The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Jeremiah 29:10-14, “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.

11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

12 ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

13 ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

14 ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

Have you ever been in trouble? I mean serious trouble – trouble that you yourself caused? Legal trouble! If so, you have a small, bitter taste of what Israel experienced when she forsook the leadership of the LORD! Israel had fallen into the hands of the Babylonians, and the situation was as far from pleasant as one could ever imagine! Israel was even deceived by prophets whom they had been taught to believe!

They had forsaken the LORD, but He had not forsaken them. It’s like a parent-child relationship. The child strays from the teaching of the parent and plunges himself into a heap of trouble. Yet, the parent, never forsaking the child completely, allows him to suffer until he realizes he has listened to the wrong “leadership.”

In Israel’s case, the LORD sent Israel into Babylonian exile for 70 years! Yet, He never abandoned them completely! They were His people; they needed to learn that He was their Master! Haven’t you dealt similarly with your children? We all need to learn that “we can’t do wrong and get by!” Sin pays wages, too! Yet, they are long and harsh until we learn.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Let’s learn His plans while there is still hope! God bless you!

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,

Ephesians 6:13-20, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,

15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;

16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

There’s a lot that goes into sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It’s not a wimpy type of work. You have to always be on guard and steadfastly resistant to all evil that comes your way. You must be alert and prepared at all times to share the Good News of Jesus while simultaneously shielding yourself with faith against the arrows of opposition that come against you from areas you could never imagine!

Within the resistance required, you must be consistently, prayerfully focused and guided by the Holy Spirit. You can never relax offensively or defensively because Satanic opposition never relaxes. It’s a constant battle, day and night. Satan feeds you wrong and disguised information in the effort to forestall your thrusts of Biblical truth. Oh, the battle is hardly for the weak of mind or weak of heart!

Still, you are a born-again believer – a fearless foe of the Great Deceiver! You are undefeatable as long as you stick with Biblical Truth and counteract evil with the Word of the Living God! One day, the LORD will reward your faithfulness with “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” The battle will then be credited to the LORD Jesus Christ and viewed by all as more than worth 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,

Philippians 2:5-11, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The dictionary defines “attitude” as a “manner, disposition, or feeling…with regard to a person or thing; a tendency or orientation, especially of the mind.” This being true, we should not be surprised that Jesus Himself possessed an attitude.

Jesus’ attitude was ever and always to do the will of God, His Father, despite the fact that He possessed equality with His Father. Careful study of the Deity in Scripture shows that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal in authority but separate in function. Here, in our passage above, Jesus is clothing His deity in the humanity of mortal man while simultaneously retaining all of His originality. It was indeed a humbling experience.

More than that, it was an experience thoroughly outside of His Divine Realm: it was death! Think of what that would be! We are all moving toward death, to be sure, but not facing what Jesus was facing. We believers have the promise of life after death; yet, even that promise seems a bit out of reach right now, does it not? Yet, the resurrection of Jesus gives us, beyond all human hope, that we will live with Him because He lives!

Are you certain of your resurrection? You are if you’re committed to Jesus! In the meantime, He has given us work to do. We are to share with others the Good News of His Death and Resurrection. Do you possess that attitude? You can and must if you would know His blessing!

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,

Acts 25:7-11, “After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove,

8 while Paul said in his own defense, ‘I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.’

9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?’

10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.

11 ‘If then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.’”

Paul was nearing the end of his personal ministry. He had many years prior trusted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. The pronouncements of Paul’s faith in Jesus Christ carried no accusations from him against Rome’s political leadership; yet, Paul’s very mention of Jesus Christ had so aroused the Jews that they were determined to crush both his ministry and his life.

It seemed appropriate that the Jews’ accusation be brought before Porcius Festus, the Roman-appointed Governor of Judea. Festus heard Paul’s defense against the Jews’ charges but found them thoroughly insufficient. He determined, therefore, to release Paul. Yet, the Jewish outcry ultimately prompted Festus to change the venue to Jerusalem. Paul objected, saying he was then and there standing before Caesar’s tribunal; if Festus would not give him justice, he had no alternative except to appeal directly to Caesar, the Supreme Governor of Rome.

Historically, Christians have almost always been mistreated. Keeping clear, cool heads and demanding fair, legal hearings is always in the believer’s best interest. Yet, above all, one must retain and rely upon the spiritual counsel of the LORD Jesus Christ. He never fails!

Have you ever been summoned to court on charges you deemed thoroughly false? Did you seek counsel from an attorney you knew to be a strong and true believer? Did you pray for the LORD’s guidance throughout the entire process? Good! Then, “Trust in the LORD with all your might…”

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,

Philippians 2:5-11, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

There’s some good theology in this passage, and it has to do with “attitude.” Would you be surprised to know that there are some fine, good, reliable men who failed to get that “superior job” because they lacked the right attitude? They knew they were not immediately equal to the boss but believed in their heart of hearts that they were on track to being equal, if not superior, to him!

The problem was that thought was not concealable! It showed through in the lining.

Jesus “…did not regard His equality with God” as something to be tightly grasped, as with retention! Rather, He viewed Himself as a mere “bond-servant,” whose appearance and humanity, despite His eternal affiliation with Almighty God, was precisely like those He came to rescue! We must never forget that ourselves! We are, by faith, affiliated as sons of the Living God. We are not our own. We are but laborers in the vineyard of humanity, seeking to initiate others into that eternal relationship of which only Christ Himself is Lord!

Thus, when anyone would occasion to say that they are seeking to be like us, they should be rebuked and realigned with the truth: Jesus alone is LORD and Savior! All glory and praise must always be directed toward Him. Do you know Him? Do others know that you know Him? That is His (and our) eternal desire!

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