The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Colossians 4:2-6, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;

3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that

we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4 in order that I

may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let

your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you

should respond to each person.”

How often do you pray? Think about it. Prayer is not to be offered only at mealtimes or bedtimes.

Prayer does not demand that we always be on your knees. Prayer is not always to be about the big

things in life. The other day I lost a thumb-drive. It was not expensive, but it contained some information

I needed. I asked Nana if she had see it. She had not, but she said, “Just pray about it. The LORD knows

where it is.” I did and I’m sure she did. I had forgotten about it and was looking to replace it, when she

found it. The LORD is concerned about the “little things” in our lives. He allows us to lose things so that

we have to pray before they are found.

In the passage above, Paul asks for prayer that “God may open up…a door for the Word.” We should

pray for that in our own lives. There are (or ought to be) those we know who are not saved. We have

contact with them, but we’re often “imprisoned” by fear or preoccupied with trivial matters when we

see them. “Conduct yourself with wisdom,” Paul says. “Make the most of the opportunity and pray “so

that you may know how you should respond to each person.” People are different. They hear differently.

The Gospel is the same, but the “unpackaging” of it varies for each person. I learned to “BARK” at Jews

when I witness to them. There’s something in their nature that responds to that. It’s never an unloving

“bark”; but it’s a “bark” just the same.

You’re here and alive on Earth for a purpose. The LORD will open the door of opportunity, and give you

wisdom as you share the Gospel. He’s far more concerned about your sharing than He is about finding

thumb-drives. Just look for those open doors.

You are in our daily prayers, and we love you dearly,

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,

Colossians 3:15-16, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

It is indeed amazing how peaceful we are when good news comes our way. Things that bothered us and produced turmoil within us are suddenly gone and everything has become right. Paul says that we are to allow that peace to rule within in. The Greek word for “rule” is brabeuo, and it means to “act as an umpire.” The dictionary defines “umpire” as “one selected to settle disputes about the application of settled rules or usages.” Have you not noticed how free from upset you are when you follow the settled teachings of the Word of God? Paul links the “peace of Christ” with the “Word of Christ.” His Word contains the “settled rules” of which Paul speaks. Try viewing everything as from the LORD. He never produces evil, but He sometimes (maybe often) uses evil to drive us back to the Word where we find peace.

When peace prevails within us, His wisdom (His skill) prompts us to teach and admonish others. And we do so with singing, which demonstrates the thankfulness we know in our hearts. All thankfulness is due to God. Yes, He may use others to resolve those prior difficulties we had, but He and He alone is responsible for the resolution of our troubles. Always praise the LORD!

We continue to pray and thank the LORD for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Update: Nana is like her old self –a new person! I’ll spare you my singing, but thank you for your prayers.

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,

Galatians 6:14, “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Franklin Graham tweeted this morning that his father, Billy, always wished this verse to be

the focus of his last message. Billy Graham was truly a humble man. Videos that are currently

playing on the Net depict him saying that he wished there were not so much publicity about

him, because he was not causing anything. The one who was doing it all was Jesus!

Could it be that that is why we’re not seeing more “fruit” from out witnessing? Could it be

that our churches have focused on the “externals” instead of the Message of the Cross? Paul

speaks in this verse of “the intense contemplation of a crucified Savior through which the

Christian dies to the world.” By the world, he means “the world of sense, the sphere of outward

and sensible things,” for it is these external and lesser things “with their manifold temptations

to sin” that plague us –the things from which we seem powerless to escape. They are “merely

external rites” that are added to the Cross and displace its singular and only way of salvation.

True salvation in Jesus Christ causes the world to hate us. We are “offensive” to those who are

not saved because the Cross and all who embrace it fly in the face of the evil in which the world

wishes to engage. At the same time, that evil worldliness is offensive to us, and it is to that world

that we are crucified. Each and every time we engage in sinful thoughts or practices, the Holy Spirit,

Who indwells us, cries, NO!” He awakens our conscience that we have “died” to the world and its

ways.

May the message that Billy Graham so faithfully preached and lived be the message for each of us.

The world will always hate and crucify us; we must remember our crucifixion to the world.

Our love and prayers for your always,

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,

Colossians 1:28, “And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.”

It has been years since I ministered in Mexico. At that time (and possibly still), it was illegal to

preach on the street. We had to devise a means of creating a crowd (which was never hard!)

and they move off the street to complete the Gospel.

One of the devices we used was to have someone muy fuerte –very strong!– to come forward

and tie my hands with a rope. I used my bound hands to illustrate how sin binds us, so that we

cannot be free as God wants us to be. Then, using a towel that represented the blood of Jesus

Christ, I covered my hands and was instantly loosed and free! It was a spectacular device, and

Both delighted and startled the crowd.

The Apostle Paul directs us to proclaim Christ! That is the calling of every Christian. Proclamation

involves both admonition and teaching. Admonition is “instruction for avoidance or cessation of inappropriate conduct.” It is corrective in nature, like telling someone that just following rules

is not sufficient for salvation. Teaching is giving correct information on how belief in Jesus in the

only means of salvation. Wisdom (sophia) is “exceptional endowment of discernment, understanding,

and insight…cleverness in debate or presentation of a viewpoint… It is an expression of God’s wisdom.”

In the final analysis, however, we do not win people to Christ –the Holy Spirit alone does that! Yet,

He wants to do it through us. We simply have to be willing to be used of Him. How gracious is that!

We love you all dearly, and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

UPDATE on Nana (Rose Marie): Following her heart cath, she needed two units

of blood. She strengthened a bit with the blood,

and is slowly coming back to normal. Your prayers

have been essential to her recuperation, and we

both thank you immensely for that. God bless you!

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,

Colossians 1:24, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh

I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) in filling up that which

is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”

Few, if any of us, ever rejoice over sufferings. It seems natural that we suffer,

but very unnatural that we should rejoice over it. Still, Paul recognizes that as

Christ Jesus suffered in His struggle against sin, even to death, so His Church

was destined to suffer. In other words, Satan’s attack against Christ Jesus did

not cease with His death and resurrection; Satan continues to wreak havoc

against His Church. The Christian Church is today undergoing immense

persecution throughout the world! And we, as a part of the Church, are

destined to suffer, also.

Recently, church-goers were gunned down in Russia, as they left their place

of worship. African Christians have for years been attacked by renegades

simply because they were Christians. Church buildings in Egypt and throughout

the Middle East have been burned to destruction because they were Christian

places of worship. The recent severe slaying of worshippers in Texas is ample

proof of Satan’s worldwide intention to wipe out Christianity.

While the recent school shooting in Florida seems not to have been focused

primarily on Christians, it certainly follows the pattern of killings throughout

the world. I have to wonder how many of those slain were born-again Christians.

I wonder, too, how many of the Christian students (and teachers) who escaped

death, wish they had witnessed more fervently to those who died without

salvation in Christ. We never know who will be next, or how quickly death might

come to those around us. Thus, the question comes: Are we effectively bearing

witness to the salvation of Christ Jesus? We have a part in the sufferings of the

Church. We also have a part in the ministry of the Church, the Body of Christ.

God bless you as you continue to share the Gospel with those who are lost.

When others lack, we must take up the slack.

Our love abounds for you; and our prayers avail for you, too.

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.”