The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Isaiah 59:1-4, “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and speak lies; they conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.”

Have you ever known someone, who was strenuously advised not to do something, yet got into serious trouble because he did it anyway? Maybe he possessed a know-ledge of God, but thought somehow he would get away with it, despite knowing that he would be in violation of the principles of God.

Isaiah clearly knows and attests that sin always separates the sinner from God. Yet, the LORD is always aware of sinful deeds and those who perpetrate them. The more one sins, the greater the wedge between that sinner and the LORD!

The Apostle Paul advises his readers in words that balance those of Isaiah, when he
says, “…do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an
opportunity” (Eph. 4:26). In other words, keep short accounts. Confess sin as quickly as possible. To delay confession is to forget confession, thus allowing sin to “pile up,” as it were, against you. Neglect leads to forgetfulness. That’s why we need to keep “short accounts” with the LORD.

If you’ve ever been associated with law enforcement, you know that crime is never “off the books,” regardless of its severity. It may be there and unsolved for years; but it is not “erased” until the penalty has been satisfactorily paid. So it is with the LORD.

At the same time, sin in our lives represses our witness for the LORD! We sense the need to share Him when we remember our sin, lose confidence, and lay aside the witnessing. Therefore, “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32).

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,

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

Dear Grands,

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”

If someone you and I knew suddenly died, and I were to tell you that I saw him alive
and walking the streets where we live, would you believe me? Probably not. Your
disbelief, however, would not negate my affirmation, would it? Absolutely not!

This was precisely the Apostle Paul’s situation with the Corinthians. To them, death meant death. They had never experienced the dead coming to life; thus, it was virtually impossilbe for them to believe that life after death had occurred with Jesus.

With Paul, however, it was real! He had met with the Risen Christ back on the Road to Damascus (Acts 9). Furthermore, his life had been so remarkably changed that those who had known him prior to that Damascus Road experience had no little difficulty themselves believing it to be true.

All of us, however, know or have known, someone whose life has been drastically
changed from a vile, filthy, atrocious individual to one of love and affection, such that it was as if he or she had become a totally different person, language, dress, attitude, speech –everything having been changed!

Wherever you are, whatever your current behavior, you can be different! Jesus Christ
has given new life to multitudes of previously vile sinners. He can change you! In fact, He wants to change you! “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31). And if you have already experienced salvation in Jesus, you
can share Him with others. What a blessed life He has given us! Praise His Name!

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 4:25-32, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.
26 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.
28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

One of the earliest things a child learns to say is “No!” Selfishness reigns and angry words find their way out of the mouths of all children. Learning to be selfless and putting away angry words is, perhaps, the most difficult of the early lessons.

“I want it!” the child cries. “No, it’s my time to have it,” the other child says. Now, the lady in charge encourages the selfish child to relinquish his grip on the toy. No one can deny the child from wanting the toy, as that is the natural attiude of a sinful and selfish heart. But, the lady in charge knows that life itself demands a timely relinquishment or everything that one holds.

Angry words often follow, when a person is denied his will. The words and angry looks are always a grievance to the Holy Spirit. Anger often becomes bitter and “wrath and anger and clamor and slander” must cease. Such attitudes are wrong and displeasing to the LORD.

Kindness is the warm attitude of the Holy Spirit, and forgiveness is (or ought to be) the way of every born-again soul. Regardless of your current age, do you more resemble the LORD Jesus or one who does not know Him? Search your life thoroughly! Search it honestly. If you’ve never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He is what is missing in your life. When you come to know Him, the kindness He has shown you and the forgiveness He has shown to you, will become what you will wish to show others. Trust me, it’s true!

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,

Esther 1:2-8, “In those days as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne which was at the citadel in Susa,
3 in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his princes and attendants, the army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of his provinces being in his presence.
4 And he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.
5 When these days were completed, the king gave a banquet lasting seven days for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.
6 There were hangings of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones.
7 Drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful according to the king’s bounty.
8 The drinking was done according to the law, there was no compulsion, for so the king had given orders to each official of his household that he should do according to the desires of each person.”

There’s a saying that states, “If you’re going to do it, do it in style!” Whether King Ahasuerus was familiar with that saying, I do not know. Yet, his lavish arrangements,
including this banquet, was certainly in line with that saying.

What’s more, the food was luscious and plentiful. The drinking of the royal wine was also plentiful, although it was done “according to the desies of each person.” No one was compelled to drink, or presumably, limited. It was left to a man’s own desire.

There’s another old saying that goes: “Man takes a drink; drink takes a drink; then drink takes the man.” That’s more than an old saying, that’s the truth! And from that
point onward, man becomes the victim of what Billy Sunday used to call “booze.”

Today, we have too many people adhearing only to “laws” of their own making. And when they then become inebriated, they engage in activities that lessen a good life for themselves, and for others.

Do you live your life with a consideration for others? Or do you think others should with a consideration for you? Having “no compulsion” to abstain should not ever be viewed as a “free-for-all” for anyone. “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” You’ll feel better yourself, and the crowd around you will grow!

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