The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 13:4-12, “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to
Cyprus.
5 And when they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and
they also had John as their helper.
6 And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain magician, a Jewish
false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus,
7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul
and sought to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the magician (for thus his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul
away from the faith.
9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him,
10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you
not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?
11 “And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And
immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the
hand.
12 Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.”

Just a few verses earlier than what is printed above, Christian prophets and teachers were ministering to the LORDwhen the Holy Spirit selected Barnabas and Saul (later called Paul) to do a specific work. So, after praying, they went to Cyprus to preach the Word of the LORD, as the Spirit was leading them.

It was at the Cyprus city Paphos that they encountered a false prophet named Elymas, who endeavored to hinder their preaching the Word of God. False prophets exist today. Some, believe it or not, occupy pulpits and televise their beliefs to those foolish enough to listen. Paul did not take this hindrance lightly. He thundered against Elymas with forceful words furnished by the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, too, Paul pronounced a miracle of blindness to come upon Elymas –the same experience that had once been Paul’s (see Acts 9:1ff).

I once encountered an man, who was possessed by an evil spirit. He sought to hinder my ministry in the Word amd threatened me with an evil proclamation. He even indicated a timeline when I would be silenced. I shouted him down with the Truth of the Gospel, and he later admitted to a friend that what I was preaching was indeed the Truth of God’s Word. Of course, I took his threats seriously and prayed for the LORD’s protection. His timeline passed without incident, and I never saw him again.

How do we know whether those in pulpits and on radio and television are truly men of God? We can know by whether they preach and teach and live according to the Bible! That requires our personal, intensive study of God’s Word. His Word leads us to personally commit ourselves to Him. Then, we will become sensitive to the truth and can learn further from those who truly preach and teach God’s Word. Those who do not teach according to Scripture are not men of God! Listening to false teaching leads to living apart from God’s Word. Be careful! Stay in the Word! Live by the Word! Trust the Word! The Word of God will always lead you to the LORD! God bless you abundantly!

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