The Grands Letter

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.”

Teaching doesn’t come easily. Universities have education programs that purport to demonstrate how to teach; nevertheless, graduates of those programs learn quickly that theories don’t always work. For one thing, students have to be programmed into those equations, and it is virtually impossible to predetermine how students will react to teaching.

In more than 40 years of teaching at the baccalaureate and graduate levels, I am convinced that teachers are born, not simply trained, although training has its values. All good teaching utilizes both negative and positive instruction.

Teaching also involves lifestyle. Students will observe what you do more than they will what you say for them to do.

In verses previous to our verses above, the Apostle Paul instructs his readers negatively; that is, he has told them what things are not to be a part of their Christian lives. Subsequently, he instructs them what things are to be a part of their spiritual lives.

God chooses from among His people those who are “holy and beloved.” He wants them to show compassion and kindness to others, along with genuine humility, gentleness and patience. Those are the qualities of a good teacher.

“Bearing with one another” relates to putting up with the present offences or failures of those we’re seeking to teach.

“Forgiving each other” relates to past offences or failures of those we’re seeking to teach. The key here is forgiveness.

Years ago, someone close to me was involved in a dispute without being granted a proper hearing. I was hugely offended because the man ultimately responsible for adjudication of the matter, I considered a close friend. It was years before I forgave him for not dealing fairly in the dispute. He was in the wrong, but I was more in the wrong than he, because I had not exercised forgiveness. Don’t let that happen to you! Be quick to forgive! After all, the LORD has

forgiven us; now, we should be quick to forgive others. Learn this lesson by instruction, not by experience!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Please remember to pray for Whitney Tilson. He is said to be meeting with Franklin Graham in the near future.

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 3:5-10, “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.

8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.

9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,

10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who

created him.”

Our world is in a mess! Only one thing can be viewed as “good”: the COVID-19 pandemic has awakened many people to the reality of God and occasioned prayer that has led to the salvation of souls to Jesus Christ! But,

salvation in Christ is only the beginning of a new life. It is, in truth, a commitment to Christ – a commitment that promises dedication to Him and to Him alone! It means turning away from immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires and greed –all of which amount to idolatry, the worship of pagan gods. These transgressions will bring God’s wrath down upon the world-at-large.

Those are the “big ticket” sins. Yet, there’s more! Sin still reigns throughout the world and affects all human life. Paul names yet more vicious sins that still plague our lives, even the lives that have been committed to Christ. Impulsive anger, angry tempers, wickedness, abusive language, perjury –all sins of the flesh; and they work on us daily and

deny the very commitment we pledged to Christ.

We can resist all of that temptation to sin! Moreover, we must resist it! Examine your life! Root out all of those vicious sins named in the verses above. Pray that the Spirit of God, Who indwells you as a believer, will strengthen you in your resistance of evil. Let your life show forth to the Glory of Almighty God! Saying you’re a Christian is one thing; living as Christian is another! You’re not on your own! But, you must listen and obey the Spirit of God within you.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Whitney Tilson, the New York finacier, needs Jesus. Please pray for his salvation. Tilson says he never met an evangelical

Christian, until he encountered the group with Samaritan’s Purse. His influence for Christ could rock Wall Street and bring

many to faith in our Savior!

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 1:28-29, “And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom,

that we may present every man complete in Christ.

29 And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”

He was just a college football player coming off the field; but his encounter was an adult and the player turned the conversation to Jesus. He was well below the educational status of the man to whom he was talking, and only much later did he learn that the man was James M. Tour, Ph.D., an American nanotechnologist and both Professor of Materials Science and Nano-Engineering, and Professor of Computer Science at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Furthermore, Dr. Tour was a Jew!

Challenged like never before, Dr. James M. Tour began to read the Bible. His reading led him to faith in Jesus Christ, and he now admonish those he encounters to accept Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior just as he did. And it all started with a Rice University football player who dared to speak of Jesus!

Paul was rejoicing when he wrote those two verses above! “We proclaim Him,” he wrote. Furthermore, Paul continued to teach those whom he encountered. Admonishing is teaching what not to do; teaching is instruction concerning what to do. The wisdom comes from God; and the intention of it all is that every man, woman, boy and girl who hears and accepts the teaching might become complete (???????, teleios, mature) in the LORD Jesus Christ.

I know all the excuses. At times, I’ve used them myself. But this is no time for excuses. It doesn’t take a seminary graduate or a Ph.D. to tell others that Jesus loves them and wants to forgive their sin. You don’t have to have all the answers to the questions that some will ask. You just need the courage of a Rice University football player. After all, it not you who’s in charge; it’s Jesus! Share Him with someone today! You’ll both be better off for doing it.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Remember to pray for the salvation of Whitney Tilson! He said he had never met an evangelical Christian until he met those

who were with Samaritan’s Purse! He’s Jewish-related, so the LORD is doubly concerned for his soul.

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 1:3-4, 6-8, “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints….

6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been

doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;

7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our

behalf.”

Sometimes things that we hear are inflated beyond belief. Stories have a way of pumping themselves up as they travel from place-to-place and person-to-person. Even those with honest motives sometimes get caught up in spreading erroneous rumors that unintentionally hurt others. At the same time, some information is true and needs to be spread. Such was the way of those in our verses above.

Paul was quite some distance from Colosse when he heard of the Colossians’ faith in Jesus Christ. It prompted him to pray all the more fervently for them and their growth in the faith of our LORD Jesus Christ. The Colossians’ faith instantly produced love for all believers. Do you remember when you first came to faith in Christ? You either told someone or someone, who learned it, told someone else. And immediately, without knowing it, you were surrounded by the prayers of believers everywhere! That’s what Paul means when he says it “constantly [bore] fruit and [increased].”

Yet, that’s not the full story. Epaphras, who was likely the pastor of the Colossian Church, was the one who initially spread the word. So, starting with Epaphras, the news traveled all the way to Rome, gathering prayer-warriors all along the way. Have you ever considered the extent to which the Gospel you share expands, reaching the hearts and lives of scores, of hundreds, even of thousands of individuals?

Despite the negative connotation of the word, we might say that “gossiping the Gospel” has tremendous strength! We need to pray for each other, especially newly born-again believers. The LORD works on the basis of the prayers of His people. The Scripture says, “You do not have because you do not ask” (Jas. 4:2). Well, why doesn’t the LORD just do what He wants? Why does He need our prayers? One simple truth is that He wants to bring us into His work, but He needs to know that we’re willing. Prayer says we’re willing. You can start by praying for me. Then expand your prayers to include others, both saved and lost friends. Will it do any good? Of course! You just may not know how much until we’re with Him in Heaven.

Start tonight! Start whenever you read this Letter. Just talk to the LORD as you would talk to a close friend. I might check you on your grammar; He won’t do that! The Bible says, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (Jas. 5:16). Start today! God bless you richly!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Whitney Tilson, the New Yorker, who was influenced by Samaritan’s Purse personnel, needs to be saved. Please pray for him!

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 13:11-13, “When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I

became a man, I did away with childish things.

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also

have been fully known.

13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

All of the Bible is the infallable Word of God, Old and New Testament alike. Just remember, “The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.” There are, however, some key chapters in the New Testament that just stand out, as it were, head and shoulders above the others. This 13TH chapter of First Corinthians is one of those chapters. Let me challenge you to read the 10 verses that precede our three verses in this Letter.

Paul is going to emphasize love. He initiates his thoughts by referring to how he lived as a child. “ The word he uses is ??????, nepios, meaning an infant, a baby. At that time, he talked in baby Greek, and he possessed limited understanding of all things. He was no different than you or me (except for the Greek!). In time, he grew to manhood, and abolished those child-like things. Adulthood knows more than childhood, but it still doesn’t know everything.

There will come a day when we, like Paul, will know everything as completely as the LORD knows us right now. For the time being, however, the three most important things to know and know fully are wrapped up in three powerful words: faith, hope and love. Faith is “conviction based upon hearing.” I spoke to a man today about his need for Christ. When what he heard results in spiritual conviction of his sin, he will sense the need to exercise faith toward Christ as his Savior. Hope is a “favorable and confident anticipation of the future.” One who has come to believe upon Jesus, looks forward to His Return for His people.

Yet, above both faith and hope is love. Agape “describes the attitude of God toward His Son.” It also describes the LORD’s attitude toward the whole human race, but especially toward those who have accepted His Son as their LORD and Savior. It is this kind of love (a giving without even a thought of reciprocity) that He wants to see us show to others. They may argue with your doctrinal beliefs, but they cannot squelch their observation of your love. And in our demonstration of genuine, spiritual love, God Himself is glorified. He loves us that we may love Him in return! How much do you love Him? How much does it show?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Please continue to pray for the salvation of New Yorker, Whitney Tilson, who first encountered Christian love from Samaritan’s

Purse people.

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.”