World Peace!

For Sunday, September 21, 2025:

Luke 19:42 NLT, Jesus speaking as he enters Jerusalem: “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.”

Peace on earth is elusive. When God sends his Son to offer peace, right now is the right time to hop on the peace train. Immediately! If we’re not on board, the train may leave the station without us!

Jesus is prophesying a rough time for non-believers in Jerusalem. But Jesus is personally out of time. He already has “return to the Father” on his agenda. His disciples will have to continue the “eternal peace campaign” in his absence.

This will all happen “because you did not recognize it when God visited you.” That’s why our mission is to tell all people that indeed, the Son of God visited us on our planet. He walked alongside mankind. He died as the offering for all the sins of the world. And he will come again, to announce victory! Expect victory! Expect Jesus to win! Those with him will be ushered into the next reality, God’s Kingdom. Jesus will have a place ready for loyal believers!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Let My People Go!

For Saturday, January 18, 2025:

Exodus 5:1 NLT: “After their presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.’”

“Let my people go!” Those immortal words are still sung to this day. There are many things holding God’s people hostage. False religions keep people in bondage, especially females. Corrupt governments limit freedom in many countries. Even in the US, ‘the land of the free,’ laws and traditions limit what a person is allowed to do, and libertarianism starts to look good. And otherwise free people succumb to drugs and alcohol, voluntarily becoming slaves to those evils.

Moses and Aaron were disadvantaged from the start. They could quote God’s words to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh didn’t know God, didn’t believe in God. So God’s commands held no relevance for Pharaoh. In the king of Egypt’s mind, Moses was responsible for the work stoppage. “Look, there are many of your people in the land, and you are stopping them from their tasks. Now get back to work!”

This was the first of many battles between our Creator God and Pharaoh-the-unbeliever. Who would you guess would ultimately win, the king of little ol’ Egypt, or the Creator of the entire Universe? Without question our Creator wins. As Christians, it’s good to know that we’re a part of the winning team. God never loses a battle. In the end, He’s always victorious!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Unshakable Love!

For Friday, September 22, 2023:

Romans 8:35a NLT: “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?”

The fact is that God’s mind is made up! He loves mankind, his premiere creation, unconditionally, like a parent loves their children and always welcomes them home. And with God’s mind set on that goal, nothing can separate us from the love of God and his Son.

Scripture goes on to say that Satan will persist in throwing roadblocks in our path, things that might deter us but will never stop God. Trouble, calamity persecution, hunger, being without resources, danger, even threatened with death — those are the devil’s tools. But God and his Son are persistent and they are of one mind. Their goal is to bring mankind back home to heaven, as many as are willing to come!

The paragraph concludes v37: “Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Sing a New Song!

For Thursday, August 17, 2023:

Psalm 98:1 NLT: “Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power!”

God is good. To redeem mankind, he emerged victorious over Satan, Put another way, believers are the beneficiaries of God’s victory over the Devil.

Therefore the right thing to do would be to prioritize our worship of the Lord. Prioritize our gratitude. Too often our worship words lack heartfelt meaning. We show up at the same church and say the same prayers, never giving a thought to what the words actually mean. We sing hymns together, concerned with pitch and cadence, forgetting that they’re actually prayers or statements of devotion set to music. The next time you say The Lord’s Prayer, recite it slower, taking time to reflect on what each stanza actually means.

God is encouraging us to go out on a limb, to try something new. Sing a new song, pray a new prayer. Improvise something from your soul. Let your spirit praise God’s spirit, so your worship isn’t just the same-old same-old.

God doesn’t take you for granted, and we shouldn’t take God for granted.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Press On!

For Sunday, June 18, 2023:

Philippians 3:14 NLT: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Motivational speakers tell their listeners to first set a goal. If it’s not clear where you’re going, how will you know when you have arrived? Define what it is that you’re trying to achieve. Then you can divide that into incremental steps, and check things off as progress is being made.

Everyone knew about Greece’s national foot-races, the forerunner of today’s Olympics. The prize was often a wreath of olive branches, not particularly valuable but extremely coveted. Runners were told to keep their eye on the prize. Imagine yourself wearing the wreath! Picture yourself receiving accolades from your peers!

So Paul is comparing our journey towards heaven with a Greek race, something with which his audience would be familiar. There may be missteps along the way, but that’s not the issue. The Christian prize has eternal ramifications, and we are counseled to not get off on a side track. We’re to keep our eyes on victory, on the big prize. Jesus has already done most of the running for us, so have faith in him and in the Father. Remember that Jesus’ mission was to rescue mankind, and he always does a good job!

Celebrate your progress in the eternity race! Be joyful! Let your face know!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Faith = Victory!

For Wednesday, June 14, 2023:

1 John 5:4 NLT: “Every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.”

The Bible tells us that despite Satan’s best efforts, believers will be victorious over the ways of the sinful world. Believers are, after all, children of God!

The Bible says that believers achieve this victory because of our faith, faith in who Jesus is and belief that he can and will do what he promised. Jesus himself was the sacrifice for the sins of the world, and with our sins forgiven, we can join him in returning to heaven. Do you believe this? Do you have faith in the promises of Jesus?

Faith is like your car battery. Without recharging, it will soon run out of juice! We can recharge by plugging in to our Bibles, attending a church and associating with fellow believers. We recharge not just by attending church, but by doing the church stuff: showing kindness, being helpful, making things go better and loving our neighbors.

If we persist in this type of service, our Holy Spirit gauge will read “Full!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

God Listens!

For Sunday, April 23, 2023:

Psalm 116:1-2 NLT: “I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”

This psalmist, probably David, was amazed at all the blessings shown to him by the Lord. God had heard his prayers, listened and answered. In David’s case, he was protected from an army of bad guys out to get him. Without God’s protection, he wouldn’t have had a chance. But with the Lord, David was spared and lived to lead Israel for many years.

Picture this in your mind’s eye. God doesn’t just hear our prayers. He turns or bends down to better hear our petitions. “God inclined his ear toward me.” When you’re speaking to the Lord, he doesn’t want to miss a thing! Our God is so gracious that I will not to seek any other as long as I live.

Jesus and his disciples sang this psalm on the night he was betrayed. Jesus’ mission in coming to earth was nearly fulfilled, and mankind’s rescue was imminent. God really is good! This is mankind’s triumph song over death!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Final Victory!

For Sunday, April 24, 2022

1 Cor. 15:54 NLT: “When our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’”

Death is a defeated enemy because of Jesus’ work. His resurrection proves that there is life after this life. Jesus rose from the grave, and promised that believers can also know eternal life. He said he’d go on ahead and prepare a place for us!

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. God gives true believers ‘resurrection bodies,’ bodies suitable for spending eternity in the presence of God Almighty!

God, the great provider, knows our every need!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Winning the Battle!

For Thursday, February 17, 2022

1 John 5:5 NLT: “Who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”

Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

A lot of people live life in a "re-active" mode. When something in life goes wrong, they react; they try to fix it. But they're always playing catch-up.

True believers live life in a "pro-active" mode. We are pre-equipped with Jesus. He explained that the world is fraught with tribulation, but that we can rejoice because he has overcome the world. Jesus secured our eternal destination. Knowing that heaven awaits fills us with hope!

Keep your eye on the final destination!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Psalm 13

September 1, 2015 Monday Message (on Tuesday!):

“Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?” Psalm 13:1a HCSB

We’ve all been there. Every follower of God has, at times, felt discouraged; we feel like the LORD has neglected us. In Psalm 13, David asks 4 different times, “How long, Lord?”

David is human. He has the same feelings we feel, the same pressures and tensions we experience daily. We can always find a little bit of ourselves in a Psalm of David. Remember that David and God are on a first-name basis, so neither forsakes the other if something goes a little bit wrong. David is, after all, a man after God’s own heart! 1 Sam. 13-14

David prays for restoration, victory over his enemies, and the continued love of God. He trusts in the Lord.

And guess what? Things turned around for David, so now it’s time to thank God for His care and provision. David shows his gratitude like this: “I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.” Psalm 13:6

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. every Sunday in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Sept. 6, Pastor Michael Pilla continues our study in Acts.