The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Corinthians 16:13-22, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
14 Let all that you do be done in love.
15 Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were
the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints),
16 that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the
work and labors.
17 I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because
they have supplied what was lacking on your part.
18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore. acknowledge such men.
19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord,
with the church that is in their house.
20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 The greeting is in my own hand– Paul.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha.”

My maternal grandmother once told me that if she failed as a child to eat the food
set before her at mealtime, her mother would put her plate with the uneaten food
on a shelf. When the next mealtime came, that cold, uneaten food was placed
before her. She thus learned to value food.

While I am certain that food was valued in centuries prior to our own, Paul valued
spiritual companions highly above food. Simultaneously, he cited the abilities of
each. The LORD has given to each of His children abilities that merge with those
of others, making His entire enterprise worthwhile.

When I was quite young, playing with my cousins took precedent over food. We
had so much fun, that food was simply not in our thinking. Paul was like that. Doing
what the LORD directed him to do was his most vital undertaking. People were important to Paul. Those who were believers needed to be encouraged in the faith. Those who had yet to trust in Jesus as their LORD and Savior needed to be
reached with the Gospel.

Think of it like this: you are the vital interest of the LORD God! If you’ve never
been saved, He is vitally interested in you! If you have been saved, He is vitally
interested in developing you as a disciple; then He will enable you to witness
to others.

Where are you in your relationship with the LORD? Do you know Him? If you do,
He has a purpose for you. If you don’t know Him, He still loves you and wants you
to be one of His children. My prayer is that you will quickly find your place with Him.
Your only regret will be that you waited so long.

Maranatha,

(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,

Colossians 3:12-17, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Have you ever personally evaluated the things mentioned in the verses above? Read again slowly verses 12 and 13 and the qualities the Apostle Paul sets before us as basic to the Christian life. Just ask yourself if the above-mentioned qualities are an integral part of your life. There are 10 separate categories mentioned in these verses;
yet the quality of love encompasses them all.

When these qualities are applied in our lives regularly (daily), they produce the peace
that resides in the heart of Christ Jesus Himself. Worry and the agonizing frustrations
of life are then smothered by His peace! The ultimate result is wisdom, which produces
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, each of which is the product of our thankfulness.

How does your life measure up to these Biblical Christian standards? If your’s is like
mine, we both have some work to do. Yes, we are enabled spiritually to give thanks
to the LORD. More than likely, however, the fulness of these qualities will await our
eternal residency in Heaven; for it is there that we will join with the millions in eternal
praise focused on all that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have done for and through
us. May our praise – ever and always — be to the LORD! Maranatha!

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,

Colossians 3:1-10, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep
seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed
with Him in glory.
5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the
sons of disobedience,
7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and
abusive speech from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil
practices,
10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge
according to the image of the One who created him…”

Were you ever asked a question regarding a complicated situation? If so,
you will be excited to know that neither the question nor the answer to it
are at all complicated.

The Apostle Paul believes that the Colossians to whom he is writing, have
indeed been born again in Christ Jesus. Yet, the New Birth in Christ is not
entirely what it’s all about. I have a great-grandson, who was born on my
birthday! Yet, there’s far more to him than simply being born. He is maturing
as his family desires. And so it is with Paul and the Colossians.

Maturing into adulthood is spiritual, just as it’s physical and mental. When
we come to know Christ through the new birth, we want to know more of
Him and be more like Him. Furthermore, that’s precisely what He wants, too!
But, how do we do that?

First, we keep our eyes on Jesus and all things spiritual. That includes the
people with whom we associate, the things we watch and/or read –and the
list goes on. More specifically, it includes the BIBLE! No doctor learns about
medicines by playing with dogs in his back yard! He reads books about
medicine! He talks with other doctors. He asks them questions. His focus is
on one thing: learning about the skill he wants to sharpen. The Bible contains
everything we need to be the kind of Christians the LORD wants us to be!

But, what about someone who doesn’t know Jesus? How does he learn about
Him? He learns in the same way others have learned: he first trusts Jesus to
be his Savior and Lord. Salvation is more than just attending church or even
more than just reading the Bible. It’s giving your heart and life to Jesus Christ.
After that, you “feed” on the Scriptures and things spiritual in nature.

Christianity is more than going to church –any church! Of course, it involves
that, once you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. But just
going to church or even joining a church does not make you a Christian.
Becoming a Christian is giving your life totally and completely to God! Then,
You go to church where Christ is preached and you learn more and more of
Him.

We like to think of our children and grandchildren looking like us, don’t we?
Well, Christ Jesus wants us to look like Him! Our kids and grands look like
us because they were born in our families! When we are born-again in
Christ, we begin to look like Him! Do you look like Jesus? Do I? We can,
you know.

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 14:26-31; 15:1-2, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your
hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians,
over their chariots and their horsemen.’
27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its
normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the
LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even
Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of
them remained.
29 But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and
the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and
Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
31 When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the
Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and
in His servant Moses.”

It’s one thing to have fear lifted and erased, but when there is a reversal of that
lifting and the fear returns, then what do we do? There’s hardly anything that we
find in the Bible, but that there is a likeness to our own life experiences.

Moses had led the Israelite nation out of Egypt, but Israel seemed to be cornered
when they discovered that the Egyptian army was racing furiously to capture them.
Things then got wrose when they were caught between the Egyptian army and
the Red Sea. Under the LORD’s leadership and power, Moses parted the waters
and ordered the Israelites to march forward on a dry sea bed. Yet, the LORD’s
instructions to Moses said nothing about the Egyptian forces that bore down upon
them.

Yet, the One who rules the seas was not asleep. As the Egyptians forged ahead,
determined to capture the Israelites, the LORD ordered the waters to close upon
the Egyptians, leaving Israel on the safe side of the Jordan River and the Egyptians
drowned and at the bottom of the Sea!

Would something as miraculous as this frighten you, if you were to observe it?
Would it then cause you to forever listen and observe the LORD’s directives?
Is the LORD continuing to perform miracles, or are we simply oblivious to His
miraculous doings? Or have we become so “comfortable” with the LORD’s miracles
that we’ve failed to notice what He performs on our behalf? Hopefully, our response
would be what it was for Moses—

“Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD,
and said, ‘I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The
horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
2 ‘The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my
salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God,
and I will extol Him’” (Ex. 15:1-2).

Are you facing a crisis just now? Or are you anticipating a crisis that will certainly
affect you and your loved ones? Just turn quickly to the LORD. Lay your burden
before Him and leave it trustingly in His care. He will carry you through.

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,

Revelation 22:10-17, “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of
this book, for the time is near.
11 ‘Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy;
and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy,
still keep himself holy.’
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man
according to what he has done.
13 ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree
of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers
and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
16 ‘I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the
root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’
17 The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And
let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”

In a previous Letter published on this page, I acknowledged that I was 18 years old before I was clearly introduced to the Biblical Doctrine of Eschatology –the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Revelation is a precious book, but often ignored, as if it were too precious to be mined for the invaluable jewels it contains.

Candidly stated, we do not need the Revelation to confirm the evil that permeates life on this globe we call “Earth.” We need it to convince us of the glory that pervades eternity for those who accept Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior. Unquestionably, evil will continue to increase as it increases in intensity! Sins that were once clothed in secrecy are today openly hailed by their perpetrators.

Yet, in the midst of increasing decadence, the LORD praises those who have kept
themselves holy. Simultaneously, He announces His Coming as tachu, “quickly!” Yet,
there remain those mockers, who ask, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:4), as they continue to belittle Him and ignore His admonitions.

Yet, “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this will he also reap”; and “the
one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption (Gal.6:7-8).

Jesus is coming! Get ready! Clean up your act by trusting Him as your LORD and
Savior. Don’t be left behind!

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