December 7, 2020
For a child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;
and the government will rest on His shoulders;
and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)
And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus,
for it is He who will save His people from their sin.
(Matthew 1:21)
Dear Family Shield friend,
It's been quite a year, hasn't it? Not the one most of us expected or wanted. Rev. Mark Frith, the Board chairman, and I pray you and your family are surviving and thriving with the Lord at your side. I believe for many years to come 2020 will mean difficult times and challenges. But, thankfully the Lord walks with us. Soon we will enter 2021. We join you in prayer for our families, our churches, and the world.
The Bible verse quoted above from Isaiah was predicted years before Jesus was born. It is a prophecy about the Savior. The New Testament fulfillment of this prophecy is in Matthew 1:21, "And she (Mary) will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins."
Praise the Lord! Our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life as a free gift when we believe in Jesus. Thank God for prophecies! Statistics tell us that there are 333 prophecies in the Old Testament about the Messiah that were fulfilled in the New Testament. This is one of the many reasons we teach and believe God's word is true; and why we proclaim God's gift of eternal life each week on our radio program and podcast.
On a recent radio program my guest and I discussed the challenge of Biblical illiteracy in the United States. It is a serious concern. Many Christians don't know God's Word well enough to discern truth from error. That is why so many people can be led astray to follow false prophets and false teachers that Jesus and the Bible warns us against. Join us in praying about what you could do in your family, the church, and community to address this issue. Why not make a commitment to read and study God's Word personally and in a small Bible study group in 2021? Pray for someone you know who is struggling with a problem or needs to know the forgiveness Christ offers.
Your prayers and support make Family Shield's educational services and gospel outreach possible. Thank you! More than 800,000 listeners tune in to our radio program each week! The potential listening audience is many millions since more than 50 stations air our program throughout the United States. The gospel message that transforms lives is proclaimed. George Barna research has documented that 10-15% of Christian radio listeners are unchurched, so using the 10%, Family Shield reaches 80,000 people each and every week who do not know Christ! And the 800,000 people we reach each week does not include those we reach and equip through the podcast, our website, Facebook, Twitter, or through our important Response Center and Follow Up services.
We continue working on our vision and plans for the future and invite your prayers for the Lord to lead and direct us. Our new Family Shield Ministries plan for the future will be shared soon with supporters. So many people in our world today need to hear the message of God's love through Jesus Christ. Won't you help us reach them?
As we close out 2020 and look forward to 2021, we pray your heart is stirred to support our outreach in the ripe and plentiful harvest. Please prayerfully consider a financial gift to help us continue to serve so many people. Your support of $1,000, $500, $250, $100, or $50 will allow us to continue transforming lives through the gospel within and outside of the Church. We also need and appreciate your prayers and spiritual support. You can give a one-time gift or a monthly gift. You can give a gift by sending a check or giving on the website at www.familyshieldministries.com.
The Family Shield Generations Legacy
Generations Legacy is our Planned Giving Program. Please consider participating in Generations Legacy and leave a gift to help us reach future generations for Christ. If you already put Family Shield Ministries, Inc. into your will or estate, let us know so we can recognize you. Did you know you can give an estate gift without changing your will? Did you know that you can turn a life insurance policy over to the ministry that you no longer need? We would also be happy to connect you to an LCMS Foundation Counselor or a Thrivent Financial representative that specializes in estate planning who can assist you.
We're thankful for you and many other friends of the ministry that partner with us in proclaiming the law and gospel beyond the walls of the church. May the Lord bless you and your family this Christmas season and throughout the new year.
In His service and yours,
