The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 12:9, “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

Recently, I was introduced to a group of senior citizens and was instructed by the chairman to “tell them something about yourself.” I won’t lie and say that it was a difficult task. I’ve often been told –and found it to be true—that all of us like to talk about ourselves. Of course, we always talk about the good things. Yet, sometimes as we get older, we talk more freely about ailments, surgeries, accidents, and things generally thought of as negatives.

Prior to verse nine above, Paul says that he had implored the LORD most earnestly three times to remove the “thorn in the flesh.” Each time, however, the LORD replied, “My grace (My blessing, My favor) is sufficient (is enough) for you, for power (strength) is perfected (is carried out, accomplished, fulfilled) in weakness (illness, frailty).”

I think I mentioned in a previous Letter that a German friend in Australia was led to faith in Christ by a woman who

stuttered! She was indeed hindered by her weakness, but “the Word of God (was) not imprisoned” (2 Tim. 2:9).

Paul then concludes that it’s better for him to be weak, so that the strength and power of Almighty God might accomplish the LORD’s own work! Strangely enough, I have seen that very thing happen. So give me the opportunity to talk again in front of those senior citizens! I will pray for weakness that the strength of the LORD Christ might be manifested, and that He Himself might be glorified! Please join with me in weakness, won’t you?

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 Corinthians 11:21-28, “To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison. But in whatever respect anyone else is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am just as bold myself.

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

23 Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.

24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;

27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches.”

There’s an old spiritual that goes…

Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,

Nobody knows but Jesus.

Nobody knows the touble I’ve seen,

Glory, Hallelulah!

Certainly we’ve all had trouble. Some have had what they would call “more than their share.” In Corinth, there were believers who thought their troubles were far more than anyone else’s –even the Apostle Paul’s.

Paul pulled out his spiritual transcript, and with a tinge of sarcasm, really unloaded on the Corinthains! “To my shame,” he said, “I must say that we have been weak (when compared with you).” Then point-by-point, the Apostle shares with the Corinthians and with us just some of what he has encountered along the way.

I’m not going to repeat his words here. Instead, I ask you to re-read the verses at the beginning of our

Letter today. Read slowly and carefully all he says. He begins by stating his ancestry. He is a Hebrew – a Jew, a son of Abraham. He is also a servant of Christ. That’s the conclusion of the blessings; from there on Paul lists the turbulent difficulties he has encountered since coming to faith in Christ and endeavoring to share it with others. Re-read those opening verses now, and compare the difficulties you face with those Paul faced. I think you will agree with me and share my shame for complaining about how much we’ve all suffered in the cause of Christ. May God help us never to complain again!

I pray daily for you as you share Christ with others, and trust that you are praying for me as well.

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 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,

4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we

are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ….”

It’s difficult to be specific on some things. Christian History records innumerable encounters believers in Christ have had with those who objected to their Christian faith. The difficult part is not assessing the truth of Christian History, but whether the Christian opposition was greater in one era than in another. Paul talks about it all the time in his letters to the churches.

What is undeniable is the fact that Christianity is being assailed in today’s world as greatly, if not more so, than ever. Here in the United States, where Christianity is in the majority, opposition is largely verbal, as opposed to countries where it is heavily physical and deadly.

The big question is: how do we contend with opposition, especially in the light of Christ Jesus’ mandate that we “go into all the world and preach the Gospel”? We are physical beings; do we war against those who oppose our beliefs? Paul gives a resounding “NO!” to that question. We do not eliminate our opposition by using guns and armaments. Our responsibility is to win them, not to erase them! Our weapons are “divinely powerful!” They are the weapons of our LORD, weapons He has placed in us for the purpose of convincing them to throw down their opposition to Him and become disciples, as we are.

Sounds pretty straight forward, but how is it accomplished? They raise questionable thoughts about Christ and His followers; we are to take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Think about that for a moment. They speak negatively about Jesus, and we are to take their thoughts captive? Taking one captive means taking them out of the discussion –out of the argument—much like a player who violates the rules of the game is made to sit in the penalty box for a specified time. Only, our captivity is for the duration.

But, suppose the “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” means us and not them? Then, the meaning is that our thoughts are to be captive to what His Holy Spirit puts in our minds to say. In other words, victories like this are not fought on a human, intellectual level, but on the level of a warm, loving, spiritual concern for the soul of our opposition. We just need to be so yielded to Christ that His thoughts become our thoughts, and the opposition is then battling with Him, when they think it is us. When He wins, we win by default. Pretty nifty, huh? Don’t credit me; it was all Christ Jesus’ idea.

I love you and pray for you. The battle is the LORD’s!

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 Corinthians 4:15-18, “For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Do you recall when Paul said, “All things are yours…”? It was back in First Corinthians 3:21. Well, he is repeating himself with a slight variation. The Corinthians could well stand some repetition. And the same is true of us, if we’re honest about it. Paul is emphasizing affliction that all believers receive if they stand firmly for the LORD Jesus Christ. It occurs in schools at every level; it occurs in the workplace; it occurs in the church. It even occurs in the political arena. Imagine! But, it always occurs to our advantage! That’s what he says. Because when we are belittled and battered because of our faith, the LORD Himself is glorified.

So, don’t let such things bother you. Yes, you may weary mentally because of some taunting; but it is all abounding to the glory of Almighty God! Just think of the Apostle Paul himself. He was 100 percent against the Church before he was saved. Then he turned the compass and was 100 percent for what he had been against. God turns things around!

Besides, the ridicule and pressure we receive is nothing when compared with Paul and others in Christian history. They “experienced mockings and scourgings…, chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground” (Heb. 11:36-38).

Imagine people being lost at sea. It is night; the waves are high and heavy; the waters are cold and frigid. Those in life boats experience only the immediacy of the tragedy around them. But LOOK!! There’s a small, flickering light, barely visible in the far distance. Those people may not be able to control all that swrils about them, but they can hold out hope for rescue, because that light gives them hope.

So it is with us. We cannot always change the attacks and turbulence that surrounds us; but, we can hold onto hope for rescue that is signaled by that distant light. “The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Keep your chin up! Keep trusting in the LORD. “All things are yours” when you are secured in Him!

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 Corinthians 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort;

4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.”

I had just concluded a Sunday morning message when a terribly burdened GI rushed to the front and asked, “If God is as great as you say He is, why does He make my mother suffer so?” It was a legitimate question from an obviously painful heart. I answered the young soldier’s question as best as I could, leaning heavily on the LORD for my response.

Pain and suffering may be humanity’s greatest foes. Why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?

The answer, of course, is sin. Adam and Eve knew nothing of either trouble until they sinned. But sin is like a lot of things in that once it enters the arena (of humanity or one’s individual life), it multiplies and spreads and defies our best attempts to eradicate it.

Still, pain and suffering have their place. Paul says that the LORD comforts us in our affliction, so that we “may be able to comfort those who are in…affliction” themselves. That may seem to be an

unnecessary method of teaching us how to comfort others, but it works. As a pastor, I’ve had numerous opportunities to minister comfort to those who had lost a loved one. To the best of my recollection, I have said all the right and proper things to those in sorrow. Yet, when I lost my sweet wife of almost 64 years, I experienced the suffering for myself. Oh, I still repeat the same Scripture passages to those who suffer, but I do it as I relive my own suffering.

The secret, it seems, lies in the verse that says, “…our comfort is abundant through Christ.” Could it be that He is instructing us to focus on the comfort He provides instead of the suffering? It might even be that our suffering comes from selfishness, self-centeredness, whereas His comfort is Divine-centered? In other words, the LORD want us to focus on Him! Where else can we find and receive comfort? And that focus dispels all that sin delivers; and we live and rejoice again!

May God bless and comfort you regardless of where you are in your walk with Him!

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.”