The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 9:1-7, “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

2 ‘The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.

3 ‘Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.

4 ‘Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

5 ‘Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man.

6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.

7 ‘As for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.’”

Have you ever been afraid? Can you genuinely recall a time when you were truly captivated by fear? I suppose that has happened to everyone at some time in life. I can recall my mother saying, “Don’t be afraid. You can do it. Just trust the LORD. He will help you.”

The LORD had just “blessed Noah” and his family, saying “Be fruitful and multiply…” Then, abruptly He added, “The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth…” Yes, fear would indeed exist, but it would be that “every beast…bird…everything of the earth” would experience fear, except for man.

Yet, today, the source of fear appears to have originated within man, for he clearly avoids contact with multiple creatures of the earth, whether the danger is real or merely imagined. Regardless, it is man who is protected by Almighty God. Although couched in political rhetoric, President Franklin D. Roosevelt echoed Scripture when he said, “The only thing man has to fear is fear itself.” Whatever seeks to trouble you is erasable through prayer. Be fruitful, not fearful. The LORD is your strength and stay.

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 arises 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.”

False doctrine, personal conceit, disagreement, morbid interests, engagement in controversial questions – each and all of which lead downward on a path to spiritual and often physical destruction.

Who could listen to and view the news today and compose a “straight face,” while denying that such abominable situations exist in our nation and world today? Children never want things so much as they do when they’re denied them. It would seem that adults are infected with the same noxious disease! Television rages with “you just have to have this” advertisements; and the race is on!

The news is replete with stories of high-ranking government officials who have fallen prey to such infectious diseases. Lying, engaging in moral indiscretions, misappropriations of illegally acquired funds—and the list goes on. The more one has, the more eager the desire! The love of money is the root of all evil; and we can’t even take that with us!

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,

Amos 1:1-4, “The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he envisioned in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

2 He said, “The LORD roars from Zion and from Jerusalem He utters His voice; And the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn, And the summit of Carmel dries up.”

3 Thus says the LORD, “For three transgressions of Damascus and for four I will not revoke its punishment, because they threshed Gilead with implements of sharp iron.

4 “So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael and it will consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.”

In a brief paper entitled “Amos: God Doesn’t Play Favorites,” Ray C. Stedman writes: “The message of this book is basically to declare the impartiality of God. God plays no favorites. He makes no allowances for one person that He will not make for others as well. There is no such thing as being God’s fair-haired boy. He does not give any more to one than He does to another, in accordance with the promises that He makes. Any who are willing to fulfill the conditions of the promises will find His blessing poured out upon them, regardless of who they are; and any who presume upon these conditions will find Him sitting in judgment upon them and His Word, condemning them no matter who they are. This is the message of Amos.”

This is a solemn warning to all of us as Christians today! Although the message is couched in the nomenclature of Old Testament times, it is as relevant to us as it was to those in the day of the prophet Amos. We, who are Christians, are born again by the loving grace of our LORD, Jesus Christ. Our calling was not merely that we might someday enter Heaven; rather, it was that we might exhibit something of the likeness of Christ here on earth. His Word gives us His Message to all mankind; therefore, we are responsible for sharing Him with those whom we encounter along life’s journey. Let’s not earn for ourselves the Lord’s message to Amos! Let’s learn to share with others what Amos should have learned and shared.

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,

2 Corinthians 8:1-5, “Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,

2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.

3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,

4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,

5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.”

Do you have problems? Do I have problems? That’s like asking if a dog has fleas! Everyone has problems! Moses had a problem with Pharaoh. David had a problem with Goliath. The Apostle Paul had problems with churches. They differ somewhat, of course. Some problems are minuscule; some are huge! Nevertheless, they are all problems!

Churches are comprised of people; so, if people have problems, so do churches. Further, if churches have problems, so do their people. It was somewhat the same with the churches of Macedonia. They had abundant problems! Yet, their affliction was stifled by an “abundance of joy!”

No, the Macedonians were not wealthy; they were impoverished! Still, their resilience was like elasticity in that it gave them hope! Those Macedonian churches just wouldn’t quit! Conceivably, every possible discouragement encompassed them like a dense, dark cloud. Yet, while they needed help themselves, their love for the LORD and their knowledge of the impoverishment of other believers moved them to help.

Have you ever relinquished something you treasured in order to help someone in serious need? The very thought is welcomed more than the treasure. What’s more, the giving always outweighs the treasure. The LORD is no man’s debtor! He giveth and giveth and giveth again!

The greatest gift we can offer to others is the Gift the LORD gave to us: His Son, Jesus Christ!

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,

3 John 1:5-10, “Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.

6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,

7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.

9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.”

Who knows how many people listened the other day when warning words from an American ship were delivered to an Iranian vessel: “Evacuate the engine room!” Yet, upon refusal, the ship was attacked and stilled in the water.

Notice carefully that prior to their destruction, the people in verse five above “did not believe” the instruction they were given. It was not that they did not know; they elected to ignore the instruction. The same was true of many angels and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and adjacent cities. In each case, those electing to reject the warning were ultimately destroyed.

God is a God of love! He desires everyone to be saved. Yet, man is saved by adhering to God’s instructions! There is no other way! Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth! “The LORD has borne His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God” (Isa. 52:10). Are you trusting in 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