The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Philippians 1:12-18, “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.

18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.”

It has been said that the disciples of Jesus were “either in trouble, or just getting out of trouble, or they were headed for trouble.” Paul himself was writing this letter from a jail cell in Rome. It’s a circumstance that can easily apply to many today. We are free to share the Gospel of Christ; but when we do, we are often viciously attacked by those who don’t want to hear it and don’t want anyone else to hear it. Satan is behind this dasterdly scheme.

Paul’s attitude, however, was neither one of anger nor of self-pity. He was rejoicing because his circumstances had given courage to others to speak up for Jesus Christ. Some were speaking up so they could glory in persecution. They were not genuine; they believed that their preaching would cause Paul greater persecution and stress. How terrible is that! Just imagine!

Others, however, were genuine. Their motives and their sharing were out of love for Christ and for lost souls. Of course, Paul wished that all of them would have been genuine; but he rejoiced that the Gospel was being declared, whether their motives were pure or not. How could he have had an attitude like that? I used to believe that Paul was wrong in his thinking about those who were not genuine in sharing the Gospel. But the more I studied, the more I came to believe like Paul. If Isaiah 55:11 is true –and it is!—then we need to rejoice. Isaiah 55:11 says,

“So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

How comforting is that? Sharing the Gospel and having it succeed does not depend upon us; it depends entirely upon the LORD Himself. That’s why encouraging Bible reading is so helpful. Even those who don’t know much about Christ, will learn as they read because first, the LORD has prepared everyone to know that He exists (Rom. 1:20), and second, the Holy Spirit then explains His Truth to those who listen and believe. That makes our job much easier. Push Bible reading and don’t forget to pray. God bless you!

We love you all and remember you in our daily prayers,

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,

Ephesians 6:14-18, “1Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…”

Anyone going into battle of any kind needs to be fully prepared in both mind and body. Football is a brutle sport; it requires a uniform that protects every part of the player’s body. In the same way, true believers in Christ need adequate protection from the devil at all times. Paul compares the soldiers’ battledress to that of the Christian.

The girdle or belt was the brace, the support of the body. So, truth is our brace; and it girds us constantly and firmly. The belt keeps all the parts of the armor in their proper place and preserves firmness and consistency in the battledress. Just so, truth serves to give consistency and firmness to our conduct. Truth preserves us from a lax view of morals that would affect our duty and our faith. Without truth, we are exposed to every assault. Truth makes our soul sincere, firm, constant, and always on its guard. A person who has no consistent views of truth, is just the person the adversary seeks out for a successful attack.

Integrity, holiness, purity of life and sincerity are all that is necessary to defend us from the assaults of Satan. But, we need God’s righteousness –a righteousness which He alone can provide. It is the righteousness of God our Savior that makes us perfectly protected and invulnerable to all the darts and arrows of the evil one.

The helmet, of course, protects the head, giving us confidence of our salvation and victory. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God; and that is where we get the confidence of victory, so that we never give up the battle.

Everything, however, must be covered with consistent prayer. No matter how complete the armor; no matter how skilled we may be in the science of spiritual warfare; no matter how courageous we may be; without consistent prayer we are certain to be defeated. God alone can give the victory. And our dependence upon Him is our certainty of victory. So, clothe yourselves properly. Keep your mind on the LORD and His Word, and He will win the battle for you! What a great God we have!

We are praying for you; please pray for us 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.”

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally, (my brother) be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.

11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

It is not difficult to understand Paul’s instructions in this passage. When the weather is cold, we dress against that cold. My mother used to say, “Don’t forget your cap.” She wanted me to be fully clothed against the elements. Paul uses an imperative form of the verb: be strong! Be spiritually strong in the power and might of the LORD! He follows that instruction by paralleling it with the full preparation of a foot soldier.

Times change, but we still work to protect our military with the best dress for defense! Even our police are now clothed with defensive dress, as they face increasing street warfare with those intent upon evil in our current society. Paul parallels this with the spiritual characteristics of the believer, because the Christian is in continual conflict with spiritual evil on every hand. Paul’s specific mention of rulers, powers, world forces, and spiritual forces of wickedness connote four classes of evil spirits operating in every age and in every area of human society. Make no mistake, Christian believers are in a “battle royal” throughout the entire world.

Once again, Paul uses the imperative: “take up the full armor of God!” It’s not optional. You’ve got to be protected. And the promise is that God Himself will enable you not only to escape the devil’s wickedly disguised schemes, but to stand firm and unmovable in your dedication to Him and His cause.

Many a well-armored official has been overcome by an apparently weakened and conquered opponent. Some, Christians, too, have been overcome by nice and friendly people who pretend to be “Christians.” They possess what at first-glance appears to be the Truth, but hidden within their beliefs are the twisted lies of Satan and his minions. Nothing we possess of ourselves is sufficient armor. It is His Armor (His Word) alone that protects us.

We continue to remember you daily in our prayers,

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,

Ephesians 5:15-17, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,

16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Of all the things that we own, there is nothing more precious than time. In these three, short verses, the Apostle instructs us by warning against wasting time. The older we get, the “faster” time flies. We are

encouraged to rescue the time we have from waste. As I look retrospectly over my own life, I see numerous things I wish I had done. But, it’s too late now. It’s helpful to take inventory of our time every so often, so that we might use it wisely.

To be sure, there are allurements in the world that seem profitable; yet, when we indulge in them, and then look back and evaluate them, we see them as useless toward anything good or helpful, either to ourselves or to others. “Time,” one has said, “is given us for most valuable purposes…Man has just enough (time) given him to accomplish all the purposes which God designs, and God has not given him more than enough.”

In today’s inbox, I received two emails from an old high-school friend. They were sent others, as well. His father was a Harvard professor, and he is a retired professor of mathematics from the University of Oregon. He sent pictures of a house, of its gardens, and of his library; but he said nothing of substance. One email subject line said, “Help if you can.” His opening statement said, “We are all at an age when we expect some of our friends to disappear from the email world.” Was his concern for “disappearance” more than “from the email world”? Was that subject-line call for “help” more than it appeared? Is the LORD directing me to witness to an old friend? How will I spend my time today? There are important things already on my agenda. Now, I must prioritize my time, but not just for today –for the rest of my life. How about you?

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,

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.”