The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 1:22-25, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,

23 for you have been born again (?????????, anagennao: begottent) not of seed, which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.

24 For, ‘All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off,

25 But the Word of the Lord abides forever.’ And this is the word which was preached to you.”

People have some interesting ways of demonstrating their power. Some flex their muscles to show off physical power. Others, use sophisticated language to prove their intellectual power. Nations boast of their armies and armaments in the effort to dissuade other nations from attacking them. Yet, none of the above seems to fend off others. Is it possible that we are using the wrong source of power?

Peter admonishes us to utilize the power of love! We are to first show genuine love to those of our own kind – those who have received Christ Jesus as LORD and Savior of their lives. Such ones are our true brothers and sisters. Then we are to love beyond those who have loved Christ. Peter uses the ultimate word for love: agape. And we are to love sincerely, that is, genuinely, without hypocrisy. I’ve witnessed people say, “Good morning, Mrs. ____. I trust you are feeling well today”; and then in the next breath, say to another, “That old bitty is the worst gossip in the county. I can’t stand her!” It might have looked and sounded like love, but it was far from sincere and far from the heart, as Peter instructed.

These verses acknowledge that we Christians have been born of the “imperishable… living and abiding Word of God.” What we have heard from the Bible, we have accepted, and we have believed upon Christ Jesus. That Is what makes our salvation eternal. He died and arose from the dead to die no more. When we believe upon Him, He grants us a salvation we cannot earn or produce by living religiously. Religion is man’s effort to ingratiate himself to God. It is the means that man uses to gain favor with God. But faith in what God has done for man through Jesus Christ is what God requires.

Do you love others as you ought to love them? Is your love always from the heart? Remember, the most powerful force in the universe is love. And God’s love is the most powerful force of love ever! Try loving those who don’t love you. Stay with it. As the LORD to fill you with His Love. What is missing in most of us is that which only God can fill. It’s His Love.

Lovingly prayerful for you are we,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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 Peter 1:18-21, “…you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

20For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

Have you ever thought of your life as “futile,” useless? I recently overheard a man say, “I’m the most hated

man in this place.” Any thought that one is universally hated has to be an acknowledgement of a “useless” life.

Peter says that anyone who values only money does have a “useless” life. But, we who know Jesus Christ as

our LORD and Savior, have been redeemed, released from such a state. What is more, our redemption has

come through the “precious blood” of Christ.

For some time now, Rose Marie, has suffered from a blood loss in her body. Doctors have thus far been unable to locate the source of this loss, resulting in the need for somewhat regular blood transfusions. There is no amount of money that is more precious to us than that needed blood. And there is nothing more precious than the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the Cross for our sin.

The LORD Christ existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit before the world was created. He humbled Himself and became a man, being born physically through the virgin girl, Mary. He lived on Earth for 33 years, and never sinned. He was man, yet He was God –the God-Man, sent to die as the Father’s Own sacrifice for us. Jesus died, giving His life, His blood, to atone for our sin. And it is through Him, Jesus Christ, that we are enabled to believe in God. For God raised Him from the dead, so that we might believe and be rescued from

the sin that binds us.

It is through Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, that we have faith and hope in God! What else could give us hope? Money? Fame? Nothing but trust in the Risen LORD! Right now you are alive and reading this email. Right now, I am alive and writing it. But, where will we go when our lives are over? In what or who is our trust?

If you’ve never trusted Jesus, do it right now. Pray to Him and ask His forgiveness for your sins. He wants to forgive you, but you have to ask. Your life will change. He will become your strength and guide. What do you have to lose?

We are praying for you to have this Hope,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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,

Matthew 24:40-44, “Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.

41 “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.

42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

44 “For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

Crime is not only increasing in our day, but it is transforming into activities heretofore virtually unknown. Thieves now troll through areas seeking packages where Fed Ex and other delivery systems have left them on the porches of neigborhood homes. New companies have arisen, offering alarm systems to homeowners to protect their houses and delivery packages. Why? Because no one knows exactly when a thief is going to strike.

That parallels exactly what Jesus said in our verses above. It was normal for men to be working in the fields; and it was normal for eastern women to be grinding corn and wheat which would be the staples for cooking.

While the two men were working, one would be taken and the other left behind. The same was said of the women: one was taken and the other left behind. The context of Jesus’ words suggest that the ones taken, were taken to meet the LORD in the air. They were His believing children, perhaps even surprised by His coming; nevertheless, they were His and were taken to be with Him.

Jesus then switches the metaphor by saying that had the owner of a house known exactly when a thief would be coming, he would be alert to stop him. But, since neither he nor we know exactly when the LORD is coming, we must always be alert and ready. There are many distractions that keep us focused on ourselves and our possessions. But Christ Jesus’ Coming is the greatest event in the end of Christian history. We must not miss that.

But, if we’re saved –if we have accepted Him as our LORD and Savior, we are ready, aren’t we? In a sense, that is true; yet, there are things we have yet to do, people we’ve not spoken to regarding the LORD. Then, there’s sin we’ve not rejected, not repented of. We’ve probably got more to do to be truly ready. Still, we don’t know with certaity the time of His coming. We just have to be ready when He comes! Are you ready?

We pray that you are ready in every way,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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,

Matthew 24:37-39, “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

38 “For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.”

We celebrate CHRISTmas as the time of Jesus’ birth. Unfortunately, in the confusion of gift-buying and decorations, the true meaning of CHRISTmas is often forgotten. In the same way, many fail to understand that the same Jesus, whose birthday we celebrate, is coming to Earth again!

Matthew quotes the words of Jesus in the verses above. Here, Jesus is called the Son of Man; and His coming is compared to the time of Noah. Noah was a righteous, God-fearing man, and the LORD had directed him to build an ark, so that he and his family could be saved from the flood He was going to send upon the Earth. The Old Testament tells us that for 120 years Noah warned the people of his day that a great flood was coming. But, they ridiculed him and continued to live as they always had, ignoring his warnings.

But there came a day when Noah, his family, and some chosen animals entered the ark and God closed the door. The rain came and the waters from the heavens above and from the depths of the Earth covered the entire Earth, killing all life, except that of those enclosed in the safety of the ark.

So shall it be when Jesus comes again! Faithful servants of the LORD are now warning all mankind that He is coming. The vast majority of people today are behaving like those in Noah’s day. They are ignoring the warning. Jesus is the ark of safety. Those who believe in Him and confess their sin, will be saved from the flood of tribulation that is coming. It is not a matter of how we live or to what church we attend or even whether we even attend church. It’s trusting the LORD to save us from His wrath that is coming upon the Earth.

Two things are of vital importance: first is knowing Him as LORD and Savior of your life. Second, is actively sharing Him with those who do not know Him. We encounter people every day who have no faith in Christ. If a fire were threatening their lives, we would surely do everything possible to rescue them from that danger. What the Bible says is coming is far more serious than a physical fire. We are culpable, guilty, if we withhold this Truth from others. May the LORD awaken in us our responsibilty that those who do not know Him might be rescued from the coming judgment. Silence is not an option!

Prayerfully concerned,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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,

Matthew 24:3-8, “And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you.

5 ‘For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will mislead many.

6 ‘And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

7 ‘For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

8 ‘But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.’”

Most of the headlines today read like what Jesus described in the verses above. Numerous personalities have actually said that they are the Christ. Some have not said it so boldly, but they have misled thousands into believing that they are. And while some truly fundamental churches are growing, there are hundreds of growing congregations, whose pastors are misleading their people by preaching an unbiblical message.

“Wars and rumors of wars” are prominent, and people are frightened. Nations have problems that are beyond their apparent capacities to cope with them. Many national problems are internal and of their own making. Others have problems that are caused by the aggitation of foreign elements that have infiltrated their borders.

Crime, such as liquor and narcartic addiction, personal, physical attacks, fraud and deceptions of numerous sources, famines and earthquakes –all these and more natural and unlwaful operations lead many to believe that we are living in the last days of human history.

Jesus used the analogy of a woman giving birth to a child. Often there are pains that give the impression that the child is ready to be born. They are signals, but they are not the true signals of readiness for birth. It is the same with regard for the Coming of the LORD. The signs of which we are conscious today, are merely the early signals that time is about up. Jesus is coming again! Exactly when, we are not privileged to know. But things are getting worse, not better.

All of this should awaken us soundly! It should shake us into reality! We, who know Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior, should be aware of those around us who don’t. And we should share what we know with them, so as to bring them to faith in Him. We must not let any resistence to our witness weaken that witness. We must pray that the Holy Spirit will open the blindness of their hearts that they may see God’s Truth! The only failure we can encounter is the failure to share Him. He is coming! And it is our responsibility to make Him known.

We love you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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.”