The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 13:5-10, “And Jesus began to say to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you.

6 Many will come in My name, saying, “I am He,” and will mislead many.’

7 “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.

8 “For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

9 “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.

10 “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.”

If the verses above seem “rushed,” they are! They are, because they were rushed at the time they were first spoken. In fact, the word “suddenly,” not found in the verses above, is implied. The word is used, however, fifteen times in the books of Mark, Luke and Acts of the New Testament. When things happen, they often happen without warning, startling those who experience their sudden burst upon the scene! Even as I write this Letter, an emergent message appeared on my phone. Time is of the essence!

Schedules are rearranged! Communication with others is rapidly established! Everything is dropped in preference to an emergency! How vitally important it is that we have our priorities in order when such comes upon us! There is then no time to adjust! Now means NOW!

Hopefully, you are not facing a physically emergent situation today! Just be prepared! No one knows where or when the “call” will come. Just be “prayed-up,” and ready! It could be today!

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,

Nehemiah 1:1-6, “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol,

2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.

3 They said to me, ‘The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.’

4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

5 I said, ‘I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned.’”

I well remember attending a basketball game, when the loud speaker announced that a man’s house in a neighboring city was on fire. I saw the man arise immediately and head for the door and for home!

Our passage above speaks of Nehemiah, a Jew, who was serving in Persia (Iran) when he learned of the trouble in Jerusalem. Immediately, he commenced to pray and seek the LORD concerning the matter. He then sought and gained permission from King Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem with men and resources for rebuilding the wall and parts of the city that had been destroyed.

When we learn of emergent difficulties –even life-threatening situations—our first incentive is to get help. Yet, seeking the LORD’s intervention, (however difficult or urgent the situation), ought always to be our primary activity. His resources are ever-present—closer than police, ambulance or whatever human help is available. Prayer is our first and most powerful line of offence! What’s more, the LORD has Divine insight and ability far exceeding all we might know or think!

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 5:25-34, “A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years,

26 and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse–

27 after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak.

28 For she thought, ‘If I just touch His garments, I will get well.’

29 Immediately, the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched My garments?’

31 And His disciples said to Him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, “Who touched Me?'”

32 And He looked around to see the woman who had done this.

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

34 And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.’”

Biblical times and modern times have this much in common: disease is in both realms! Have you ever had a condition your physician either could not control or had never encountered?

This poor woman in the passage above had been plagued with a serious blood issue for 12 years! That’s a long time for such a condition, especially concerning blood. Furthermore, she had exhausted her money and still had no solution to her problem. Needless to say, she became worse, daily. Then, she heard about Jesus! And she reasoned that just touching His garment might affect her healing. She had nothing to lose. And when she touched his garment, the flow of her blood stopped immediately! She was instantaneously healed! We miss the experience of so many blessings from the LORD simply because we do not believe!

Jesus Himself said in another place, “…you have indeed seen Me, and yet you do not believe” (Jn 6:36). I recently re-read my personal biography, and I am still in shock at how many times over the years, the LORD provided for my family and me. He only wants us to trust Him.

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,

Matthew 5:21-26, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER ‘ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’

22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

23 “Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

25 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

26 “Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.”

Words matter! What’s more, words matter to God. He cites calling someone a “good-for-nothing” as being comparable to murder; and saying “You fool” as sufficient guilt for casting a person into hell! Words truly matter to God; so they clearly have to matter to us!

Think that’s serious? Listen to this: “…if you are presenting your offering…, ” and just happen to remember that someone –not you, but someone else— “has something against you..,” get things right with him before you offer anything to the LORD! Whew! That’s truly strict! It’s not something to brush aside and forget. If we expect the LORD to listen to our prayers and receive and credit our giving, there are things we first need to get right with others!

You can read again for yourself verses 25 & 26. Simply stated: If we want the LORD to listen to us and answer our prayers, we need first to be in agreement with our neighbors, family and friends. “Do what I tell you first, and then we’ll see about it,” is what my mother used to say. Now, I know where she got the idea! And now we both know what to do with it, don’t we?

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,

Luke 21:8-13, “And He said, ‘See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, “I am He,” and, “The time is near.” Do not go after them.

9 “When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”

10 Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,

11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

12 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.

13 “It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.”

People in the time of Christ were anxious, as are many today, to know what devastation they might encounter as the time of His coming draws ever nearer. He replied that many would come pretending to be Him, as well as claiming that the “time is near” for the end of the earth. Jesus, however, also predicted that nations would be in conflict with other nations, causing various plagues and famines throughout the world.

Yes, the end is coming; however, it is not imminent. There will be a gradual escalation of lawless activities on both the local and international scenes. The recent willful parental homicide of three children has already given rise to yet another such incident, and concern is heightened that more infanticides could be forthcoming, just as we witnessed the numerous senseless willful abortions over the past years. The lives of some have become cheap in the minds of those who could have given them birth.

Jesus cited numerous other tragedies that would befall mankind as the end of humanity increasingly approaches. Yet, the one “bright light” that accompanies such malfeasance is our opportunity to witness! We have an unprecedented opportunity to share the love and comfort of salvation of our LORD Jesus Christ. May we ever and always be available and willing!

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