Jesus = Father = One!

For Tuesday, May 12, 2026:

Colossians 1:15a NLT: “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”

I love the story of a little girl putting her crayons to work in the church’s gathering space.

Pastor: What are you drawing?

Girl: I’m making a picture of God!

Pastor: Do you realize that no one knows what God looks like!

Girl: They will when I’m done!

Paul calls Jesus a “visible image” of God. Jesus was created for interaction with humans. He lived alongside us after coming to earth as a little baby. He taught God’s commandments as his own, taught Torah, and healed a great many who needed healing and casting out of demons. Finally, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, leaving believers forgiven, reconciled with God!

The word translated “image” could mean an engraving or some kind of picture. And it could also mean “manifestation.” There is a God we cannot see, but seeing Jesus is what God would be like if he were visible. Not only can’t God be seen, but he is unknowable past a certain point. It’s through Jesus that we can learn about God.

Jesus said, ”I and the Father are one.” He’s not only teaching a fact. He’s showing us things about the Father that we could never discern on our own. Jesus also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus will lead believers into the hereafter. We can follow him into heaven, into eternity!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Lies!

For Tuesday, April 7, 2026:

Matthew 28:11 NLT: “As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened.”

The tomb was discovered open, and the body of Jesus was missing. This is exactly what the Jews didn’t want to happen. That’s why guards were placed at the tomb. But what happened next is even more unbelievable.

The leading priests met with the elders and agreed to pay a large bribe, asking the guards to lie. They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’’’ Religious leaders without truth have no platform on which to stand. Lying violates every commandment that they teach.

Verse 15 concludes this section: “So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.”

Question: Why would anyone stick with a religion predicated on a lie? This is one more example of religion getting seriously off-track. God rescued his people from Egypt and gave them the Promised Land. Then God’s Son came to Earth to rectify mankind’s sin problem. Forgiven, the people should reconcile with the Lord, not be fighting over the authenticity of the Son. God had everything worked out until mankind lied. It’s like the Garden of Eden all over again!

God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Love all three and love your neighbor, and the Lord will smile on you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Lost Coin!

For Sunday, July 13, 2025:

Luke 15:8 AMPC: “What woman, having ten [silver] drachmas [each one equal to a day’s wages], if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and look carefully and diligently until she finds it?”

Jesus is teaching the mixed crowd – tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and teachers of religious law – the parable of the lost coin. In today’s dollars, about $200 had gone missing, and if any of us lost $200, we’d certainly look until we found it! Note the ratio, 1 out of 10 missing. We’d check every dresser drawer and go through our purses and pants pockets. Is it time to clean out the car? Check every nook and cranny. The search wouldn’t be over until the sum was located!

In real life, something far more valuable than a coin had gone missing. In this parable, the lost coin represents the soul of a lost sinner. Heaven is patiently waiting for that sinner to repent and return, and heaven will not abandon that soul until they have had adequate chances to reconcile with the Creator. God’s desire is that none would be lost, and that all would repent and return!

When the sum is retrieved, the woman invites her neighbors in to celebrate the victory. “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin!”

Jesus summarizes his teaching: “In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

You are extremely valuable to the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Messiah!

For Sunday, November 19, 2023:

John 4:25-26 NLT: “The woman (at the well) said, ‘I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’

Then Jesus told her, ‘I am the Messiah!’”

The Greek reads, “I am, the one speaking to you.” Thankfully she hadn’t shared any criticism or critique of religion! But imagine having a conversation and Q&A about God, religion and religious traditions, and finding out that the one with whom you’re speaking is the Messiah! Without knowing, the Samaritan woman was hearing truth from God’s own Son!

Apparently Samaritans also expected a Savior. Jesus not only fulfilled the prophesy for Jews, but for the whole world! People hadn’t been very successful in keeping all of God’s laws. The solution was to offer forgiveness to those who would believe, those who were loyal despite an occasional misstep. Jesus was forgiveness in a human body! His mission was to reconcile mankind with their Creator. He led the way to heaven, making a place for all who would believe.

This offer is still open today! I’d recommend learning all you can about this Messiah. If Jesus is Lord and Savior of your life, you’re holding a ticket into heaven. I’d recommend using it!

More tomorrow! Blessings!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Reconcile!

For Saturday, January 21, 2023:

Matthew 5:23-24 CEV, Jesus speaking: “If you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.”

Hate has no place in a Christian’s heart. Jesus taught that we should love the Lord and love our neighbors as ourselves. Never think that our service towards the Lord justifies bad relationships with others.

Therefore carrying a grudge is wrong. Let go and let God! I believe that there is a finite amount of room in our hearts for all our thoughts, hopes and plans. If your mind is harboring hate, that’s space that could be filled with love and kindness.

It’s time to clean house! Permanently get rid of all the bad stuff, the hate, the anger! As a believer, you probably haven’t used the bad stuff in quite a while, and you won’t be needing it in the future!

Paul counseled the Romans (12:18): “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Choose Life!

Nov. 17, 2014 Monday Message:

“Choose life, so that you and your children will live.” Deut. 30:19ba MSG

Becoming a Christian is a 2-part endeavor. God does the first part. He deals with the sin problem in the world. Jesus reconciled the separation of God and mankind by taking the sin of the world upon himself. Good news – your sins are forgiven! In fact, the sin problem of mankind has been reconciled once and for all.

So does everyone have salvation, eternal life with the Father? No, not yet. It’s a choice each of us has to make.

Think about this – when the prodigal son was at his lowest, feeding pigs, it was not the father who kept him away. In fact, the father gazed longingly at the road each day, hoping his lost son would return home.

It’s a choice - that lost one needed to choose to come home to the father. He was fearful of what would happen if he did return. But his fear was misplaced. The father had long ago forgiven him. The father had already settled the son’s sin issue, once and for all. The question now was not about the father – it was about the son, if the son would choose to humble himself before the father, and return home.

Why are you still feeding pigs when you could go home to your father? He loves you so much, has already blotted out your sin and will welcome you with open arms.

Choose life. That’s when heaven celebrates!

Norton Lawellin

Every Sunday Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, Nov. 23, Pastor Michael Pilla leads our Thanksgiving discussion. For what are you thankful?

Soul Restoration

Oct. 13, 2014 Monday Message:

“He restores my soul.” Psalms 23:3a ESV

Is your soul in good shape?

Our souls tend to look ragged from years of slugging it out as part of the human race. The Bible says that we all have come up a little bit short of God’s goals for our lives.

But there’s Good News! God is watching out for you. To all who believe – to all who claim YHWH God as their leader, their shepherd, God will use his restorative powers to put your soul back to the way that He intended.

Yes, with the LORD as your shepherd, you shall not want, and that truth is not only for this life, but for the next life as well. God’s desire is that none would perish, so he is personally handling the restoration of souls. As a believer, your beautifully restored essence – your soul – will live in the presence of God for all time. And that IS Good News!

“I will dwell in the house of the Lord – for ever.” Ps. 23:6b KJV

Norton Lawellin

Join us for worship - Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10:00am every Sunday in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, Oct. 19, we’ll open up Acts Ch. 10, Peter’s strange dream. God sets aside some Old Testament laws and lets Peter know that taking the Good News to ALL nations includes Gentiles! See you at church!