The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Timothy 4:15, “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

The Scriptures are very clear that once you have been truly saved, you are safely enclosed forever in the Hands of the Savior. Remember Paul’s words, “…for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).

Yet, for most of us –maybe all—we’ve engaged in things that were wrong, even evil — things that caused us to feel and believe that we had never trusted Christ in the first place. When doubt, especially regarding salvation, comes to your mind, go back to the time and place where you were when you believed on Him and accepted Him as your Savior. Repent of sin in prayer concerning those things that ought not to have been in your life. The LORD will forgive you and let you know you are forgiven.

Not long ago, a man shared with me how he had been saved as a young boy, but then fell away from what he was taught and lived something of a sordid life before he came back to the LORD.

Remember the teaching you received from His Word! To persevere is to “stay on course” with that teaching. As you do, the Holy Spirit will cause the teaching to take root in your life again. That’s what Paul means when he says “you will insure salvation…for yourself…”

You will become assured that your salvation was real. What’s more, you will speak with that assurance; and that will have a positive effect on those who hear you.

There’s a lot to being a Christian, isn’t there? Christian Love contrasts sharply with religions that have to threaten and kill people to get them to convert to their way. Stand fast for Christ! He wrote the final chapter, and we know Who wins in the end!

Thank you for your prayers. They are like sweet strength to my life.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Please pray for my grandaughter, Haley, as she goes to Equador

with other nurses to care for the sick in hospitals. She is a Spanish-

speaker, and looks forward to opportunities for sharing the Gospel.

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 2:1-4, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,

2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Ever since the disciples of Jesus said, “LORD, teach us to pray” (Lk. 11:1), well-intentioned Christian men have been asking the same thing. When Paul says, “First of all…” he is signaling something of prime importance. It cannot be left until later because it might be forgotten. Paul was an apostle, and he might have utilized his authority in saying that. Instead, he urges,

appeals, exhorts them as fellow-believers to pray fervently for all men.

Surrounded within this circle of encouragement were the spiritual and political leaders of the day –every day. We are to pray earnestly for all who are in authority over us. It certainly includes political leaders (whether or not they are believers themselves); it includes spiritual leaders, pastors, and teachers. It includes law enforcement personnel, who derive their authority from political leaders.

But why are we commissioned to pray for these authorities? It is because they keep the peace. And why do they keep the peace? It is to provide for us a quiet and tranquil way of life, as we endeavor to live serious, godly lives. All of this meets the approval of Almighty God. His creation of the world was not so that men might fight and maim and kill each other, but that we might all live acceptably in the sight of God.

The LORD God “desires all men to be saved” and that they might “come to the knowledge of the truth” (v. 4). Unfortunately, the disposition of man is to rely upon himself, hoping against hope that his self-works will satisfy the LORD. But they will not! “You must be born from Above,” Jesus said (Jn. 3:7).

“But if it is the LORD’s desire that all men be saved,” you ask, “why does He not just declare all men “saved, or forgiven”? One might just as well ask why the LORD did not create people with only the will to obey His commands. When we engage in trying to second-guess God, we are dangerously close to usurping His position.

Our responsibility is to accept Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior, and then live as He instructs, sharing the Gospel with all men that the desire of our LORD might be realized. Are you living for Him? Are you sharing His Good News with others? I hope and pray that you are!

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 5:8-13, “…let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,

13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.”

Paul is coming to the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians, written about A.D. 52. He will write yet another to them about a year later. This first letter deals primarily with the LORD coming for His people. The second letter will deal with the LORD coming with His people.

Immorality was rampant in the days of this letter, much like it is today. So, Paul admonishes them to be sober, that is, to maintain a well balanced state of mind. Sobriety in Scripture always advocates the elimination of intoxicating beverages. We all need to be reminded of Solomon’s admonition: “Wine is a mocker; strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise” (Prov. 20:1).

Paul’s emphasis of the “breastplate” should remind us of the Old Testament priests (Ex. 25:7). Soldiers, of course, wore breastplate for defense; but priests wore them as an indication of their office before the LORD. They spoke of trust and reliance upon the LORD, the same as they do for us as Christians.

We are to love one another, showing them affection and esteem, and all that is a high level of interest in the well-being of others.

Moreover, we are to encourage and strengthen one another in the things of the LORD. At the same time, we are to respect those who are in authority over us. None of us are all that we ought to be, and esteeming those who are our authorities is moving in the right spiritual direction. Failure to adhere to the wise counsel of the LORD is to reckon ourselves as our own authority.

Finally, we are to “live in peace with one another.” Do we do that? Well, some-times… No, we are to be at peace with all believers all the time. This is the will of God for us. Let’s pay attention to the One who is coming for us and will one day judge us for all our ways.

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 4:13-18, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”

Whenever you say something important, you want everyone to understand it fully and clearly. That’s exactly what the Apostle Paul wants of us and of all who read his words – yet, they are not his words; they are the LORD’s Words!

He is writing to the Thessalonian Christians, and some of them are saddened by the loss of loved ones. It’s not wrong to be saddened when one dies. It’s only wrong when hope is lost; and Christians don’t lose hope, because there is life beyond the grave!

Listen! Do you believe that Jesus died and rose again? If you do (I do!), we will see all of our beloved believers again. Paul borrows Christ’s word “sleep” instead of using “death” (see John 11:13), because life to a believer always supersedes death!

Still, the heart of Paul’s message here –the message he wants us to clearly understand – is that Jesus is Coming back to gather up all true believers, both living and asleep. He will descend from Heaven. There will be a shout –no doubt a shout of victory by His archangel. And a heavenly trumpet will declare His Presence!

At this point, all believers now in graves throughout the world will arise from their graves. Military veterans, who have believed upon Jesus, and have been buried at sea, will be resurrected with all other believers, and be caught up to meet the LORD in the air! My dear wife and I used to talk about how we would hold hands as we would arise in the air to meet Him. She got anxious and went before He came. But, He IS Coming! And I will see her again, too!

The BIG Question: Do you know Him? Have you trusted Him as your LORD and Savior? Are you ready to meet Him if He should come today? Is your life

clean of worldliness and sin? Are you living for Him and sharing Him with others? Be ready! He could come at any time!! Now is the time to prepare.

I love you all, and trust you know Him and are sharing 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,

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, “…knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”

The Lord chooses us in love (v. 4). In Ephesians, Paul writes that the Father “chose us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world…” (Ephesians 1:4).

There are some who think they will get to Heaven by their own sweat (i.e., works), others believe that whatever is going to happen is going to happen and there’s nothing that can be done about it. These are the two extremities of the whole election discussion; and there are multiple variations of each.

Compromise is not the issue; balance is. Dr. C. Gordon Olson writes: “…if election is to salvation, and salvation is conditioned upon faith, then of necessity election must also be conditioned on faith….”

Whatever else might be said about the Biblical doctrine of “election,” one thing is certain: it is a doctrine that concerns the saved, not the lost. God does indeed elect to save some; otherwise, no one could be saved at all. Yet, He emphatically does not elect anyone to Hell!

Make no mistake about it, Hell is real enough! People who die without Christ go to Hell, according to the Scriptures. Matthew 25:41 tells us, “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels….” Still, the Scripture says, “It is the will of God that none should perish, but that all might come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).

There is no question but that we all deserve Hell; it is only by the grace of God that we are saved at all! It is “His choice of you,” as verse four tells us.

We accept the gospel by faith (v. 5). Ephesians 2:8-9 say,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”

The concept of faith includes both revelation and response. God revealed His love by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on Calvary’s Cross for our sins. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved…” (Acts 16:31). God the Father reveals His Son, and we respond by believing upon the Son as the Father’s sacrifice for our sin. Where revelation and response meet, FAITH occurs!

Paul says that The Gospel comes in word (v. 5a). That is, it comes through human proclamation (logos, word, speaking, always with rational content). It may come publicly, as in a sermon or a Bible lesson.

What I’m doing right now is proclaiming the Gospel to you in word. The Gospel coming “in word” may be through a Gospel tract or a Gideon Bible or a Christian film or an audio tape.

But, public or not, the Gospel always comes personally. While the Lord is concerned for the salvation of all mankind, He is vitally concerned for each individual that comprises all mankind. (cf. Mark 16:15, where “to all creation” (???? ?? ??????) is better translated “to every creature.”

For example, when you see television pictures of the emaciated people, say in Ethiopia, know that the Lord is personally concerned for the eternal salvation of each and every one of those poor souls you see.

When Paul wrote in Romans, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to foolish…” (1:14), he wrote in such a way that we might know the personal obligation he felt toward each and every person who comprised each group he mentioned. The absence of the definite article (the) in the Greek text denotes Paul’s self?assessed indebtedness to each and every person within the stated groups, i.e., Greeks and barbarians). Paul’s obligation was not greater than Christ’s, but it was heavy upon him.

Not only does the Gospel come publicly, Paul says that the Gospel also comes in power (v. 5b,d). Literally, the last of the verse says,

“…what kind of men we were made to be among you for your sake.”

Paul forcefully implies that he himself did not possess sufficient power to make himself what the Lord wanted him to be.

The same is true of us. A man approached me in an overseas crusade to say, “No one can live like you preached tonight. It’s just not humanly possible!” I surprised him by saying, “You are exactly right. Such a life is not humanly possible. That’s why the Lord works to bring it about in our lives.” Is He using your life? If not, why not? One day we will meet Him and give accountability. Start today and be “a good servant.”

My prayers are that you and I might each become more like Jesus!

Heartily in Christ,

(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.”