The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 16:35-40, “Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen, saying, ‘Release those men.’
36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Now
therefore, come out and go in peace.”
37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us
into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring
us out.”
38 And the policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. And they were afraid when they heard that
they were Romans,
39 and they came and appealed to them, and when they had brought them out, they kept begging them to leave
the city.
40 And they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they
encouraged them and departed.”

Were you ever severely mistreated? Someone accused you of doing something you did not do? What are we to do in such circumstances? I was watching a football game on television. The quarterback threw the pass too quickly. He didn’t let “the play develop,” as it was intended. Sometimes it’s like that with us. Certainly, it was like that with Paul. He and Silas had been beaten with rods, imprisoned in stocks –all without their legal rights under the strictness of Roman Law.

Why didn’t Paul acknowledge his Roman citizenship from the start? He was allowing “the play to develop.” Had he reacted earlier, the jailor and his household would not have come to faith in Jesus Christ. The delay also gave time for Lydia’s household to learn of their plight and call prayerfully for help from their newly-found Savior. Paul may have recalled Solomon’s words that there is “a time to be silent, and a time to speak” (Ecc. 3:7b).

The magistrates, who had ordered the LORD’s servants to be beaten and imprisoned, may have been frightened by the earthquake and the potential loss of all the prisoners. In any event, they sent word that Paul and Silas were to be immediately released. Yet, once again Paul allowed “the play to develop,” when he refused to leave.
What they have done to us as Romans was illegal, he said. And now they just want us to go away? Not on your life! There is a time for us to “stand up and be counted!” There is a time for the “frighteners” to be frightened. But, we must be certain everything is according to the LORD’s leading and that it all occurs according to His time.

Never allow fear to dominate your circumstances! Just recognize that Christ is in control of all situations. And when we belong to Him, the “plays will develop” according to His will and all will be well with us.

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,

Acts 16:25-31, “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the
prisoners were listening to them;
26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and
immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
27 And when the jailer had been roused out of sleep and had seen the prison doors opened, he drew his sword
and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!”
29 And he called for lights and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 And they said, “’Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.’”

I have always loved music. Space is insufficient here to detail my family’s musical talents, except to say that throughout the years of my upbringing, I learned how music feeds and fills one’s life in dark and dismal times. It is indeed therapeutic. Paul was Jewish, remember; thus, music was warp and woof of his life also. He mentions singing in First Corinthians 14:15, and connects it there with prayer.

It’s worthy of mention, too, that the music Paul and Silas sang were hymns of praise to Almighty God! So much of what is called “music” today is mere clap-trap! We have allowed true praise of God to be hijacked by an industry focused on showmanship and materialism. True praise, however, results in Divine action! All prisoners were released from their shackles. “If therefore, the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (Jn 8:36).

Jailors in those days were threatened with death if prisoners escaped. That’s why the jailor was about to kill himself. But, Paul shouted for him to stop what he was intending. There is a time when we need to shout an alarm! Sin binds mankind more securely than the shackles of that dismal prison. Those of us who know the LORD in His saving grace, need to do some shouting! Men and women are lost without Jesus Christ! They know the emptiness of being lost, but we who are saved know the way out of that darkened condition.

The jailor asked, “What must I do to be saved?” And Paul said, “Believe in the LORD Jesus, and you shall be saved…” It’s so simple, yet many stumble over the simplicity. They want to do something magnanimous. No!
Jesus did the magnanimous when He died for our sins and arose alive from the grave! Mankind is a prisoner of sin. If you have yet to truly trust Him, you can be freed today. He will banish the darkness from your life and flood it with His love! What have you got to lose by doing it His way? What have we got to lose by sharing Him?

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,

Psalm 103:1-6, “Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The LORD performs righteous deeds, And judgments for all who are oppressed.”

In our last Letter, Paul and Silas had been ignominiously cast into prison. Where they might have legally complained, instead they prayed and sang praises to the LORD! Have your ever tried singing praises to the LORD when you are the object of a false accusation? We may never know what song they sang or whether they possessed attractive discordant voices, yet they could hardly have selected words more appropriate than those of this Davidic psalm.

Verses 1 and 2 are self-reminders of the LORD and all of His previous blessings. How often we desire things from the LORD, but forget to thank Him for all He has previously bestowed upon us. It’s so easy to complain about current difficulties, but it does us well to inventory the LORD’s blessings. (Stop reading right now and review the blessings you have received from the LORD. You can start with the fact that you are alive!)

The remaining verses above (i.e., 3-6) are a rehearsal of the LORD’s many blessings: He pardons, forgives the multiple sins we have committed, but we must confess them. He heals diseases of which we’re not even aware. The LORD Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer and He delivers us from the pitfalls of life. Then, He lovingly and compassionately rewards us in multiple ways beyond our calculation! Just think of the good and beneficient things you have at His Hand alone! Moreover, He abundantly satisfies the years of our lives with His goodness. We are alive only at His good pleasure; and further, the agility we possess in our latter years is itself a gift from His Hand! Think of that!

It is characteristic of our LORD to perform all kinds of righteous deeds. Don’t think for a minute that Paul and Silas didn’t know that! That’s what occasioned their singing! It’s Satan’s way to darken and dampen our days. He is our oppressor! The LORD is our Savior, our Deliverer, Benefactor–our Friend! He judges our oppressor as we praise His Holy Name! Always think on the bright side of our darkening world. The LORD is now and forever in charge. Just bless the LORD and whatever your situation, don’t forget how He is lovingly blessing you!

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,

Acts 16:16-22, “And it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortunetelling.
17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”
18 And she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.
19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the authorities,
20 and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews,
21 and are proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.”
22 And the crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them, and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods.”

There’s an old saying, “Out of the frying pan into the fire.” Unfortunately, that appears to be the lot of Paul and Silas. Lydia had just been saved, the LORD having opened her heart to the Gospel. So, once again, Paul and Silas were going to the place of prayer, undoubtedly, the same place where they first met Lydia. Do you have things that hinder your prayer life? I’m sure we all do, but none quite like what Paul and Silas encountered.

It’s deeply saddening what some men do with others. Still, what they do is not new. We have human slave-traders in our world today. The men that our spiritual due encountered possessed a slave-girl, who was possessed by a demon-spirit. We’ve become somewhat sophisticated today, and we put other names on such activities, but demon spirits do exist and they earnestly seek to hinder and stamp out the work of the LORD and His servants.

Whether Paul would have otherwise ignored this girl, we do not know, but she provoked him because she made fun of what they were doing. The LORD’s Name and work were at risk, so he commanded the evil spirit to cease and desist and come out of the girl. It’s worthy of notice that the men who used this girl were not-at-all concerned about her; they were concerned about their loss of money from her evil works. Shamefully, that’s true of such evil workings today.

When the men lied in complaining to the authorities, Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten with rods, and thrown into prison. Now, what are they to do? Where is the LORD in all of this? Does this situation look hopeless? Do you and I often find ourselves in similar, seemingly hopeless situations? Not to worry, the LORD takes notice of all these things. The hymn writer said, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” With everyone against them, there seems no way out. Yet, the LORD’s servants have not lost hope. They are about to start singing! And we would do well to rejoice in the LORD, despite the seemingly hopelessness of our situations. Try rejoicing! Another song says, “When you know the LORD, you need nobody else to see you through the darkest night.”

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,

2 Timothy 3:1-7, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to
parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as
these.
6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed
down with sins, led on by various impulses,
7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

I was 18 years of age before I heard of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Whether my pastors did not
understand the teaching or simply did not believe it, I am not certain. I myself had been preaching for a year or more before I ever heard or read of the teaching. Yet, the LORD had scheduled me to learn it from the girl I later married. Her pastor had taught her; she, then taught me; and I have been learning and teaching the Second
Coming of Christ ever since.

The Apostle Paul is exceedingly clear as he passes this doctrine to young Timothy. At the same time, it is
reserved in Scripture for us. The email and text messages I receive from friends are replete with notations
about our living in “difficult times” (a violent, hard-to-bear era). Paul emphasizes the last days as “unloving,” meaning “without natural affection”; “irreconcilable,” not accepting a truce; “malicious gossips,” slanderous;
“treacherous,” betrayers, traitors; “various impulses,” passionate longings, lust; and “always learning and
never able to come to the the knowledge of the truth”; meaning, educated, but never grasping true knowledge.

Does that not cover just about everything in our era of life? I think it does! Nevertheless, these are attitudes that
ought never to captivate the mind or life of a true believer. It is indeed time for us to Wake Up! Examine your life!
Do you truly know Jesus Christ? Is He your Savior and LORD? If He is not, you need to trust Him today. Pray
and acknowledge your sins to Him. Ask His forgiveness. Then, trust and believe that He has forgiven you and
accepted you as His own. Then pray for others who do not know Him, that they might be saved before it is too
late! You can come to the “knowledge of the truth.” Get into the Bible and bathe in God’s Eternal Truths.

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