New Covenant

April 06, 2015 Monday Message:

“When the women found the stone rolled away, they went in. But they did not find the body of Jesus.” Luke 24:2-3 CEV

For thousands of years before Good Friday, mankind sinned and died without hope. Many people believed in God-the-creator, and they believed that God loved them, but not one was able to live a perfect life, to obey every law. So they died in uncertainty.

On Good Friday, Jesus himself paid the price for the sins of the world. He took those sins to the grave.

So Saturday was a strange day, a dividing point, a line in the sand separating the old from the new, separating the law from grace. Both good and bad: Good - everyone’s sins in the grave. Bad - Messiah in a tomb. On Saturday, the next step wasn’t clear. The disciples were disappointed, disillusioned and quite afraid on this transitional day. They could not yet see tomorrow.

But on Sunday, resurrection day, everything changed for the better, and everyone was amazed. Jesus had conquered both sin and death with the same event! Even though he told everyone it was necessary to die and rise again, no one fully understood, so Sunday caught everyone by surprise. But the empty tomb made it abundantly clear that death was not the end. There was indeed hope for everyone who trusted Jesus with their eternal destination.

Easter Sunday, the first day of the week, is the first day of the rest of our lives. Before Good Friday, we were lost; after the Resurrection, we have hope.

“Born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3b ESV

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! 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 week, April 12, we’ll look at Peter’s call to ministry, and your call to ministry, John 21. See you at church!

Palms Away!

March 30, 2015 Monday Message:

“They took palm branches and went out to meet him shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!’” John 12:13 NIV

Last Sunday, most of our churches celebrated Palm Sunday. Let’s take a second look at the first Palm Sunday.

In 538BC, the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild the Temple. They used palm branches in the rededication, and the palm became a symbol, a type of logo, for the Hebrew people, the Jewish religion and the Temple.

Minted coins were to feature the image of Caesar, but twice, during wars against Rome, Israel minted coins featuring palms. Waving a palm branch at a Centurion was highly confrontational, and would surely get you arrested.

God had promised the Israelites a Messiah for quite some time, and many believed that Jesus was the anointed one. But they were expecting a Messiah who would liberate them from Rome. They hadn’t considered that the Messiah would rescue them from sin and open the doors of heaven.

So on that day, Jesus rode in to Jerusalem, and out came the palm branches and bright clothes to line the street, as would be done for a king. The crowd shouted, “Blessed is the King of Israel!” They honored Jesus, not Caesar, as King of the Jews.

Some things are not Caesar’s.

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 week, April 5, Pastor Michael Pilla teaches about the empty tomb.

Serve Somebody

March 23, 2015 Monday Message:

“The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve…” Mark 10:45a ESV

Consider that the best form of government may be a “Benevolent Dictatorship.” The initial reaction of most people is, “No way! Dictators are evil!” And when they’re working in the world with mammoth egos to feed, you’re right - the general population oftentimes suffers.

It’s different when God is the dictator. The key is benevolence. There are rules, standards and directives, but they are for our own good. God loves us. God, who is in charge of everything, saw mankind was in trouble, and even sent his own Son to help solve the problem.

When Jesus walked the earth, he never held his status over anyone. In fact, quite the opposite. Jesus, living under the

Romans, was quite familiar with oppressive rulers. “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.”

And here’s how Jesus feels about that: “It shall not be so among you.” He explains, “Whoever would be great among you must be servant of all.” And he leads by example, sacrificing his own life so that we might live: “The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I’m OK with the dictatorship; Jesus is my King!

Norton Lawellin

Each 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, March 29, Dan Pilla speaks on the Triumphal Entry.