The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 21:19c-22, “[Jesus] said to him, “Follow Me!”

20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His breast at the supper, and said, ‘Lord, who is the one who betrays You?’

21 Peter therefore seeing him said to Jesus, ‘Lord, and what about this man?’

22 Jesus said to him, ‘If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!’”

Did anyone ever say to you, “Mind your own business”? It seems the norm, somehow, that little kids in school would poke their noses into the work of other students. “You shouldn’t do it that way,” some would say. “Oh, look at how he’s doing his,” others would say, as if what someone else was doing was their business.

Many a time in my childhood, my mother would send me off to carry a message to someone or to do something, and would say, “Now, mind your Ps and Qs.” Funny, I never questioned what that saying meant. It just seemed that I intuitively understood that I was not to get mixed up in anything else; I was just to do exactly what she had told me –nothing else.

Peter would have done well not to have questioned Jesus’ instructions, either. The LORD had simply said to him, “Follow Me” –do what I have told you to do. But, Peter looked around and saw John and asked, “LORD, and what about this man?” It was a question that should never have been asked. Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

Let’s face it: we’re too much and too often like Peter. We look around and see others doing things the “wrong way.” Instead of staying on course with our own work, we poke our noses into what they’re doing. We’re not watching our Ps and Qs. What assignment has the LORD given you? I won’t list assignments He has given in Scripture, or what He has put in your mind and heart. That’s not my business. But He has given each of us something specific to do. Are you doing what He has assigned? Don’t worry about what others are doing. Just watch your own Ps and Qs.

Lovingly we 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.”

Dear Grands,

John 1:10-12, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name…”

How do you know whether a thing is true? A doctor gives you a perscription for a medicine; the pharmacist fills the perscription and gives you the medicine with the directions for taking it. But how do you know whether they were right? You have to believe they were right, and you have to take the medication in order to find out. It’s called trust.

Jesus Christ was a real person. He was the Son of God from all eternity, and the Creator of the world in which we live. He was then physically born into a human Jewish family. But the Jewish people were like other people and did not accept Him for who He truly was. It would be like growing up and not knowing your parents. Then one day someone appeared and told you that you were his child. How would you know whether it was so? Ultimately, you would have to believe.

The word believe (???????, pisteuo) means “to trust.” It is an acceptance of something as true, even when you cannot immediately prove it to be true. For years, men believed that the world was flat. They looked into the distance and viewed everything as flat. Any suggestion that the world was circular, was repudiated. Eventually, however, the Earth was proved to be circular.

When we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that His death and resurrection provide for us an eternal salvation, He freely declares us to be His children, who will never spiritually die, but will live with Him forever throughout eternity. That requires a big belief on our part, but the alternative is to die without hope of any kind.

Those of us who have trusted Christ Jesus’ Word have experienced confirmation of His truth. Others may ask how we got that confirmation. “Trust Him and see for yourself” is our reply. It is the only sure way to know Him and all that He has to offer.

We love and pray for you; and we thank you for your prayers for us,

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,

John 19:6-11, “When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.”

7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.”

8 When Pilate therefore heard this statement, he was the more afraid; 9 and he entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

10 Pilate therefore said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me up to you has the greater sin.”

The United States today stands solidly behind Israel. Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East today. But Israel’s history has not always been good. In the verses above, her history displays a violent hatred toward the LORD Jesus Christ. William Barclay rightly states it:

“There is nothing in this world which warps a man’s judgment as hatred does.

Hatred is a kind of madness. Once a man allows himself to hate, he can neither

think nor see straight, nor listen without distortion. Hatred is so terrible a thing

just because it takes a man’s senses away.”

The hatred of the Jews against Jesus and their craving for His death involved the matter of authority. The Jews recognized the limitation of their authority –a limitation that had been imposed upon them by the Romans. Pontius Pilate was the Roman authority over Israel, which is why the Jews appealed to him to crucify Jesus. Pilate recognized his authority, but Jesus said, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this

reason he who delivered Me up to you has the greater sin.”

Think about this carefully: Jesus clearly indicates that there are degrees of sin. Further, His words indicate that the attitude of hatred is a greater sin than the act of crucifixion itself. This should give us pause to examine our attitudes toward others. The Jewish attitude was hatred; and in Jesus’ thought, that was a greater sin than the Roman act of crucifixion.

Throughout His arrest, His trials (both Jewish and Roman), even the crucifixion itself, Jesus exhibited only love. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). This becomes a challenge to us in our daily lives. People do not always treat us lovingly. They lie against us; they mock us; they display every sort of hatred against us; yet, we are to love them.

Who is positioned against you? Who literally hates you and despises you? What they do should be of no concern to us. How we react to their hatred is what really matters. The LORD is in control over every situation. He is the sole authority. We are always under His protection.

We pray for your protection 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.”

Dear Grands,

John 16:13-15, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

14 “He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you.

15 “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said, that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you.”

What shall I do? Where shall I go? What will I say? Questions like these often plague the Christian believer. These questions and many others doubtlessly filled the minds of Jesus’ disciples. He has told them that He is going away, and that strikes fear in their hearts. We

have the tendency to lean upon those who know more than we know. But, what are we to

do when they leave us? Jesus announced the coming of the Holy Spirit, who would guide them into all truth. They would not be left alone.

When we first accepted Christ as our LORD and Savior, the Holy Spirit entered out lives, so that we would never walk through life alone. The Spirit leads, guides and teaches us as we move through life. He “throws” things into our paths –things we would never think to undertake on our own.

A man and his wife came to a church I was pastoring. He was the manager of a local radio station and invited me to speak on the radio. I accepted his offer and in time I had my own program on five stations in four countries! Talk about the Spirit’s leadership!

I was skeptical about the prospect of being selected to minister in Australia, but I was selected! And that led to a ministry that took me literally around the world preaching the Gospel in a variety of nations and churches and seeing scores of people come to know Jesus as their LORD and Savior! Never doubt the ability of the LORD to lead and guide you. And never doubt your ability to do whatever He calls you to do. He will always empower you to accomplish it. Just trust Him!

The Holy Spirit glorifies the Son, Jesus Christ! He never glorifies Himself. We sang the doxology as a closing hymn in church yesterday.

Praise God from Whom all blessing flows;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye Heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

I have theological trouble with that last line, for when Jesus said, “He (the Spirit) shall glorify Me,”

I understand that the Spirit never glorifies Himself –only and always He glorifies the Son. Thus, I sing “Praise Father, Son, through Holy Ghost.” Of course, pastors must preach and teach about the Holy Spirit, for He is mentioned often in Scripture. He, too, is God, just as the Father and the Son. But His role within believers is always to point us to Jesus, who died and arose from the dead as the Father’s sacrifice for our sin.

In all of this, the LORD guarantees His guidance and security of our lives. We can know all we need to know and be assured of His protection wherever He leads us. We can speak of Him,

as the Spirit gives us the courage and the words. The results of our witnessing lie ever in His Hands. God bless you abundantly! May He use you today for His glory!

We love 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.”

Dear Grands,

John 14:1-6, “’Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

2 “’In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

3 “’And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

4 “’And you know the way where I am going.”

5 “Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?’

6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.’”

The answer to all troubles is faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. We believe in God; it is imperative that we also believe in Jesus. Nothing in life is the sole product of one person. The things we need –even, the things we want that we don’t need– are designed and produced by others. Think of your toothbrush. It’s quite simple, yet someone designed and produced it. You didn’t do it by yourself. In fact, the one who designed it needed someone else to help him make it.

Jesus promises a heavenly dwelling place for us. Death is not a final end to life. If we have trusted Him as LORD and Savior, life as we’ve never known it here on Earth, lies on the other side of the curtain we call death. We’ve been avalanched with movies and video games and innumerable things that portray death as horrible and scary. But it is not that to the born-again Christian!

Further, Jesus promises He will come again and take us to that place He has prepared for us.

Most of us are probably like Thomas, who said he didn’t know the way or how to get there. Once again, here’s a man who thought he had to do it all himself. No, Jesus said that He Himself IS the way. It is His responsibility to see that we get there.

Have you ever noticed that the people who think they have to do everything themselves, are the ones who end up denying Christ? Rather than believing Him, they deny that He exists! It the lie that the devil produced and continues to proclaim to those who do not know Jesus as we do.

Jesus is the true truth and the true life. That’s precisely why we need to expel from our view those movies and games and things that teach contrary to Jesus. Real danger is often accompanied by laughter and disguise. Don’t be fooled! Don’t be misled! Focus on what is real and true. Focus always on Jesus!

We love you and pray daily for you,

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.”