The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 John 1:5-10, “And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;

7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

They say that we people get old, they tend to revert to thoughts of their childhood. I won’t admit anything here, nor am I attempting to accuse any reader of being older than I. But, just for fun, let’s think back to when we were kids. One of the

thoughts that verse five brings to mind is “fear of the dark.” Whether that is an acquisition of learning, I will leave to those studied in such thoughts. But, I can remember being scared of the dark. When my sister came along and nudged me from my place of leadership, it became my delight to frighten her with darkness.

The above verses fall neatly into six categories.

(1) Communication defines His true message. God is light and there is absolutely no darkness in Him! It was He who first said, “’Let there be light’; and there was light” (Gen. 1:3). He is never “in the dark” concerning our lives.

(2) Contradiction of the true message is serious beyond words. We claim to be Christians, but we live in darkness and fail to practice His truth.

(3) Conformity is the proof of our allegiance to Jesus. It is His will that we live and love other believers, made possible thorough His blood that cleanses us from sin.

(4) Confused is ours alone if we say that we have no sin. Sometimes we intentionally misread His Word so as to eliminate the thought that we actually possess and practice sin in our daily lives.

(5) Confession of sin leads to cleansing. Our LORD is both faithful and righteous and forgives even the most heinous of sins; but our confession must be complete and absolutely sincere.

(6) We must and will be held in Divine Comptempt, if we contradict the LORD and say “we have not sinned.” To say that the LORD Himself is a liar, is beyond contempt, and leads to catastrophy.

Precisely why the LORD has allowed this COVID-19 virus to attack us, we can only guess. But those of us who have studied the history of our country know that the United States of America was founded on faith in Almighty God; and subsequently, we have seriously departed from what He intended us to be. We have openly and callously gone against the clarity of His Divine Word. And now, we dare to ask, “WHY?” Whatever your political beliefs, please pray for our President, Vice-President, Secretary of State, and the team of Medical Specialists, who are laboring feverishly to put down this catasrtophic dilemma. Prayer will do more, if we confess our sins and turn to Christ in faith believing. I pray for you daily.

Please pray for me.

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,

2 Peter 3:9-13, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing

for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be

destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and

godliness,

12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning,

and the elements will melt with intense heat!

13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

When we all were children – small children – there were some things that just couldn’t wait. One was when we were promised something and the time was up for it to come to pass. We knew; and we drove our parents wild with begging!

Sometimes, we even worried that they might have forgotten. What was missing was patience –our patience. When I became a parent, I understood the thinking of my parents when I was a child.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again,

and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:3).

That is our LORD’s promise, and it will come to pass! If we must challenge His reasoning for any delay, it is that those who have yet to trust Him will have more time to do so. Failure to trust Him is Eternal Death in Hell and the Lake of Fire.

Remember those false teachers we mentioned last night? They are the ones who are questioning whether Jesus will actually come again. Peter addresses that skepticism when he says the Day of Christ’s Coming will be “like a thief in the night. Surely, no one reading this Letter lacks the knowledge of nighttime thievery. Ring and ADT and numerous other alarm systems guard homes electronically today because thieves abound! Read Peter’s words carefully. Be prepared!

Jesus is Coming! And you will not miss knowing because of the destruction of the elements that comprise our Universe.

I will close like I did in yesterday’s Letter: Don’t take a chance on this! He IS Coming; and those who are not ready will not be among His own! There is no second chance! This event will occur only once! I’m praying 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,

2 Peter 3:1-4, 8-9, “This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind

by way of reminder,

2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and

Savior spoken by your apostles.

3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,

4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from

the beginning of creation.”

………

8 “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a

thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to

perish but for all to come to repentance.”

If you were writing a letter to your own family, knowing that some of them were lost, and some, possibly, living outside the will and instruction of the LORD, what would you say? This is Simon Peter’s last letter, and it’s nearing an end. I don’t have much time, and I want to remind you of some things that are very important. Remember what preachers before you

have said. Those Godly men warned us of things that were coming. You are looking for the Coming of the LORD Jesus. But, some preachers today are casting doubt on the Word of God when they question whether He is actually is coming. Everything is just like it has always been, they say.

Whatever you do, don’t forget that there is no such thing as “time” in the intentions of Almighty God. That’s precisely what Peter is talking about when he says, “…one day is as a thousand years…” to the LORD. The LORD has no calendar, no clock, because He doesn’t need one! He is not slow or hesitant about doing what He or what He has promised. He simply wants as many people as possible to be saved before He comes for His own; for after that He will launch devastation upon this lost and dying world.

The LORD is giving the world’s people time to repent of their sins and trust Him as their Savior. Oh, we’re aware that there are preachers today that claim the LORD has omitted some from the ability to repent and be saved. And those preachers are the very ones Peter identifies as “mockers,” who are “following their own passions.” There are also preachers, who claim that there is no Hell; thus, there is no need to repent of anything because “evil” is only in the mind of the doer.

Would you want to believe all of that rubbish and then stand to give account of your life before a Holy and Righteous God?

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7-8). Don’t risk the odds! God is not mocked! Two apostles have state the LORD’s Word. Give your heart and life to Him today!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S.: Pray for President Trump and Vice-President Pence. Pray for the Congress, and its leadership! We live in unprecendented

days! The battle is the LORD’s!

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,

2 Peter 2:1-3, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who

will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon

themselves.

2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is

not asleep.”

There’s an old expression that says, “Don’t put the cart before the horse.” The meaning is simply that some things come before others. In fact, the first things often cause second things. If you were to read 2nd Peter 1:1-21, you would discover that Peter’s emphasis is on moral corruption. Now, in chapter two of 2nd Peter, the moral corruption has brought about corruption in the doctrine of the Church.

I knew an Australian pastor who used to be a boxer. He was a sweet fellow and loved the LORD; but if he were challenged

and knew his position to be biblical, he would not hesitate to resort to his former way of life. Not all pastors, however, are gifted with a tough skin. And if they hesitate to address biblical subjects that often “step on the toes” of parishioners, they eventually become as worthless as those who preach heresy for material gain.

Peter despises “destructive heresies” and those who “deny the Master,” the LORD Jesus Christ. Failure to “stay on course”

is a downward path; and it’s often so greased that even the most gifted find they cannot stand as they once did. Thus the

truth is maligned. Those who choose that way soon discover they are facing judgment and destruction.

Let us never forget that the LORD is ever and always in control. The Scripture says, “…the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment…” (2 Pet. 2:9). We who belong to the LORD, need not fear those things that threaten us. But, we should fear His judgment when we neglect His Word. May the LORD shield all of us from evil, and use us to lead others to faith in Him. God bless you!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S.: I am particularly concerned for those who do not know the LORD as their Savior. These are difficult days, but they offer

believers an open field to harvest. May we be diligent in prayer and faithful in sharing Him with those who are lost.

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 Kings 21:22-29, “Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because

Jezebel his wife incited him.

26 And he acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out

before the sons of Israel.

27 And it came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay

in sackcloth and went about despondently.

28 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29 ‘Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the

evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.’”

Most of us have somewhere-sometime done something that we later assessed as wrong before the LORD. Knowing His Word, we knew that what we needed was to consider it as evil and repent and receive forgiveness. Has that not happened to you?

Well, as our verses tell us, Ahab, King of Israel, was an evil man. Whatever was left in him that was good turned evil very quickly when he married Jezebel because she was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians –all of whom were idol worshippers. In addition to his own sin, Jezebel encouraged Ahab to ignore the LORD and do what he wanted. But, when serious devastation beset Israel, Ahab suddenly became humble before the LORD, fasting and praying and asking the LORD’s forgiveness.

Elijah was the LORD’s prophet in those days, and the LORD spoke to him, asking if he had noticed how humble and repentant Ahab had become? The Scripture does not allow us to know what Elijah saw and knew; but, the implication of the LORD’s question suggests that the prophet had observed everything related to Ahab. It was then that the LORD determined not to bring evil on the nation of Israel in Ahab’s day. But that is not the end of the LORD’s determination.

“I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days,” the LORD said. There is a principle here that we must not miss.

Yes, Ahab had done evil, and he was responsible not only for his own evil doings, but also for doing the evil that Jezebel suggested. Further, Ahab had repented of the evil he had done. But repentance, regardless of its sincerity, does not dispel the consequences of the sin. For example, the gossip intentionally spread against someone is not erased because you repented. Thus, we need to be extremely careful, allowing our conversation to be “Yea, yea and Nay, nay.”

Somewhere the insincerity of our words will come back to bite us. It’s what my grandmother us to call, “the chickens coming home to roost.”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. With more than 144 countries in our world suffering from COVID-19, we should be praying for the nations’ leaders,

medical and logistical people that are working to squelch its devastation. We should also be praying for those who

have been affected by the virus. Some have asked if the LORD is sending a signal to all mankind. I do not know;

but we would do well to receive it as His warning of even worse things to come. If you do not know the LORD, now

is the time to repent and believe and call upon Him as your LORD and Savior. If you are saved, it is time to share

Him with those who are not. May God bless and protect you is my prayer.

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.”