The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Numbers 15:28-31, “The priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him that he may be forgiven.
29 ‘You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the sons of Israel and for the alien who sojourns among them.
30 ‘But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.
31 ‘Because he has despised the Word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt will be on him.'”

Have you ever wondered why there are rules governing the way we live? If you take time to think it through, it’s all a matter of discipline. I never thought of it that way when I was a child. I was simply told to do certain things, and never to do others. Always, I asked why. Sometimes, I was told; but many times, the reply was “because I said so.”

Discipline works like a “fenced-in” area. If you obey, you are ultimately rewarded; if you disobey— well, there is a cost to pay.

Australia does possess a very hot sun! They warned me about it; but, I had lived there sufficiently long to believe my skin had adjusted to it. It had not! I ought to have listened and obeyed.

We’re often like that with the LORD. Fortunately, He allows “the person who goes astray…unintentionally” to be forgiven. If, however, we go astay, believing He will always forgive, we learn that “always” is not His way.

The key to understanding what the LORD is doing is called “discipline.” There are normal physical disciplines in life. There are also spiritual disciplines: 1) Always do this; and 2) Never do that!

The LORD is not playing games with us. He’s working to build us up into His likeness by teaching us to obey His instructions. Think you can do as you like and get away with it? (Don’t forget that hot sun!) He has more specific things, too. He is a righteous God! Were He not, He would care nothing about the direction of our lives.

Solomon stated it clearly:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones” (Prov. 3:5-8).

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,

Exodus 12:15-20, “’Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
16 ‘On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.
17 ‘You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.
18 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
19 ‘Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land.
20 ‘You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.'”

Well, it’s that season of the year. Athletic Directors are sizing things up and determining what coaches will be rehired and what ones will be let go. When the season is active, you might think that the coach is the one in charge. But if the team isn’t winning, you’ll soon learn that there’s someone higher up than the coach.

Our verses above hardly have to reach back to the commencement of the chapter for us to learn that the LORD is the “AD” and Moses and Aaron are the coaches in charge of seeing that the nation of Israel is instructed to do as the LORD, through Moses and Aaron, directs them.

(So much for those “preachers” today who see nothing of value in the Old Testament! When they exclude the Old, it’s not long before they exclude the New. Better listen up, fellows! Best not to follow them.) Do you follow the directives of your medical advisor regarding perscriptions? It seems like a good idea. Too much of one script might be as harmful as too little of another.

There is no contradition in Scripture! Where there “appears” to be, pastors, who believe in the entirety of the Scriptures, are trained in biblical languages (Hebrew & Greek) and comparative analysis enabling them to guide us in understanding God’s true meaning. If your pastor is not one who clearly defines the Bible’s true meaning, it might be time for you to look for a pastor who does. In the meantime, diligently search the Scriptures! The “game” has begun and you’re on the starting lineup!

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,

Luke 2:40-51, “The Child (Jesus) continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast;
43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it,
44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him.
46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.”
49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
50 But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.
51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.”

Time does things to all of us. It was the same with the boy Jesus. He grew physically, as we would expect; however, He also gained wisdom, the ability to understand and apply the principles of life. All He gained were the enablings of the Father.

Parents who are Godly quite naturally desire their children also to walk in the ways of the LORD. Furthermore, they endeavor that their lives might set a Godly example for their children.

One aspect of Godly living was their annual attendance of the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. The Feast originated in Egypt on the night prior to Israel’s departure (Ex. 12:11). The food was eaten in haste because of the need to quickly escape the Egyptian army.

Israeli homes were to be thoroughly cleansed. Blood was sprinkled on the doorposts of all Israeli dwellings, and on the cross piece above the entrance. Thereafter, this ritual was to be observed annually, as it is in orthodox Jewish homes today. Oh, that we
Christians were as diligent as those we endeavor to evangelize!

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 3:1-6, “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
2 ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, ‘THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’ (Isa. 40:3)
4 Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan;
6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.”

It’s quite common for a secondary player in a thespian production to upstage the main character for a brief time. That is precisely what John the Baptist (lit., John the baptizing one) did by arriving on the scene prior to Jesus.

It was John who said, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mat. 3:11).

“Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him.
14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?’
15 But Jesus answering said to him, ‘Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he permitted Him” (Mat. 3:13-15).

Water baptism overtly demonstrates that one has accepted Christ as LORD and Savior. Yet, John stated that Jesus would baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

A careful examination of Scripture reveals that “Spirit baptism” (i.e., coming to know Jesus Christ as one’s LORD and Savior) is primary. Baptism in water, while not necessary for salvation, is nevertheless the “fulfilling identification of a righteous, spiritual life.”

Accepting Christ as LORD and Savior without baptism in no wise
renders your salvation invalid; however, accepting Jesus Christ and submitting to water baptism is an act of righteous obedience
(cf. Acts 8:36-39). That is why I ask first, “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?” If you have, baptism tells others that you have accepted Him. But, if you have not accepted Him as Savior, baptism in water has no spiritual value at all in your life.
Study the Scriptures! Trust Jesus as your Savior! Then be baptized!

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 2:14-23, “So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON” (Hosea 11:1).
16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the Magi.
17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE” (Jeremiah 31:15).
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said,
20 “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”
21 So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,
23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

One lesson for us all comes from what the Magi unintentionally revealed to Herod when they said of the Young Child, “We have come to worship Him.” The Magi had no idea that Herod would seek to kill the Christ-child. In the same way, we never know who will use for evil information we innocently offer in the presence of others. Be extremely careful of what you say, especially in the presence of those who are unknown to you! Satan works furiously against us all!

Some Grands Letter readers will remember the commercial where the woman warningly said, “It’s not nice to fool mother nature!” Well, it was less than nice to have fooled King Herod. He was furious! –so much so in fact, that he ordered the slaying of all baby boys, who had been newly-born while under his jurisdiction. Exactly how many male babies were slain by Herod is not known; however, scholars believe the number to be somewhere around 20 or less.

There was no easy communication in New Testament days. How was Joseph to know when –or even whether—he was to return to Israel with his young family? Yet, the LORD had provided an angel, who appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him that Herod was dead, and he and his family could then safely return to Israel.

Another “guidepost” reminds us that we are not forgotten. No matter where we are, or what our circumstances, we are within the area of Divine Communication. The LORD never loses sight of His own! We were saved for His glory! So, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Let this season of the year magnify and glorify our LORD Jesus Christ! “There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus; no, not one.”

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