The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

II Timothy 4:13-18, “When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.
16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.
17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

I was conducting an evangelistic meeting in a church in Virginia. I had said to the audience that the mention of Jesus will often produce an objection from those who do not know Him. I then cited someone by name, illustrating a real life situation.

The meeting had hardly closed when I was approached by someone with a very serious objection to my openly mentioning the name of a person. Immediately, the LORD put Alexander in my mind, and I defended my open usage of the person’s name based on Paul’s citing
of Alexander the coppersmith, who did him much harm.

All of that being what it was, we are to be on guard against those who oppose the message of Jesus Christ. The more vigorous the opposition, the graver the sin in the life of the objector. Still, the LORD will support us in our opposition to sin, if we contend with others in the spirit of love, and the hope of His forgiveness.

When Paul says, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed…,” he was pointing again to the evil deed of Alexander the coppersmith –not to some evil deed that had been committed by the apostle himself. If we live as closely to Christ as did the Apostle Paul, He will deliver us from opposition, also. Don’t be afraid! Seek an “opening” in your conversation with others—an opening for the introduction of Christ to those who need Him. And with regard to that, we all need Him, even those who deny His very existence.

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