The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Timothy 4:14-18, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.
16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.
17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Some years ago, I was preaching in a evangelistic meeting in Virginia. All of the detains are forgotten now, but something I had not planned necessitated my revealing a particular person’s name. After the message, a lady came to me and challenged my having publicly mentioned the person’s name. The LORD immediately reminded me of Alexander the coppersmith and how Paul publicly called him out by name. I cited that situation as my biblical precedent and the conversation was over.

Whether the public mention of someone’s name is the right thing to do is itself debatable; but there is a precedent where the defence of the Scripture is involved. To fail to defend the entirety of the message the LORD has given us, is to leave the Scripture in limbo. In Paul’s case, the Gentiles needed to hear the Gospel, and those who themselves resisted the Gospel did not want others to hear it.

Paul’s confidence rested completely in the LORD. His confidence in the LORD prompted him to glorify Christ Jesus forever and wherever. We must be careful in possessing that same confidence. We must be bold, but only that His Word might be eternally glorified.

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