The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ezra 7:10, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.”
2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of truth.”

Our previous letter emphasized the need to pray. Inasmuch as every born-again believer in Christ Jesus needs daily to lean upon Him in prayer for guidance, so we need to study His Word, the Holy Scriptures, for it is by them that we maintain a stable, Christian life.

Ezra, an earnest scribe, from the Old Testament days, set his heart to study and to practice and then to teach others.

Sadly, there are multiple proclaimers of humanistic ideologies who allege their words come from the Scriptures. They profess to teach the pure Word of God, but have not proven it through practical witnessing. That’s how many people are misled into believing things that simply are not true. That is also why Timothy urges us all to “be diligent” in what we proclaim as His Word, and demonstrate that the Word has been “approved” by the LORD.

I was once told of a preacher who said, “I don’t believe all I hear preached”; then he added, “I don’t believe all I preach!” It stretches the imagination to believe that some preachers believe the drivel they foist upon their congregations! Genuinely true ministry embraces study, then practice, then proclamation!

We want the gasoline pumps to register accurately. We want the specification labels on the food we buy to be accurate. More importantly, we want what we hear from the pulpit to be studied and tested prior to its proclamation as truth. At that point, we become as responsible for sharing that Truth as the pastor who proclaimed it. There are scores of people who long to know Jesus! We have the responsibility to tell them! Is that a responsibility we are taking seriously? I truly hope it is!

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,

Genesis 20:7-8, “Now therefore, restore the man’s wife, for he
is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you
do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all
who are yours.”
8So Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his
servants and told all these things in their hearing; and the men
were greatly frightened.”

The story behind these verses is not long. Abraham’s half-sister
was also his wife. When he entered King Abimelech’s territory,
it was vitally necessary that he have Sarah to identify herself
as his “sister,” so as to avoid a conflict with Abimelech. When
Abimelech discovered that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, as well
as his sister, he confronted Abraham regarding the lie.

The LORD had protected Sarah and had instructed Abimelech
that Abraham would pray for him. This is the first mention of
prayer in the Bible. It should, therefore, be a reminder to us to
pray before we seek to understand anything in the Word of
God.

There are several Hebrew words translated “pray” or “prayer”;
still, we need not know the vary nuisances of the words in
order to engage in communion with Almighty God. He
understands our intentions more than we do. And as an
earthly father makes allowances for his immature son, so the
LORD makes allowances for our lack of understanding.

Prayer is the key to understanding the LORD’s Word! Don’t
force meanings on His Words; allow Him to reveal themselves.
Serious, sincere prayer draws us closer to Him. What can be
better than that?

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,

Matthew 11:29-30, ““Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (KJV).

More literally Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me (??? ????); because (???) I am gentle (?????) and lowly (????????) in heart: and ye shall find spiritual rest (???????? ?????????) to your souls. 30 For My yoke is kind (???????), and My burden is easy to bear (???????).”

When Jesus spoke to the people in this Matthewen text, He expressed it in soft and endearing words. He was certainly concerned that they learn the content of His teaching; however, He was equally concerned that they learn from Him. In the truest sense, to learn from Him was to learn of Him. And so it is of us today.

The Daniel text (1:5) is far less soft. Daniel growls, “..grow up; become great!” Why do you suppose He saved you, anyway? Some of us need that stiff language at times, do we not? We tend to “baby” ourselves, when we’ve been His far too long to be handled with kid gloves. The twigs that are intended to become trees need support. And stiff language is often the very support we need.

The John 7:15 verse is softer, yet it still carries the mandate: learn from Me. If we are to do just that, and become what our LORD intends us to become, it is imperative that we study His Word daily! There is always the tendency to peruse what others have said about Him. Yet, even the most humble, dedicated, scholars know less of Him than He knows of Himself. Therefore, always choose the best scholar. He wrote the best Book!

Acts 4:13 was both startling and self-identifing of me! Agrammatos translates “without learning, uneducated!” In an honest self-assessment, there was a time when I thought I had a pretty good handle on the Scriptures. Yet, if truth be told, I am now like a small child just commencing to learn the alphabet. Serious study in the Word of God reveals human inadequacy. Could that be why we’re tempted to slight our Bible study?

Acts 7:22 and 22:3 utilize the same Greek phraseology that urges us “to train and “chasten” and “correct” children. What the Scripture knows, however, is that as we obey the instruction it gives regarding others (i.e., the children), we cannot help but learn what the LORD has there for us.

Let me urge you to engage in serious, daily study of the Holy Bible. Start with prayer because without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you can quickly find yourself in a Biblical quagmire. The Spirit leads us as we pray and brings the Scriptures to life! And when they come alive, we soon learn that we are alive, as well. God bless you!

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,

Revelation 22:17-21, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”

There was an old radio game show that used to keep America laughing during war times. It was called, “Truth or Consequences.” Hosted by Ralph Edwards, it was a goofy show, where contestants often gave goofy answers to silly questions asked by the host. It was a clean and wholesome show and, for the most part, achieved precisely what it intended.

The LORD’s Words that close the Book of Revelation carry a “truth or consequences” theme also. Hear and embrace His Truth or suffer the eternal consequences for failure.

Notice the Truth: The LORD, together with His Bride, the Church, says “Come.” To embrace the LORD is to forfeit everything else. Pride, self-achievements, wealth –everything that is self-produced –everything that is dispensable– is not of Him. Those things are to be forfeited!

Yielding to the love and control of the LORD is to embrace His Truth. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life…” (Jn. 14:6). Those who embrace Christ Jesus and His Word (the Bible) are indeed His people. We are all forbidden to add to His teachings (v. 18) and will suffer the “plagues…written” in the Holy Scriptures, if we do so.

At the same time, we are strictly forbidden from twisting or removing any of His Words from the Scriptures (v. 19), so as to alter His intended meaning.

And yes, He is “coming quickly!” Time is running out! Those of us who know Him must
fearlessly speak of Him and act quickly, as He has indicated.

On the 20th of April 2001, the India Mail (newspaper) reported on a Christian worker who was preaching the Good News in Madhya Pradesh in the Himalayas. The village chief asked the preacher, “Tell me the truth: why did you not come here two weeks earlier? I consulted a sorcerer to gain goodwill in my family. He performed some religious rituals in my house and said that if I sacrificed three small children before the moon came up on a full moon night, prosperity would never leave my home.”

“I was carried away by his words and I kidnapped two five-year-old boys from a neighboring village and sacrificed them to the gods; yet, I failed in all my attempts to kidnap the third child. Finally, I took my seven-year-old son and sacrificed him also, without any forethought. If you had told me about this Jesus a little earlier, I would never have killed those innocent children. Why did you come so late?” Then the chief wept bitterly.

Jesus’ Truth must be shared! Those who do not know Him, must hear and obey His Message! Those of us who know Him, must share His Message before it is 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

Dear Grands,

Revelation 9:1-4, “Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.
2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

Previously, we have examined the LORD’s various judgments that will befall the Earth in the Last Days. They were attacks upon the Earth and its vegetation and atmosphere.
Of course, Satan is involved in seeking to wreck everything that God has established. He started with his wrecking crew in the Garden of Eden. Still, he will not win in the end!

Isaiah (14:12) tells us that Satan will fall: “How you have fallen from Heaven, o star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the Earth, You who have weakened the nations!” The devil will not quit until he is forced by the LORD to do so.

All that being said, what is most important is that you and I are not being influenced by the LORD’s chief adversary! We should make sure that we “have the seal of God” on
our lives. Turn your life over to Jesus. He will cleanse you and make you His own!

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.”

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