The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 126:1-3, “When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”

3 The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.”

Sometimes it doesn’t take many words to express how we feel. A simple “Thank you” may at first seem inadequate; yet the earnestness and sincerity of the heart is sufficient to the LORD and to those who know Him.

At what seems like a long time, we have finally returned from Dallas. Actually it was but four days; but those days were so filled with activity, that it seemed much longer. Valarie was valourous in negotiating the horrendous traffic, even in the early, darkened hours. With cars

racing madly as if it were the Oklahoma land grab, she steadily threaded the car through the mele and into the precise lanes, bringing us safely to our intended destination.

Everyone at the hospital was exceedingly congenial and helpful. Even other patients, nurses and office personnel laughed and joked with us, lessening the tension of the time. More important, still, was the attitude of the doctors, who beyond their medical skill were guided by the gracious Hand of the LORD. We witnessed as the occasion allowed, and left the results to

“simmer” within their hearts.

The areas of Nana’s blood loss were found, cauterized and then “covered” with a medication

that preserves the work of the procedure. It will no doubt take some days for Nana to recover her strength completely, but the trauma of the situation has been removed! Indeed, “The LORD has done great things for us. And we are glad!”

We so appreciate your standing with us in prayer and encouragement. We continue to pray for you, knowing that He knows all of our needs and is able to do “exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory…” (Eph. 3:20).

Loving and praying for you all,

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 12:12-13, “On the next day the great multitude who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13 took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and began to cry out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.’”

I have something of a love-hate relationship with my wake-up alarm. On the one hand, it

plays nice, soothing music; but on the other hand, it means I have to get up! Jesus had

a similar situation with people. Some were seeing Him as the promised Messiah, while

others were seeking to kill Him.

I can remember when I first learned the meaning of Hosanna. A Christian Jew opened its meaning to me. The people who lined the road with palm branches in honor of Jesus entry into the City of Jerusalem were crying, “Save us!” It was a clear and concise recognition of Him for whom He was.

At the same time, they honored Him by crying, “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD, even the King of Israel.” If we truly want protection and deliverence from Him, we must

praise and honor and glorify Him. Far too often we want Him to do things for us, but we are not willing to do things for Him. We want His blessing, but we do not live “to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12). Start every day with prayer and the reading of His Word. Be careful to analyze every situation as in accordance with His will. He is not far away. He is very, very near, even in your heart and life, when you belong to Him. Let Him guide you in all of today’s activities. You will be amazed how your life will change for the better!

Rose Marie and me. I promise a full and comprehensive report next week. We will be praying

for you.

Heartily in Christ,

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 11:39-45, “Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 And so they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me. 42 “And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.”

43 And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”

44 He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

45 Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him.”

Basicly, there are five senses in our human bodies: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Four of the five are mentioned in our passage above. Lazarus had been dead for four days, and Jesus had come to raise him from the dead. The Jews believed that the spirit of man lingered around the body for three days and then corruption set in. The stench of the deteriorating body was an indication that the spirit of Lazarus had departed.

Jesus came to the grave and commanded the people to “remove the stone” behind which Lazarus had been buried. This involved their physically touching the stone. He then turned His eyes toward Heaven as He prayed aloud to the Father, enabling that the people might hear and believe upon Him. Then, He cried aloud in the presence of everyone, “Lazarus, come forth!” And Lazarus came forth from death and from the grave. Again, Jesus said, “Unbind him, and let him go,” requiring them again to touch the resurrected man. There is no mention of the stench that Mary feared to smell.

Have you ever thought of applying these basic senses to our witnessing? Unbelievers have to see us living the Christ-like life. They need to hear us speaking truth and honoring Him in all that we say and do. We need to be careful what we touch, as they are watching what we view and what we taste. They even smell the oder emanates from our bodies. Thus, everything about us is open for their inspection. If what we profess does not resemble Christ, our witness is stymied. We surrendered everything to Him and to His control when we trusted Him as our LORD and Savior. If we hope to “resurrect” others from their lives of sin, we must demonstrate that Christ has resurrected our own lives. Salvation is an ongoing experience with Jesus.

Our prayers are first for ourselves, and then 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.”

Dear Grands,

John 10:1-9, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.

2 “But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. 4 “When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 “And a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

6 This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

7 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Warnings are everywhere! Some are audible, as sirens from ambulances, police cars, or fire trucks. Some are visible, as posted areas –DO NOT ENTER! or less intrusive notices like “Open 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday-Friday” or soft notes of music on a wake-up call.

Jesus’ words, “Truly, truly” are also a warning. They emphasize the validity and importance of what He is about to say, such as “Listen up!” or “Pay careful attention to this—” What He says

is a figure of speech. He is likening Himself to a shepherd and His followers as sheep. Literal sheep are not wise within themselves, but they can discern the voice of their shepherd; so, if we are His sheep, we are able to spiritually discern His voice from that of a foreign one. Whether we listen and obey Him is another matter.

But, what is Jesus’ warning? He is simply saying that there are many voices, saying many things and pretending they are from Him –but they are not! When I was teaching, I had students that would quote from men whose theology was twisted and misleading. They had read the wrong books, listened to the preaching of wrong and false teachers. That which is “new” is not always right. Large churches and popular preachers are not always right. This is Jesus’ warning: “Be careful!” It is the devil’s agenda to mislead the followers of Jesus Christ. Weigh everything in the scale of His Holy Scripture!

“I am the door,” Jesus says; “if (???) anyone enters through Me (maybe he will; maybe he won’t), he shall be saved (secured) and shall go in and out (enjoy freedom), and find pasture (spiritual nourishment, rest, fellowship).” In other words, Jesus is everything; and everything we need is in Jesus. Beware, therefore, that you follow only Him and His Word. It’s a heavy warning that is well worth heeding.

Our prayers include each of you every, single 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,

John 9:1-7, “And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.

2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?’

3 Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.

4 ‘We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.

5 ‘While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’

6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes,

7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam ” (which is translated, Sent). And so, he went away and washed, and came back seeing.”

The most complex part of the human body is the eye. And when the disciples saw this blind man, they were curious to know why he was born blind. Had the man sinned? or had his parents sinned? What had caused the man’s blindness? How they knew the man was blind from birth, the text does not tell us. Yet, Jesus did not challenge that aspect of their question.

God is never complicit with evil. He created the entire universe, including man, without any sin or imperfection. Adam’s sin had brought imperfection into the world. The disciples knew this, so it was natural that they should ask what caused the man’s blindness. Jesus’ answer was “that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Jesus then spat on the ground, mingled His spit with clay, and applied it to the eyes of the blind man, saying, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” Why would He direct the blind man to do that?

Could He not simply have said, “See!” and the man be instantly healed of his blindness? It seems that Jesus was giving the man a test to discover whether he truly believed he could be healed. Doctors today treat our illnesses by giving us medicine to take to aid in the healing. Whether we actually take the medicine is left to us. If we do take it, we soon find that it helps us. But, if we don’t take it, our troubles continue. Thus, the washing in the pool of Siloam became a test of the man’s faith in Jesus!

Jesus still gives tests. Do we really want what we ask of Him? If we do, we’ll follow His instructions because they are the test of whether we truly believe Him. Incidentally, the word for “seeing” (?????) also means “perceiving” or “understanding.” So, when we obey the LORD’s instructions, He gives us insight and greater understanding of Himself, of His Word, and of His will and purpose for our lives. You can know more than you do! Just believe!

We are praying for you to know more; pray for us to know more, as well,

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.”