The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Galatians 1:13-16a, “For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the

church of God beyond measure, and tried to destroy it;

14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more

extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.

15 But when He who had set me apart, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through His grace, was

pleased

16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles….”

It has been my privilege in life to meet some very notably important people. Were you to ask me if I knew them, the best I could honestly say is, “I have met them.” It’s one thing to meet someone, quite another to truly know them. Paul knew about Jesus. He was Paul’s chief object of scorn, as he labored diligently to erase Him completely from the religious scene. Yet it was quite some time before he came to truly know Him.

There are multiplied thousands of people on Earth today who know about Jesus! Still, many of them do not know Him on a personal and intimate basis. They know about Him, but they do not know Him as He wants to be known!

In our verses above, Paul sketches a bit of his early life. He talks of his life as a Jew and how fervently he sought to erase completely all Christian teaching and God’s people from the Earth. He speaks of his earnest effort to exalt Judaism by eradicating the Christian faith. Then, suddenly, Paul was arrested on the Road to Damascus! It was the LORD’s call clear and unmistakable. It was His call of grace, and it revealed Christ Jesus to him and charged him to proclaim Christ among the Gentiles.

Two personal and extremely relevant questions await your response: one, Do you personally know Jesus Christ? And Does your life reveal Him to others?

If your answer to question one is “No,” then you need to repent of your sins and ask His forgiveness and His salvation.

If your answer to question one is “Yes,” then you move on to question 2: Does your life reveal Christ to others? Hopefully, it does. If it doesn’t, the question is: Why doesn’t it? When we know Him, and yet our lives do not reveal Him and His love to others, there is sin within us that we need Him to remove. Others need to know Him in true salvation! And we need to be rid of sin that masks His life from showing forth. Please give careful attention to your relationship and fellowship with Jesus.

Heartily in Christ Jesus, al

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 1:1-3, 9-10, “Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the

Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;

3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus

Christ in the presence of our God and Father….”

9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God

from idols to serve a living and true God,

10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the

wrath to come.”

We are undoubtedly living in perilous times. Riots are occurring in what previously were peaceable streets. People are randomly attacked in the process of unparalleled violence! Men masquerading as pastors deceive the people, while they themselves live deceitful lives. Thus, virtually everyone needs help and encouragement.

When was the last time you wrote a letter or sent an email or a text to a friend? When we find ourselves in

difficult situations, we are almost always encouraged through the letter from a friend. Yet, do we think of those whom we know who are experiencing difficulties in their lives? Do we send them hope in a letter or an email?

The Apostle Paul’s first ever letter was to the Thessalonian Christians. It’s an encouraging letter, reminding them of his prayers and noting their “labor of love and steadfastness of hope” in Christ Himself. Paul recounts how the Thessalonians turned from idols to faith in the LORD Jesus Christ, and were then awaiting the LORD’s promised return! Throughout this letter, Paul emphasizes the LORD’s promised return. At His return, He will save those

who are His “from the wrath (that is) to come.”

With all the disturbance we are currently encountering in our nation, it is nothing compared to the coming wrath that will fall upon the Earth. Vine says that the word “wrath” (????, orge) “…is less sudden in its rise than the word thumos (anger); yet orge is more lasting in its nature,” more likely to hold a grudge.

The word wrath (orge), is also used in regard to the Tribulation that will come upon the Earth. It is the wrath of God, exercised against a world that would not receive Him and His promised blessings. I have observed that when the New Testament Scripture reads “the wrath,” it references the Tribulation. Without the, as the qualifying word, wrath (orge) refers to local, human anger.

All of this culminates into the “stay sweet” column! Don’t be overcome by anger or wrath of any sort. Concentrate on love, and encourage its spread throughout the nation and the world! Pray for those who engage in anger. The Holy Spirit is our Anger-Management Authority. What our world needs is Love –Christ’s Love! And it is demonstrated only through the lives of His truly born-again people.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Colossians 1:9-12, “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and

to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good

work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and

patience; joyously

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

Friends are more than acquaintances. They are more than smiles and pleasant company. They are more than those who share the warmth and comfort of their homes when we are without funds and on a long journey. True friends are those with whom we can and do share the most intimate of secrets. They know not only where we have been and what we have done, they know the rationale behind it all. What is more, friends are those who pray for us, and those for whom we consistently pray.

The Christians in Colosse were true friends of the Apostle Paul; and he was a true friend to them, as well. We all have friends like that. Paul prayed that they might “be filled with the knowledge of (God’s) will” in everything that is spiritual. He prayed, too, that they might live as those who are worthy of the LORD. Do you and I live like that?

You might respond by saying, “Of course I don’t live worthy of the LORD.” Still, we should all endeavor to live worthy of Him.

Are we increasing in the knowledge of the LORD? Maybe a little, but – There are no excuses that are satisfactory to the LORD. Paul wrote Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). There are those today who deliberately distort the Word of God, adjusting it to themselves instead of themselves to it. It is through the Word that we are strengthened for the work of the LORD.

In business today there are “qualifiers,” who watch diligently over other laborers to determine whether they are qualified for the work in which they are engaged. The Holy Spirit serves as our Qualifier! Don’t try to qualify by

changing the Word. You and I are Qualified only when the Word has changed us! That’s how we become genuine friends of the LORD Jesus Christ. That’s when prayers are answered and doors are opened for the Gospel. Are you His friend? If you are, He will bless you all the more. If you are not, why are you not? He longs to know and call you His friend.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Colossians 3:5-7, “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.”

Someone once said, “When you see the word therefore, you should ask yourself what it is there for.” In this and most cases, the word serves as a “throwback” to what had been previously stated. Thus, you might want to review the preceding verses. Remember that the theme of this letter is “The Glory and Dignity of Christ.” It is Paul’s responsibility not only to exalt Christ, but to encourage the Colossian believers to follow His example in their own lives.

The word consider literally means “put to death.” This is a bold instruction. Paul knows how impossible evil habits are to shrug off. Don’t “pussy foot” with these habits, he’s saying, just put them to death! Why is it so important? It is because these evil habits are what brings down the wrath of Almighty God! Want to get cancer?

Keep smoking! Want to befuddle your mind? Just keep on drinking alcoholic beverages! You get the idea. Of course, not everyone who contracts physical diseases encounters them from engaging in evil habits; still, Paul stands by his bold instruction. Nothing is worth the risk.

Paul’s words are never frivolous. They’re not “sentence fillers.” They have deep and serious meanings. Further, they are words of the worldly –not of the believer. We, who profess Jesus Christ as our Savior and Deliverer, must pattern our lives after Him! What’s more, if we stay in the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to reign supreme in our lives, we will “be to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12)!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Colossians 3:1-4, “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the

right hand of God.

2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

The entire theme of the Letter to the Colossians is “The Supreme Glory and Dignity of Christ.” Jesus exemplified that theme

when He was on Earth. Now that He has returned to Heaven with the Father, it is left to us, who have accepted Him as LORD and Savior, to reveal His likeness through our lives. Yet, how are we to accomplish this? The key is to consistently deliberate

and focus on Heavenly things.

Believe it or not, we have control over what we think. And what we think is largely dependent upon what read and view. Our minds go where we want them to go. We train pets to behave according to our desires. We can also train our own minds to

concentrate on specific things. Paul urges us to concentrate on heavenly things. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are committed to Him. We elected to “die” to the things that are not of Him. Those who enlist in the military learn very quickly that they can no longer “sleep in,” as they did before their enlistment. So it is to be with us regarding our enlistment with Christ.

Christ has become our life! The things of this world are passing away. We learn from Scripture that this world and its “pleasures” are rapidly coming to an end. Jesus is returning to take His own with Him to Heaven. The money, the things that make for riches and wealth, are expendable! They will all be left behind.

When I was young, I worked for a funeral home. I observed people and how they responded to death. I’ve seen the dead

lying in caskets, adorned with costly jewels. Yet, what is the value of riches when life itself has be wrested from us?

Remember the rich man in Luke 12. He thought with his riches, he was set for life. But God called him a “fool,” saying, “’This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

There’s only one life –it will soon be past;

And only what’s done for Christ will last.

Set your daily focus on eternity! Live as if this were you last day on Earth. One day it will be!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom