The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 2:29-33, “‘Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 “And so, because he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants upon his throne,
31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay.
32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.’”

The precise age of Jesus Christ is difficult to determine. The year of His birth is believed to have been between B.C. 4-6 and His death, resurrection and ascension into Heaven is believed to have been about 30 A.D. Perhaps the exactness of those dates is of less importance than that the fact that He was miraculously conceived, and lived among us for 30 some years, before ascending back into Heaven.

It was Simon Peter, who had journeyed with Christ, who, in the verses above, focuses the attention of believers upon the prophecy of David. What is of greater value than Jesus’ age, however, is His life and ministry, His death on the cross for our sins, and His physical, bodily Resurrection from the dead! His entire ministry on Earth was something in the neighborhood of 30 years.

You will, I trust, hear innumerable messages today regarding the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I have elected to cite for you some invaluable Proofs of the Resurrection in an attached paper. It is in a format that should work with whatever software your equipment uses. I trust you will utilize this evidence in your witness of Him to others. We believers need to share His Truth while we are able. The salvation of others may largely depend upon our witness. We simply do not know how much –or little—time we have before His Reurn. So, pray and share God’s Truth! Jesus Christ is ALIVE and will save all who come to Him by faith! But, they need to hear about Him first.

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,

Luke 23:55-56, “Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed after, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.
56 And they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.”

The Scriptures are silent on many things. Our own experiences with the deaths of loved ones, makes that silence understandable. Grief and silence are twin emotions. Women are often the stronger in such times. Here, the women followed the burial of Jesus, seeing that everything was done according to the manner prescribed by the Scriptures; and then they returned to their homes and prepared what was both practical and proper concerning His burial.

Most of us have experienced the death of a loved one. It is never an easy experience. Yet, it is one of the facets of life that we cannot escape. Certainly, there is value to those who have known Christ. Many years ago, I worked with a funeral director. I observed many who had lost loved ones. I can assure you that there is a distinct difference between those who, know Jesus Christ themselves, and those who do not. Sometimes the grief is so deep that the desire is simply to renounce life and join the loved one.

The Apostle Paul anticipated his own death when he wrote the Philippians saying,

“…I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with
Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful
for you” (Phil. 1:23-24).

What becomes primary, therefore, is being prepared to meet the LORD Jesus Christ. What would you do if that knock came to the door of your life and said, “It is time for you…”? Are you ready? The truth is, you can be ready! And “ready” does not mean that you have done your best; it means that you have confessed your sins to Christ Jesus and believed upon Him as your Savior and LORD. A simple prayer is all that is required; yet, it must be an honest and faithful commitment of your life to Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I have committed many sins in the course of my life.
I am sorry for what I have been and done. And I ask your forgiveness for all my
sin. I here and now turn from sin and commit my life to You in faith and trust. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!

It’s that simple. You only need to be serious in your prayer for forgiveness. Saving you is Jesus’ responsibility. There’s nothing you can do except believe and trust in the LORD Jesus Christ. I am praying for you even as I write.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight” (Prov.
3:5-6).

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,

John 19:9b-16, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 Pilate therefore said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”
11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me up to you has the greater sin.”
12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”
13 When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”
15 They therefore cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
16 So he then delivered Him to them to be crucified.”

As the hour of his death drew near, Jesus withdrew to the Mount of Olives with his disciples. It was there that He prayed, “Father, if ther be another way…” But another way was not to be. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of His own disciples, and identified as the One the Jewish leaders wanted, Jesus was escorted to the place where the first phase of His unlawful night time trial. It was there, at the onset of the trial that Peter denied his LORD.

The Jewish Sanhedrin wanted Jesus to die. The Roman Government, however, had denied them the right of execution. Therefore, they sought a Roman-appointed governor, Pontius Pilate, to examine Him and put Him to death. Pilate, however, found nothing in Jesus worthy of execution; in fact, he found “no fault” in Him whatsoever. Nevertheless, the cry of the Jews, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” won the day.

Crucifixion was a borrowed form of execution that the Romans had acquired from the Carthegenians in North Africa. It is arguably the most inhumane form of execution ever invented at the hands of sinful men. Stripped of all modesty, the victim was nailed hands and feet to the cross. The cross was then uplifted for all to see. The victims were so positioned that they were unable to breathe. Thus, they hanged there helplessly until they died of exhaustion.

Jesus was buried in the Tomb of a believer, Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus was in the Tomb three days, as a part of Friday, all day Saturday, and a part of Sunday were considered full days. His tomb was guarded by a Roman military guard, as they feared His disciples might steal His body and announce that He had risen from the dead. Yet, the guards, their Roman superiors, and some cranky Jews were in for a huge surprise, on the very next day.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Notice the attachment regarding the unfair trials Jesus endured.

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,

Mark 10:46-52, “And they came to Jericho. And as He was going out from Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 And many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, arise! He is calling for you.”
50 And casting aside his cloak, he jumped up, and came to Jesus.
51 And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!”
52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.”

Desperate situations call for desperate means. A great multitude was following Jesus; and Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was not to lose this opportunity. He cried aloud “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And despite the repeated efforts of the crowd to silence him, Bartimaeus would not be silenced!

Those who are prideful, do not cry for help. Yet, those who are sincere and persist, are always in the focus of Jesus. Does it seem strange to you that Jesus said, “Call him here”? He knew that Bartimaeus was blind; He could have said, “I will go to him.” Instead He said, “Call him here.” Despite Bartimaeus’ difficulty, Jesus required him to initiate faith before He would meet the need.

Bartimaeus immediately threw aside all his possessions, leaped to his feet and, despite his handicap, found his way to Jesus. We often seek human means of help in our weaknesses. We are all-too-often unwilling to divest what we possess to procure what we need. It would do us well to always seek the Master. He, who enabled life from the beginning, gives help to all who live in difficulty. We must fully trust Him by faith to meet our needs. He never fails!

Notice too, that Bartimaeus had previously possessed sight. When Jesus asked what he wanted, he said, “Teacher, I want to regain my sight!” What had caused Bartimaeus’ blindness, we are not told. It might have been the result of an enemy; it might have been the fault of his own sin. Whatever the cause, it was erased completely when he exercised faith in Christ Jesus! And so it is with us. Faith in Christ is the remedy to all afflictions. We have but to acknowledge Jesus as the Great Physician, and ask for His help, “…casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7).

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