The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 11:17-25, “So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;

19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.

20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house.

21 Martha therefore said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 ‘Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.’

23 Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother shall rise again.’

24 Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’

25 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.’”

There could hardly have been a better lesson for Martha and Mary. Lazarus, their brother had died,

and Jesus had come to comfort them. I remember so clearly my pastor coming when my grandfather

died. Just seeing him was a comfort. Yet, with Jesus there was to be more than mere comfort. He was

there to prepare Mary and Martha for His own coming death.

We sometimes neglect to view the whole picture. When we are troubled, we see only a part of what

is intended. Our focus is clouded by the immediate circumstances. But there is more. The late Charlie

Riggs was the crusade director for the Billy Graham Crusade in St. Louis in 1973. I remember him saying,

“If Sir Isaac Newton had said, ‘What happened?’ when an apple fell from the tree and hit him, someone

would have replied, ‘You silly fool. An apple fell from the tree and hit you.’ But, Newton said, ‘What is

happening?’ And that led him to discover the Law of Gravity.”

Apply that thought to the verses above. Lazarus’ death gave Jesus the opportunity to teach Martha

and Mary that death was not the final end of life. Jesus Himself is the “resurrection and the life.” He

was crucified and buried, but He arose from the dead! But, that’s not all. He assures us that all who

believe in Him will live eternally, even beyond physical death. To believe is to trust. And that is our

hope as Christians! No other religion offers that hope! So, when we witness to others, we are giving

them a hope that they can get nowhere else except in and through Jesus Christ.

We love you and we pray for you every, single 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,

Revelation 1:12-16, “And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle. 14 And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15 and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.”

It was the characteristic of the Hebrews to always cite the most important things first. Thus, in the Revelation, it

is appropriate to mention Christ Jesus in chapter one. The term “son of man” comes from the Book of Daniel,

and was the term Jesus’ most often used of Himself. Here the “son of man” emphasizes His humanity and as the One risen from the dead. The robe “reaching to the feet” signified His rank, and His garments identified Him as being of the priesthood. White always speaks of purity, and even today eastern people view white hair as belonging to wise men.

His eyes view and discern everything. Nothing escapes Him. His feet enable His movement. He goes where He wishes. His voice is powerful and commanding, instructing His people with everything they need to know. The “right hand” is significant, too. So many times in Scripture the “right” speaks of honesty, strength, position of dignity and honor. Have you ever wondered why we extend the right hand when we greet someone? From His mouth, He instructs and commands all living beings. His shining face, smiling as it were, is our reassurance of

His pleasure with us, as we adhere to His will for our lives.

Truly, we serve a Mighty Master! It is His nature to be tender and loving; yet, He is powerful and strong to protect us, as well as to correct us when we veer from the path He has for us to follow. He is the One who is

soon to return for us. Keep clean! Keep vigilant! He is sure to come when we’re not expecting Him!

Love and prayers for your all 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,

Revelation 1:9-11, “I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,

11 saying, ‘Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.’”

Did you ever just feel alone? There’s an old Negro spiritual that says,

Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,

Nobody knows but Jesus.

Well, when we’re truly born-again in Christ Jesus, we are never alone! John identifies himself as our “fellow

partaker in the tribulation…” John was indeed a prisoner. He had been banished to the Island of Patmos. He was physically alone –at least for a time. But what seemed a prison to him became an opportunity to receive, write and relate a message God would give him for His people.

John was in the right attitude (“in the Spirit”), at the right time (“on the LORD’s day”). Moreover, he was tuned

to hear the voice that told him what to do (“Write in a book what you see”). We all have more free time than we realize. How do you use your free time? It is possible that John had never thought of writing a book. But his

attitude (“in the Spirit”) made him receptive to the LORD’s directive. Is this your attitude? Are you ready to do

what the LORD directs you to do?

There were seven select churches to which John was to send letters. Five of the seven were condemned; two were commended. The problems and turmoil of these churches were precisely the problems and turmoil the LORD’s churches face today. Further, each of the churches is representative of a chronical age from the first century to the end of time. All of this encourages us to read the Bible more often, to read it more carefully, to read it more thoughtfully, and to read it more obediently. Sincere Bible study will change your life for the better.

Do you need some change? You know what to do!

You are encompassed in our loving prayers 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,

Revelation 1:1-3, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,

2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

The Book of Revelation is the Book of Uncovering. It is most notable among all the biblical books for telling

us what the future holds, what is coming to pass. The Book is in three parts: 1) The Things Which Have Been

(1:1-20); 2) The Thing Which are (2:1-3:22); and 3) The Things Which Shall Be Hereafter (4:1-22:21).

Even before he was converted, John was always quite outspoken. Here in these short three verses, he

twice mentions the soon Coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. We should not be surprised to hear it from

John. But I was surprised to find a piece about Billy Graham in an Israeli email I regularly receive. It did not

go so far as to advocate salvation in Jesus Christ, but the mere positive mention of a Christian in a Jewish

paper was astounding! I took the opportunity to write to the paper’s editor and commend him for his piece

on Billy Graham. At the same time, I noted for him the words of Jesus, “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34), and attached several pages of biblical prophecies where the Old Testament foretold of

Jesus. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Remember the promise and directive of verse three: “Blessed is he who reads…hear(s)…and heed(s) the

things written in Scripture. The time is nearer every day.

We love you and pray for you every, single 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,

Jude 3-4, “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Did you ever start to write something and change your mind? What you intended to say was

suddenly superseded by something else –something more important. I had once asked a true

and trusted pastor to write a letter of recommendation for me. He readily agreed, but said that

when he sat down and started to write, the LORD “stayed his hand.” Physically, he could not

say what he intended. The letter was never sent. The LORD intervened miraculously, and the

course of my life was changed.

Jude’s writing was changed, too. His emphasis was that they should “contend earnestly for the

faith.” The word “contend” (????????????) means “make a strenuous effort.” The faith in our

LORD Jesus Christ is no trivial matter. It is a life or death situation –eternal life or death! But

How do we “contend”?

*1. Be mindful of the enemies (vv.17-19). Don’t believe everything you hear. There are many false teachers in the world. Many are personally attractive and give plausible teachings, yet their teachings do not agree with the Bible!
*2. Be strong (built up in the faith) (vv. 20-21). We gain spiritual strength by maintaining
*Bible studies and prayer. We must be stronger in believing the teachings of Jesus than
*those the false teachers are in their unbiblical beliefs. 3. Maintain an evangelistic spirit (vv. 22-23). Be like Peter, who said, “always be
*ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope
*that is in you…” (1 Peter 3:15).

Trust the LORD to keep you strong. Trust Him to give you understanding of His Word. And when

you encounter false teachings, you will know they are false, and you will know what to say and how

to say it. Be totally dependent on the Holy Spirit who lives within you, just as you are totally dependent

of your bank to keep save the money you have deposited. God bless you abundantly in all things!

Our loving prayers are for you and for your strength in Jesus Christ, our Savior,

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.”