The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Corinthians 5:9-11, “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;

10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world.

11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler– not even to eat with such a one.”

How much do you know about the organization of the Bible? How carefully do you read the Bible? Years ago, when I was a very young lad, our church used to give “credit” for our daily reading of the Bible. And it was then that I learned how to skim through what I was supposed to read quite carefully and get the “credit.” I don’t blame the church for giving an incentive to read the Bible daily; I only blame myself. I don’t read that way today –and haven’t for many, many years. I now read to learn the depths of what our LORD intends for us to know and to live.

We all need to read the Scriptures very carefully. Let me ask you a question. How many letters did Paul write to the Corinthian Church? “Well,” you say, “there is First Corinthians and Second Corinthians –so, I guess he wrote two.” Wrong! I selected the verses above to point out something you just might have missed. Read verse nine very carefully. What did Paul say? “I wrote to you in my letter…” Stop right there!

That’s the past tense he used, isn’t it? “I wrote” is past tense. If he were saying that in Second Corinthians, we could understand him to be refering to First Corinthians. But, he’s writing in First Corinthians; so there has to have been a previous letter –one that we do not have. In fact, he mentions the matters of which he wrote in that previous letter. The Corinthians understood what he meant. It’s important that we understand, also.

Now, attached above is a paper to help you understand how the Bible is organized. Read it carefully – more carefully than you read the verses above. We need to view how the Scriptures are organized, and we need to understand very clearly all it says. Just be thankful I’m not giving a test! However, the LORD is, so study carefully. God bless you abundantly!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

the attachment as well.

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 Corinthians 4:10-14, “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.

11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless;

12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;

13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

14 I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”

Did you ever meet someone who thought he was so smart that he could challenge anyone, even one who is noted for his multiple contributions to his own intellectual discipline? Some people do actually become more knowledgeable than their teachers; but if they are humble, they will always admit that it was the teacher, or someone else, who was actually responsible for their success.

These Corinthians knew nothing about Jesus, until the Apostle Paul shared the Gospel with them. Now, in his absence, they are acting as if they know more. Paul loves them, but he finds that the best current instruction he can offer is to address them ironically. (Irony, you will recall, is saying something that is the opposite of what is intended.)

Paul knows that he and his Christian companions (Timothy, Luke, et al) were responsible for these Corinthians being converted from paganism to faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, the Corinthians are now behaving as if they know more than Paul, their teacher. So, Paul resorts to irony (maybe even sarcasm) when he says, “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor…”

Then, after scolding them for their spiritual immaturity, he concludes by saying, “I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” The lesson here is that we should never think too highly of ourselves. Why? Because we’re not responsible for anything that is worthwhile. All the good things, all intelligence, comes from God. If God has blessed you with a good mind, don’t act like you know everything. Give Him the glory! Men and women who are truly great are humble. They know their limitations. And those who don’t, God scolds and punishes them until they do! We have everything to gain by glorifying Jesus Christ! We have everything to lose by not doing so. Think about it! God bless 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 Corinthians 3:21-23, “So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you,

22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you,

23 and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.“

I may have referenced this previously, but as I was boarding the airplane for Sydney, Australia in 1965, my pastor-mentor-friend, Dr. Earl L. Pounds, shouted at me: “REMEMBER! ALL THINGS ARE YOURS!! REMEMBER THAT! DON’T FORGET IT!” I shouted in response, “I WON’T FORGET! I WON’T!” The problem

was not that I might forget. I just didn’t know what he was talking about! “All things are yours…”? Humm…

There was as much confusion in the Corinthian Church at that time, as there was in me in 1965! Remember that some were claiming Paul as their example and leader. Others insisted that Apollos was superior, while other claimed Cephas (Peter) as supreme. What a divided church! It was a mess! How could such division ever produce anything to the glory of Christ?

We may learn some things from some men that we wouldn’t learn from others. That’s natural. But to place one of the LORD’s servants over another is neither intelligent nor right. The styles of ministers’ labors differ according to their personalites. Nuances of theology are often traceable to the institutions where they studied. Paul simply emphasizes that whoever the leaders are, and whatever they teach, it’s all yours! I like the way Barnes puts it:

“Christ lived, and acted, and reigns to promote the glory of his Father…You belong to Christ;

and He to God (the Father). You are bound, therefore, not to devote yourselves to a man,

whoever he may be, but to Christ, and to the service of that one true God, in whose service

even Christ was employed.”

Thus, when a minister has a message from God, he delivers it to the people in his charge. Yet, the glory is not for the minister, but for the LORD from Whom the instruction ultimately came. Now, that instruction is yours, and it is for you to share with others. Some of those who receive your instruction, will come to faith in Christ themselves. And they are yours, because you belong to Christ. In all of this, however, Christ alone is to be glorified.

Do you personally know Jesus? If not, why not? If you do know Him, are your sharing Him with others? If not, why not? The greatest joy in life is in knowing Jesus! And the second greatest joy is knowing that someone knows Him because you shared Him with them. “All things are yours!” Never forget it.

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 3:12-13, “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”

“Be sure and wash your hands before supper.” “And don’t forget to brush your teeth before bedtime.”

“Be kind to your little sister; she’s not as big as you are.” How many times have you heard your mother

say things like this to you? It’s called repetition –not because she was bereft of words to express herself, but because that’s how children learn. It’s the drip, drip, drip of repetition that ingrains truths into “little skulls of mush.”

That must have been young Paul’s experience, too, because he uses it over and over again. “Put on a heart of compassion, ????????? (a heart with feeling).” Let your heart feel as if you were having the trouble of another. “Express kindness, ?????????, (an attitude of uprightness) toward others. Humility, ?????????????? is (voluntary submission). You are the guest speaker, but you take a seat at the end of the table instead of the middle. Gentleness, ???????, is having consideration for others: How can I help him? And always be patient, ??????????, –be emotionally quiet, and long-suffering toward others.

Then the question comes: How and when are these attitudes to be applied? Paul says, “…bearing with one another, and forgiving each other.” What’s the difference? Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown say that “bearing” relates to present offenses, while “forgiving” relates to past offenses. Let’s say that someone calls you “Sloth” because you take your time doing things. That’s a present offense, but you grin and say nothing: that is bearing with the offender. Yet, when someone says something negative about you when you are not present, that requires forgiveness. It’s a past offence that took place last week or last month.

We would all probably do well to re-read and think carefully on all three of the above paragraphs. How we act and react to the thoughts and attitudes of others demonstrates how Christian –Christ-like—we really are. Just remember that we have been saved to honor and glorify our LORD Jesus every day. That’s what it’s all about. God bless you as you do it!

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 3:5-7, “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

6 For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come,

7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.”

The Apostle Paul has previously informed the Colossian Christians –and us!—that we would face Christ in Heaven. Specifically, we Christians will stand before the bema seat where 1) we will give account of the unconfessed sin in our lives, and 2) we will be rewarded for our labor for His glory here on the Earth.

Now, seeing that all of this is coming to pass, the apostle charges the Colossians –and us!—to get rid of the

sins he enumerates in verse 5; namely, immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed. The Colossians understood what all of this meant, because they had been that kind of people before they were saved.

You see, Christians are supposed to be different!

I’ve witnessed to people who said, “I’ve never __(fill in the blank)__ before,” thinking that they were sure to be alright in God’s eyes because they hadn’t done something really, really bad. Well, these things are bad! They’re really, really bad in God’s eyes; and they ought to be bad in our eyes, as well. In fact, this list of sinful lusts and passions is so bad that God is going to bring His wrath in full force against those who engage in such evil!

Believe it or not, I have worked in laboring areas; and I’ve listened to foul language and dirty stories that lost men love to tell. I’ve never been comfortable with such things. Why? Well, I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I know that the Holy Spirit within me was grieved at the garbage that erupted from the mouths of unsaved men. I’ve always loved humor; but I had to learn that Satan wraps some dirty, vulgar stories in some colossal humor, forcing Christians to decide whether they would turn away from the vulgar or laugh at the humorous wrapping.

Oh, Satan’s quite clever. Don’t you forget it. Even more, don’t forget that the LORD is not glorified with filth. He saved us so we could make new lives, live above the frey, and honor and glorify His Holy Name!

Are you there yet? You can be! The LORD will honor those who honor and glorify Him. Just remember: one day we will stand in His presence. Be prepared for that occasion! Live now “to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:14).

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.”