The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 5:17-21, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Children are naturally born imitators. I have always loved western movies, going back as far as Gene Autry
and Johnny Mack Brown. At my current age, I still have fun with people who sometimes misspell my name as Jean. “No,” I tell them. “It’s G-e-n-e, like Gene Autry. You know who Gene Autry is, don’t you?” Most never heard of him. It is normal, I suppose, for children to want to imitate someone whom they admire. Yet, when we mature, we put away “childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11).

So it is –or ought to be—with respect to Christ. When we become “new creatures,” old childish things are put away forever. We’re grown and ought to behave as mature people. The LORD has saved us and given us a ministry. Oh, it may not be a formal call to preach as a pastor (yet, it may!); rather, it is a call to live as Christ lived, behaving ourselves according to the Scriptures. Paul calls us “ambassadors for Christ,” those who present Him to others and urge them to yield to His message and control. With our lives changed from selfishness to selflessness, we gladly and enthusiastically represent Jesus Christ to others for whom He died.

If you have yet to yield your life to Christ Jesus, “we beg you on behalf of Chirst, be reconciled to God.” For it is He who, although thoroughly sinless, took upon Himself the responsibility for our sin and died sacrifically in our place on the Cross. Now, He pleads with us to confess our sins in order that they might be forgiven and that we might be made righteous and acceptable to Almighty God. Just offer a simple prayer to God. Admit your sin and ask Him to forgive you. He promises that He will, and He then gives you the Holy Spirit, who will guide you in understanding the Scriptures and give you the desire to reach others for Jesus Christ.

If you already know Him, take every opportunity “let His Light shine in and through your life” to the benefit of others. God bless 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