The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Timothy 1:1-6, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,
2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,
4 nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.
5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
6 For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion,
7 wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

If ever a passage of Scripture reached its ultimate height of relativity, it is this passage above. First of all, Paul identifies his instruction to be “the commandment of God…” Knowing Paul to have been called by the LORD to be an apostle of the faith, might have been sufficient for the urgency of the matter. Nevertheless, with full authority from Christ Himself, Paul levies instruction he has previously given: namely, that certain men are “not to teach strange doctirnes…”

Is it possible that Paul might have envisioned what our world is experiencing of “strange doctrines” today? Men who have no calling from God, who know nothing of the Word of God, feed indigestable chaf to poor, starving congregations who are in search of something real and soul-satisfying. Instead, they listen to the chatter of smooth-talkers and depart with myths that are less than cotton candy from a meaningless circus.

Paul advocates spiritual instruction in love that emanates from a pure heart and a sincere faith. To be sure, there are some sound teachings from godly men, who are instructing the spiritually hungry. Yes, it takes financial support to keep them all on the airwaves. Yet, close scrutiny will separate those who are sincere advocates of Jesus Christ from those who simply “use” Jesus to fill their coffers and enhance their opulent lifestyles.

Make no mistake! Discover and devour the teachings of those who emphasize Jesus! Reject out-of-hand those who emphasize anything other than He. Jesus alone is True and those who teach His Truth alone are the true ministers of righteousness.

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