The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Hebrews 10:19-25, “Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as

you see the day drawing near.”

With the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the whole human race was plunged into sin! They had defied God’s orders and they were totally dependent upon Him to bail them out. Temporarily, the LORD clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins. Such animal sacrifices would have to do until the Father sent His Son, Jesus to sacrifice Himself on the Cross to pave the way to forgiveness. Jesus Christ then became the “great Priest” over the House of God on Earth.

Paul then challenges the Jewish believers (to whom the book of Hebrews was originally intended) and us to “draw near” to the LORD, possessing a sincere heart full of faith and a conscience cleansed from all evil by the precious blood of Christ Jesus. Everything good and subsequent in our lives depends upon our spiritual cleansing. It is not something we do; it is what Jesus does for us when we repent and trust in Him for His cleansing.

Paul then challenges us further, saying, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our faith.” Loved of the LORD, and now forgiven, the challenge is to avoid wavering in doubt. Did not the LORD promise to keep us close to Him? Is He not faithful? Of course, He is! Just remember what He did on the Cross, and how He arose from His tomb three days later. Can One who did this not be imminently trusted in all things?

Finally, Paul becomes very practical. “Let us consider,” he says, “how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.”

The word “another” is the Greek word ?????????? hupenantios, meaning “another of the same kind; i.e., a believer.

I am endeavoring to do that very thing as I write to you. I want you to be encouraged, even stimulated, to love fellow believers and even encourage lost friends to turn their lives over the Christ and dispose all of their ungodly activities.

The Day of Christ Jesus’ Return draws closer day-by-day. We may think we have sufficient time to get ready, but when His Trumpet sounds, the Holy Spirit within us will answer and lift us up to meet Him in the air. From that point onward, we will live with Him in Heaven! Don’t waste time! Pray for your lost friends! Witness to them of the salvation in Jesus!

No one knows when He will come. It could be tonight!

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 1:13-17, “And I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,

14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.

15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you may be able to call these things to mind.

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased.”

When I was a small boy, I used to pray that the LORD would leave a note telling me when I was going to die. I have no idea why I prayed such a thing, unless I was coming under conviction and heading toward an acceptance of Jesus Christ as my LORD and Savior. When I came to know Him, all of that was concern vanished completely.

Simon Peter had a totally different experience. He tells us in the first two verses above that the LORD had made clear to him that his time was just about up. What would you do if the LORD said you had only two weeks to live? For one thing, you would be concerned for your friends and loved ones –especially, too, for those who do not know Jesus. Getting things in order, just as if you were moving to a new house or leaving for an extended vacation, would be your focus.

Peter’s concern was for those to whom he was writing. He wants them to remember what he has taught them, so that they would not be deceived by those who would come along to take his place. “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales,” he said. Instead, “we made known to you the power and coming of our LORD Jesus Christ…” Furthermore, we actually witnessed His power and heard the Father say, “This is My beloved Son with Whom I am well-pleased.”

What the world needs today is to heed the words of our LORD Jesus Christ. Yet, the citizens of the world will never know Him unless we share His witness. We need kids, who mind their parents; and parents, who love and intelligently guide their children. How else can children properly learn to be parents, unless they have a good example? We don’t really need to be concerned about when we are going to die; we need to be concerned about when we’re going to start living so as to glorify God!

Are you a godly parent? Are you training your children in the way of the LORD? Are you a child, living with your parents? Is your behavior such that shows Christ to them?

There’s a short two-line verse that sums it all up:

Only one life; it will soon be passed;

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

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 63:1-4, “O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly;

My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 Thus I have beheld Thee in the sanctuary, To see Thy power and Thy glory.

3 Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise Thee.

4 So I will bless Thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name.”

How many times have you felt lost? With clear directions from a well-intentioned friend,

I have, nevertheless, lost my way with no one to give me guidance. It’s a ghastly feeling

being lost in a foreign country without the knowledge of a single word of the local language.

What do we do in such circumstances?

David was in dire need of direction. “O God,” he cries, “You are my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly.”

Oh, how I know that feeling! –that sense of lost-ness, not know where I am or how my life is to get

back on track. We must always turn to the LORD. Interestingly, those who do not know the LORD,

also cry out to Him for guidance when the shadows of distress thicken around them. Yet, He is not

responsible to assist those who are not His own.

David, however, had an advantage. He had beheld the LORD in His house. He had previously

seen the LORD’s power and glory, and the remembrance of those times now gave him hope.

He knows the LORD loves him and will not suffer him to remain lost and in need. So, he does

as he had doubtlessly done multiple times: he praises the LORD! And in the midst of his praise,

the confidence he longed for blossomed into help.

We face troubles, problems, difficulties of every kind every day. Some are well beyond our capability

of understanding. Yet, “man’s difficulties become God’s opportunities.” The one who can praise the

LORD for helping before His help has come, are demonstrating faith that the LORD can and will

come to our rescue. And “without faith, it is impossible to please Him” (Heb 11:6).

Trust in the LORD with all thy might,

Lean not to thine own understanding;

In all thy ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct thy paths (Pro. 3:5-6).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Please pray for my dear friend, George Galieh, who lies in Liverpool Hospital in Sydney.

Remember, too, his faithful wife, Rita, who longs for his recuperation.

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 Thessalonians 5:23-24, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

First Thessalonians is the Apostle Paul’s very first letter, and it was addressed to the Church at Thessalonica. It’s interesting that this first ever letter should be concerned with the Coming of the LORD. Paul never lost sight of that, and we shouldn’t, either. Just as we ready ourselves when someone is coming to our house for a visit, we should always be ready for the Coming of the LORD. We’re usually advised of our company’s time of arrival. With the Coming of Jesus, it could be at any time! Thus, we always have to be ready.

Paul commends the LORD to the Church when He refers to God as “the God of peace.” It is He, too, who makes us completely and thoroughly holy. And holiness brings with it peace.

The desire of the Apostle is that our total being be entirely complete. He then cites the three areas of our lives to which we must give vital attention: “spirit and soul and body.” Have you ever thought of yourself as being a three-fold person?

Well, you are! The order in which Paul places them is important, too. I often refer to them as body, soul, and spirit. But,

Paul reverses the order. Why does he do that? And why is it important?

Our spirit is most important because it is the human spirit that is God-conscious! Remember when Paul said in Romans 1:19, “…that which is known aout God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them”? He went on to say in the next verse (v. 20) that “they (meaning all of mankind) are without excuse.” The human spirit is the contact point of the Holy Spirit of God. Yes, the Holy Spirit resides in every believer from the point of that believer’s salvation. And it is the believer’s human spirit that is God-conscious and receives what the Holy Spirit brings from the Father.

The human soul is that part of man that is self-conscious. By “self-conscious” I don’t mean shy. In fact, it may be the very opposite of shyness; it may be openly flaunting conceit. The human soul want to follow the crowd and become their leader.

The human body is world-conscious. Of course, we’re all conscious of the world, but being world-conscious is more.

Let me conclude by saying that God begins His work with our spirit; He then move in to control our soul. Finally, He takes control of our bodies. (That’s when we dress properly, so as to reveal Him, rather than ourselves.) When we are

thorougly Spirit-controlled by the LORD, He is glorified and uses us fully and completely in His service.

Satan, however, commences his work with the body and works up through the soul and spirit. When he has conquered a man completely, it may be said that that man is demon-possessed. Because this is such a vital subject, and because I have less than needed room to say it all, I am attaching a diagram for further explanation.

Treat all of this with extreme care! Satan works on all of us. We must be careful to refute him by drawing closer and closer to the LORD, who gave Himself on the Cross for our sins. And remember: He is Coming! May the LORD bless you is my prayer.

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 Thessalonians 5:16-22, “16 Rejoice always;

17 pray without ceasing;

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit;

20 do not despise prophetic utterances.

21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

22 abstain from every form of evil.”

Whatever you age, you’ve probably already met some “fast-talkers.” Some have wanted you to buy something they had for sale, while others just wanted you to “buy into” their thinking and agree with them for any number of reasons.

Well, the Apostle Paul was decisive in what he said. There is no possible way we could know how fast he talked; but reading the verses above gives us something of an idea how fast he could write! And did he ever cover a lot of ground in 46 words (33 in Greek)!

Analyze these positive verses with me: (1) Rejoice (???????) is a present, active, imperative verb. He means “DO IT!” Whatever the circumstances, just rejoice and keep on rejoicing! (2) Pray (???????????) is another present imperative. It’s a technical religious term that moves us to keep on asking God for help. (3) Give thanks (??????????) means just that, be thankful to God and express that to Him in prayer. All of this is what He wants from us.

Two strong negatives follow: (4) Do not quench (????????) the Holy Spirit means don’t resist or stifle His leadership. He is within us at the LORD’s direction to incentivize us to always obey the will of the Father. (5) Do not despise (?????????), set aside or disregard, the Holy Spirit in any way. Do not treat His leading lightly. He is working within us as believers to fulfill the will of the Father.

The final two emphases of the apostle are first, positive; then, negative. (6) Examine (????????) everything carefully. Whatever it is, don’t jump in or out hastily. Take time for careful scrutiny; and when your examination proves worthy, hold fast to it (7) Abstain (?????) means to “back off, be distant from, have nothing to do with” every form of evil. Stay away from evil (???????), which is not only wrong for you, but is evil-producing in the lives of others.

All of this is strong, sound advice! When we were saved (born again, born from Above) by our Heavenly Father, He gave us the Holy Spirit to protect and to guide us throughout the remainder of our lives. Nurses take directions from doctors; secretaries take directions from executives; Christians take directions from God the Holy Spirit. To fail to follow the Spirit’s directives and warnings is far more dangerous than failing to heed the warnings of weather reporters concerning tornadoes or violent coming storms! Be smart! The LORD wastes nothing; therefore, the Spirit is within us for His purposes, which are always beneficial to us.

Trust and obey, for there’ no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

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.”