The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 2:20-23, “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
22 WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH;
23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously…”

Were you ever seriously and severely punished? How did you take it? Were you patient, or did you yell threats at your punisher? It probably depended upon whether or not you were guilty. If you were guilty, you knew that you were simply getting what you deserved. But, what would have been your attitude if you were not guilty?

No one ever suffered like Jesus. He was guilty of nothing! His accusers lied against Him; those who tried Him listened only to what they wanted. Pilate was concerned only for himself and his governmental position. Yet, Jesus went to the Cross and died for sins He had never committed! You and I have committed sins; and it was for our sins that He suffered and died.

From their start, Christians throughout the ages have been accused of sins they have not committed. Jesus encountered accusations and suffering when He had done nothing wrong. Why should we not expect to suffer the same?

These verses above tell us Christ Jesus left us “an example… to follow in His steps.” We are certainly not to court suffering; but we should expect it. Jesus’ example was to refrain from uttering threats. He just kept trusting Himself to His Heavenly Father, knowing that He always judges fairly and righteously. That is a pattern we should follow, for when we do, we honor Him with our obedience.

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,

1 Peter 2:13-17, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”

Do you think you could count the times somone has asked or ordered you to do something? It starts in the home: “Pick up your clothes! Don’t leave your room in a mess! Come straight home and be here at 9:30 P.M.” Then there are teachers: “Stop talking back there and listen! There’s a test on Friday!” Employer: “I expect you to start work at 7:30 A.M. sharp! If you want a full day’s pay, you’ll have to do a full day’s work!”

What are you to do? If you want to stay out of trouble, if you want to pass the test, if you want to keep your job, you obey! Obedience to parents and teachers and bosses, however, is obedience to the LORD Himself. When you obey the “governers” (authorities) you are obeying the LORD. But why does the LORD require that? Those “authorities” are not always right. They make mistakes, too.

When we obey the LORD, we are free, and we “silence the ignorance of foolish men.” Think about it. It takes two to have an argument. And you could argue that the boss’s son is always late; but that is not a good argument. Just be quiet. The LORD is in control of the situation. Besides, your agreement is to obey the boss; his agreement is to pay you wages. It has nothing to do with the activity of the boss’s son.

“But I have a right to say what I think. I have freedom.” Thus far, the boss has said nothing about your lazyness at work. “Do not use your freedom as a covering for evil…” Use it as a servant of God.” Honor people like parents, teachers, and bosses. For when we deal rightly with and toward others, we honor the LORD, our God.

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,

1 Peter 2:9-12, “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

I have a long-time preacher-friend who lives in a distant state. (I won’t say which state because he thinks his state is the finest and he needs no encouragement in that area.) In his late-in-life encounters, one of his doctors is Jewish. When he witnessed to this doctor, the discussion of creation came to the point that my friend asked his doctor, “Then, who made God?” And the doctor answered, “Man made God.”

Peter and Paul were both Jewish, too; but they were believers in Jesus Christ. You will remember from previous Letters, however, that Paul was called to minister to both Jews and Gentiles, while Peter ministered exclusively to the Jews. Peter was right when he told the Jewish Christians that they were “a chosen Race…a people for God’s Own possession.”

Long before the existence of the church, Jews who had accepted Jesus as the Father’s Son, and Savior of the world, were known as “the people of God.” Prior to their belief, however, they were “not a people,” as they had not received the mercy of God’s forgiveness.

Then the group of believers in Christ came together and formed a church. Peter became their spiritual leader and urged them to “abstain from fleshly lusts” because these sins waged “war against the soul” of the believers. They still do! Peter warns them and us against being like the Gentiles. It doesn’t matter what they say about us, Peter exclaimed; just keep on glorifying the LORD Jesus Christ.

There will come a day, Peter taught, that the LORD Jesus will come again. We have no idea of when that day will come. Yet, each day brings us closer to that day; and we don’t want to be caught doing sinful things when He comes. So just keep spiritually clean. Read the Bible every day. Pray about everything! See that you’re ready when He comes. After all, you are His possession! You belong to Him. So, act like it! Be ready for His Coming!

And “being ready” means living righteously, so that neither He nor you, nor your friends will be embarrassed when He Comes. Are you ready for His Return? If not, Get ready! Every day brings us one day closer to His Coming!

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,

1 Peter 1:10-16, “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,
11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating, as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven– things into which angels long to look.
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16 because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’”

At the time of this writing, I have been in the LORD’s ministry for more than 65 years. I say that to give credence to my “searches and inquiries” regarding the time of Christ’s Return. The pastors I had and heard as a child and through my adolescent years, did not emphasize the Second Coming of the LORD. I was in college when a sweet, Missourian girl (later my wife) introduced me to the premillennial theology surrounding His Coming. From that point onward, I made careful study of that theme from the Word of God.

As with the prophets’ study, my inquiries into the Word demonstrated that I was not serving myself (although I certainly profited), but I was serving others –others who, perhaps like you, had never heard of our LORD’s Second Coming. How important is that subject? Peter says “…those who preached the gospel…” were by the Holy Spirit revealing things which angels themselves were longing to understand.

There are multiple things in the Word of God that remain a mystery even to those of us who have studied it for many years. What we do know is that we learn only when we are obedient children, given neither to laziness nor to worldliness. The Holy Spirit has called us to forsake the ways of the world and be open to the purity of God’s Word.

We who are saved are encouraged by the Holy Spirit to give ourselves to holy living. For it is holy living that pleases our Heavenly Father; and it is He alone who deserves all praise. If you are not being encouraged to give yourself to holy living, you do not possess the Holy Spirit; and if your do not possess Him, you do not belong to God.

Yet, you can know Him through turning from sin and yielding your life to Him in simple prayer. Let me urge you to yield to Him today. He is Coming! And you’ll want to be ready for that Grand Event!

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,

1 Peter 1:1-5, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

What on Earth is Simon Peter talking about? What is he saying he wants to do for those aliens who are scattered everywhere? Who controls what Peter is talking about? What’s the benefit of it? These are common questions that deserve honest answers.

The Gospel is clearly Good News of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins. Our sin requires forgiveness. Thus, the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the World. Jesus obeyed His Heavenly Father and became the Savior by dying on the cross in our place. His death, however, was just a part of it. After three days, He arose from the dead, proving His power to forgive our sins. So now, He now lives forever as the King of Kings.

When we believe His words concerning His death and resurrection, and when we confess our sins to Him, He forgives them and we become spiritual children of the Father in Heaven. We are then and there spiritually sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, making us holy in the sight of God the Father. At that moment, we become heirs of His saving grace, and we are forever thereafter protected by His power, just as a child is protected by its parent.

Ours, therefore, is an inheritance ordered by the Father, made possible by the obedience of the Son, and encouraged moment-by-moment thereafter by the Holy Spirit who has taken up residency in our lives.

Aren’t you tired of sin? Don’t you want to be free of the evil habits that invade and plague your life? Just open your heart and life to Jesus. He’s in the business of forgiving sin; and He will delightfully forgive yours. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trusting Jesus. He loves you and earnestly wants you in His family.

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