Truth, in Love

Nov. 05, 2018 Monday Message:

“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” Matt. 23:24 NIV

I believe God is looking for positive trends in his Holy Family. Being human, we won’t always get everything right, but I believe God wants to see how we are trending.

God loves us – unconditionally. His desire is that no one would perish, but that all would repent and return home to spend eternity with him in his kingdom. God has this curious insatiable love for mankind, and as well as God knows truth and theology, it would all be pointless without love and compassion, of which God has an abundance.

God isn’t constantly looking over our shoulders, waiting to convict us on some theological technicality. God is not petty. Rather, God is “a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness.” Ps. 86:15

We should speak God’s truth, but like God, we need to do so with love. Then we can become more like Jesus the Christ, head of the church. from Eph. 4:15

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Together we’ll open up words from the prophet Zechariah. See you at church!

Eternal God - Eternal Forgiveness

Oct. 29, 2018 Monday Message:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev. 1:8 NIV

Knowing that God is eternal is essential to our salvation. God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omnipresent (everywhere), and omniscient (all-knowing). Since God is not restricted by mankind’s linear time and space boundaries, we can deduce that our rescue has been on God’s radar for quite some time.

Because of what Jesus did, we have been forgiven; redeemed. And from God’s eternal perspective, that work is finished. The matter is settled. We have been adopted into the Holy Family, and our God, who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, is not about to change his mind.

Of course as humans living in the world, we’re prone to sin and shortcomings. We find ourselves doing things we swore we’d never do again. You’re in good company – Paul experienced the same difficulties, and wrote about it, asking why he did the things he did not want to do, while not doing the things he intended to do.

But there’s Good News! God didn’t throw Paul away, and he won’t throw us away either. The fact that we might sin after becoming a Christian is no surprise to Him. God never says, “Wow! I didn’t see that coming!”

When God redeems you, it’s forever, because our God is an eternal God. “For by one sacrifice he (Jesus) has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Heb. 10:14

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Michael Pilla opens up Habakkuk!

On Forgiveness...

Oct. 22, 2018 Monday Message:

On Forgiveness…

Mankind is plagued with a sinful nature, and the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But it also says that if you repent and return to the Lord, you will be forgiven.

Consider Saul of Tarsus – we know him as Saint Paul. Trained as a Pharisee, he formed a posse to capture the new Christians, bring them in chains to the Temple for trial, sometimes resulting in their execution. Saul wrote, “When the believers were put to death, I cast my vote against them.” He put to death many, many Christians. Simply put, he murdered God’s Children.

And yet God forgave him. God got Saul’s attention on the road to Damascus, and then sent him on a mission for Christ, to deliver the Good News to the Gentile nations. God saw through what Saul WAS, and focused on what he could BECOME if he was forgiven! Turns out that the “forgiven Saul” was far more useful for Kingdom-building.

Of course the lesson here is that if Saul could be forgiven for murdering God’s children, then we should likewise forgive all manner of sin against us. Jesus said that our sins will be forgiven AS WE FORGIVE others. Don’t hang onto anger, frustration, and resentments - just let God work it out. Don’t let someone who sins against you control how you feel today. Divorce yourself from the whole matter.

Let go and let God. Smile!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Michael Pilla continues teaching from Micah.