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

Dear Grands,

Philippians 1:15-21, “Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;
16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;
17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Some people are discouraged about everything! It doesn’t matter whether the circumstances are gargantuan or infinitesimal, they are always in the dumps.

Some preachers preach out of jealously. They want to be the only ones who are proclaiming some new and mysterious “doctrine,” allegedly from the Scriptures, but with a twist that enables them to be unique. Paul says that the jealous proclaim Christ “out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives.” Yet, he thanks God that Christ is being proclaimed, even if the preachers’ motives are impure.

Paul’s only concern is that Christ is being preached. Of course, he wants doctrine to be Scripturally pure. He is not sanctioning irreverent doctrine. He doesn’t even want those who preach out of impure motives to do so. Still, the highest concern is simply that Christ is not ignored! This is his prayer.

He believes (and we should believe this also) that the power of God is sufficient to save people that hear and accept Jesus’ death and resurrection, regardless of the motivation of the preacher. The LORD alone is in control of all things, especially things that have to do with Him and salvation. Yet, it is through our hearing of Him that we are enabled to believe in Him. And believing in Him is what matters the most.

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,

Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

A small boy was asked whom he liked best, the pastor or the bishop. “The pastor,” he said without the slightest hesitation.

“Do you really?” asked his surprised mother; “Why?”

“Well,” the boy said, the pastor says ‘finally,’ and it’s final. The bishop says “lastly,” and it lasts and lasts and lasts.”

That boy would have had mixed feelings about the Apostle Paul. Paul was not quite through writing to the Christians at Ephesus when he said, “Finally…”

Paul, however, was not just draging out his instructions. He truly wanted his readers to “be strong in the LORD…” At the same time, he understood the opposition. The Ephesians had not ceased to be adverse to the Christian Gospel, but there was true need for spiritual armor.

It’s the same with us today. “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

The offensive weapons we use are truth, righteousness, peace, and the Gospel (the Good News of Jesus Christ), His death for our sins, and resurrection for our righteousness.

Further, we need the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit (all 66 books of the Bible) and the utilization of sincere spiritual prayer.

Are you armed? Satan would discourage you from trusting God. He wants you to leave off reading the Bible, whereby you are able to check all that you hear from your pastor. Not all pastors can be trusted; or have you not read the news lately?

Those who teach only the Bible and praise only the LORD Jesus –they can be trusted! Read your own copy of the Bible. And listen only to preachers who emphasize the goodness of the Lord Jesus!

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,

Psalm 1:1-6, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Have you noticed the difference between right and wrong? Have you noticed that some people tell things that are not true? Have you noticed that some people consciously do the things that are wrong, even when they know better? Have you not noticed, also, that there are those who actually counsel people to do wrong? These are they who defy the LORD and His teachings, and they give themselves over to all sorts of evil.

These are the wicked and they are blown away like chaff in a strong wind. They will not survive the LORD’s judgment, nor will they be admitted into the assembly with the righteous. The wicked will eternally perish! They have not escaped the all-seeing eye of the righteous LORD!

The righteous, however, so delight themselves in the law of the LORD that they meditate on it day and night. They cannot get enough of His spiritual teachings! They will be fully fed as they stand by His streams of living water; and they will yield spiritual fruit in the proper season.

All of this is to say that no one can escape the judgment of Almighty God, except by accepting His Son, Jesus, as LORD and Savior of his life. Do you know Him? Have you confessed your sins to Him and asked His forgiveness? One day, we will all stand before the LORD and give account of our lives and how we lived. Are you ready to meet Him? If you are earnestly anticipating His return, you are ready. If you’re fearful of His coming or want to deny that He will ever come, you are not ready.

Do now pray and confess your sins to Him. He promises He will forgive you, and you will find yourself longing for Him to come.

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,

Proverbs 16:7-12, “When a man’s ways are pleasing
to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at
peace with him.
8 Better is a little with righteousness than great
income with injustice.
9 The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD
directs his steps.
10 A divine decision is in the lips of the king; his mouth
should not err in judgment.
11 A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; all
the weights of the bag are His concern.
12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked
acts, for a throne is established on Righteousness.”

Do you have an enemy? I mean a true-to-life enemy
–one that hates and despises you and wishes you
were dead and buried? Have an enemy like that?
Well, I hope not! As far as I know, I don’t have one
either. But the absolute way of erasing all your
enemies and maintaining peace is to make your
ways pleasing to the LORD. When your ways please
Him, He will see that your enemies are at peace with
you.

Do you think a lot of money is going to sustain you in
court when you have done wrong? Solomon says
that righteousness is of greater value than huge
wealth. Plan all you wish, but the LORD is in charge.
His ways will always be better. Solomon notes that
even a human king should not make an error in
judgment; much less would a pronouncement from
the LORD ever be in error. The LORD is honest and
true in all things. He, therefore, sees that honesty
always prevails.

Kings (governments) that “commit wicked acts” are
an abomination to the LORD! His acts are always
established in righteousness. We should only note
that if we wish to live in a nation whose God is the
LORD, our lives must embrace honesty and
righteousness on a personal level. If we embrace
wickedness, we will face His wrath clothed in the
violence of human wickedness.

Let everything always be done in Righteousness! It
is the key to pleasing the LORD!

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