The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 27:9-11, “And when considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them,

10 and said to them, ‘Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be attended with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.’

11 But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship, than by what was being said by Paul.”

Whom do you trust? I have only twice been fearful amid the many flights I’ve taken throughout the world. The one that stands out as most fearful was in Sydney, Australia. We were landing and got closer and closer to the ground, and I had yet to hear the landing gear go down. Pilots, of course, know whether the gear is down, so why would they or anyone pay any attention to me? It did occur to me to mention what I had not heard to a flight attendant, but as I was about to do so, the plane’s engines powered up and we ascended, later to land without incident.

Paul was en route to Rome. He had appealed to Caesar and was being accompanied by a Centurion of the Roman army. It was the time of the year for wild seas –not a good time for sailing. But, when you’re the prisoner, you don’t have any say as to when and how you travel. Nevertheless, Paul was bold, and announced to everyone onboard that there was going to be damage and loss of cargo; even life was endangered.

But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and captain of the ship than he was of Paul’s warning.

When there is danger, who figures more significantly in your life? Do you trust the pilot or the captain or an army officer –someone in a controling position? Or do you put your full trust in the LORD? Be honest with yourself. I’m neither asking nor expecting an answer from you. I want you to be honest with yourself. Do you really trust the LORD? Or do you trust a “scientist” or a “counselor” or a university professor more? Or do you most greatly trust the LORD?

Yes, we all go to doctors. And we trust them with our lives. That’s fine, provided our basic trust is not in them, but in the LORD who guides them! The same goes for airplane pilots or ship captains or taxi drivers. I am an excellent driver! I am always aware of the cars around me and those that are controlling their vehicles and passing me on either side of my lane. But, I am even more aware of the LORD, who controls all of the drivers. He is the one who keeps us all safe.

Moreover, He not only controls and protects drivers, he protects, doctors, lawyers, housewives, teachers, students – He is in control of everything! So, when He speaks to you, LISTEN and OBEY! And remember, Paul was right because the LORD was in control. Does all of this resonate with you? I honestly hope so.

You are in my daily prayers. Please remember me in your prayers.

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,

Acts 21:4, 10-14, “And after looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem….

10 And as we were staying there for some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, ‘This is what the Holy Spirit says: “In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”’

12 And when we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13 Then Paul answered, ‘What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’

14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, ‘The will of the Lord be done!’”

Do great men make mistakes? Yes, they do; but they never make little ones!

Paul was en route to Jerusalem, hoping to get there before Pentecost. His ship docked at Tyre, where he and Luke

stayed for seven days. The disciples at Tyre warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Yet, it was not merely their thought;

it was the directive they had received from the Holy Spirit. You would think that would be a sufficient warning. It was not!

His further journey brought Paul and Luke to Caesarea. And it was there that the prophet Agabus physically demonstrated the Spirit’s directive by tying Paul’s hands with Paul’s own belt, and uttering the solemn warning that Paul would be bound and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles (Romans). This observable illustration struck fire in the

hearts of the believers in Caesarea, and they begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem!

But, the man who was so close to Christ and gave instruction to the Churches that had embraced Him, would not allow that the warning from God applied to him. Has that ever happened to you? Let’s say that you read something in the Bible that strikes a chord in your heart and mind. You KNOW without a doubt that the LORD has spoken to you through His Word. He has given you instruction! It weighs heavily on your mind and heart. You pray about it, and the burden to

obey is still there. Then, suddenly you dismiss it entirely! You rationalize that God could not mean you when the instruction came from the Bible that was written long before you were even born! Big, BIG mistake!

A dear lady in a church I once pastored said to me, “Pastor, I’ve never told anyone this before, but God called me to be a missionary when I was a young girl. I told my father, and he said, ‘That’s wonderful! But you don’t need to go overseas to be a missionary. You can stay right here and be a teacher. It’s the same thing.’”

Then she said to me in a solemn voice, “I love my husband. He’s a good man and a Christian man. I love my children. They are faithfully in the church and they love the LORD, too. But, I live every day with the awful awareness that I have missed the LORD’s calling for my life.”

Let me beg of you: DON’T MISS THE LORD’S CALLING ON YOUR LIFE! He may not want you to be a preacher or a missionary. He may not want you to live outside the country in which you were born. But, He HAS a divine purpose for you somewhere! Don’t go your own way! It cost Paul two, two-year imprisonments, and it cost those to whom he would have preached, to miss the Gospel Message! We don’t live alone! He saved us for His purpose! Find it! Do it! NOW!

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,

Acts 20:24, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”

While the Acts of the Apostles was carefully and accurately written by Luke the Physician, we do not generally take our

theology from it, as it is concerned with the early history of the Christian Church. It does, of course, contain theology, as do all other books of the Bible, even though it was not written for that purpose.

The Apostle Paul was en route to Jerusalem, hoping to get there for the Day of Pentecost. When he arrived in Miletus. he sent word to the leaders of the Church in Ephesus that he was coming and wished to visit with them briefly.

Sometimes the most delicate, yet forceful, things we can say are revealed when our listeners least expect them. Such were the words of Paul –words in our verse above. Paul had been warned about going to Jerusalem. In the eyes of the Jews, Paul was a “wanted man!” And those who hated him and his message of salvation in Christ, wanted to kill him! The men at Ephesus, who met him on the seashore, pleaded with him not to go. What Paul said in response has set the standard for every believer in every age of Christian History.

I do not value my life as it relates to myself. I value it only as it is necessary for me to complete the

ministry responsibilities the LORD has given me; that is, that I might testify solemnly and seriously

of the grace of God through the Gospel He has provided me (my wording).

The Question that I faced as I read and re-read Paul’s statement was: How do I value my life? Does it really matter whether I live or whether I die? What truthfully matters is whether I am faithfully fulfilling the ministry that He assigned to me. I know that one day I will have to give an account to God for how I lived my life and whether I was faithful and true

to His Word. As a born-again believer in Jesus, you, also, must face that question in your own life.

Where are you with Him? Are you thoroughly dedicated to His Cause or to your own? What are you doing to share the

Good News with others? You have a telephone; you have a computer; you have the Internet; you know lost people.

Are you telling them of Jesus’ Death on the Cross for their sins? Are you sharing with them that He arose from the dead, and is alive in Heaven today? We may not have much time! People who die without Christ are doomed to an eternity in Hell. I’ve missed some opportunities that give me great regret. Don’t let that happen to you!

I am praying for you! Please pray for me. And let’s commit to Paul’s value of witnessing for Christ Jesus!

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 Timothy 5:24-25, “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.

25 Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.”

The almost unprecedented spate of recent killings has thoroughly dominated the NEWS, and thereby permeated the thinking of our nation. One news service interviewed some quite intelligent people with respect to what caused the crimes and what could be done about it. One interviewee actually dared to mention the need for God in peoples’ lives!

It is not my responsibility here to rehash what others think, or to assess what causes young men to perpetrate such evil deeds. At the same time, it IS my responsibility to research the Scriptures and share what It says about such

happenings.

Paul notes to Timothy that the sins of some are simply open and evident to everyone, despite the fact that those who committed them have yet to be brought to court and faced judgment. At the same time, there are sins in the lives of others that have not been brought to view. Neither the sins nor the sinners are yet publicly known.

What can be said of sinners, can also be said of those whose deeds are righteous and beneficial to others. Some good deeds are openly known to the general public, while some good deeds may have to await the person’s death before they will be revealed, if even then.

It goes almost without saying, of course, that the LORD God sees and knows every scintilla of both good and evil that is in the world. Nothing escapes His notice!

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous,

And His ears are open to their cry.

The face of the LORD is against evildoers,

To cut off the memory of them from the Earth.

(Psalm 34:15-16)

It’s another way of saying, “You can’t do wrong and get by.” Yet, every commendable act of love and kindness that is done, He clearly notes and records for revelation at the proper time. All of that should constantly remind us that our sins must be forgiven, while our righteous deeds will not be forgotten.

Christians are not without sin; therefore, we should daily examine our lives (words and deeds) and solemnly repent before God, asking His forgiveness for even the slightest wrongs we have committed. As He cleanses our hearts and minds, He simultaneously prepares us to perform more good deeds, wherein He Himself is glorified. That’s what its all about! Our faithfulness; His glorification! May He always find us willing to live “to the praise of His glory.” Please pray for me, as I pray for 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,

1 John 4:7-9, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.”

The Apostle John’s first and second epistles (letters) were written about A.D. 85. The third epistle was written about A.D. 96. All three were written to Jewish believers. The word “another” (????????) means “another of the same kind.” John appears to be appealing to the Church “to love other believers,” probably Gentiles, who had come to faith in Christ, because he goes on to say that “everyone who loves is born of God…”

Love is vitally imporatant because it comes from God. There are four Greek words that translate as “love.” Philos is a brotherly love. The word here is agapao; it is a godly love that does not depend upon the acceptance of another person.

It means “I-love-you-even-if-you-don’t-love-me.” Agapao is the most powerful love there is. It’s the love with which the LORD loved us and sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. It’s the love that held Christ Jesus to the Cross, while ungodly men bleaphemed Him openly! If we don’t possess that kind of love for others, John is clear and forceful in saying that we simply “do not know God.” That’s heavy stuff!

God loved us so that we might love Him! When we love others, we manifest that our lives are being lived through Him and for Him. In that, the LORD is glorified. So, when we turn away from sin and accept the LORD Jesus Christ by faith as our LORD and Savior, the Holy Spirit enters in and permeates our lives with Himself, so that we commence to look and act like Jesus. WOW! How great is that?!

Therefore, when men (and women) act evily, instead of hating and despizing them, we should act in love. Of course we don’t approve their ungodly behavior; but we show them the love they’ve never known –the absence of which leads them to atrocious deeds of evil. Some of the great Christian saints of the past were once perveyors of evil until they experienced the love of Christ through the hearts and lives of true believers. Once their lives experienced Divine Change, they often overtook the godliness in the lives of those who introduced them to Christ.

Give the LORD Jesus Christ a chance with your life! Pray that He will allow you to love the unloveliest of the lost! You’ll notice a difference in your life and a difference in theirs. God bless you in your venture for 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.”