The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 1:6-9, “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.’
9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”

My dear mother was a schoolteacher, so you can just imagine what my sister and I learned from the questions she was asked by her students. But having to answer the questions Carol and I would ask at home, mom was well prepared for whatever she was asked at school.

Jesus’ disciples asked a lot of questions, too. As we examine the disciples’ questions, we learn how close we are in asking the same things. “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” That is the prime question of religious Jews today! Only recently, I finished reading a book on that very subject. Everything is ready for the rebuilding of the Temple in the area known to us as “the Dome of the Rock.” It could even come in our lifetime!

Jesus replied to His disciples much like my mother used to reply to me; namely, “It’s not the right time for you to know about that,” she would say. “You need to put your mind on what your dad wanted done before he gets home from work!” There are some things we’re just not supposed to know. If the Bible gives a specific answer to a question, well and good; but if it doesn’t, we’re just not supposed to know. The Father has specific times for everything and He will reveal them when He’s ready.

What Jesus said to His disciples (and to us, as well) was that true believers would receive authority and knowledge from the Holy Spirit, which would prompt us to become witnesses of Him to others throughout the entire world! Not everyone is called of God to be a foreign missionary, but He does expect all of us to witness of His saving grace to others living around us. I have to confess that I fail to do that as often as I should. Do you need to confess that to Him, too? When He comes, it will be too late.

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