The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Colossians 4:1-4, “Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;

3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth

the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;

4 in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.”

Paul never lets up! Just previously, he unloaded on wives, husbands, fathers, children, and slaves. Now, he turns on the masters! Maybe they thought they were going to escape unscathed. Not with Paul. Nor do you or I escape. If you are in charge of anything, you are “the master” in that situation. You may be doing something quite menial with others helping, but if you’re in charge of them, you are “the master.” Yes, to be sure, there is someone above you. He is your master. And the the One who is above us all, the LORD, He is our Master.

That being said, we are to devote ourselves to earnest prayer –not “blind” prayer—alert prayer, accompanyied with thanksgiving and focused. I can remember the prayers of some, who prayed, “Lord, bless all for whom it is our duty to pray.” Now, think about that for a minute. What’s wrong with prayer like that? It’s not truly focused! Of course, no one can know of whom the one praying is thinking. It may be potentially injurious to mention the name. Still, true prayer should be focused and personal!

Paul, too, emphasizes prayer that gives entrance of the Gospel into the human heart. Open to us a door for the Word.

My daughter and I went shopping together this week. I had been praying for a girl I met at Walmart. She was not where I expected her to be when we entered the store. I completed my shopping before Teri, and I was waiting for her when suddenly, right before my eyes was the girl! I had promised her something I had written, something I had forgotten to bring on my previous trip to the store. She was very pleasant and received it warmly. What I learned about her gives more focus to my prayers. But, seeing her again was the LORD’s opening of the door for the Gospel!

If you’re not “into” witnessing to lost people, you will surely want to pray as Paul did when he asked that he might make

the Gospel “clear” as he presents it to those who have yet to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. You don’t have to be

a scholar to share the glory of Christ. You just have to be “clean” and “loving” as you tell others what Jesus means to you. Just remember, “No one learns to swim by sitting at the edge of the pool.” Nor do they start by jumping into the pool at the deeper end. We’re not pushing “religion!” We’re pushing a “relationship”: Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave Himself on the Cross for our sins. Paul closes with three words, “I ought to speak.” We ought to speak, too. May the LORD be with you as you faithfully share Him with others.

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,

Colossians 3:18-24, “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be embittered against them.

20 Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.

21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart.

22 Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men;

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

In the above verses, Paul covers everything that constitutes a family and more. Paul was in prison in AD 61-62, when he wrote the verses above. He then was freed for a short period of time before being imprisoned again in AD 67, when he wrote the first letter to Timothy. What struck my interest is that he named wives first in Colossians; but, in 1 Timothy 2:13, he names Adam before he names Eve.

What’s actually important is the instruction he gives to all five groups. Wives are to obey their husbands, and husbands are to love their wives. Generally speaking, if the husband truly and consistently loves his wife and treats her well, she will lovingly follow his leadership. Children are the products of their parents’ love and they are to be obedient. I suppose we could say that the children’s obedience is something of a “pay-back” to the parents who gave them life. More than that, however, their obedience pleases the LORD; and pleasing the LORD is foremost in everything!

Fathers can sometimes (sometimes?) exasperate their children. Paul doesn’t identify any viable reason behind those exasperations; he just says, “Dads, don’t do it!” Note, too, that he doesn’t call the children’s response “psychological,” he just says that a father’s attitude might cause them to “lose heart.”

(“Awe-oh, here comes dad. He’s always cross when he comes home from work. It won’t do any good

to ask him anything. He never lets us do it!”)

There were slaves everywhere in Paul’s era. Interestingly, neither he nor Jesus ever spoke on the issue of slavery. The word for salve in Greek is doulos. The word carries the idea of his possessing a mind, but always smothering his will and relinquishing his rights in favor of his master. That’s precisely what we are to do! If we yield to the LORD, we will spare ourselves the grief and embarrassment of being wrong. Furthermore, His will is always superior to our own.

Verses 23 and 24 instruct us to work heartily because the work we are doing (whatever it is) is for the LORD! Maybe you hate cutting the grass; but if someone important is coming to your house, you want to do it and do a good job. Just remember that the LORD is always where you are, and He’s watching to see how carefully you are doing your work.

Why does He care? He cares because it is HE whom you are serving! He is Coming Again someday, and He is the One who will distribute your reward. So, do a good job! Always “unto 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,

Colossians 3:14-17, “And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

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.”

Are you old enough to remember those “final reminders” your parents gave you when, say, you were off to summer camp? “Now, son, don’t act like a hog when you eat! People will notice and it will reflect on the family.” And, “Daughter, please wear your teeth retainers. I know what you think about how they look, but one day you’ll be very glad you listened to me.”

Remember things like that? Well, times haven’t changed a lot from New Testament times. Paul has just admonished the Colossian believers, telling them what to do and what not to do. But before he concludes his lecture, he says, “And beyond all these things…”; then he launches into deeper water, saying, “…put on love,” ????? (agape). Agape is godly love, love that totally resigns all “self” in the effort to aid another. What’s more, the person showing love never expects to receive anything in return. Such love bonds people like superglue!

Simultaneously, Paul urges us (as well as the Colossians) to allow the LORD’s peace to “sit as an umpire” and rule over our hearts. This is what true, pure Christianity is all about. It’s what binds us together in unity, as in the Church. It’s all the LORD’s original intention for us. We should never kick against it; we should be thankful.

Remember, too, Paul says to let the Word of Christ flow into your heart. That Word is there to teach and discipline us, along with music that warms our hearts and the heart of Almighty God as well. Such makes us thankful that we belong to Him. His Word guards our words and deeds, producing love in others. And don’t forget that it is the LORD who produces all of this within you, so be sure to tell Him “Thank You.” He will be glorified as we demonstrate His likeness.

If you remember to apply all of this to your life, you will have a glorious time at camp –and everywhere else!

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,

Isaiah 6:1-8, “In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.

2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs.

7 And he touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.”

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I, send me!”

This is a long passage, but I will attempt to point out only two basic things: One, when the prophet Isaiah first saw the LORD, he cried out, “Woe is me…!” because the Holiness of the LORD always contrasts with sin in our lives! If you’ve ever bought typing paper, you know that it comes in various grades of white. What at first looks white, isn’t white at all when it’s held up against a brilliant white paper. So it is with us and the LORD. We look pretty good to ourselves, until He appears, and it’s then that we see ourselves as He sees us.

We think we’re clean until the LORD appears and we see we’re not as clean as we thought. There is no cleansing like the LORD’s cleansing! The LORD Jesus Christ went to the cross, shedding His blood to wash away our sin. Until we accept what He did as being for us and ask His forgiveness and trust Him as our Savior, we will forever remain in sin and we will stand before Him in Judgment.

The second emphasis of these verses is that we are unprepared to do anything until He prepares us for it. Once the seraphim (angel) cleansed Isaiah of his personal sin, he was prepared to carry out the ministry the LORD had for him.

We must be clean morally, spiritually –thoroughly clean—to be used by the LORD in any sort of service. The service He requires is joyous! That’s why Isaiah responded so exuberantly! “Here am I, send me!” It is doubtful that Isaiah knew where the LORD wanted him to serve, or how long the service might last. All that concerned him was that he was clean, and the LORD needed someone to do His service.

Are you clean? Has Jesus Christ washed you from your sins with His blood? That’s SO important! Everything in life and in the afterlife depends on your knowing Him as your LORD. And if you already know Him as your LORD and Savior, your life has been thoroughly cleansed, and you are able to shout with Isaiah, “Here am I, send me!” And He will! Thes

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,

Colossians2:8-10, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according

to Christ.

9 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority…”

With all of the Apostle Paul’s previous instructions to us and to the Early Churches, he never tires of warning us of false teachers. Only this week, I read of one (whom I consider to be “false”), who said he was renouncing all of his prior teachings about wealth and prosperity. Others have openly denied the truth of Holy Scripture; still others, have totally renounced their faith. They said they were no longer Christians. Perhaps, they never were.

All of that should serve as a solemn, but sure, warning that “all that glitters is not gold.” Those who advocate a belief that rewards one with the prosperity of this world’s goods, can be considered an advocat of a false gospel. One such teacher’s father long ago went astray by adding to the teachings of Scripture; now, his son has gone further still by substituting humanistic philosophy for Scripture itself. Oh, he draws massive crowds! But where is the teaching that Scriptural Truth will draw the masses? Jesus had far fewer congregants at the Sermon on the Mount.

The pure teachings of Jesus, ensconsed in our Bibles, is His Truth. He Himself is the “fulness of Deity…in bodily form.” If you have been born again (literally, born from Above), “you have been made complete.” God never constructs anything that contains flaws! Numerous times we are warned “not to add” anything to the Word He has given us in the Bible. So logically, His instruction is that we believe everything He has given us; and all He has given us is everything that He has intended us to have and believe.

If you have never trusted Him as LORD and Savior of your life, I beg of you to do it before you close your eyes in sleep. Remember the child’s prayer we all were taught?

Now I lay me down to sleep;

I pray the LORD my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake,

I pray the LORD my soul to take.

We might be tempted to dismiss those words as a “mere childish rhyme”; yet, the truth is, we do not know

the LORD’s terminal point of our earthly life or when He will call us to face Him in judgment. Prudence says, “Prepare.” Humanistic philosophy says “It’s not important.” What do you really think? Are you willing to risk it

all on anything outside of His Holy Word?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Thank you for your prayers for my sweet daughter-in-law. She is being evaluated by some superb medical

doctors! She thanks you for your sincere interest and concern. My son and I thank you, too.

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.”