The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Galatians 1:9-12, “As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching

to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.

10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If

I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is

not according to man.

12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a

revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Teachers encounter a lot of things from students. I shall never forget one young man who was assigned to my class. From right out of the starting block, it was obvious that his goal was to convince everyone in the class –including the teacher– of the absolute correctness of his theological position. There might have been a good discussion, except for one thing: it was not a class in theology!

At that particular time, one of America’s leading ministerial voices was emphasizing a position that was neither mine nor that of the school where I was teaching. But, the student had read the pastor’s books, and had become enamored with his theological position. To some, whatever is “new” is right. Had the Apostle Paul been alive, he would have excoriated that pastor’s position and chastised him for misleading my student.

All that is to say that erroneous thoughts quite often come from the pens of men who want their views to be embraced, notwithstanding that those views are often contrary to Scripture. Just be careful!! Excellent biblical scholars “enlighten” our thoughts about Scripture; but they never take exception to it!

All preachers and teachers have favorite commentaries, upon which they rely to “enlighten” their understanding of various, difficult passages. Rarely, however, do the better commentaries ignore studies in the original languages. Paul’s gospel was not according to man. He didn’t even cite Gamaliel, his own Jewish teacher, who was arguably the best of his day. The Gospel came to Paul “through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

So, be careful whom you read; be careful whom you follow. Not all books are best burned in the fire –just some! Stay with the Bible! Pray to understand passages that seem unclear. The LORD has given us the Scriptures for our enlightenment. When they seem dark to us, He will bring them into the light! He will give us understanding! For it is through our clear understanding and forthright witness of His saving grace, that the LORD Himself is glorified. And that is what we’re left here on Earth to do!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

NOTE: Thank you for bearing with me while my modem was being replaced.

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,

Galatians 1:6-8, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by

the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;

7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to

distort the gospel of Christ.

8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary

to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”

Some people have the proclivity for just believing anything. One day, they are for this; the next day they are for that. You never know where they are; what’s more, they don’t know, either. The Galatians were like that. It’s a long story, but historically that was the nature of their culture. Even after they believed on Jesus, their old nature was fed and continued to hold sway.

Paul challenged them for deserting the Gospel and for embracing another belief system. Does that sound like some people today? They truly felt spiritually “lost.” Someone led them to faith in Christ, and for a time they were growing in the faith. Then, suddenly, almost without warning, they just wandered away from the faith and allowed wrong beliefs to take over their thinking.

Such diversions of spiritual thought are much in evidence today because people leave the Bible and its teachings. There are multiple causes for this, but the end result is that someone plants incorrect teachings in the mind of a new believer, causing him (or her) to wander from the faith. Sometimes it’s a pastor who leads them astray; sometimes a close friend; and sometimes it’s a stranger who knocks on their door.

Paul admonishes the Galatians and all new believers to stay with the teachings that led them to faith in Christ. He is vitally concerned, saying that if anyone should preach or teach any “gospel” other than what they had received from him, “let him be accursed.” Those four words “let him be accursed,” translate into “let him be set aside for Divine destruction.” Pretty tough talk! But there’s a spiritual life at stake. Stick with the clarity of Scripture! The Holy Spirit will lead you as a new believer. Be loving to those outside of Christ; but be firm in staying with Him and His Word alone!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

NOTE: A few days ago, lightning did a job on my modem and caused the loss of an operative desktop. I

now have a new modem and am back online. I appreciate the concern you have shown for the

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,

Galatians 1:3-5, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus

Christ,

4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age,

according to the will of our God and Father,

5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

It’s always good to hear from far-away friends. We live in a world of instant communication. I have sent emails halfway around the world and received replies virtually within seconds. Of course, my respondents had to be alert. It was not that way in the first century. Nevertheless, those who lived in that era were doubtlessly happy when communication came their way.

Paul’s greeting to the Galatians should be our standard. Although his letter reveals some rather stern warnings later on, he comes to them in loving peace from the Father

and His Son, Jesus Christ. He reminds them, too, that it was the LORD Jesus, who

died for their sins. Being believers in Christ, the Galatians were already aware of Christ’s death and resurrection and that they would ultimately live with Him in Heaven. Yet, there is more –

In addition to the glories of an eternal Heaven, Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection were intended to “deliver us out of this present evil age.” Such is the will of our God and Father. And for this to occur, there is a requirement of participation. Think back to Israel’s wilderness wanderings. God gave the people mana to eat, but they had to gather it from the ground. God did His part; Israel had to do her part. So it is today.

What pleases a father more than the obedience of his children? What pleases our heavenly Father is our obedience to Him. That’s how we were saved. It was by faith! Now, that we are His by faith, it is His desire that we live our lives apart from sin. Have you not heard someone say, “That son of yours is a carbon copy of you”? We dads swell up with pride over words like that! How much more delighted is our Heavenly Father when others see Him reflected in our lives!

Christianity is under attack throughout the world today. That makes it all the more challenging to us to live for Him! It separates the “wheat from the tares.” If we are truly His children, He will guide and protect us. And after our ministries on Earth are completed, we will live forever in Heaven with Him. I earnestly trust to see you there where we will rejoice together in His blessed presence!

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,

Psalm 73:21-24, “When my heart was embittered, and I was pierced within,

22 Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before Thee.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand.

24 With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.”

Sometimes reading the Bible reminds us of just how bad we are! What’s worse, it

tells us that the LORD Himself knows how bad we are! The first two verses give us

a very, clear picture. Bitterness starts in the heart! Something we had planned went wrong; somebody did something that adversely affected us; thereafter, our focus

became bitter toward another person, sometimes even toward God.

Christians are not exempt from bitterness, although it should and does lie outside

our behavior pattern. Closer examination reveals that such attitudes are both

“senseless and ignorant.” Believers are to be under the control of the Holy Spirit,

and bitterness and its resulting behaviorisms are never His assignments.

Getting a grip on himself, the believer realizes that he still belongs to the LORD.

Perhaps recalling an incident in his own, younger life, the psalmist notes how the

LORD has taken him by the hand, just as his mother had doubtlessly often done.

The psalmist then and there declares his confidence that the LORD will be his

counsel and will forever guide him in right paths. Further, when the LORD considers

that His servant has learned what He willed and has completed his task on Earth,

He will receive him into His Heavenly Home.

The Bible and the Holy Spirit are both gifts to every Christian believer. The Scripture

gives us written instructions that we should spiritually and practically absorb every

day. The Holy Spirit is the LORD residing within us, triggering and tweaking our

thoughts so as to enable us to fulfill His purpose and glorify Him through our lives.

Where do you stand in all of this? Does the LORD have your hand? Has His Word

invaded and altered your lifestyle? Are you obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit?

And are you ready for Heaven, should He suddenly call you? These are considerations

of far greater value than the glitter of worldly treasures. Get a spiritual focus on Christ while yet there is time!

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,

Psalm 69:1-4, “Save me, O God, For the waters have threatened my life.

2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters,

and a flood overflows me.

3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who

would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies, What I did not steal, I

then have to restore.”

Were you ever confronted with a situation that appeared hopeless? In retrospect, you might not have viewed it quite as seriously; yet, at the time, you were confused and bewildered and saw absolutely no solution. You were cornered and had no observable way out.

It’s quite probable that David had many such situations. His current troubles, however, threatened his very life! What was encouraging was that he knew the One who could and would rescue him.

The Scriptures do not reveal the specifics of David’s dilemma. His writing is in a “colorful” style, which causes us to believe that there may have been several situations that he molded together in this overt cry for help.

Surely, we’ve all experienced situations so enormous that it was like drowning. Our instability in those times was like having nothing firm under our feet. There was no stable support, and enemies were raging against us! Our throats were hoarse from crying for help, and our eyes were weak, as sleep was rapidly, yet graciously setting in upon us.

Worst of all, multiplied people were storming against us without the slightest bit of evidence against us. “Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies. What I did not steal, I then have to restore.”

Some things appear to have no answer; but they just appear that way. Later in this psalm, David reports that despite being, “… afflicted and in pain; may Thy salvation, O God, set me securely on high. I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving” (vv. 29-30).

May we learn to praise the LORD regardless of our circumstances! No one said it was easy, but we know that everything the LORD does is right, and that He does it for those whom He loves.

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.”