The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 5:30, “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

If you were told that that this verse was spoken by John the Baptist, you would not be surprised. For it was that same John who said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn.3:30). But the verse above was not spoken by John the Baptist. It was not spoken by the Apostle John. Give up? It was spoken by none other than Jesus Christ Himself. In fact, He says in John 8:29, “He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

Question: If Jesus affirms that without the Father, He “…can do nothing…,” how do we come up with the idea that we can handle things by ourselves, without Him? Those who claim self-sufficiency in any matter are either egotistical or stupid or both! Everything that is accomplished in this life is either promoted or allowed by the LORD. The ideas man thinks of as his own are not his own; they come from God.

All judgments, whether such as occur in courts of law, or in the “think tanks” of science or business, have the fingerprints of the LORD upon them. Human justice in Appelate Courts rests on a minimum of three men, indicating that no one man, however skilled he may be, possesses alone the wisdom of true justice.

That being true, Christ Jesus’ claim that His “judgment is just” stands well beyond any judgment of man.

With brused and crushed egos, we bow our heads in shame. Yet, the LORD bids us to “look up.” His example gives us hope when we rely in faith upon Him for all that we undertake. Do you rely upon 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,

John 4:5-7, “He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his

son Joseph; 6and Jacob’s well was there.

Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink.’”

Probably, the most difficult aspect of witnessing is starting the conversation. Jesus intentionally took the

route from Judea to Galilee that passed through Samaria. The Jews intentionally avoided that route because “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (v. 9). Yet, it was a considerable distance, and Jesus

was tired. He came to Jacob’s well and asked for a drink from a woman who had come there to draw water. Samaritans likewise had no dealings with Jews; but He needed the water, and, besides, it was a conversation starter.

I’ve often followed that plan in witnessing. Sometimes I give candy to children and create the opportunity

to talk with their parents. Sometimes I use humor and work into a conversation that leads to Jesus. It’s never complicated to share the Gospel when the barrier to conversation is removed.

Today, I had wearied myself with study and with searching through old papers that hadn’t been read in years. I relaxed with the intention of taking a short nap when the doorbell rang. It was a worker I knew, and

once we had exchanged thoughts about why he was there, I left him to his work and went back to my chair.

It was then that I realized I had not witnessed to him. What if this were his last opportunity to hear the Gospel? I wrestled with the idea, but knew that his soul was worth much more than my weary mind and body. So, I took advantage of the situation and shared the Good News.

Jesus climbed over several barriers when he undertook to speak to the woman at the well. Not only did their cultures and history not allow it, neither did men speak with women in public in those days –not even

with their own wives! Please read the rest of what happened. It’s in your Bible in the verses following those listed above. Consider what you might use as a conversation-opener. Then, when you next have the opportunity to share Jesus, do it with a smile and an attitude of love. How will people ever hear unless from someone who knows Jesus? It just may be that silence is our greatest sin.

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,

John 3:34-36, “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without

measure.

35″The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.

36″He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life,

but the wrath of God abides on him.”

I am intrigued by these verses. They speak clearly of the Trinity and do it in three verses. There is also

an indisputable message to us and to those who lived before us and will live after us. Let’s look at them

very carefully.

The first “He” above is clearly the Son, Jesus Christ, for “God” (the Father) sent Him (Jesus) to be the Savior of the world. When the Holy Spirit is given, He is given without measure; that is, there is no such thing as God partialing out the Holy Spirit as ½ to you, 2/3 to another, and so forth. When one repents of

sin and accepts the LORD Jesus Christ by faith, he immediately receives ALL of the Holy Spirit. Did you

ever hear of an earthly father saying of his son, “He’s half my son, and she’s ¾ my daughter”? That’s nonsense! He’s either the man’s son or he isn’t. No percentages involved.

“But,” you ask, “How do I know whether I have the Holy Spirit within me?” Do you obey the Son? Obedience to the LORD Jesus Christ is your proof of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. If the Spirit controls you –your thoughts, your actions, your attitudes, your prayer life –everything; then you have the Holy Spirit indwelling you life because it’s impossible to do the will of God without the Spirit’s leadership. The Spirit always directs us to obey the Word, the Bible! He also gives us understanding of the Bible as we read and study it. That’s also your pastor’s responsibility. Hopefully, he understands what you don’t and can explain it to you.

It’s truly exciting to know that God loves you and has His Holy Spirit dwelling within you. But, there’s also a

solemn warning in our last verse above. “He who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of

God abides on him.” The Holy Spirit is God’s mark on your life that you belong to Him. Obedience to the Word and the Spirit is proof that you belong to the Father. That’s not just attending church, although that is included. It’s reading the Bible and praying for understanding; then, it doing what you understand. All of that brings glory to God and is proof that your love is vested in Him as His is in you. God bless you! You are in

my daily prayers.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. If you’ve recently committed your life to Jesus Christ, please let me be one of the first to know. I want to pray specifically

for you and encourage you in your newly-found faith. If you’ve never started to church and don’t know where to go, I will

seek to research and find a good fellowship near where you live. My contact information is below, but I am much easier to

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,

John 3:27-30, “John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from

Heaven.

28 “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’

29 “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him,

rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. And so this joy of mine has been made full.

30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

It is often said that education is the way to a wealthy position in business. Yet, there are multiple students

who have achieved the education without the position or the wealth it was purported to bring. You may not think John the Baptist knew much about either. After all, he came in from the wilderness, clothed in camel’s hair and having eaten locusts and wild honey. What can a guy like that tell us about education or wealth?

Yet, John had the key! He said, without the slightest fear of successful contradiction, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from Heaven.” That’s as true a statement as any! That is not to discourage anyone from advancing educationally or in business or in obtaining honest money for the service he renders. It’s simply saying that the LORD is the giver of every good gift. We should never fall under the belief that we, in and of ourselves, are responsible for anything we possess. The wisdom and energy success requires always comes from God!

In John’s illustration in verse 29, Jesus is the Bridegroom; the Church is the Bride; and John the Baptist is the friend of the Bridegroom –the one who listens and then declares to all mankind the consummation of the marriage of Christ and His Church. Then the guests then rejoice!

John concludes by saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Obedience to this concept is sorely lacking among Christians today. We give to support the LORD’s work, but we want others to know how much we gave. We witness of His saving grace, but we want others to know that we were involved and how many responded to His loving grace. STOP!! Learn from John: the LORD Jesus is the Bridegroom! He is the One to be exalted! We are His children, His people, His missionaries. We amount to nothing unless He is glorified. Yes, “He must increase, but (we) must decrease”; because “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Prov. 16:18). Prayerfully consider what is at stake here. Just don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. And if there’s telling to be done, let the LORD 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,

Acts 16:13-15, “And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

14 And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.”

It’s a shame that more men don’t attend church! That’s where the Gospel (Good News) about Jesus is preached, and it’s the easiest place to meet Him and learn His Word. Have you noticed that when Paul and Silas (Acts 15:40ff) gathered together for prayer (v. 13), only women were there with them. We wonder why children are into so much serious trouble these days. Take a look: their dads don’t set the proper spiritual example.

Nevertheless, the women gathered listened to the message Paul preached to them. Lydia listened carefully “and the LORD opened her heart.” Do you listen when your pastor preaches? Have you ever thought, “That

is speaking to me?” Would you believe that that thought came from the Holy Spirit? It did! And He was

saying, “You know what’s missing in your life – it is Jesus! Open your heart to Him! He loves you and wants to save you.” A simple, but sincere prayer for forgiveness and acceptance of Christ is what is necessary to be saved (born from Above). How will you know whether you are saved? The Spirit will reveal it to you.

What is also exciting is that when Lydia accepted Christ as her Savior, her example encouraged others to do the same. After they all acceped Christ as their Savior, they were baptized. Christian Baptism is the subsequent action of a person’s good conscience to God. It symbolizes the death and burial of Jesus, as one goes under the water; and it symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus, as one rises up from the water.

Readers who have experienced salvation in Jesus Christ already know all of the above. They should tell what they know to others. My prayers are for all who are on this Grands List! I remember you every night.

God bless you abundantly!

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.”