“ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  2 Corinthians 5:17

Are you ready to start the New Year?  I am!  What are you wanting to accomplish out of this new year?  2021 is going to be a great year for our Fulshear Family. 

All things are new in Jesus and that is hope for you and me.  Consider for a moment how it all began.

According to Matthew, history puts things into perspective. It is also a confirmation of TRUE EVENTS.

Ancestral history (in the story of Jesus) places things in proper order biblically. In Matthew chapter one we get to see the lineage of Jesus. This is how “THE WORD BECAME FLESH” (John 1:14).  Matthew and Luke describe in greater detail how it happened.

When you and I open the pages of the New Testament, we begin to see the earthly story of Jesus. Four separate accounts of the one gospel of Jesus Christ with 89 chapters/3779 verses (only 4 of those chapters/180 verses deal with Jesus’ birth/childhood) that tell His beautiful story from the cradle to the cross. John tells us there could have been much more written about Jesus (John 21:25) but what has been written is sufficient (John 20:30-31).

It all begins with genealogy. One might think that the beginning of His life is not that significant because little information is given (again only 4 chapters and 180 verses). However, that thinking would certainly be a false assumption. It is important for us to understand that the focus is mainly on His redemptive work on the cross and His commitment to God’s plan for saving all of humanity.

We read the names, which represent individual lives and stories of imperfect people but find their connection with HIS-STORY, the perfect Savior of the world. Matthew shares the good, the bad, and the ugly in the lineage of Jesus by telling of men like David and a woman like Rahab and their connection to the beautiful story of Christ.

This is a new year and it can be a new you.  Decide now to live in Christ faithfully by loving and serving Him in full assurance with a living hope.   “...Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

We would like to extend our warmest greetings to our Fulshear Family. You have blessed us richly in so many ways and for that we are forever grateful. 

This year has been a challenging year and we had to face many changes.  Life has been different and hard.  But we are so thankful for the truth that God never changes.  

Numbers 23:19, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

Malachi 3:6, “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

As we reflect on this past year, we focus on our blessings, which include God, His unchanging nature, and His people.  Thank you for showing us such love and generosity in 2020.  We are so thankful for our beautiful home.  We are grateful for the friendship and encouragement we receive from you.  We are also thankful for the opportunities this past year has given us to grow stronger spiritually.  Difficult times can help us define our faith.  Our hope is that your spiritual strength has been renewed and you can feel the love of our spiritual family even though our fellowship has been limited.  Continue to look for creative ways to bless one another and show God’s love to our community.  

May God bless you all.

Joseph displays an amazing TRUST in God.  The story of Joseph is amazing and emotional all at the same time. He is one of the most remarkable characters in the story of Jesus. It’s an emotional story for me because it’s a beautiful story of adoption as Joseph raises a son who wasn’t his own flesh and blood. 

Joseph is a man who has a remarkable trust in God and helps God with His amazing plan to save the world. He is so selfless and raises a child that is not his own but one who would save the world by giving His life for the sins of the world. 

How many of us would be willing to do what Joseph did?  He could have easily dismissed the story as untrue and as an insult to his family. He could have looked for an easier path to follow with less drama. He was never made to follow the path he chose but nonetheless it was his choice. And he chose God’s way instead of his own. 

Think about that for a moment … he chose Jesus!  He could have chosen the broad road but instead he chose the narrow road that leads to life. He was literally at a crossroads and it wasn’t an easy choice but love moved him to choose Jesus!  He was a good, just and holy man. And, many good, just and holy men have made the wrong decision, but not Joseph. 

It took an amazing amount of trust for Joseph to decide to raise Jesus as the one and only Son of God. His TRUST would begin not at Calvary but at the cradle. How difficult it must have been to believe in all that God was doing in his life. 

For us, it’s an easy choice because we look at the whole plan and are moved by the love that Jesus displays on the cross. Not so for Joseph!  His decision would be much more difficult than ours. 

It’s a crazy story but Joseph displays an unbelievable trust in a God who can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. 

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15 )

Romans 3:23, 6:23

Since we recently experienced BLACK FRIDAY I thought I would give you a different twist. 

Introduction:

· Have you ever noticed how life can change in the blink of an eye?

· Genesis 1-3 Everything went from GOOD to BAD...LIGHT to DARKNESS. So what happened?

· Romans 5:12 (interesting note - the word “sin” is not even mentioned in Genesis 3 when Adam sinned but that’s where it all began.) Genesis 6:5-7, Ezekiel 18:20, Isaiah 59:1-2 

· Mark 15:33-34 - The Darkest Day in Human History was Black Friday because of our Sin.

1. Sin is personal :  Romans 3:23  

a. Check out these New Testament words for sin:

i. “Hamartia” – to miss the mark (Rom. 3:23)

ii. “Parabasis” – transgressing or overpassing a line (Gal. 3:19)  

iii. “Paraptoma” – falling where one should have stood (Rom. 4:25) 

iv. “Anomia” – lawlessness (Matt. 7:23)   

v. “Adikia” – bending the right and making it crooked (2 Tim. 2:19) 

b. We are all personally guilty of sinning (Romans 3:23)

2. Sin Enslaves Personally:  Romans 6:16-17  

b. It shackles you. 

c. The reason we need freedom is because we are personally bound.

3. Sin is personally hard to overcome:  Colossians 3:8-11  

a.    However, we can overcome sin through the strength of Jesus Christ. 

Conclusion:

· Black Friday was without a doubt the worst day in human history. Crucifying Jesus was

humanity’s worst moment and it was extremely dark (Mark 15:33-39, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Isaiah 53:6).  

· God Hates Black Friday but He Loves SALVATION SUNDAY!!

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”  -- The Apostle Paul                   

If you were reading the Old Testament, you would learn that there were GIANTS on earth in those days (Genesis 6:4). In Numbers 13:33, we learn about GIANTS who were descendants of Anak. In Deuteronomy 2:20 we read about “a land of GIANTS.”  We are told “For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants. Indeed his bedstead was an iron bedstead. (Is it not in Rabbah of the people of Ammon?) Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the standard cubit.” (Deuteronomy 3:11).  And, the most familiar GIANT is the Philistine GIANT, Goliath, the one that David killed prior to his Kingly reign (1 Samuel 17).

As you browse through these passages in the Old Testament their presence is impressive.  When you read over in the New Testament there isn't the slightest mention of them...silence. One would conclude that there weren't any in New Testament times and that there are not any now. That would be a fair and reasonable conclusion!!

I'm convinced that there are GIANTS today and I have known them, been blessed by them, have walked with them, and it is equally exciting and impressive to be in their presence. Of course I am talking about SPIRITUAL GIANTS. 

There are many SPIRITUAL GIANTS mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 and their faith, commitment, sacrifice, and obedience to God is massive in every way. 

SPIRITUAL GIANTS pass  from this life to the next and leave us with a lasting and large footprint. Think about the spiritual mentors, friends, leaders, preachers/teachers, ministers, elders, evangelists, and servants from the past that have touched us spiritually and made us stronger!!  Think about the ones who are spiritual GIANTS now helping us on our journey toward heaven.   

Thanks be to our God for the gift of His SPIRITUAL GIANTS (James 1:17)!!

“But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”  — Hebrews 11:16