The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 11:22-26, “…there were some… 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.”

What exactly is a “Christian”? According to the history of the word itself, a Christian is a true and devoted follower of the LORD Jesus Christ. Early Christians simply referred to themselves as “Disciples.” Over time, the designation “Christian” weakened, so that today, unfortunately, virtually anyone who is not thoroughly pagan and/or embraces a spiritual affiliation of any kind is called by the name “Christian.”

From a true biblical perspective, however, a Christian is one who has personally renounced all non-Christian beliefs, confessed to God all personal sin and acknowledges and embraces the LORD Jesus Christ as his resurrected Savior and Lord is a true Christian.

Churches differ widely in their beliefs, often clustering together as denominations, while embracing belief systems that differ from the clear teachings of Scripture.

A biblical Christian, however, is one who has confessed and renounced his sins and all prior beliefs to the risen LORD Jesus Christ and subsequently embraces and practices the clear teachings of Holy Scripture. Salvation, therefore, is not a matter of affiliation with a particular religious denomination or church, but total, personal belief, trust and submission to the LORD Jesus Christ and His teachings in Holy Scripture.

If you are not a Christian by biblical standards, let me urge you to pray and confess your sins to Jesus Christ today and begin to read and study and embrace His Word, the Bible. If you have questions, I will be more than happy to help you to the extent that I am able.

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