The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Hebrews 1:1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”

Chapter one of the Revelation is all about Jesus. So is chapter on of Paul’s epistle

to the Hebrews. Paul calls his day “these last days.” How much closer we are than

he was when he wrote this letter in A.D. 68! He emphasizes that the Father has

spoken to us through His Son, Jesus. And all we know of Jesus is in the Bible! Jesus

has been appointed the Father’s heir to all things! Think about that! Everything the

Father has (more than we could imagine!) He has given to Jesus, His Son. And it was

The Son who made the world. It was the Son who showed the Father’s Glory. Do you

remember the Transfiguration (Mat. 17:2)? Everything Jesus did was a perfect

representation of His Father. And the planets and stars and everything is kept in

place by the spoken word (???? rhema) of His power. Then, on the holy basis of all

of this, He died for us on the Cross, making purification for our sins, and is now

seated in Heaven at the right hand of the Father. Further, too, He is far better than

the angels and has inherited a Name more excellent than theirs.

You and I have a heritage through our parents. When Dado and Gogie died, everything

they had was divided between Aunt Carol and me. When Nana and I die, everything we

have will go to our two sons and our daughter (I think you know who they are.). What is

more important than the material things we have (which is not that much), is the heritage,

the name, we leave you. We are honest, truthful, spiritual believers in Jesus Christ.

That is the whole of our fortune! It is left to you for you to leave to your children until

Jesus Comes Again! How you are known by others vastly excels what you will ever have.

Love and prayers always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Philemon 1:7, “For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love,

because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.”

Onesimus was a slave owned by Archippus. He had escaped and ended

up with Paul. Paul knew Onesimus needed to return to his master, but he

wanted to pave the way to eliminate any harsh punishment that he might

encounter for having run away. Archippus was a Christian man, so Paul

appealed to Archippus’ loving nature in the effort to spare Onesimus.

There is no greater power anywhere than the power of love.

Sometime last night during my sleep, I had a dream. I dreamed that two

young people living on my street were being virtually hidden from view by

their parents because they were autistic. But, for a brief moment they were

outside, so I hurried to them and hugged them both to show them love.

In reality, I met an autistic girl the other day when I was working out at the

Fitness Center in Fayetteville. She just smiled continually, as the instructor

helped her on one of the exercise machines. I walked up to her said, “You

are having much too much fun, girl.” Her smile was “pasted” on her face,

but she reached out to me and I took her hand. It was a love connection.

Think about how love acts and how much it accomplishes. Someone

sees an accident and calls an ambulance. Why? He doesn’t know the

person who has been injured. Why would he even get involved? Love.

A house is on fire, and someone just driving by calls for help. Why does

he get involved? Love. Neither may know he is acting in love, but it is

love that wants to help. Interestingly, too, is the fact that angry people

don’t know how to respond to love. They usually just go away. The

next time you find yourself in a conflict, show love and just see what

happens.

We LOVE you and pray for you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,

12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly,

righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the

appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave

Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself

a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

I was taught to 1) memorize the books of the Bible, 2) learn the theme of each

book, 3) memorize the number of chapters in each book. This gives the good

Bible student a “firm handle” on the whole of the Scriptures.

The theme of the Epistle to Titus is “God’s Ideal”; and nowhere is that theme

more fully expressed than in the verses above. Grace is favor that we don’t

deserve. To all men does not mean that everyone will be saved; but rather

that it is possible for all people to be saved. Once we are saved, we are to

deny (refuse, disown) all ungodliness and to live righteously, and to look

for the blessed hope, which is the return of the LORD Jesus Christ. We

never do wrong in the sight of someone who always does right. That’s why

we are to watch daily for the return of Jesus Christ.

When I was just a kid, before my teenage years, I was convicted of going

to movies. (And they were “good” compared to anything showing today!)

Then, one night I had a dream that I had gone to a movie and was sitting

on the first row. Some girls came out on the stage before the movie, and

one of them pointed to me and said, “Gene Jeffries, what are you doing

here?” In my dream, I was doing something I knew not to do and had been

“called out” for it. It was then many years before I even entered a movie

theatre, even when there was no movie showing. Think what you will, but

I am still sensitive of doing anything that takes my thoughts off of the Return

of Jesus Christ. I don’t want Him to come finding me doing something that

is offensive to Him and contrary to His purpose for my life. Sound stupid?

Well, it’s not. We belong to Him! Read the verses above again.

Love and Prayers for you all, every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Luke 21:34-36, “’Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be

weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries

of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;

35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.

36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength

to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before

the Son of Man.”

In some ways these are difficult verses to translate. But the essence

of them is that we should not just breeze along through life, doing

whatever we please and have the day of judgment come upon us

like a trap –without warning. We are to keep alert (awake) at all

times and be prayerful for strength to be delivered from all the

sinful things that are taking place throughout the world. Sin is becoming

rampant! Ungodly teachers are forbidding Christians students to engage in

things the LORD has instructed, like reading the Bible before class begins!

Schools that purport to be amenable to Christianity, are not amenable!

Chaplains are forbidden to pray “in Jesus’ name,” despite the fact that

prayer is personal to the one praying and not to be judged by the group

who hears. But, don’t let these things worry you and weigh you down!

They are signs of the times, and signal the soon return of our LORD

Jesus Christ. Just keep praying. Jesus Coming is very near!

Loving you and praying for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 4:17-24, “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord,

that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because

of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality

for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,

21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him,

just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life,

you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the

lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in

righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

This is a long passage, so I will say less than usual. Paul is drawing

a stark difference between evil and good. Salvation in Christ must

mean something different or it is of no value at all. We were sinners,

outside of Christ. Then we believed upon Him, and He saved us. Are

we now to return to what we were before salvation? Are we to

engage in those things in which the lost engage? Absolutely not!

We are to “lay aside the old self…be renewed in the spirit of (our)

minds, and put on the new self.” When the lost world sees the

difference in our lives and theirs, they will see what is missing in

them; and they will turn to Jesus, just as we have. May the LORD

help us all to be what He desires!

Love and Prayers always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas