The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 11:20-26, “…there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.
22 The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch.
23 Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;
24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.
25 And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul;
26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

I want to ask some strange and meaningful questions. Do you know how many times the word “give” is mentioned in the Bible? Would you believe it is in excess of 2300 times? That’s true. Would you hazzard a guess as to how many definitions there are to the word “give”? It is in excess of 30– thirty different definitions of the four-letter word “give.” Don’t get excited! I’m not going to list them for you or ask you to look them up. But, I will admit that I was shocked that there were that many different definitions to that little four letter word, g-i-v-e.

Now, let me ask if you know how many different definitions there are for the word “Christian.” Personally, I have no idea. To some. it depends upon whom you ask. Some people will say that a Christian is someone who isn’t a Jew. Others will say that it depends upon whether you attend or joined a “Christian” church, or whether you believe the Bible or whether you consciously omit from your life some of the things that do not honor or depict Jesus, the Founder of the Christian faith. There are a lot of varying ideas, aren’t there?

Well, the truthful answer to “what a ‘Christian’ is” comes to us from the Bible –especially, the New Testament. A Christian is an ordinary person of any ethnic background, who has learned from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Son of God, and has believed and trusted Him to forgive his sin. That’s the guarantee of Eternal life, as described in the Scriptures. Does that definition fit you? If it does, you can praise thd LORD.

But, if that definition doesn’t fit you, you need to do something about it. Does confessing your sin and accepting Jesus sound like a good solution? It had better, because there is no other person or way to embrace that guarantee. And when you do trust Jesus, you will be called “Christian”; and your life and testimony will begin to show others that the true and only way is in Jesus. God bless 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