The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 John 1:5-7, “And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;

7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

In our last letter, Peter warned us about false teachers. The Apostle John in his first letter boldly announces the message he has received from Christ Jesus. “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness, not one little bit.” That’s how I translated it for a Greek class I was taking in the seminary; and as colloquial as that may sound, that’s exactly what it says.

John uses the word “if” quite a bit in these short letters. There are two basic words for “if”: ei and ean. The latter word is the one used in these verses. It introduces a conditional sentence with an indefinite outcome. If we say that we have fellowship with Him – maybe we say it, maybe we don’t. If we walk in the light – maybe we are, maybe we’re not. We seriously need to assess where we are in our relationship and fellow-ship with Almighty God! He doesn’t play around, and we dare not, either. If we say we are in fellowship with the LORD when we’re living in darkness, we’re lying and lying is a sin!

Still, there’s a brighter side. “If we are walking in the Light (living in close fellowship with God), we’re also having fellowship with “one another” (i.e., another of the same kind; another who is in fellowship with God). “And the blood of Jesus (God’s) Son is continually cleansing us from every unrighteous deed.” Jesus had to die only once to save us; but His blood continually avails to cleanse us from every sin. We keep clean physically by bathing regularly. We keep clean spiritually by repenting of our sins regularly. His blood is always present for cleansing. We have but to call on Him in prayerful sorrow.

Do you have anything in your life that needs cleansing? Maybe some words you shouldn’t have used…? Maybe some places you shouldn’t have visited…? Maybe a thought that shouldn’t have come to mind… Maybe an opportunity to witness you let slip by…” Jesus’ blood will cleanse it all –every little bit. Just ask Him and see! Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Don’t waste it!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(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,

2 Peter 1:2-4, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

I thought you might be helped with a brief outline of Peter’s Second Letter.

I. Believers Can Overcome Moral Corruption (1:1-21).

1. Exhortation to Moral Excellence (1:1-11)

2. Reminder of Christ’s Moral Excellence (1:12-21)

II. Believers Can Overcome Doctrinal Corruption (2:1-22).

1. Doctrinal Corruption Comes from False Teachers (2:1)

2. Note well the Ways of False Teachers (2:2-22)

III. Believers Can Be Steadfast in Their Christian Lives (3:1-18).

Notice that Grace and Peace highlight the letter’s salutation. (That’s a good way to commence any communication, as it is warm and friendly in addition to being spiritual.) Peter notes, too, that both qualities (Grace and Peace) can be multiplied. And that multiplication comes in porportion to our knowledge of God and the LORD Jesus. Where do we get that but from the Bible?

When you think some sin has just about ruined your life or that your life is headed in that direction, Peter reminds us that “His divine power” is ever present to reproduce His Life qualities in us. God never abandons His own people! But we become “His people” by repenting of sin and believing in Jesus as our LORD and Savior!

The LORD’s “precious and magnificent promises” have been granted to us for so that we might be the recipients of His “divine nature” and escape the “corruption that is in the world.” In other words, God plays no part in our sinfulness. Yet sometimes, He allows the consequences of our sin to bring us down so that we might remember that He saved us for a higher purpose.

In sum, everything we need to be all that the LORD intends us to be, we already have. We just haven’t tapped into it all yet. He is being patient with our impatience, waiting for us to get it all together. Time is racing by! We had best utilize the time we have to become what He wants! One day, we will be required to give an account of what we did with all He has given us. Are you ready?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(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,

1 Peter 5:6-10, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

The shooting today at the Garlic Festival in California that killed three people and wounded 12 others, is

only a preview of the hatred that is overwhelming our nation and the world today. People ignore God until their need for Him is imperative! Most of the time, people behave as if they are their own god, doing only and always what they please. Such was evidently the mind of the shooter.

Laws today are largely ignored; and those who break laws are likewise largely ignored. Is that how believers are to behave? Breaking laws and acting as if they are a law unto themselves? Not according to Peter; he says, “Humble yourselves…under the mighty hand of God…” If you are anxious (worried, concerned), turn it all over to the LORD. He loves you and concerns Himself with everything that concerns you.

“Be sober (and) on the alert.” The word “spirit” is not in the Greek, making sobriety to mean “stay away from alcohol.” Don’t allow anything to cloud your mind. Satan is clever. He sneaks around in the effort to catch us off guard, then he slams us to the ground in a powerful effort to do us in! But, you’re not helpless; you can resist him. It’s a matter of faith, trust in the LORD, who is more powerful.

In the middle of verse nine, Peter talks about suffering. I wish I had space here to tell you of missionaries I know, many of whom are suffering. Christians, who are not “missionaries,” are suffering, too. Remember the Christian lady in Iran, who was imprisoned for many months? Her “crime” was that she, as a Christian, offered a drink of water to another woman, who was not; and in the process of friendliness, she would have caused the non-Christian lady to drink from a container that, possibly, she herself had used.

Yes, we all have sufferings in our countries, too; but the grace of God is working in us as believers. In His own time, the LORD “will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish us.” He will keep us firmly fixed on His foundation. Still, He looks for us to work with Him by being cooperative in the issues Peter states here.

I will be praying that you will adhere to this teaching, and experience the blessing that comes from Christ.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(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,

1 Peter 2:21-25, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;

23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

How many times have you asked yourself, “What is my purpose in life? Why I am here?” Even as Christians, we sometimes wonder what our purpose really is.

Simon Peter clearly reveals God’s purpose for us in the five verses above. Here they are:

1. Our calling is simple: we are to follow Christ’s example. He suffered for us, and we are to follow His

steps. In short, we are to look and behave as much like Christ as is possible.

2. Christ committed no sin! There was not even a smidgen of deceit (dolos, fish bate) in Him. That

should be our goal and reality, too.

3. Christ did not revile (antiloidoreo, abuse) those who abused Him. He never threatened them.

Instead, He looked to His Heavenly Father in absolute trust for the Father’s righteous judgment.

We are not to fight our own battles. Christ Jesus alone can be successful in defeating the enemy.

4. He paid the price for our sins in His own body on the cross. He wants us to die to sin and live

righteously, so as to bring glory to Him and to His Heavenly Father.

5. He has rescued us from straying aimlessly like sheep are known to do. We have been brought back to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls for spiritual security. Our rest, therefore, is in Him alone.

Check up on your spiritual life! Are these five principles of our calling being met in your life? Are you trusting Christ to reproduce His life in you? Is it your desire for Him to do so? If one or both of your parents

were to give their lives for you to survive alive, would that encourage you to do the same for someone else? Do you have Christ’s purpose dominating your desires? Or are you wandering aimlessly through life with little-to-no purpose? Be careful! Life slips by at amazing speed. Remember the saying…

Only one life; it will soon be passed;

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

I am praying for you daily!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Please remember my daughter-in-law, Valarie. She is a sweet, Christian girl, but ill, and truly needs 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,

Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

It’s a short, terse verse, but it’s packed with wisdom if only we’ll allow it to pierce our hearts.

First, Paul is not saying that we can say or do anything we want. Giving the situation, that could prove disastrous! Besides, we pretty much do that now, don’t we? We all too often say what we want to say and do what we want to do, and we come up losing.

The apostle’s instruction is that we “do everything in the name of the LORD Jesus.” He is our safety. When we do and say things in our own name, without spiritual consultation, we run a serious risk. The LORD has nothing to do with what we do on our own. Our safety in everything is when He is involved with us; because when we involve Him, He puts a brake on what we say and how we say it. It’s the LORD’s way of keeping us out of trouble.

Moreover, when we involve the LORD in our doings, we’re assurred of victory. Why? Because He is never involved in things He cannot control. Thus, He is always victorious! His victory may appear to be ours in the eyes of unbelievers. We know, however, that the victory always belongs to the LORD. Realization of that provokes us to give thanks to Him for our protection and for the victory over the situation.

I confessed to someone recently that I hav often gotten ahead of the LORD; that is, I’ve rushed in and tried to control the situation, when I would have done better to have allowed Him to take the lead and exercise divine control. How could you do better than to have the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth as you Guide? Yield your burdens and insecurities to Him, and then Thank Him for His gracious and loving help!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. We should never cease to study! And there is no more valuable study than the study of God’s Word, the Bible.

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Check it out! It doesn’t get any better than this!

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.”