Archive for 2020


The Grands Letter (Mt/GLJ)

on January 29, 2020 7:34 pm (CST)

Dear Grands,

Matthew 8:5-10, “And when He had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, entreating Him, 6and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering great pain.’

7 And He said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’

8 But the centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

9 ‘For I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, “Go!” and he goes, and to another, “Come!” and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this!” and he does it.’”

10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled, and said to those who were following, ‘Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.’”

How would you outline this brief passage? I’ll give you some hints.

1. Look at the Circumstances: a centurion’s servant is very sick (v. 5).

2. Note the Compassion: Jesus offers to heal the servant (v. 6)

3. Listen to the Commander: “I am not worthy…” (vv. 7-9).

4. Examine the Comparison: “I have not found such faith…” (vv.10-12).

5. Marvel at the Conclusion: “Go your way, let it be done to you as you have believed.”

and the servant was healed that very hour” (v. 13).

The outline is quite simple. What I discovered it that it not only works with physical healing, but

with spiritual healing, too. Sickness is not always physical. In fact, the worst kind of sickness is

spiritual. It’s having all kinds of problems without knowing a solution.

Jesus is The Healer! Our sickness is sin, and He went to the cross to pay for our sin. Are we worthy? Not in the least! Does Jesus heal spiritually from afar? Indeed He does! Physical doctors (not to put any of them down) have to physically see us, examine us physically. Jesus saves us

wherever we are, and without the need of His physical presence. We only have to exercise faith.

For when we are sick enough of our sin –and where it’s leading us—and when we truly believe,

He saves us.

Oh, the Scriptural outline can make a good sermon, but the Spiritual faith can create a New Life! Have you discovered that? If so, have you shared Christ with somone who hasn’t met Him? Why do you suppose the LORD put those verses in the Bible? Have you wondered about that?

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.”

The Grands Letter (Jn/GLJ)

on January 28, 2020 8:07 pm (CST)

Dear Grands,

John 8:12-14, “Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world; he who

follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.’

13The Pharisees therefore said to Him, ‘You are bearing witness of Yourself; Your witness is not

true.’

14Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true; for I

know where I came from, and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from, or

where I am going.’”

We have maps today –maps driven by GPS (Global Positioning System) to lead us to our intended destination. The instruments that guide us will even speak to us, so that we don’t have to give physical attention to the map to get where we want to go.

But the problem is not with the activation of the map or the GPS; the problem is that these instruments only guide us physically, not morally or spiritually. When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” He was not speaking of a physical light that guides us through darkness, as within an underground cave. He meant that He was our spiritual and moral Light that would lead and direct us morally and spiritually.

Further, He said that those who follow Him would not walk in darkness. Instead, they would live by His spiritual enlightenment. That does not mean that we would not sin or always be right and do things correctly; but it does mean that we would forever thereafter be accountable to Him for staying on the right pathway.

The Law of Moses had decreed that two witnesses were needed to prove a thing like Jesus had just said. That’s why they challenged Him. But His response was classic! He said that His witness concerning who He was and what He had said was indeed true. The reason they were wrong was that they were living in the darkness of the Mosaic Law; He had come to fulfill the Law.

All of that sums up like this: If you haven’t committed your life to Jesus Christ, you are living in spiritual darkness. You miss the true meaning of Life. You have no guidance in life and no assurance of Eternal Life. Nor do you have recourse or deliverence when things go wrong. Jesus gives spiritual Light to life itself. He gives it meaning and gives you hope! Open your heart to Him. Read and believe His Word (the Bible). You’ll open a new dimention of Life Everlasting!

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.”

The Grands Letter (Mk/GLJ)

on January 27, 2020 7:21 pm (CST)

Dear Grands,

Mark 14:1-7, “Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread was two days off; and the chief priests

and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth, and kill Him;

2 for they were saying, ‘Not during the festival, lest there be a riot of the people.’

3 And while He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there

came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial

and poured it over His head.

4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, ‘Why has this perfume been wasted?

5 “For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to

the poor.’ And they were scolding her.

6 But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.

7 “For the poor you always have with you, and whenever you wish, you can do them good; but

you do not always have Me.’”

8 “’She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.

9 “And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, that also which this

woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her.’”

When was the last time someone did something outstanding for you? Or should we ask, “When was the last time we did something outstanding for them?” I’ve received a host of nice gifts over the years, some very recent. Some I’ve even had to question whether the giver could afford it.

But that was not what bothered those in our verses above. This unidentified woman entered the home of Simon the leper, and anointed the head of Jesus with a very expensive perfume. No one asked her where she got it, or why she anointed the head of Jesus; they just criticized her for doing it. Most of us, I would believe, have at sometime criticized the expenditures of others, as if their money belonged to us. Sometimes we actually voiced our criticism. These critics, chief priests and scribes, scolded this woman, as if she were acting as a naughty, unwise child.

Amazingly, the woman offered no defence to their criticism. She gave them no room for further criticism. Sometimes silence is golden! If she were to be defended, it would have to be by someone else. Then, in steps Jesus! “Let her alone!” He said. “She has done a good deed to Me… She has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.” Jesus knew He was going to die. The woman apparently knew it, too. Had she been enabled to have done more, undoubtedly she would have.

Jesus’ response continued as He said, “And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, that also which this woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her.” Dear reader, that prophecy has just been fulfilled—again! Still, we cannot out-give God! He gave His Son; and He gave Him for you. Take a moment and thank Him for His Supreme Blessing.

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.”

The Grands Letter (Mk/GLJ)

on January 26, 2020 7:44 pm (CST)

Dear Grands,

Mark 13:33-37, “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is.

34 “It is like a man, away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.

35 “Therefore, be on the alert– for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrowing, or in the morning–

36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.

37 “And what I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!'”

With illnesses and crime abounding everywhere, we would do well to “be on the alert.” Two young highschoolers in our area teamed up to produce an interactive “Crime Map.” You can view it here (https://lkellar.org/maps/). Unfortunately, it only reports on occurrances in our local area. Due to increased criminal activity, scores of homes have introduced various protective alert systems. We are more interested, it seems, in guarding our possessions than we are with guarding thoughts.

Four times in the five verses above, Mark warns us to “be on the alert.” Crime existed in New Testament times, too; yet, I believe Mark was primarily (if not exclusively) encouraging us to be alert to the Coming of Jesus Christ, not just the coming of theives. There is so much distraction from the Word of God, that even long-time Christians are weakened in their focus by the avalanche of contemporary nonsense.

Mark’s emphasis on “alertness” might also cover the books that we read. Just in case you hadn’t noticed, there is a proliferation of published works by various pastors, each one laying before us his own understanding (or misunderstanding) of the message of Holy Scripture. An increasing number of the Christian congregation are now invaded by various thoughts of interpretation, some of which distance themselves considerably from Scripture. We need to be on the alert and start searching the Word of God instead of simply imbibing the words of men.

Unquestionably, there are some good, Christian books available. But, they must all be measured against the Scriptures God has given us, not the Scriptures measured by the books of men. Just

be careful! Remember the clever subtilty of the serpent Satan in the Garden of Eden. What’s more, he’s still at it! “Be on the alert!”

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.”

The Grands Letter (Mt/GLJ)

on January 25, 2020 8:15 pm (CST)

Dear Grands,

Matthew 27:50-54, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook;

and the rocks were split,

52 and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to

many.

54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the

earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this

was the Son of God!”

Are you a skeptic? When people come on television and say that their product is the best, do you

always believe it? If you do, you’re gullible; if you don’t, you’re a skeptic. Then, how can we really know whether a product is what it’s touted to be? When someone who has no financial interest in the product, but has tried it and claims it works, you’re on a pretty good track for an evaluation.

When Jesus was crucified, He cried out and said, “Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46). At that point, Jesus willed Himself to die, and there were some unique occurrences that took place. First, the four-inch thick veil in the Temple that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was split from the top to the bottom. The earth shook, rocks were split in two, tombs were opened and many bodies of the dead were brought to life and entered the city where everyone viewed them!

Then the centurion, who was in charge of 100 soldiers, became greatly frightened and cried out, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Up to that point, he had no “investment” in Jesus whatever. He had undoubtedly been in charge of multiple crucifixions. Up to now, this crucifixion was just like the others. Up to this point, he had been in charge. But, what was occurring convinced him that Someone of greater authority than he was in charge.

Jesus is indeed the Son of God! That truth is supported throughout all of Scripture. Have you accepted Him as LORD and Savior of your life? He brought the dead to life when He died; and He’s still in the resurrection business. Trust Him and come alive! I’m praying for you –every day.

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.”

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