The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Galatians 1:11-17, “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.

12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure, and tried to destroy it;

14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.

15 But when He who had set me apart, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through His grace, was pleased

16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,

17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.

I recently spoke to a Japanese lady, who has become a Christian. Strangely enough, she became interested in the Bible when she read the word in a comic book. She acquired a Bible and began to

read it. The Gospel of Christ became clear to her and she accepted Jesus as her LORD and Savior.

My purpose in citing that experience is to show that the Word –the Bible—itself carries the power

of its own accomplishment (Isa. 55:11). That does not mean that we should not witness verbally

to others; it simply means that the right Book in the hands of a hungry heart can satisfy the human

soul.

The apostle Paul was Jewish before he was Christian. His embrace of Judaism and his keen mind

had led him to a higher responsibility in that religion. He was not saved through the witness of a

Christian; rather he came to know Christ while on his way to persecute Christians (Acts 9). Paul’s

experience demonstrates that the harshest critics of the Christian faith can themselves be saved!

Mitsuo Fuchida was the lead pilot in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that brought America

into World War II. Jacob DeShazer, was a bombardier in the Doolittle raid over Japan. He became

a prisoner of war, and while in prison, came to know Christ as his Savior. He wrote a tract of his

salvation in Christ –a tract that was handed to Fuchida, as he was on his way to meet General

Douglas McArthur. Fuchida read the tract and accepted Christ as his LORD, too. He later became

an evangelist and preached throughout Japan, leading many to faith in Christ.

You can be active for Christ, too. You can hand Gospel tracts to people you meet. You can

encourage people to read the Bible. That’s what I’m doing right here and now. Paul had a unique

experience on the Damascus Road. He spent the rest of his life telling about it. What a fantastic

pattern for all of us! Let’s get started!

Praying for you to become strong in the LORD,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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.”