The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 5:1-7, “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,
2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.
4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

A recent headline read, “70 Louisiana Baptist churches damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ida.”
Whether you are a Baptist or not, I’m sure that your heart goes out to these dear people who have lost their places of worship in this recent storm.

Of a much greater concern is what people lose when they lose faith in the LORD, as their church departs from the Scripture. For there is a decided departure today from the Word of the Living God!

Nor is this departure limited to any particular denomination. The words of Peter in our verses above have application to all God-called ministers of the Gospel. There is a Chief Shepherd, the LORD Jesus Christ, who will one day appear, calling all ministers to give account of themselves and of their ministries.

Therefore, it behooves all spiritual leadership –all who handle the Word in the church– to humble themselves
before the LORD, watching carefully to reverence Him, who is our Supreme Leader.

Our lives must be clean and holy before Him, as we minister His Word in application to the lives of others.
We must be prayerful and careful, as the souls of others rests in our hands. We will one day be held accountable before the LORD.

Yes, anxieties and adversaties assault us, just as they assault our leaders. Peter’s advice is that we cast all
our anxieties on the LORD Jesus Christ because “He
cares for 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