The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 John 1:6-9, “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

8 Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.”

If you wonder why the Apostle John talked so much about love, it’s because the culture in which he lived was much like the culture in which we live today. Words don’t have the meaning they used to have. In fact, they seem to change in the blink of an eye! Have you noticed?

I drove onto my street the other day and there was a realtor’s sign in the first yard: White Real Estate! White used to mean white, but it has a biased connotation in today’s culture. Did that mean that only “white” people could live on my street? Hopefully not, because I’m not even white! I’m kind of a pinkish something or other. But I’m definitely NOT WHITE!

John’s not really concerned about color. He’s concerned about the Gospel. He knows that there are some who call themselves “Christians,” but they are not! He knows that we are Christians and he doesn’t want us to buy into teaching that leads us astray. Deceivers abound, and if we start listening to them, we can even lose what was have gained. No, we cannot lose our salvation, but we can lose the love that it produces within us –the love that we could and should share with others.

The final warning in these verses is that we cannot play games with our faith! If we “go too far” and stop allowing Christ’s teaching to warm and bless our lives, we just might not be the believers that we’ve thought ourselves to be! In fact, John says that if we fall away from faith in Christ, we can lose the reward that the LORD has planned for us. Check out Josh Harris!

So, live daily in the Word of God, and pray for His guidance. And if what you hear is not from Christ, point your ears in another direction! Don’t let anyone stop you! You are in my prayers. Please keep me in yours.

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.”