The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Romans 15:18-21, “For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed,
19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
20 And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build upon another man’s foundation;
21 but as it is written, ‘They who had no news of Him shall see, And they who have not heard shall understand.’”

Many of you reading this Letter, know that my late wife and our family ministered for several years in Australia, New Zealand,
and many Asian countries. We have often been labeled as “missionaries.” While none of us have ever objected to this designation, technically a missionary is someone who shares the Word of Jesus Christ where He has not previously been known. All of the countries where we ministered had previously been “missionized.” Paul makes this distinction in our verses above. Further, we will join with Paul in saying that everything accomplished through our ministry was of Him, not of us!

Things accomplished that produce faith in Christ are always His accomplishments. Just as a water faucet does not give forth water without someone’s hand activating it, so the blessings of Christ are only produced as He utilizes His people in the process.
No matter where you live, you live among people who do not truly know Christ in personal salvation.

I live among some wonderful neighbors, but not all of them know Jesus Christ. The question, “Are you a Christian?” often elicits the reply, “I go to a Christian church” or “I am Baptist” or “I am Catholic” or “I’m Jewish” or simply, “I believe in God.” Certainly, we live in countries that allot every individual the right to worship as he pleases. But the Scriptures reveal a wide gap between mere church attendance or membership, and being personally committed to Jesus Christ by faith. It is Paul’s prayer (and ours) they who have no personal relationship with Christ might come to know and trust Him by faith. Check your life. Do you know Him? If not, trust Him as your LORD and Savior today! And if you already know Him, it is your responsibility to share Him with those who do not.

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 13:8-14, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any
other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.
11 And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than
when we believed.
12 The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of
light.
13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife
and jealousy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

Indebtedness may well be the key word for the year in which we are living. Everyone understands the word debt. A debt is something one person owes to another. We generally think of debt as referring to money that is owed. Paul, however, speaks of an attitude as well as a substance. The first four of the 10 Commandments have to do with man’s relationship to God. The six remaining commandments have to do with man’s relationship to his fellowman. Paul then specifies love (agape) as the primary attitude we should have, and he says that if we are expressing love to others, we are keeping the 10 Commandments that the LORD originally gave through Moses.

A lot of people, however, engage in nefarious activities that are unbecoming of a Christian. We often use the crass language of the world. We may not totally cross the line, but we imbibe and transmit the worldliness that surrounds us, simultaneously expressing what is totally unacceptable to the LORD. We want one foot, as it were, in the LORD’s domain (like on Sundays), while the other foot is in the World’s domain for the rest of the week.

Time, however, is running out! The Day of the LORD’s return is fast approaching! Jesus is Coming Back! What about those who have never heard? What will happen to them? What of those who have heard, but have not yet believed? How do we reach them? We reach them by showing them love –God’s Love. Yet, when we compromise the Christian lifestyle with the world, we dilute the Message of Love that the LORD wants others to hear and see in us. Thus, we confuse those we purport to reach by mingling the world’s lifestyle with the LORD’s Gospel. That confuses the world! We say one thing, but live another. Paul’s strong admonition is: “Demonstrate the love of the LORD Jesus Christ in and through your life! Stop compromising with the world’s ungodly ways.” Also, how do we want the LORD to find us when He Returns?

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 13:1-5, “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same;
4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil.
5 Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience ‘ sake.”

I have a grandson, who is a law-enforcement officer. I was teaching post-graduate students online, when his name appeared on my student roster for the semester class. Accordingly, I was his “governing authority” for the duration of the class. Now that he is a duly constituted law enforcement officer, he is technically the “governing authority” over me. Yet, in both instances, the LORD was and is the “Governing Authority” over each of us. Were I to resist my grandson’s authority, I would be resisting the LORD’s authority as well.

Driving on the freeway within the limits of the law, gives me no reason to fear the sight of a patrol car. Those who oversee the freeways are there for the protection of all the drivers. Yet, we’ve all seen drivers who mistake the freeway for the race track.
It is they who have reason to fear the authorities on patrol. Just behave yourself, Paul writes that those who do what is good, and you will have praise from those authorities. (Their praise is largely that they are not chasing you!)

Have you ever thought of law-enforcement officers as being “ministers of God”? Paul avows that they are. With the avalanche of lawlessness that overwhelmingly encompasses our nation and world today, and with police presence, the very thought of evil without them is breath-taking! Why would anyone with a modicum of good sense rail against the police? For when we are
living in obedience to the laws of the land, we are enabled to live with a good conscience toward both man and God. That allows us to sleep well at night, knowing the all-encompassing authority of God surrounds us with His spiritual and physical safety. Pray for the safety of those who work for our safety. Remember, they are our LORD’s servants, too.

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 12:1-3, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

Generally speaking, we think of “worship” as going to church, singing, listening to the pastor’s sermon from the Bible, and fellowshipping with other believers. Yet, Paul speaks of “worship” as much more. Worship is living our lives every day in such a manner as is acceptable to the LORD. In the Old Testament, the Jews went to the Temple to worship. But when we committed our lives to the LORD, we became the Temple and the Holy Spirit now resides within us.

Separation from the world is our sacrifice. Our thoughts, words, attitudes –everything changes when we come to faith in Christ! We can no longer allow our eyes, our thoughts, our speech to comport with the thinking and activity of the world. The world has yet to know Christ. Trite expressions of worldly origin can no longer be ours. Further down in this 12th chapter of Romans, Paul lists various gifts that Christians are allotted –gifts that are to be used by the Church for the glory of the LORD. These gifts cannot be mingled with the unrighteous acts of the world. God cannot be glorified through sinful acts of worldliness. Our minds are to have been renewed, and our thoughts focused always on the LORD.

Yet, even when our lives are renewed by His grace, there is the tendency within us to think of ourselves “more highly than we ought to think.” My pastor used to quote this verse and then add: “but we ought to think that highly.” His point was that the person who focuses on “down-playing” himself and his abilities is actually boasting of his humility. And that is blatantly pride. The LORD gives to each of us “a measure of faith.” When we utilize His gift, we honor and glorify Him. Ultimately, that is His desire for each of us. The Christian life is not easy. But, just as a thoughtful person helps a weaker person to walk, the Holy Spirit helps us as we lean upon Him for His strength.

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 10:12-15, “… there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him;
13 for “Whoever will call upon the name of the LORD will be saved.”
14 How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how 13 shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!”

It’s virtually impossible to read the words of Paul without running into his emphasis upon the Word of the LORD. It’s important,
too, that we notice the context in which he speaks. For example, when he speaks of “no distinction between Jew and Greek,”
he is not referencing an ethnic difference, he is speaking of a spiritual difference. The spiritual riches of the LORD are for those
who accept Him as LORD and Savior, whatever their ethnic background.

Still, we have to believe in the LORD in order to call upon Him. How do we do that? We learn of the LORD by listening and
trusting the message of preachers, preachers whom the LORD has sent. How do we know they have been sent by the LORD?
We know when they live honestly and purely in their lives and speak clearly and honestly from the Word of the LORD, the Bible!
Yet, if we don’t understand the Bible ourselves, how do we know whether the preachers we hear are speaking accurately when
they quote Scripture and purport to explain its meaning? This is where the Holy Spirit reveals to us whether the preachers are
true.

I was researching in my library the other day when I discovered a small Bible my father had given me shortly after I had trusted
Jesus as my Savior. In the very back of the Bible was a page that described the basic meaning of every book in the Bible. It is attached, as it seemed appropriate to pass it on to you. It is a very basic tool; but, I think you will find helpful as you read and study the Bible daily for yourself. Listen closely to your pastor. Ask him questions about things you don’t understand. You will quickly learn whether the LORD has put him in your pathway. God bless you as you read and study His wonderful Word!

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