The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 2:1-5, “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,

2 like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

4 And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God,

5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

???????????? (pres./pas/ind): being made, built up,

The cry of the Apostle is for Holy Living. Such, however, can only come from those who know Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior. In order for holiness to show through our lives, there are some things that need to be removed and discarted. And there are things that need to be received and displayed.

Peter comes right to the point: “put aside all evil, wickedness, deceit, envy and slander.” These negative, spiritual things cloud others from the view of Christ, Whose Holy Spirit lives within us! Sadly, churches have members who live holy lives at church, but live quite unholy lives at work or when around their neighbors their neighbors. Wicked activities, sorry to say, often come from workers within the church, bringing to mind Chaucer’s saying, “If gold rust, what will iron do?”

Foremost among the characteristics that are to be received and displayed is the “longing for the pure milk of the Word.” We do not know if Peter had children. We only know that he had a wife. Regardless, he knew the eager activity of a newborn child as it longed urgently for its mother’s milk. Newborn Christians should have that longing for the Word of God. Newborn children eat to grow. So do newborn believers in Christ. The Scriptures are that pure milk for which newborn believers long and by which they grow in grace.

Peter then changes his metaphor from a newborn child to “living stones.” Buildings are made of stone. And spiritual houses (homes, churches, friendships) are comprised of “living stones,” born-again individuals who join with others to magnify and glorify the Risen Christ. This is what God desires. Now, the question turns on us: are we divested of evil and all that God despises? Are we longing for the truths that come from God’s Word? Working to share this Letter with you daily has kept me in the Word and brought me closer to Christ, our LORD. It’s no mystery. Just rid yourself of all known evil, and receive what the LORD waits to give you from His Word. You’ll be amazed at what He can do for your life!

Praying for you as we write,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. Rose Marie will receive another blood transfusion tomorrow. We are so grateful for those who have worked

to make this possible yet again. We will both appreciate your prayers.

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,

1 Peter 1:22-25, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,

23 for you have been born again (?????????, anagennao: begottent) not of seed, which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.

24 For, ‘All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off,

25 But the Word of the Lord abides forever.’ And this is the word which was preached to you.”

People have some interesting ways of demonstrating their power. Some flex their muscles to show off physical power. Others, use sophisticated language to prove their intellectual power. Nations boast of their armies and armaments in the effort to dissuade other nations from attacking them. Yet, none of the above seems to fend off others. Is it possible that we are using the wrong source of power?

Peter admonishes us to utilize the power of love! We are to first show genuine love to those of our own kind – those who have received Christ Jesus as LORD and Savior of their lives. Such ones are our true brothers and sisters. Then we are to love beyond those who have loved Christ. Peter uses the ultimate word for love: agape. And we are to love sincerely, that is, genuinely, without hypocrisy. I’ve witnessed people say, “Good morning, Mrs. ____. I trust you are feeling well today”; and then in the next breath, say to another, “That old bitty is the worst gossip in the county. I can’t stand her!” It might have looked and sounded like love, but it was far from sincere and far from the heart, as Peter instructed.

These verses acknowledge that we Christians have been born of the “imperishable… living and abiding Word of God.” What we have heard from the Bible, we have accepted, and we have believed upon Christ Jesus. That Is what makes our salvation eternal. He died and arose from the dead to die no more. When we believe upon Him, He grants us a salvation we cannot earn or produce by living religiously. Religion is man’s effort to ingratiate himself to God. It is the means that man uses to gain favor with God. But faith in what God has done for man through Jesus Christ is what God requires.

Do you love others as you ought to love them? Is your love always from the heart? Remember, the most powerful force in the universe is love. And God’s love is the most powerful force of love ever! Try loving those who don’t love you. Stay with it. As the LORD to fill you with His Love. What is missing in most of us is that which only God can fill. It’s His Love.

Lovingly prayerful for you are we,

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.”

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 1:18-21, “…you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

20For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

Have you ever thought of your life as “futile,” useless? I recently overheard a man say, “I’m the most hated

man in this place.” Any thought that one is universally hated has to be an acknowledgement of a “useless” life.

Peter says that anyone who values only money does have a “useless” life. But, we who know Jesus Christ as

our LORD and Savior, have been redeemed, released from such a state. What is more, our redemption has

come through the “precious blood” of Christ.

For some time now, Rose Marie, has suffered from a blood loss in her body. Doctors have thus far been unable to locate the source of this loss, resulting in the need for somewhat regular blood transfusions. There is no amount of money that is more precious to us than that needed blood. And there is nothing more precious than the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the Cross for our sin.

The LORD Christ existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit before the world was created. He humbled Himself and became a man, being born physically through the virgin girl, Mary. He lived on Earth for 33 years, and never sinned. He was man, yet He was God –the God-Man, sent to die as the Father’s Own sacrifice for us. Jesus died, giving His life, His blood, to atone for our sin. And it is through Him, Jesus Christ, that we are enabled to believe in God. For God raised Him from the dead, so that we might believe and be rescued from

the sin that binds us.

It is through Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, that we have faith and hope in God! What else could give us hope? Money? Fame? Nothing but trust in the Risen LORD! Right now you are alive and reading this email. Right now, I am alive and writing it. But, where will we go when our lives are over? In what or who is our trust?

If you’ve never trusted Jesus, do it right now. Pray to Him and ask His forgiveness for your sins. He wants to forgive you, but you have to ask. Your life will change. He will become your strength and guide. What do you have to lose?

We are praying for you to have this Hope,

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.”

Dear Grands,

Matthew 24:40-44, “Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.

41 “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.

42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

44 “For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

Crime is not only increasing in our day, but it is transforming into activities heretofore virtually unknown. Thieves now troll through areas seeking packages where Fed Ex and other delivery systems have left them on the porches of neigborhood homes. New companies have arisen, offering alarm systems to homeowners to protect their houses and delivery packages. Why? Because no one knows exactly when a thief is going to strike.

That parallels exactly what Jesus said in our verses above. It was normal for men to be working in the fields; and it was normal for eastern women to be grinding corn and wheat which would be the staples for cooking.

While the two men were working, one would be taken and the other left behind. The same was said of the women: one was taken and the other left behind. The context of Jesus’ words suggest that the ones taken, were taken to meet the LORD in the air. They were His believing children, perhaps even surprised by His coming; nevertheless, they were His and were taken to be with Him.

Jesus then switches the metaphor by saying that had the owner of a house known exactly when a thief would be coming, he would be alert to stop him. But, since neither he nor we know exactly when the LORD is coming, we must always be alert and ready. There are many distractions that keep us focused on ourselves and our possessions. But Christ Jesus’ Coming is the greatest event in the end of Christian history. We must not miss that.

But, if we’re saved –if we have accepted Him as our LORD and Savior, we are ready, aren’t we? In a sense, that is true; yet, there are things we have yet to do, people we’ve not spoken to regarding the LORD. Then, there’s sin we’ve not rejected, not repented of. We’ve probably got more to do to be truly ready. Still, we don’t know with certaity the time of His coming. We just have to be ready when He comes! Are you ready?

We pray that you are ready in every way,

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.”

Dear Grands,

Matthew 24:37-39, “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

38 “For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.”

We celebrate CHRISTmas as the time of Jesus’ birth. Unfortunately, in the confusion of gift-buying and decorations, the true meaning of CHRISTmas is often forgotten. In the same way, many fail to understand that the same Jesus, whose birthday we celebrate, is coming to Earth again!

Matthew quotes the words of Jesus in the verses above. Here, Jesus is called the Son of Man; and His coming is compared to the time of Noah. Noah was a righteous, God-fearing man, and the LORD had directed him to build an ark, so that he and his family could be saved from the flood He was going to send upon the Earth. The Old Testament tells us that for 120 years Noah warned the people of his day that a great flood was coming. But, they ridiculed him and continued to live as they always had, ignoring his warnings.

But there came a day when Noah, his family, and some chosen animals entered the ark and God closed the door. The rain came and the waters from the heavens above and from the depths of the Earth covered the entire Earth, killing all life, except that of those enclosed in the safety of the ark.

So shall it be when Jesus comes again! Faithful servants of the LORD are now warning all mankind that He is coming. The vast majority of people today are behaving like those in Noah’s day. They are ignoring the warning. Jesus is the ark of safety. Those who believe in Him and confess their sin, will be saved from the flood of tribulation that is coming. It is not a matter of how we live or to what church we attend or even whether we even attend church. It’s trusting the LORD to save us from His wrath that is coming upon the Earth.

Two things are of vital importance: first is knowing Him as LORD and Savior of your life. Second, is actively sharing Him with those who do not know Him. We encounter people every day who have no faith in Christ. If a fire were threatening their lives, we would surely do everything possible to rescue them from that danger. What the Bible says is coming is far more serious than a physical fire. We are culpable, guilty, if we withhold this Truth from others. May the LORD awaken in us our responsibilty that those who do not know Him might be rescued from the coming judgment. Silence is not an option!

Prayerfully concerned,

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.”