The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 6:10-12, “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.

11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

What would you do if you suddenly found yourself in a federal prison, accompanyied 24-hours by a guard?

What if you were allowed to entertain visitors, and even to write to friends who could not, for various reasons, leave their homes and work to visit you, what would you write? Would you have any enthusiasm for writing?

I honestly doubt that I would. But, then, I am not the Apostle Paul!

Gifted by and with the Holy Spirit, Paul writes to the Ephesian believers and encourages them to “be strong (?????????, increasingly empowered) in the strength (??????, might)” of the LORD. You and I probably have no real idea of how strong and almighty the LORD is! Paul knew. He had experienced the miracles of the LORD and trusted Him in every difficult situation.

Paul’s recommendation –actually, his order—to the Church at Ephesus is to “…put on the full armor of God…” He guarantees to them and to us that with the LORD’s armor we will be “able to stand firm against the schemes (????????, methods of deceit and craft) of the devil.” His emphasis was not that we should launch a counterattack against the men whom Satan would empower to oppose them, but against Satan himself and all of his demonic forces.

In verse 12, Paul lists the four levels of demonic forces that are set to prey against the Church: rulers (????), the powers (???????, authorities), world forces of darkness (???????????), and spiritual wickedness (???????, evil producing). The purpose here is not to enter into the extended workings of these demonic powers, but to acquaint you with the fact that demons do exist, and have specific tasks to accomplish as they infiltrate our individual lives and the life of the Christian Church!

“Gee Whiz!” as my dear dad would say, “what are we to do?” Paul has already given us instructions: we are to put on the full armor of God,” because with it and with it alone, we shall be able to “stand” successfully against all demonic attacks! “Are we really under demonic attacks?” you ask. We sure are! Sometimes demons will cause us to worry or to fear. If we’re living close to Jesus and studying His Word every day, those worries and fears will be eliminated by the power of Him who indwells us. Some attacks are stronger than others; remember, different demons attack with different elements. Yet, all of our confidence must rest in the LORD and in His Word! Satan is a defeated foe! He was defeated in the death and resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ!

Cheer up! ye saints of God,

There’s nothing to worry about,

Nothing to make you feel afraid,

Nothing to make you doubt;

Remember Jesus never fails,

So why not trust Him and shout?

You’ll be sorry you worried at all

tomorrow morning!

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,

Psalm 31:23-24, “O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful,

And fully recompenses the proud doer.

24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.”

What do you do when you have a question, but not the answer? The tougher question is, What do you say when someone asks you a question for which you have no answer? There’s a very simple solution to each of these queries: you ask the One who knows! You research His answer in the Bible!

“But,” you say, “my question isn’t a biblical question.” It may not appear to be, but in all truth, it is. Sometimes we become so encumbered with the views of mortal men and their solutions, that we tell ourselves that they have all the answers because they present themselves as possessed of “great knowledgeable intellect.” If we believe man instead of believing God, we place ourselves on the rocky road to ruin.

The psalmist makes a strong case when he instructs us to “love the LORD.” He even allows that those who do are acknowledged by the LORD as His “godly ones.” For it is the LORD who preserves the faithful. If anyone claims otherwise, the LORD views him as “proud,” and renders to him what a fool deserves!

Therefore, those who truly belong to the LORD are encouraged to “be strong, and let (their) hearts take courage.” There is nothing to fear; no one will attack us without His knowledge. No trouble will ultimately suppress us! Why? Because the LORD is our Hope, our Protector, our Redeemer! Nothing is stronger than He! If fear still oppresses you, you have yet to allow Him to fully ocupy your life. May He show you His protection as He instructs your mind with answers to questions unsaved men will never know until they come to know Him as their LORD and Savior! Start tomorrow with bright hope! He is alive and always 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,

Psalm 30:4-5, “Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His Holy Name.

5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”

These are but two verses out of 12 in this Psalm. David is encouraging us to “sing praise to the LORD!” He identifies those to whom he speaks as the LORD’s “godly ones.” That is reasonable because only the godly are able to sing praises. Further, the psalmist directs us to “give thanks to the LORD’s Holy Name.”

Giving thanks to anyone for anything presupposes they have given to us something of sufficient value – a value that requires a sincere “Thank You” from us. Stop for a moment and think of the multiple blessings you have because of the LORD!

1. You have life! Your very origin comes through Him.

2. You have health! It varies by degrees as you get older, but you have it.

3. You have wealth! Wealth varies –not by what you want, but by your needs.

4. You have friends! True friends are always concerned to help you.

5. You have a job! The energy to do your work comes from the LORD!

6. You have family! Some may have slipped the bonds of Earth, but others remain

that they might encourage you.

7. You are loved –genuinely loved—even by those you fail to love as you ought.

We allow ourselves to become discouraged when we see and think of things we want, but do not have. Why not think of what we have for which we have yet to say “Thank You, LORD!”

Some things He withholds from us, knowing them to be hurtful and injurious to our lives. Some times He is angry with us because we do not recognize His blessings and thank Him for them.

The LORD Himself hurts when He has to discipline us! No true, loving earthly father delights when he is forced to punish his child for doing wrong. His own weeping, and ours, may last the night, but we rejoice in the morning when we come to learn that His way was best!

So, examine the multiple reasons you have to “sing praise to the LORD” and start SINGING with all your heart! The greatest music this side of Heaven comes from the hearts and voices of the LORD’s children as they praise Him! So sing, Sing, SING!

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,

Ephesians 6:1-3, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise),

3 that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the Earth.”

Recently, I viewed a documentary that dealt with some serious issues in which children younger than

teenagers were involved. That prompted my reading of the above verses and utilizing this space to

warn everyone (children and adults) of our responsibility to keep our eyes on Jesus and adhere to His every command.

We are all children until we either reach the respected level of adulthood or live apart from our parents. Some would perhaps wish to read that first line as “…obey your parents when they are in the LORD.” Yet, that is NOT what the Scripture says. If you have not reached adulthood or continue to reside in your parents’ home, you are to be subject to them. The Greek word “obey” (?????????) is

a present, active imperative verb, second person plural, which includes all “children” and emphasizes the command to submit to parental wishes.

To “honor” one’s parents means the children are to respect and revere the parents, inasmuch as they have authority over all who reside in their house. The value of this to the LORD is noted in that the commandment is the first in Scripture to carry with it the promise of long life on the Earth. In the practical sense, if one never learns to respect and obey his parents, he will never grow into adulthood with respect and obedience of any authority, legal, moral, or corporate. The Home is the preparatory level for all life-learning.

Parents, too, have the counter-responsibility to “train up a child in the way he should go” –that way being the way of the LORD as noted multiple times in Holy Scripture. Children, such as I viewed in the documentary mentioned previously, go bad because their parents are either bad themselves or neglectful to engage in proper training of the child. Still, unwise parents are no child’s excuse for involvement in unwise activities. The problem with juveniles today arises from the lack of good parental instruction. And the reason for the lack of good parental instruction lies with the parents’ parents! The LORD has great and glorious things for those who follow His commands!

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,

Ephesians 4:29-32, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

“Where in the world did that come from?” I can barely recall hearing those words. They came from a mother, who heard her small son use an exclamation never heard from her or her family. No, it was not my mother; nor was it from me. I told you yesterday that I never used any kind of “gutter” language. Had I ever done so, you would not be receiving this Grands Letter just now. If I could but recall the occasion of that exuberant, effusive language – but I cannot.

We all do say things, however –expressions that are totally out of place for any occasion. Paul says, “Stop it! The only words you should ever use are those that edify or build up the other person; and even then, only words that the moment requires. Use kind words that give grace and benefit to both you and the hearer.”

From the moment we repented of our sin and trusted the LORD Jesus Christ as our Savior, we received the Holy Spirit, who now lives within us. He is both the “seal” of God and God’s “downpayment” against His full and complete Redemption. The Spirit is there to guide our thoughts and words as well as our actions. When we fail to obey His instructions, it grieves (?????) and distresses Him, much like an earnest and loving parent is distressed when his child doesn’t obey.

We must obey and cooperate with the Holy Spirit in expelling from our lives all “bitterness (??????) and wrath (?????) and anger (????) and clamor (??????) and slander (?????????), along with all malice (?????)” –five important words we need to study and expel forever from our lives!

Further, we must learn and incorporate into our minds and hearts three vital words on the positive side of the ledger: kind (???????), tender-hearted (???????????), and forgiving (?????????). And why must we incorporate these words, including forgiveness? It is because Christ has forgiven us for our sin against Him, sin that is far and away greater than any sin anyone has committed against us.

You can do this! The indwelling Holy Spirit will help you do it! And God the Father will be glorified!

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.”