The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 16:19-20, “So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.”

Touted as “the world’s greatest theoretical physist,” when the late Stephen Hawking died, among his final statements were these words:

“I believe the simplest explanation is, there is no God. No one created the universe

and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization that there probably

is no heaven and no afterlife either.”

These words lie in stark contrast with the words of our LORD Jesus Christ, who said,

“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” (Jn. 14:2-3).

A recent story in the news identified the numerous real estate holdings of President Donald Trump. Among those vast holdings of hotels and golf club resorts, there are numerous mansions boasting exquisite furnishings, all of which are overlaid with gold. For a boy who was reared in a modest, but comfortable home, such luxury is overwhelming. Yet, there is a home called Heaven that outranks the totality of the world’s opulance.

The promise the LORD Jesus left us when He ascended to Heaven, was that He was coming again and would take us to live with Him throughout eternity. In the meantime, as the work Christ came to do on Earth was completed, He left His disciples to share His Good News with all mankind. Our text says, “And they went out and preached everywhere…” At the same time, they were not alone, for “the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the Word by the signs that followed.”

However difficult work is, it is always easier when someone works with us. It should be easier still, when we realize that our fellow-worker is the LORD Himself. His Holy Spirit was given to us when we first believed on Him; and now, that same Spirit guides and energizes us in the sharing of the Gospel with others who have yet to believe.

Dr. Hawking had “a profound realization that there probably (was) no heaven and no afterlife…” In other words, he didn’t know; he just wasn’t sure. But we have a hope – a future certainty, “an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast…” (Heb. 6:19). And that hope is confirmed by His Word and by those daily miracles that we experience when we pray and believe. Don’t live in doubt! Live in hope! And share the LORD’s Word daily with those who have yet to believe.

Praying lovingly 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,

Mark 14:66-72, “And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came,

67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, ‘You, too, were with Jesus the Nazarene.’

68 “But he denied it, saying, ‘I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.’ And he went out onto the porch.”

69 “And the maid saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, ‘This is one of them!’

70 “But again he was denying it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, ‘Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too.’

71 “But he began to curse and swear, ‘I do not know this man you are talking about!’

72 “And immediately a cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, ‘Before a cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times.’ And he began to weep.”

It would hardly be possible to call Peter a coward. It was Peter who drew his sword and severed the ear of the servant of the high priest in the presence of soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was Peter who had followed Jesus when He was forcefully taken to the high priest for interrogation. Yet, even the bravest of men often overstep themselves with respect to their courage.

Several times Peter was challenged with being a follower of Jesus; each time, he denied it. Once he withdrew from the accuser and “went out onto the porch.” But like a bird that continues to return to a carcus for food, the accusers continued to pester Peter, accusing him again and again of being a Jesus-follower. In desperation, Peter lost the courage he had previously displayed and denied knowing Jesus or even what all of this was about.

It is at this point in the biblical account that we need to be careful. It says, “(Peter) began to curse and swear.” It was clearly a denial, but the word “curse” (???????????) in Greek does not mean using foul or crude language. Peter did not use Jesus’ name in the way men curse in our day. Rather, he invoked a curse upon himself in the effort to enforce his denial. Oh, it was wrong! No doubt about that. But, it was not what we today call cussing. In courts of law, those giving testimony are required to place their hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth: Swearing in that sense is what is meant with regard to Peter.

Have you ever denied Jesus? People and circumstances often make denial seem easier than admitting that we know Him and belong to Him. Yet, when we remember that He loves us and died on the Cross to take away our sins, that recollection should be sufficient strength to stand up for Him in any circumstance and before any people! Prepare yourself now to face any circumstance that might lead you to deny Him. Live in the Word, the Bible. Live in an atmosphere of prayer. Evaluate every possible circumstance in a spiritual light. Trust the Holy Spirit to give you the courage and the words to speak. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!

We pray daily for your strength to withstand temptation,

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,

Mark 14:18-21, “And as they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me– one who is eating with Me.’

19 They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, ‘Surely not I?’

20 And He said to them, ‘It is one of the twelve, one who dips with Me in the bowl. 21 For the Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.’”

I’ve never told you this before, but I think it’s time you knew the truth. Probably, all of us have had someone – a parent or grandparent—share a family secret with us. It was like that with Jesus and His disciples. They were celebrating the Passover in an Upper Room. Everything was going well, when Jesus announced, “…one of you will betray Me.” They were stunned! –all of them, except the betrayer himself. He probably acted stunned, so as to identify with the rest of the group. But he knew.

How anyone could walk with Jesus for three years, hearing His teaching, seeing Him loving others and providing for their needs –how anyone could hear and see all that, and then turn against Him, is astounding! Still, Judas Iscariot had his own agenda. Barclay says it so well.

The essence of sin is pride; the core of sin is independence; the heart of sin is the desire to do what we like and not what God likes. That is what the devil, Satan, the evil one, stands for. He stands for everything which is against God and will not bow to Him. That is the spirit which was incarnate in Judas.

We shudder at Judas. But let us think again–covetousness, jealousy, ambition, the dominant desire to have our own way of things. Are we so very different? These are the things which made Judas betray Jesus, and these are the things which still make men betray him.

“The dominant desire to have our own way…” No, we’re not that much different from Judas. What is it that the LORD wants you to do? Why have you not done it? The family secret is out! We want to do our own thing. We don’t think of it as a betray of Jesus –but it is! Judas’ epitaph was frightful: “It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” He then experienced a dreadful end in death. It’s not too late for us. Just think: It’s better to obey than to betray.

Our prayers are lovingly lifted up 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,

Mark14:3-9, “And while He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.

4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 “For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her.

6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. 7 “For the poor you always have with you, and whenever you wish, you can do them good; but you do not always have Me. 8 “She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.

9 “And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, that also which this woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her.”

Why did yo throw that away? It could have been used for that special event that is coming! Something like this has occurred in all of our lives. Something one person views as worthless, another person views as valuable. Our family was far from wealthy, but when my parents entertained guests in our home, the best that we had was set before them. The woman who anointed Jesus is not named. What she did was vastly superior to who she was; thus, her act was a kindness of love unlike any other.

Nard was a costly perfume, derived from a rare plant that grew in far-off India. By today’s monetary value, the perfume was worth $54.00; but in Jesus’ day, that was equal to a year’s wage. It was the custom of that day to pour a few drops of perfume on an honored guest, but this woman poured the entire vial full on Jesus’ head. Then she broke the vial, so that no one else should ever use it in honoring another guest.

What she did upset someone (undoubtedly, Judas Iscariot), and others joined in objecting to what the woman had done. But the perfume belonged to her and she was entitled to do with it what she wished. Jesus saw it as an act of love –a pre-anointing of Him, looking forward to His death and resurrection. He said, “Let her alone…She has done what she could…” Each of us has been gifted with some unique ability to honor and glorify the LORD Jesus. Such gifts are often varied, and what we consider as acceptable, someone else might consider a waste. What’s important is that each of us glorifies Christ with the gift we’ve been given. You may have the gift of sharing His Word verbally with the lost or the gift of writing with which you share His love through letters or email. You may have been blessed with the gift of giving that enables you to help support missionaries, who share Him with those who have never heard.

What others think of how we honor Him is not important. What’s important is that we honor Him in the way He has enabled us to do it. What is your spiritual gift? How well are you doing with the gift He has given you?

Faithful prayers of love are prayed 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,

Mark 13:9-13, “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.

10 “And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

11 “And when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.

12 “And brother will deliver brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

13 “And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.”

Did you ever ask a question and then regret that you had asked it? I have to wonder if Jesus’ disciples felt regret when Jesus answered their question. It must have shocked them to the core: delivered to the courts, flogged in the places of worship, forced to answer to legal authorities for being a Christian! It was not what they had wanted to hear.

In case you hadn’t noticed, such things are happening throughout our world today. Pastor Andrew Brunson had shared the Gospel with the Turkish people for 25 years, then he was arrested as an enemy of the state. Asia Bibi is on trial for her life in Pakistan for offering a drink of water to a fellow field-worker, who was a Muslim. The rise of hatred against political conservatives in Australia and Canada and the United States has the undergirding of hatred toward all who embrace positions that are Christian. Jesus said that such behavior that brings believers into court is for His sake, “as a testimony to them.” Don’t worry about what you are to say in court, He said. The Holy Spirit, who dwells within every true believer, will speak through you, giving you then and there what you are to say as a testimony for Jesus Christ.

It is the ultimate plan of God that the Gospel “must first be preached to all the nations,” before the end of the world comes. Recently, I received word from a foreign country regarding the natives, who had heard the Gospel for the first time. They rejoiced saying, “We have never heard this message before! Now, we know what our ancestors did not know. They taught us to fear the evil spirits, but they did not know the true God or His message of love and peace.”

Your Christian faith will get you into trouble in this evil world. Count on it! Just don’t be afraid. Satan is on the rise because he knows he has little time left to work his evil against the LORD. God is still in control. He always will be. Trust Him! Live for Him every day! It will be worth all our suffering and trouble when He comes for us. God bless you!

Pray for us as we 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.”