The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 15:36-40, “And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.’

37 “And Barnabas was desirous of taking John, called Mark, along with them also.

38 “But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.

39 “And there arose such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.

40 “But Paul chose Silas and departed, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord.”

President Trump has recently taken a strong stand against the decades-old trade practices of the

Chinese. While he stands adamantly against the Chinese unfair trade practices, he insists that

President Xi (pronounced “she”) and he are friends. Is it possible to disagree strongly with a position

of a friend without severing the friendship? We’ll look into the Bible for the answer.

If you read the from the start of Acts 15, you will see that false teachers had so infected the

early church with their false teachings that the apostles agreed to debate and settle the issue

in a large council meeting in Jerusalem. The entire council heard from Peter, Paul, Barnabus,

and James. The result was a unanimous rejection of the false teaching and a retention of the

teaching embraced by Peter, Paul, Barnabus and James.

When the meeting was over, everyone went home –that is, almost everyone. Paul and Barnabus

had been a primary missionary team, so they talked about revisiting churches they had founded,

strengthening them in the faith. Barnabus wanted to take Mark, who was his young relative. Mark

had gone with them previously, but for some reason had turned back in the middle of the trip and

gone home. Paul objected to taking Mark, as he was not dependable. The two argued about whether

to take Mark, “And there arose such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another,

and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.”

Now, it seemed as if Paul was left to journey alone. But interestingly enough, “…it (had) seemed

good to Silas to remain there.” So, Paul chose Silas and departed…” But what about the argument

they had? What effect did that have upon their future friendship? In Second Peter 3:16, Peter spoke

of Paul as “our beloved brother.” And in Second Timothy 4:11, Paul says, “Pick up Mark and bring

him with you, for he is useful to me for service.”

Earlier, Paul and Barnabus had a disagreement regarding Mark. It was not a disagreement concerning

each other. It concerned an aspect of their joint ministry. We all have differences of opinion of a variety

of subjects; still, that must not inhibit us from maintaining friendships. And even though it might for the

moment, it need not be something that erases a friendship forever. Paul and Barnabus were Christian

men, who determined not to let anything destroy their friendship, their ministry, or their testimony for

Jesus Christ. We must learn the same. We must learn to be like Jesus, who in His dying hour said,

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Love covers a multitude of disagreements –and sins!

We love you and pray for you each and every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 8:22-35, “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.

23 “From everlasting I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.

24 “When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no springs abounding with water.

25 “Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills I was brought forth;

26 While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Nor the first dust of the world.

27 “When He established the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

28 When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed,

29 When He set for the sea its boundary, So that the water should not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth;

30 Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him,

31 Rejoicing in the world, His earth, And having my delight in the sons of men.

32 “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed are they who keep my ways.

33 “Heed instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it.

34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.

35 “For he who finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the LORD.”

This is a long passage; but to address it, it seemed necessary to share the whole thing.

Personification is attributing human characteristics (seeing, walking, etc.) to things that are

not human. This passage does just that. It is Wisdom “dressed up” in human clothing.

Wisdom was with God before He created the Earth, the planets, the skies, water, and dust. I will

leave it to you to read this Scripture carefully. Just think of Wisdom as being the voice that is

speaking. Then from verses 32 through 35, Wisdom gives specific instruction to us! “Listen

to me”; “keep my ways”; “heed instruction”; “watch”; “wait.” “For he who finds me finds life, and

obtains favor from the LORD.” Don’t ever believe that what you think is right is truly right. Only

the Word of God is right. And it is absolutely right! The LORD has given us His Word in such

clarity of language (Greek), that it is virtually impossible to misunderstand it, unless we (and

those who teach us) neglect to read, absorb, and live it out in our daily lives. As Isaiah says,

“Seek from the book of the LORD, and read…” (34:16). Do it daily for spiritual wisdom just as

you eat daily for physical strength.

We love you and continue daily to pray for you all,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9, “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’”

8 “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

It is inevitable that false teachers will produce false followers. When their teachings encounter truth, they

mock and make fun of those whose truth does not agree with them. Mockers have ungodly impulses that require the destruction of truth in order that they may pursue their ungodliness. When they ask, “Where is the

promise of His coming?” they are not really wanting to know. They are simply trying to escape the truth

that would keep them from their ungodly behavior.

What, then, are we to do when they behave in this manner? Keep your mind on his basic thing: as the LORD reckons time, there is no difference between a day and a thousand years. He is not “busy,” so that He has become slow in fulfilling His promise. Rather, He is patient, giving sufficient time for the lost to repent of their sin and come to Him for their salvation. In the meantime, He is also giving us time to share the Gospel with those

who are still living in sin.

The Associated Press is reporting today that a 69-year-old Korean-Chinese woman living in China close to

the North Korean border is sharing the Gospel with North Koreans; and when become Christians, she urges

them to return to North Korea and share the Gospel with the people there. She is constantly monitored by

both Chinese and North Korean authorities, yet for 20 years she has continued to share Christ under those

perilous conditions. Under what “perilous conditions” are we sharing our faith? And how much time do we

truly have?

Our daily prayers include each of you, whom we truly love,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Peter 2:1-3, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

When I was a kid, I can remember thinking that singers and preachers had to be “really good” to get on

radio. As I grew older, I came to know just how wrong that concept was. Bad singers only had to shout

to get the following of listeners. And it is also true of many preachers. How carefully do you listen to what

you hear? Crowds hailed the philosophy of the late Dr. Stephen Hawking. What he said and wrote was

often so convoluted that many, who never understood him, hailed him as a genius. Is that intelligent?

Peter warned us of “false teachers.” False teachers are not just wrong, they intentionally mislead those

who listen to them. They “secretly introduce destructive heresies” that eventually lead to a denial of Jesus Himself! When people become more avid followers of these teachers than they are of the Savior, they have

replaced the Savior with the teacher! False teacher and preachers have their own agenda. They may purport

to speak of spiritual things, but eventually their “destructive heresies” bleed through on those who follow

them. Peter says, “…by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved” (2 Peter 2:19).

But how are we to know who is telling the truth and who is sowing heresy? Read the Word carefully! Many

people have been genuinely saved by simply reading the Bible. Then, listen carefully to what pastors and

evangelists say. The Holy Spirit will prompt you when error creeps in. And when it does, stop listening to

those teachers! They will ultimately deny the truth of Scripture and lead you away from Jesus!

We love you and want you to stand strong for Jesus Christ,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 4:7-11, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. 8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

The Resurrection and Ascension of our LORD Jesus Christ was not the end of all thing. Peter experienced

both and yet says that there is more to come. Exactly when “the end of all things” is to come, we are not

told. One certainty is that each day brings us closer to the end than the day before. Sound judgment means

“keep your thinking straight.” Sobriety means “be clear-headed.” Think things through thoroughly so you

can pray as you ought. Love smothers a lot of sinful things that others have done to us.

In addition, be hospitable, kind, helpful within your own group without grumbling. You have been given a

special gift that enables you to serve one another. When you speak, speak spiritually, using the Word of God. Don’t try to use human philosophy or arguments; let the Word do its work in the hearts of others. All things

that we do should glorify the LORD. Make today better and more glorious than yesterday. Let everything

abound to the glory of Christ Jesus.

We love you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”