The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 16:36-37, “And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, ‘The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Now therefore, come out and go in peace.’ 37 But Paul said to them, ‘They have beaten us in public without trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.’”

Acts 23:2-3, “And the high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, ‘God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! And do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?’”

The late Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. once said, “It’s never right to do wrong to do right.” He may

well have learned from the Apostle Paul how to serve the LORD and the Law. Remember

the officials who had thrown Paul and Silas into jail after Paul delivered the demon-possessed

girl? When they learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, they ordered him to be quietly

released. Paul knew his rights and refused to “walk away into the sunset.” He demanded

that the officials themselves come and formally release him. They did just that.

Now, standing before the Jewish council, Ananias commanded an officer to strike Paul

on the mouth. Paul became livid and said, “God is going to strike you!” He further

called Ananias a “whitewashed wall” and challenged him for disobeying the very Law

by which he claimed to be judging Paul. In other words, It’s not right to do wrong,

while your claiming to do right. It’s the duty of every citizen to know the basic laws

of his own country. It’s the duty of every citizen to obey those laws. At the same time,

it’s the duty of every Christian citizen to obey the LORD and His Laws! Neither is mutually

exclusive. Does all of this seem a little tricky? Well, if we obey Him, He will guide us

without our having to disobey human law. Trust Him and obey. You will see.

Our prayers are lovingly offered for you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 22:14-15, “And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you

to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear an utterance

from His mouth. 15 ‘For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you

have seen and heard.’”

Someone once said that the disciples were always either in trouble, or had

just come out of trouble, or were headed for trouble. Paul is a clear example

of this. Agabus was right when he foretold that Paul would have trouble in

Jerusalem. The Jews were wrong when they thought Paul had brought a Greek

into the Temple. Nevertheless, a mob riot occurred, and Paul had to be rescued

by Roman guards.

The guards were wrong thinking Paul was an Egyptian trouble-maker. And they

were wrong when they put him, a Roman citizen, in chains without a trial. In his

open, verbal defense before the people, Paul reiterated his Damascus Road

experience (recorded in Acts 9).

A portion of Paul’s defense told of Ananias’ statement, as in our verses above.

What is most interesting is that what Ananias told Paul, has some personal meaning

for us. As born-again believers, we, too, are “appointed…to know His will.” Do you

know what the LORD wills for you? Are you trying hard to find out? And we’ve

seen Him, too –not with our physical eyes, but through His Eternal Word, the Bible!

Therefore, you and I are to “be a witness for Him to all men of what (we) have seen

and heard” from the Scriptures. Is your life showing forth His likeness? Do people

see love emanating from you? Do you handle “trouble” like the Apostle Paul did?

Maybe it’s time for a spiritual check-up. We’re all sure to have one some day.

Our love and prayers for you have not diminished,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 21:28-30, “’Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches

to all men everywhere against our people, and the Law, and this place; and

besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy

place.’ 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with

him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 And all the

city was aroused, and the people rushed together; and taking hold of Paul, they

dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.”

It has long been argued whether Paul was correct in taking a Jewish vow.

One thing is certain: Agabus was correct when he warned Paul there would

be trouble if he were to go to Jerusalem. (You’ll have to read all of Acts 21

in order to get the background.) My purpose here is to show that a rush to

judgment is nothing new. It occurred in New Testament days (because the

Jews had seen the Greek Trophimus in the city with Paul, they jumped to

The conclusion that Paul had brought a non-Jew into the Temple area.

Once the mob was aroused against Paul, only the Roman guard could

coral them –which they ultimately did.

Jumping to conclusions is very common. It occurs in every generation and

in every nation on Earth. I distinctly remember when I was accused of

setting a date for the LORD Jesus’ Return. I had never –and have never—

argued for a specific date. But a St. Louis pastor, in whose pulpit I had

preached, fastened upon that fallacy and would not abandon the idea.

There was no mob riot, but had he been of mind, such an accusation

could have put a crimp in my evangelistic ministry. The bottom line is:

get the facts before you come to a conclusion. Even the Roman guard

thought Paul was a trouble-maker because they fastened him in chains–

chains they removed quickly when they learned he was a Roman!

We love you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 20:22-24, “’And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem,

not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly

testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do

not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish

my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify

solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.’”

Paul was speaking to the leadership of the Ephesian Church. While he said

much more (which I hope you will read in the surrounding verses), none were

more dramatic than these. Paul is not-at-all concerned for himself. What

happens to him does not matter. His concern focuses solely on the ministry

to which the LORD has called him. He is “to testify solemnly of the Gospel of

the grace of God.” Paul’s intention should challenge us. We are so focused

on “things.” Someday, all of what we have will be consumed in flames. But

what we have faithfully shared of Him with others will remain to His glory.

In the tragedy in Las Vegas this week, a young man gave his life protecting

his wife. He will be remembered for his chivalry. He totally abandoned all

protection of himself to save the one he loved. Yet, how much more valuable

is the Life of Jesus Christ, who went to the Cross for our sin. It is He whom

we must share without thought for ourselves.

We love each of you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 16:27-31, “And when the jailer had been roused out of sleep and

had seen the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to

kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried

out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!’

29 And he called for lights and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell

down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said,

‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ 31 And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord

Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.’”

What a night! Paul and Silas had been singing hymns and praising the LORD.

But the jailer had been asleep. When he awoke and saw what had occurred,

he realized that he would be blamed and determined to kill himself. But Paul

SHOUTED to him to STOP! While all of this was actual, two things could be

easily allegorized: one, the world, like the jailer, is asleep to what’s really

going on. They see the melee, the chaos, in the world, but they have no idea

that everything is winding down and headed to the LORD Jesus’ Return! The

only way out they know is suicide. And suicide is NOT the way out! It’s the

way in to Hell itself. The second allegory is that Paul shouted with a LOUD

voice. Sometimes we think the lost world should just “see” us living out our

faith. They may see that we are different, but they have no idea why. And

just “seeing” is not knowing. ~ Ultimately, the jailer asks the universal

question: “What must I do to be saved?” In all probability, he was only

concerned about the salvation of his human life. Yet, Paul replied with a

decidedly spiritual answer: “BELIEVE on the LORD Jesus Christ!” People want

to be “saved” from bankruptcy, from illness, from the loss of loved ones –

from every conceivable physical and mental aberration. Yet, true salvation

is first spiritual and always and only from the LORD. Just think about it.

Our Love and prayers are always for you,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”