The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 17:1-8, “Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where
there was a synagogue of the Jews.
2 And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the
Scriptures,
3 explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This
Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”
4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a great multitude of the God-fearing
Greeks and a number of the leading women.
5 But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and
set the city in an uproar; and coming upon the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the
people.
6 And when they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities,
shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also;
7 and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another
king, Jesus.”
8 And they stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things.”

Being Jewish by birth, it was natural for Paul to seek out the Jewish places of worship to bring his message of
faith in Jesus Christ. When we come to faith in Christ, it is natural that we seek out close friends and share our new-found faith with them. Yet, even within our own family and friends, we often encounter opposition. What are we to do in such circumstances? We are to lovingly explain and give evidence from the Scriptures that Jesus is the one and only way of salvation.

Our opposition is not likely to be as severe as Paul’s. The Jews in Thessalonica were ruthless! It took them three weeks to get traction, and then they raged against Paul and his company. They took what appears to be legal action against all who would believe in Jesus. Still, there were a number of Jews and Gentiles who were persuaded to believe in Jesus. We must remember that our calling is to tell others about Him. It is the Holy Spirit who will persuade them to believe in our message.

We are not all called to share Jesus in the same way. Not everyone is called to be a pastor or an evangelist or a missionary in the way we normally understand their calling. But, we are to share Him with others, as the Holy Spirit leads us! We live in an electronic age. We can share the Good News of Jesus through email and texts. All of us receive postal mail that contains reply-paid envelopes. I have often put a Gospel tract in these envelopes and returned them to the sender. We can speak verbally to others by way of the telephone.

At the same time, we must be loving and gentle. We must use the Scriptures; therefore, we must read and study them daily. We must listen faithfully to the teachings of men whom we know to be godly. We must be prayerful, holding the lost before the LORD, and trusting Him to touch their hearts with His Truth. And when He does, we must be thankful. We must then encourage those who have come to know Him to grow in His likeness! What a joy it is to hear from those who have been saved by His grace! May the LORD help us to keep on keeping on until He comes again!

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