Forgive First!

April 13, 2026, Monday Message:

Mark 11:24-25 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

That’s verses 24 & 25. Your Bible may not have verse 26. It’s only in some of the original manuscripts, but not all. It reads as follows: “But if you refuse to forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.” That fits with the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Forgiveness is key to normal Christianity. Forgiveness is what makes everything else work, which makes it #1 on my list. Forgive everyone who has offended you, and hold no grudges. That person who dissed you last year isn’t even in the picture today, so let it go. Don’t dwell on it any longer. Take ‘getting even’ off your agenda, and move on. With a clean slate, you can now approach the Lord!

#2 Be 100% committed and devoted to God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Romantically, we say, “I love you with all my heart.” Paul counsels us to open the eyes of our hearts, our innermost self, not the eyes that see the world, but eyes perpetually focused on God. “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” (Eph. 1:18)

#3 Jesus told believers to use his name. It commands respect and authority in the spiritual realm. Demons are afraid of Jesus. When preaching, evangelizing or healing, Jesus said we should use his name. When I die and show up at the pearly gates, I’m going to use Jesus’ name. He said he was going ahead to prepare a place for me!

How about you?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Sinless!

For Thursday, January 15, 2026:

Romans 6:10b-11 NLT: “Now that Christ lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”

Jesus was crucified, died, and buried with the sins of the world. He was resurrected, leaving the sins behind. Believers stick with Jesus throughout all that happened, now following a Savior who has totally overcome sin. We want to look straight ahead, focusing on the sinless one, rather than wandering eyes searching for possible sin opportunities. Sin can’t get close to us if we’re close to Jesus!

Conflict in my home city of Minneapolis has been the lead story in the news recently, so I ask you to pray with me for peace. Thank you!!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Offering!

For Friday, March 7, 2025:

Leviticus 7:28-29 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present a peace offering to the Lord, bring part of it as a gift to the Lord.”

3,000 years ago, everyone had to raise their own livestock and harvest their own grain. You couldn’t just stop at Cub on the way home. Here, the Lord is telling Moses to tell the people to bring a little extra for the Priests. Not more fat to burn on the altar, but the breast, good meat, something of sustenance for the religious workers.

Nowadays we give mostly dollars. Cash and checks in the offering. Visa and Mastercard on the web site. Venmo and Paypal for direct deposits. The Old Testament suggested a tithe, 10%, for the Lord’s work. The good news is that we got to keep 90%! The New Testament suggests sacrificial giving. Don’t stop at 10%. Put a little extra towards God’s work.

In Jesus’ day, the mindset was that their Savior would be taking believers to heaven soon, so they really wouldn’t need money or property. Many in the first church, called The Way, sold their homes, their land, their livestock and donated the proceeds to the church. As the saying goes, “You can’t take it with you!”

So prayerfully consider what the Lord would have you do. Talk it out with God. You don’t have to decide this minute. Take this project home, and let the Lord determine your direction, your commitment to growing the church and to making disciples of all nations. What is your piece of God’s project? Then do what the Lord calls you to do.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Sabbath!

For Tuesday, February 25, 2025:

Exodus 31:13a NLT: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you.”

On weekdays, most of us put on our work clothes and leave home to do whatever we do to earn a living. Anything from a suit to a hard hat is appropriate, depending on our careers.

The Sabbath day is different. Believers wake up focused on our God, the central theme of the day. We dedicate this special day to honor the God Almighty who makes us holy. We gather with our fellows to worship and pray. Fellowship is a key part of honoring the Sabbath. Families meet with other families. Worries, cares and disagreements from the previous week are set aside as we celebrate together. Our focus is on loving the Lord and loving our neighbors! The Sabbath is a good day!

I serve at a church that, for logistical reasons, meets on Friday nights. I don’t think God is as concerned with what day of the week it is, as he is that we consistently designate a special time to worship and honor him. For most people, their work week is wrapped up and they immediately turn to the Lord, and that’s good!

I don’t ever think of the Sabbath as a “do nothing” day. For obvious reasons, priests, pastors, church musicians and Bible teachers have a very busy day. Even observant Jews in Moses’ day would have to feed and water their animals on the Sabbath. You could help with some of the Lord’s work: visit shut-ins and the sick; help at the food shelf or serve meals to the needy; be an usher or park cars at church. Think of things that would be helpful to the Kingdom. Do good!

Above all, remembering the Sabbath reminds us of the goodness of God, the one who sent his son to be the offering for the sins of the world. If we repent and return, God is willing to forgive and forget, and welcome us into his eternal kingdom! God is good!

See you at church!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Pray!

For Wednesday, May 1, 2024:

Colossians 4:2 NLT: “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”

We are to be vigilant in prayer, but always praying with thanksgiving for the great things God has done. God wants to know that you’re still in the game with him, but it should be a 2-way conversation. Your prayer should include love and thanksgiving for the Lord, not just personal requests.

Why pray? Jesus told a parable of a judge who did not fear God, or for that matter, men. A widow came to the judge persistently asking for justice. I believe her unrelenting requests wore him down! “Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.”

When praying for justice, don’t think you can wear God down. God has three answers to our requests: yes, no, and not just yet. Yes is easy. The problem is solved, the situation resolved. ‘No’ and ‘not just yet’ can be confusing. Did God say ‘no,’ or perhaps things will go my way later?

The Lord’s Prayer handles this well. “Thy will be done.” Not MY will but THY will! Rather than asking God for YOUR way, ask him to show you HIS way!

You could pray right now if you wanted to!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

In Jesus' Name!

For Friday, December 8, 2023:

Mark 1:25-26 NLT: “Jesus reprimanded the evil spirit. ‘Be quiet! Come out of the man,’ he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him.”

Evil spirits are not on holiday. We don’t perceive them because we’re not looking for them. But evil is still out there, doing as much harm as possible. Just look at the world around you. Wars, prejudice and violence are far too common. It’s no accident! Someone or something is accelerating evil in our lifetimes.

From today’s scenario, we learn that evil spirits obey the Son of God. So if you’re trying to help someone who appears to be caught up in evil, you need to use the name and invoke the power of Jesus. Yes, it still works nowadays!

Paul taught us to never stop praying. Pray that goodness will overcome evil. Pray for goodness to be victorious. Pray “in Jesus’ name!”

"The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee!” It’s still being spread nowadays.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Relationship!

September 11, 2023 Monday Message:

Psalm 86:5 NLT: “O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.”

Even good Christians fail to call on God when there’s a problem, thinking, “God has a lot on his plate and my problem is so small!” We pray for others religiously, but fail to also pray for ourselves. Time to change that!

In fact God wants that sort of relationship with us, but we need to invite him in. God stands ready to help, and he’ll intervene in our lives if we simply ask. Listen to this – God has a good supply of forgiveness, agape love and healing with our names on it.

Go ahead – put your name on God’s to-do list - today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Only God!

For Tuesday, August 29, 2023:

Psalm 77:13 NLT: “O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you?”

2K years ago, believers didn’t know what we now know. At that time, believers lived amongst people who believed in many gods. There was a god for favorable weather and a good harvest; a god for rain and a god for sunshine. None of these “extra” gods exist. The psalmist asks the rhetorical question, “Is there any god as mighty as you?” In fact there are no other gods.

Jesus prayed only to his Father in heaven, and taught believers to do the same. Since Jesus took away the sins of the world, we can approach Father God directly. God wants to hear from us. God desires a relationship with us in. As we became believers, we were adopted into the Holy Family. We became children of God.

Praying to our Father is family business.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Father, Son, Holy Spirit!

For Wednesday, November 9, 2022:

 John 14:6-7 NLT: “Jesus told Thomas, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!’”

Jesus is the way, the only way to eternal salvation. Every word he spoke was true, intended to teach those around him about sin, repentance, the Kingdom and salvation through him. Jesus is life. He bought us eternal life in the presence of the Father.

Some translations read, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” In practice of Christianity, there is really only one God, who is known to us in three different forms. But it’s still just one God. We pray to our Father in heaven in the name of Jesus who walked on earth alongside us. The Holy Spirit is moving among us now, until Jesus returns. The Bible says that Jesus was present at creation, and the Spirit moved over the waters of creation, but in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. I get the three mixed up all the time, but I believe that God’s smart enough to sort it out.

Praying is always better than not praying.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Call on the Lord!

For Wednesday, September 21, 2022::

Psalm 25:17 NLT: David, praying to the Lord: “My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all!”

David wears his religion on the outside. What I mean is, he’s not shy about worshiping God, praying to God and also pouring out all his troubles before the Lord. And he writes it all down for everyone to see!

Psalm 25 shows us a roller-coaster of David’s emotions. Up and down! He begins by expressing total allegiance to the Creator, but his thoughts quickly turn to asking for protection and being kept safe amidst his enemies. David had been anointed to be the next king of Israel, and heads-of-state are always in danger. He concludes saying his hope is in the Lord, and asks protection for Israel. (You might wonder, did David suffer from ADHD?)

The point is, God wants to know all the details of your life, both the good and the bad. Being an omniscient God, he already knows, but he wants you to share your life with him. He wants you to turn to him in times of trouble. God wants to be 100% involved in your life!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Our Father...

For Friday, March 4, 2022

Matthew 6:9 CJB, Jesus speaking: “You, therefore, pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven! May your Name be kept holy.’”

In Jesus’ day, hypocrites lined the streets of Jerusalem, praying out loud. Like thespians in a play, rather than actually praying to God, they were putting on a show to let everyone know just how righteous they were. Their prayers were long and complicated, as if God appreciated verbiage. But he’s not a fan!

Jesus recommends praying simply, getting right to the point. God understands our everyday words because God knows what’s in our hearts. Don’t picture God as so far away. He designed us and created us, so we should have a close relationship with him. Think of him as your Father. Believers, after all, have been adopted into the Holy Family, which fills us with never-ending hope!

Our prayers should be one-on-one time with our Father!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Peace!

For Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Psalm 141:5c NLT: “I pray constantly against the wicked and their deeds.”

In context, David was trying to stay one step ahead of those trying to kill him, a lot of mean people with sharp pointed spears. God answered David’s prayers, and kept him safe. God had anointed David to be Israel’s leader. The opposition thought they could stand against David, but they could not stand against God. David survived and became king just as God intended, and the history is well-documented in our Bibles.

Today we witness a war against Ukraine. Rockets and gunfire have killed hundreds, and hundred of thousands have been forced to flee their homeland. Following David’s example, we can and should pray against the wicked and their deeds. We should pray for persecuted people everywhere. We should pray that God would give them hope. World peace should be more than a buzz-word. It should be a sincere prayer on all our lips.

We’ll know the peace that passes all understanding when Jesus returns!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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