The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 13:44-49, “And the next Sabath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the Word of God.
But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting the things spoken
by Paul, and were blaspheming.
46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken
to you first; since you repudiate it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the
Gentiles.
47 “For thus the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You should bring
salvation to the end of the earth.'”
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as
had been appointed to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region.”

How exciting it is when hundreds of people come together to hear the Word of God! I shall never forget those
marvelous days in India, when police estimates were that 7,000 people had gathered, some walking for many
miles, and sitting on the ground to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It was the first time I had ever preached
through two interpreters. If there were antagonists in the crowd, they offered no objection, and many were
saved night after night.

It was different, however, with those who heard Paul and Barnabus. There were agitators in their crowd; and they stirred up the people to resist the Good News of Jesus Christ. There are people today who are engaged in the same antagonism. I read of Hindu opposition to Christianity in India today. Yet, it’s not only in India. There are false teachers in the United States, in Australia, in New Zealand, in Indonesia –all over the world. Satan feeds this opposition, and he does so with urgency because he knows his time is short.

What happens if you reject or just ignore the Gospel? The LORD then withdraws your opportunity, and you will forever suffer the loss of the Eternal Life He offers! Have you trusted Him? It is the Good News of Jesus Christ that saves! Salvation does not come from your living a good life. It does not come from your attending a particular church. It comes only from admitting and renouncing your sin and trusting the LORD Jesus Christ. It is He who died for you and arose from the dead to live forever more! He has given you sufficient Light for obtaining His salvation. It’s all contained in His Holy Scripture. Your trust and acceptance of Him will transform your life!

I am praying for you, just as I prayed for those in India many years ago. You can be saved! Time is running out.
Trust Him today!

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 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

Dear Grands,

Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are
called according to His purpose.”

Philippians 2:13-14, ““…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things
without grumbling or disputing;”

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.”

2 Timothy 3:17, ““…that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Biblical interpretation requires that all Scripture must be understood in the context in which it is written. Making Scripture say something it does not intend or mixing verses to read as we might want them, is itself a violation of the principle of interpretation.

At the same time, Scripture demonstrates its validity throughout, as various human writers often state the same themes. This is what the four Scriptures above are intended to demonstrate. All of them have but one human author, the Apostle Paul. Each book, however, was written at a different time in history: (Romans: A.D. 58; Ephesians: A.D. 61-62; Philippians: A.D. 63; 2 Timothy: A.D. 68) Yet, each verse can easily stand alone in its teaching; and bundled together they expand a singular meaning. There are no contradictions!

The LORD God is the Divine Author of each biblical book. It is He who works all thing together for good, and realizes the outcome of His perfect will. He utilizes human personalities in the process of achieving His will; thus, those, who have been spiritually born again are His children through whom He works. We were created from the beginning for His purpose. And we who are His have been made adaquate for whatever He intends, for He has made us so.

Inasmuch as the LORD is supreme in His intention; and inasmuch as we, who have been saved by His grace, are forever His, we may safely believe that whatever He calls us to do, He has already adequately prepared us to accomplish. We may sometimes stumble and appear to fail; but He knew ahead of our stumbling how it would work toward His ultimate purpose. Trust in the LORD! Yield to His loving call upon your life. Remember that you belong to Him, and it is His will that will ultimately prevail. May God bless you abundantly! You are in my prayers; and I need your prayers as well!

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 12:6-11, “And on the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping
between two soldiers, bound with two chains; and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.
7 And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and
roused him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands.
8 And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap
your cloak around you and follow me.”
9 And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real,
but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 And when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which
opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street; and immediately the angel departed
from him.
11 And when Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and
rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Did you ever have a dream that was so real you believed it was actually happening? That’s exactly what Peter
experienced. Bound with two chains, positioned between two guards, and with other guards watching over the prison, it seemed impossible for anyone to escape. Yet, the best efforts of man are futile when challenged by the
power of Almighty God! Peter’s chains melted as if they were but wax, and he followed the angel, still thinking that it was a dream. Why, when we have once experienced the LORD’s power, do we doubt Him in anything? The angels of the LORD do His bidding; we people of the LORD should believe and obey.

Peter obeyed. The iron gate that guarded the city then opened without any human help and Peter was guided to the very street where his Christian friends were praying. We mortals sleep to escape the knowledge of danger; God fears nothing! He never sleeps! He is always awake to rescue us. Though at times He allows us to encounter danger, His rescue produces in us a future trust in His love and power.

What difficulties –what dangers—are you currently encountering? Their severity does not matter. The LORD is our strength and stay, just as the psalmist reminds us:

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake
at its swelling pride. (Ps. 46:1-3)

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 12:1-5, “Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, in order to
mistreat them.
2 And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.
3 And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of
Unleavened Bread.
4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him,
intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.
5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.”

The Church of Jesus Christ has always been under attack! In early centuries, rulers feared no one; and those who questioned them were subjected to all sorts of inhumane tactics, intended to silence them completely by erasing them from the face of the Earth! The plan was simple: erase the leaders and the Church will be silenced! James, the brother of John had already been put to death; now Peter was imprisoned, as his fate was being planned. The Church had but one avenue of hope: it was prayer.

Careful exploration raises the serious question of whether the Church today has forgotten how to pray? The measly “now I lay me down to sleep” type prayers appear to have replaced the deep, forceful, Spirit-moving prayers known in the past. Spiritual leaders within the Church often replace prayer with political-like movements intended to accomplish what we once looked to the LORD to do.

The early church that identified with Simon Peter prayed “fervently, intently.” The burden of the Holy Spirit that called them to prayer rested upon them until the LORD assurred them of victory! Their prayers were governed by the Holy Spirit, not by the clock. Still, the absence of intense prayer cannot be laid solely at the feet of Church’s leadership. Nothing prevents us from personally engaging in true, Spirit-moving prayer.

Peter’s ultimate deliverence traces directly to Almighty God, as a result of the Church’s prayer. May the LORD burden each of us to engage more fervently and more often in true Spirit-induced prayer.
Only then, will we experience the needed deliverence that He alone can provide.

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