The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 11:27-33, “They came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him,

28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?”

29 And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30 “Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.”

31 They began reasoning among themselves, saying, If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’

32 “But shall we say, ‘From men’?”– they were afraid of the people, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet.

33 Answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Have you ever been challenged regarding your authority? I have. Alone in a university auditorium with a grand piano nearby, I saw no reason to deny myself the opportunity to play. I had only played a few notes when a man appeared and ordered me to stop. His challenge was sufficient, so I stopped.

Jesus encountered a challenge to His authority regarding His teachings. He countered with a challenge of His own: “I will ask you a question…, then I will tell you…,” He replied. The challengers huddled in conference and replied, “We do not know.” Jesus then replied, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Obviously, the chief priests and all were caught in a trap of their own construction. Have we not often fallen prey to our own devices? I used to sing a children’s song, “Be careful, little lips, what you say.” All of today’s Pharisees need to learn it.

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need, until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Mark 16:14-16, “Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

Has Jesus ever reproved you for a “hardness of heart”? Hardness follows unbelief; and unbelief hinders professed believers from going into all the world, sharing the gospel with those who have either never heard or have heard, but not believed in the saving grace of the LORD Jesus Christ.

The advent of the internet has made it possible for the feeblest of us to “go into all the world” and urge people to confess their sins to the LORD Jesus Christ and receive His salvation and to then share Him with others! Even those of us who cannot maneuver as well as we once did, can share the Good News of Jesus’ salvation via the Internet! For your information, the Grands Letter (originally written for my great-grandchildren), now circulates the globe with the same prayerful intention given to my grands. People come to my door and I share the Gospel, giving them the same tract that is attached below for your evangelistic outreach. It’s not the only way to share Christ, but it’s one way! Try it! Use it as you own outreach! I just thank the LORD He has given us this opportunity!

Click here to view the Gospel tract — “It’s Not How You Play the Game”

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

Dear Grands,

Hebrews 13:15-21, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.

19 And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.

20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,

21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

As a small boy, I often received unexpected gifts from friends or relatives that visited our home. I cannot recall a single time that my mother did not remind me to “say thank you” for whatever I received. Thus, those two words were “grafted” into my brain. Even today, things that could hardly be said to warrant an acknowledgment receive a verbal “thank you” from me. Frankly, I say it without actually “thinking!”

Yet, am I always so quick to say “thank you” to God? I endeavor to do so; yet, I cannot assure you that I always verbalize my appreciation as I ought. For shame! Yes, the LORD reads our minds and our hearts. It could be argued that because He does, openly saying, “thank you” to Him is quite unnecessary. But is it unnecessary? Often I said, “Oh, baby!” to my wife when she gave me something special. She knew from the start that I would be thankful. Yes, there is something special in saying it aloud. Just think about it.

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need, until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

1 Timothy 6:3-10, “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,

4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,

5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.

7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.

8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

If you have watched the news recently, you have doubtlessly also seen reports on the money market. What country currently possesses the most money? What individual or corporation in that country is worth the most money? In fact, there is no commodity in the world that commands more attention than the money market!

Without question, money is an indispensable commodity! Still, the preoccupation with money has ruined many a life! It’s one thing to have money; it’s quite another for money to have you! Who truly controls your life, your thoughts, your love?

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need, until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

1 Kings 8:33-36, “When Your people are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house,

34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them,

36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel; indeed teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.”

We have to be careful, for when we sin, we can expect nothing but defeat. Yes, the LORD is our Lord, but as a thoughtful, loving parent disciplines his child, so the LORD disciplines us when we have sinned. Discipline, therefore, becomes our instructor, reminding us of our wrong and reminding us to correct our ways from that day forward.

Whether discipline works always remains to be seen. If it does, the recipient will hesitate on the next similar occasion. If he does not respond well, the administrator will doubtlessly repeat the discipline with greater intensity.

Why do we require the LORD to discipline us? We have His Word as our directory. Yet, we also have an adversary who continuously counsels us away from the LORD’s retributive justice. May we learn well to obey His Word!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need, until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom