The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 4:25-30, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

28 Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.

29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

When you first told the LORD Jesus Christ that you were sorry for you sins against Him and asked Him to forgive you and take charge of your life, He forgave you and guaranteed you eternal life from that very moment. That was His promise, and the Bible says it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). At that very moment, the Holy Spirit entered your life, and became the Spiritual Guide for your life. He leads, but does not force you to do what the LORD desires. That’s why the Bible shows us what God wants us to be and do.

The LORD wants us to stop deceiving others with lies and always tell the truth. We will sometimes get angry, but we’re not to hold grudges against others. Forgive quickly those who anger us. If we don’t, Satan will take the opportunity to lead us off God’s intended pathway for our lives. Hands that steal are to be replaced with hands do good work –work that benefits others, even those who made us angry. Don’t use profanity! Use words that are good and appropriate, words that benefit people. This will cause them to see the difference between a true Christian and one who is not.

Moreover, employing anything that is worldly, fleshly, and evil will hurt and distress the Holy Spirit, who is the “Seal” or “God’s Mark” of your salvation. Once we have trusted Christ Jesus as our LORD and Savior, we can NEVER again be lost. The Holy Spirit is that guarantee. And when we allow the Spirit to guide us, we take on the likeness of a true believer. That likeness speaks to unbelievers. It tells them that we are different; and it causes them to want to know why. That’s when we can share Jesus with them, and they can find a hope and deliverence from their sin, just as we have. That’s how it works! The LORD does the saving, but He is gracious in that He allows us to have a part in leading others to Him.

We love you and pray for you always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

James 1:19-20, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

You know this, but I’m going to say it again anyway because it’s important and because I want you to do well. Listen carefully to everything; be sure you understand what you’re supposed to. Think things through and don’t get mad and say things you’ll later regret. Besides, anger isn’t how you get this job done.

That is a modern paraphrase of what James said back in A.D. 45. It was true then and it’s been good advice for nearly 2,000 years! Wow! I hate to think of what might have happened if I’d listened to that advice many years ago. I didn’t always take the good advice I was given. Still, as the years rolled by, I saw the wisdom in those words.

When I first joined Liberty University as an online professor, the man who hired me gave me some good advice. We were encouraged to personally contact our students, but I was told, “Don’t give them your phone number or you’ll be inundated with calls.” I gave my email at the school, so as to have personal contact, but not my phone number. That gave me opportunity to think through the sometimes complicated questions students would ask before replying “off the cuff.”

There were a few –thankfully, very few—who antagonized me with their unwillingness to take “No!” for an answer. They wanted to “game the system” instead of following the clear and well-written rules. One fellow was consistently late in submitting his work and argued with my grading. His work was late because, he said, he had “so many things to do.” Then he listed them. After two or three of his emails of complaint, I was moving toward anger. However, James’ words in our verses above reminded me that anger doesn’t accomplish anything. My “no” simply meant “no,” and that was that.

We’ve all been guilty of misunderstanding things because we didn’t listen carefully. And we’ve all been guilty of speaking too quickly and too often having a “short fuse.” We just need to slow down and remember that what we’re doing is God’s work and it has to be done with love and righteousness. For those who love being angry, our being loving throws them off their game. It is then that the righteousness of God can be achieved.

May the LORD bless and use you is our prayer,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Galatians 6:7-10, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

Have you ever been deceived? been intentionally misguided? An advertisement promises in HUGE letters, but in small, indistinguishable type discounts everything It promised? Well, such things occur in religion, too. Anyone who lives like the world and thinks he can reap heavenly rewards is deceiving himself. Simply put, we reap what we sow. There are consequences to everything we do. You cannot outwit God.

“Sowing with a view to the evil nature refers to the act of a person choosing those courses of conduct that will gratify the cravings of the totally depraved nature. All false systems of religion are so adjusted that they appeal to the fallen nature of man, satisfying his religious instinct for worship, while at the same time allowing him to go on in his sin.”

But it’s hard, you say. Everyone seems to be going in the worldly direction; nothing I say to them seems to be effective. They’re my friends. I don’t want them to go the way they’re going, but nothing I say or do has any effect on their behavior. To all of that Paul says, Don’t give up. Just keep on saying what they need to hear. Eventually, in God’s timing, the truth will have an effect on them. Moreover, time is running out. The opportunity you have today will not be there forever. Keep on doing good. The LORD is keenly aware of what you are doing and of your intention. Just keep on keeping on. The end will be better than the beginning.

We love you and pray for you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Galatians 5:6-10, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. 7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. 10 I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.”

Have you ever had someone challenge your faith in Christ? It is quite common for people who do not accept your beliefs to challenge them. In the New Testament, these people are called Judiazers. They were Jews who insisted that Gentiles had to accept Judiasm before they could become Christians. Remember that the Galatians were an unstable people, believing first one thing, then another? Well, the Judiazers had infiltrated the Galatians and got them confused about the salvation in Jesus Christ that they had embraced.

Today, we still have Judaizers. We call them legalists. Oh, they believe in Jesus, but they have some “homemade rules” that everyone must follow or they cannot be saved. In other words, their “faith” is mixed with “works.” Paul rebukes people like this when he says, that “rules” don’t matter; what matters is “faith working through love.” His challenge to the Galatians is his challenge to us as well: “You were running well, who bumped you and broke your stride?” He then adds that whoever tells you that anything in addition to faith in Christ is necessary for salvation did not get their information from God or the Bible! Oh, they may quote a biblical verse as one of their “rules,” but the true understanding of that verse is different from they way they use it.

It doesn’t take much to lead us from a true belief experience with Christ back into the ways of the world. “A little leaven,” Paul says, “does the trick.” Just one step back into the world is all that it takes. Paul warns us not to adopt any view that is not truly biblical and Christian. There are consequences if and when we do. And those who lead us away from the truth in Christ alone will stand in judgment for their deeds. This is serious stuff! That’s why our fellowship must be with other believers. Yes, we are to witness to non-Christians; but we are not to run with them. Pick your true friends carefully. Satan has disguised some evil people, so as to deceive you. Stay in the Word daily! Be prayerful in all things! Trust only the LORD!

We pray for you always, and we need your prayers, too,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Galatians 5:13, 16, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another…. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”

To put it mildly, the Galatians were a mess! Long before Paul ever reached them with the Gospel, there were an off-again-on-again race of people. So, the things that captivated their interest and life-style were quite opposite of the truth that Paul brought through the Gospel.

The Galatians were prisoners of their sinful culture, and Paul called them to freedom in Christ.

But freedom in Christ does not mean we can do whatever we want. Obviously, the Galatians thought it did. Freedom to this off-again-on-again people meant that they were free to do anything and everything they wanted. We are living in a culture like that today. People who claim to have received Christ as their Savior are falling back into ways that are not Christlike. They are using their freedom as “an opportunity for the flesh.” They believe that they now have the freedom to swear, to drink alcohol, to frequent and carouse in bars –to do whatever they please. They mix Scripture with ungodly practices, thinking that the freedom they have in Christ permits freedom to engage in evil. But Paul says, NO!

How can all of this be turned around? If those who misuse their freedom have truly been born again in Christ, the Holy Spirit will prick their consciences in the effort to bring them back to Christ. But, If they can continue to engage in practices that are sinful, without being bothered by the Holy Spirit, they simply have not been born again in Christ.

Satan leads many to believe they are Christians, when they are not. Their profession of faith in Christ was superficial; they have mistaken believing that God exists to mean that He has saved them from their sin. The only valid proof of salvation is the LORD’s control of the life. “All that glitters is not gold.” Pray for those who are traveling in the wrong direction instead of walking in the way of the Holy Spirit. Be bold in sharing the Word, and let His control be observable in your life at all times.

We love you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”