for Pentecost, and many believers wear red on that day. Look for the Holy Spirit in your church that day. Expect him to show up!

Norton Lawellin

Apostles' Creed Unlocked Pt. 3

March 21, 2011 Monday Message:

“I believe in the Holy Spirit.” from the Apostle’s Creed

This week we wrap up our journey through the Apostles’ Creed, resuming at the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost). Jesus promised, in John 14:16, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will never leave you.” That’s one additional helper, the final 1/3 of our Triune God.

In the Greek, it’s “Paraclete,” meaning, "one who consoles, one who intercedes on our behalf, a counselor, a comforter, an encourager and an advocate." The Holy Spirit is called to walk through life with you, and to never leave you. You should consider the Spirit’s passion for helping mankind to be similar to the love of God, the same God who desires that not one of us would perish, and the love Jesus felt for us as He walked the earth and gave his life to redeem us.

Some churches keep the Holy Spirit locked up in the creed, while in other congregations, the Holy Spirit is passionately worshiped. God is in heaven, and Jesus ascended to be with the Father, but the Holy Spirit is with us right now! Many believers rely on the power of the Holy Spirit for healing, provision and supernatural intervention in their lives.

We believe in the “holy catholic Church,” not to be confused with the Roman Catholic Church. Notice the lower case “c” in the Apostles’ Creed. The word “catholic” mean “one,” “whole,” or “universal.” Some congregations believe in “the holy Christian church,” thereby removing the confusion. This sentence just means that all believers are on the same team.

The also confusing “communion of saints” isn’t referring to the Eucharist. Another victim of juxtapositioned linguistics, “communion” means fellowship, association, sharing and oneness, like the word, “community.”

We believe in the forgiveness of sins. This one’s obvious – Jesus died to redeem us out of our sinful nature. If you’re a repentant believer, you too can be forgiven.

Believing in the resurrection of the body was controversial in Jesus’ time, when the Sadducees didn’t even expect an afterlife. But full-body resurrection? That’s quite a stretch. But that’s what Jesus taught, that’s what Paul wrote, and that’s what our Bibles say. Our earthly bodies will be changed into “resurrection bodies” or “new heavenly bodies” as we rise to be with Jesus in the life everlasting, forever. See you there!

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Norton Lawellin

Made in HIS Image

February 07, 2011 Monday Message:

“God created mankind in his own image...” Genesis 1:27a

Have you ever thought of God as a grandfatherly patriarch seated on a huge royal throne in the sky? That’s what I was taught at church and in Sunday school. Pictures in books and paintings served to reinforce the concept. But is that the right way to picture God? Is that the way the great I am — is?

We don’t really know what God looks like. That’s how he wants it. We’ll find out soon enough. So are we made in God’s image, or are we making God in OUR image? Do we have the whole thing reversed? Backwards? Worse still, are we making an idol in our mind’s eye?

Before alphabets were invented, the Hebrew people utilized picture-writing. Writing God’s name became a sort of sin, because you had to draw a picture of God, which the Jews considered making an idol. Because we don’t really know what God looks like, any image we might make of him would be incorrect.

When God came to earth as Jesus, he utilized the body of a man to walk among us, heal and teach us, and to rescue us from our sinful ways. After Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit, the paraclete, a comforter or advocate for us. We do not know what the Holy Spirit looks like, but the Bible describes him as breath, wind or air. What does breath look like?

Bodies are for earthly beings. When God calls our soul, our nephesh, to the next reality, we will no longer need bodies. I don’t know exactly how we’ll look, but for sure we’ll fit in — our spirit will be made in HIS image.

Norton Lawellin