The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 1:6-8, “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’
7 He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’”

One of the things I greatly enjoy is reading the comments of people who are responding to the news. Not only is it a gauge on what people are thinking, it’s a colossal opportunity to site Scripture relative to the subject of the comments.

One of the major subjects of discussion of newsreaders is: Are we living in the Last Days? Since comments vary quite widely, it is difficult to know who is writing to influence others and who is simply “venting.” Yet, there are some comments that reveal anxiety over the Coming of the LORD Jesus.

Jesus Himself said in our verses above that we are not to know “the times or epochs (seasons) that the Father has fixed.” He is The Authority and everything will occur in His time, just as He has planned it. At the same time, He desires our awareness that there is a set time for Him to return. Were He to reveal that time to us, we would probably live for ourselves until that time arrived. We should be living for HIM at all times!

In the meantime, we “shall be (His) witnesses” whenever and wherever we go, even “to the remotest part of the Earth.” “But, I wasn’t called to be a missionary,” you say. Let’s be very clear: missions is simply a word. It can mean around the world or across the street. The only persons who are relieved of the responsibility of sharing the Gospel are those who have yet to receive it for themselves.

Just remember: while we have no assurance of WHEN the LORD Jesus will return, we have every assurance that He WILL return. May we be ready and have some with us who are ready when that day occurs! Examine yourself carefully! Be on the alert! And may 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,

Acts 22:6-10, “But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me,
7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
8 “And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’
9 “And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
10 “And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’”

There’s a decided advantage to be conversant in more than one language. The Apostle Paul was conversant in Greek and possibly Latin, but when the crowd that screamed for his life heard him speak in Hebrew, they immediately quieted themselves to hear what he had to say. What he told them was how he came to know Jesus right in the middle of the Road to Damascus. It is precisely what he said back in chapter nine of the Book of Acts, when he first related how he came to know Christ.

There are believers today who have never related their conversion experience. Some may have fear of how it will be received. Some possibly doubt that others would even care to hear it. Yet, there is strength in every one who witnesses of his conversion to the LORD Jesus. The conversion of our self-centeredness into love and dedication toward Christ is exactly what those without Him want and need to hear. If they don’t have Christ, their lives are sinful and empty and longing to be cleaned and filled with something new.

Those who count for Christ are they who want to share their witness of Him. It’s not a selfish, “look-at-me” type of thing. It’s shared to the glory of Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection were for all mankind. There are those who have received Him as their LORD, and there are those who haven’t, but who desperately want to know Him. That’s where you and I come in. We can share Jesus with the trust that He and He alone will be glorified. You life will fill with joy just in the telling. You will burst into joy when you see them blessed by having heard of Him. So, share Him today! You’ll be
glad you did, and so will they.

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,

Malachi 2:1-7. “And now this commandment is for you, O priests.
2 “If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the LORD of hosts, “then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.
3 “Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring, and I will spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it.
4 “Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that My covenant may continue with Levi,” says the LORD of hosts.
5 “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.
6 “True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity.
7 “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.”

When we carefully read the Scriptures, we discover that the problems that were faced in Old Testament times are clearly similar to what we face today. While the LORD does not change from good, many of His ministers fail to forsake evil. They are instructed to live like Christ, thereby qualifying to give spiritual instruction to their congregations.

In these verses, Malachi gives serious instruction to the LORD’s priests (ministers). They were going through the ritual of worship, but it was not in their hearts. No minister emulates the LORD to perfection; yet, we are to endeavor to be more like Him and certainly true in the instruction we give to others. His “covenant” with His ministers is one of life and peace. “The lips of a priest (minister) should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from (the minister’s) mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.”

Two factors are carefully and forcefully emphasized here: 1) each minister is responsible to understand and disseminate the LORD’s instruction to His people; and 2) the people are to hear the LORD’s instruction from their pastor and are to faithfully follow and abide by it.

I have sought to faithfully minister to people for over 60 years and I still learn from my pastor, who is the age of my oldest grandson! If your pastor is not faithfully instructing you from God’s Word, you need to find another pastor. God will hold him accountable. If you have a faithful pastor and you’re not following his instruction, God will hold you accountable. If we repent of our failures and follow His instruction, He will forgive us and return us to His favor. Pray for your pastor. You have no idea how much he needs your prayers.

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,

Zechariah 8:7-8, 16-17, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west;
8 and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.’
16 “These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates.
17 ‘Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,’ declares the LORD.”

The theme of the Book of Zechariah is “God’s Love and Care for His People.” The book itself was written about 520-518 B.C. So, if you were born in A.D.1948, you entered this physical world along with the fulfillment of one of the most exciting prophecies in world history! The first two verses above (vv. 7-8) were God’s promise to the nation of Israel; and it was fulfilled in 1948 when Israel officially became a nation.

When the LORD makes a promise, He fulfills it! His will cannot be broken and He possesses the necessary power to bring it to pass. The Jewish nation was prophesied to settle in Israel, and so they did!

At the same time, the LORD gave prophetic instruction that His people were to “speak truth to one another” in their daily dealings, as well as in legal procedures when legal judgments were necessary. Nor were the people to devise evil to exercise against their fellowmen.

The LORD’s promises are sure and certain. What He promises in Scripture, He fulfilles, giving us assurance that all of His promises, even those yet to be fulfilled, will indeed be fulfilled in His appointed time. Stay in the Word! Trust and claim His promises for yourself. He does all things exceedingly 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,

Haggai 1:3-7, “Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?”
5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!
6 “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”
7 Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!”

In Old Testament times, the “House of the LORD” was a physical structure. That is not so today. While we often speak of the “church” as being a physical structure, the true “church” is comprised of the people who belong to the LORD. This often leads us to misunderstand passages of Scripture like the passage above. Thus, we need to view Scripture in the timeframe in which it was written, but understand its principle as related to our own time.

“Consider your ways!” Haggai scolded the Jewish people of his day for living in luxurious homes, but neglecting the physical House of the LORD. The principle meaning of this passage to us requires a consideration of how much time and money we spend on ourselves compared with how much time and/or money we invest in the ministry of the LORD’s work at home and overseas.

When the LORD says, “Consider your ways,” He is provoking a measurement of what we most love and treasure: the souls of lost ones or our material possessions? Dr. Vern Poythress states,

If we are concerned for unbelievers as whole people and not just narrowly
worried about debating points, we should try to think about how we can
explain to them that they will never come to know the truth rightly without
communion with God… communion (that) comes through Christ. We should
indicate the Christ of whom we speak is the Christ who is described in the
Bible and who reveals himself in the Bible. So the Bible ought to come into
the discussion as we try to rescue unbelieving philosophers from their
suppression of the truth and their rebellion against God.

Well, are we concerned? If we truly are, we must prepare by arming ourselves with Scripture that is smothered in loving prayer. We would undoubtedly be amazed at how many lost people wonder why we Christians are not eager to share Christ with them. Yet, before we challenge the lost to “consider their ways,” we would do well to consider our own. Where do you find yourself standing as you consider your ways?

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