False Prophets

For Wednesday, November 29, 2023:

Romans 16:17b NLT, Paul speaking: “Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.”

Truth is God’s opinion on everything. With God, there’s no gray area. It’s either black or white, either right or wrong. There is no middle ground. Jesus said those who are not with me are against me. It’s a strong admonition: Those who are not on the same page as God might as well get out. If you’re not going to agree with God, why try to hang out with him?

We’re surrounded by churches with a cross on top and “Jesus” in their name. But the true test is if they have a Bible in their hand and on the lectern, front and center in the church. If the preaching and teaching adhere to the Bible, we have a good start. Many divisions in churches start with errant teaching. A lot of times it’s someone putting their personal agenda on top of God’s teaching. But believers say, “Sola Scriptura,” only scripture, only God’s word determines what we believe and what we do.

We’ll see more false teachers as we draw closer to Jesus’ return. So beware – don’t fall into a theological trap! Teach your eyes and ears to discern truth, and keep a Bible in your hand.

Walk with the Lord today, and have a safe and blessed day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Sola Scriptura!

For Friday, October 27, 2023:

Romans 13:4 NLT: “Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.”

We are never to sit in the judge’s seat. Each person on earth serves somebody, and we have been given free choice to decide who that is. There are only two answers: You can serve God, Jesus and everything that is good, or you can serve the dark side, Satan and his minions. Choose wisely!

There are a lot of Christian denominations. My favorite ones use the Bible as their handbook. Christianity got back to the truth in the 1500’s when Martin Luther preached, “sola scriptura,” latin for, “only scripture” or “only the Bible.”

Using the Bible as our “owner’s manual” for life, we need to separate in our minds what the Bible teaches from those things that are just religious traditions.

Following traditions doesn’t save us. Following Jesus does!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Sola Scriptura

For Friday, November 12, 2021

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

We’ve been looking at “The Five Solas,” basic tenets of Christianity. “Sola Scriptura” or “by scripture alone” speaks to the authenticity and authority of our Bible. Reformed theology asserts that scripture, the inspired word of God, must be our ultimate authority. The Word of God supersedes church traditions. In fact all church traditions, creeds, and teachings must be in harmony with God’s word.

The good news is that nowadays Bibles are readily available and fairly inexpensive. Think about it – any one of us can carry the Word of God in our hand! We can view God’s message at any time! We can share the words of the Bible with those who seek Good News!

If you’re looking for hope, you can find it in the Bible!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Tradition vs Redemption

For Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Mark 7:9 NLT: “Jesus said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.”

Some Pharisees and religious teachers had come to see Jesus, who carefully separated God’s commands from ritual and tradition. The words of God always take precedence over manmade rituals and traditions.

The Reformers took it a step further, emphasizing “sola scriptura,” or “only scripture,” only God’s Holy words. God-inspired Bible-writings give us redeeming ordinances, words that save us unto eternity. Redemption comes out of knowing who Jesus was and claiming him as our Savior. Jesus gives us hope for our life in the next reality.

Jesus said that we are saved or lost based on what comes from our heart – not by observing some ritual.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

False Prophets

July 28, 2014 Monday Message:

Jesus: “Beware of false prophets.” Matt. 7:15a ESV

Jesus adds that false prophets come disguised in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. It’s bad enough that their teaching is untruthful; but they’re also intentionally furthering their agenda through deceit and lying.

Last Sunday, I told our congregation to take out their Bibles, so they could double-check what they’re hearing. At our church, we intend to teach only the truth, so we can stand this test. ALL churches SHOULD be able to withstand this test.

But as more and more mainline denominations deviate from Biblical accuracy, it becomes more challenging to spot the wolf in sheep’s clothing. It’s important that we all fact-check everything that we’re being told. If we’re passive, it’s far too easy to fall victim to the deceit.

How fortunate we are to live at a time when everyone’s cell phone can contain a Bible app. But therefore, as Christian leaders and teachers, we need to fact-check everything we’re saying. If we spit out inaccurate information, we’re in trouble; some teenager has probably already looked it up! 

The early church taught “sola scriptura,” meaning “only scripture,” “only God’s word.” They believed that the Bible is the inspired and authoritative word of God. If all we really need is God’s word, we can exclude a lot of church tradition and individual interpretation, and believe only the facts.

Sticking with God’s Word is a lot easier than trying to sort out sheep and wolves.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, Dan Pilla opens up Acts Ch. 5.