The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 15:34, “Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.”

Sometimes it’s difficult to explain why we do some things. It’s an

inward feeling of the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t say why; He gives no

explanation; it’s just a feeling of withdrawal that we have that we

do not understand and cannot explain. ~ The Jerusalem Conference

occurred in A.D. 50. There was confusion among some of the

believers as to whether Gentiles could be saved. The Conference

decided that the evidence favored the Gentiles’ salvation. They

wrote a letter for those not in attendance at the Conference, and

dismissed it and departed. ~ Do believers ever seriously disagree?

Paul and Barnabas did. Oh, they agreed about returning to encourage

the churches they had founded, but they differed sharply about taking

John Mark, who had previously turned back and deserted them. The

end result was that Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus. The team

of Paul and Barnabas was dissolved for good. Paul needed a partner

to go with him, and looking around, he saw Silas. Why had Silas stayed

in Jerusalem after the Conference was dismissed? Silas himself

did not know—until Paul called upon him to be his companion.

Interestingly enough, Barnabas and Mark were never heard of

again, except for Paul’s mentions of them in his epistles.

We don’t always know why we sense what we ought to do or not to

do. Perhaps we need to learn to trust the Holy Spirit more. The old

adage “When in doubt, don’t” is a good rule of thumb. The LORD

works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform.

We love you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas