The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Romans 8:6-13, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh–
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Throughout all of Scripture, there is a constant battle between the Spirit and the flesh! It commences early in life and continues throughout our human existence. There is so much to see and so much to hear, that the battle rages almost without notice. Yet, it is there!

James says (4:17), “…that which is good became a cause of death for me…It was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good…”

Satan is clever. No doubt about it! He seeks to turn that which is good into that which dishonors the LORD. Yet, in the ultimate outcome, and “because the Spirit “…dwells in you…” we are under obligation…to live according to “the Spirit” –not according to the flesh! It is the flesh that takes us down; it is the Spirit who gives us life –Christ’s life!

The flesh can be defeated! Yet, its defeat comes only when we elect to focus upon the LORD and ignore the flesh. Simon Peter knew the difference when he said,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born
again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable
and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:3-5).

Solomon said, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths
straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).

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,

Romans 8:1-5, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

There’s an interesting old story that says it all. A young schoolteacher had come to the village with the responsibility of instructing the village children. He was a young teacher; yet, he knew there had to be rules in the classroom.

“What rules shall we have?” the teacher asked the young scholars.

“There shall be no lying,” said one. “We must always tell the truth.”
“There shall be no stealing, said another. “Each of us has a right to his own possessions.” And so it went until they had successfully crafted a set of rules.

“Now, what shall be the punishment, should someone break a rule?” the teacher asked. “Is lying more severe than theft –or is it the other way around?” Thus, the class commenced to reason out the rules as to their importance. Further, they assigned punishments accordingly– so many lashes for stealing, so many for
theft, until all the rules had been assigned a specific punishment.

All went well until Billy stole answers to a test by looking at another student’s paper. The agreed upon punishment had already been set at five lashes with a heavy leather strap! This was going to hurt. None of the students wanted Billy to be whipped, but what were they to do? They had established the rules, and Billy had broken one; he had to be punished.

Tears filled Billy’s eyes as he stripped off his shirt and the teacher took hold of the
thick leather strap.

“WAIT!” yelled young George! “Don’t whip Billy! Whip me! Yes, we agreed on the rules, but it was never stated who was to be punished. I want to take Billy’s place!” So George took Billy’s place and suffered for Billy, who broke the rules.

It’s a child-like story that tells how Jesus, who never sinned, too our place on the
cross for the sins we have committed. He took your place! He took my place.
Jesus paid it all.

Jesus paid it all;
All to Him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain;
He washed it white as snow.

Friend, you and I are the sinners. And the wages of sin is death. Yet, Jesus
took our place on the Cross and paid the penalty for our sin! How thankful we
should be that we serve a forgiving Savior! What can we do to say “Thank You”
to Him? We can yield our lives to the One who yielded His Life for us. Have you
done that? There is a day coming when we shall all give an account for our sins.
We can be ready by confessing our sins to Him today!

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 Timothy 4:1-8, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.
6 In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.
7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;
8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

If these verses do not fit the times in which we currently live, nothing does! From what we experience in the news, it could hardly be denied that we are living in the last days. “Preachers,” who have never been called of God, and know nothing of the truth of Holy Scripture, amass congregations of hundreds, whom they convince to deny the truths of God and live unto themselves.

Advocates of truth do exist, but from what one can observe, few are aligning with their encouragement to follow Scripture and embrace its truths. Thus, those who stop long enough to hear and believe, are often swallowed up in the conglomeration that leads to nowhere of value. Confusion reigns, false teachers display the opposite of what little truth they profess to value, and the world races madly toward the fires of Hell!

Timothy cries and shouts the truths of Almighty God! “Have nothing to do with worldly fables” that lead men away from the truth. “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness,” for “godliness is profitable for all things!” Furthermore, “it holds promise for the present life, and also for the life to come.”

Place your faith in the LORD Himself and in His Holy Word! “…search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me…” (Jn. 5:39).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

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,

John 8:28-32, “So Jesus said, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.’
30 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’”

Recently, I witnessed a powerful address that strongly advocated “telling the
truth.” Was it not Mark Twain who said, “Always tell the truth and you don’t have to remember anything”? I can remember giving that advice to a friend, who was summoned to court for petty theft. He told the truth and was exonerated for having committed a crime. Lying only hurts the liar. It always suggests that he is lying and that he has something to hide.

Jesus never lied! Throughout his trials, He exonerated Himself in that He always did what pleased His Father. To the contrary, men resort to lying in the hopeless
effort to exonerate themselves.

Jesus’ example of honesty throughout His life ought to encourage us all not to
lie. His truthful clarity should be our encouragement. Moreover, His truth not only
supported Him; it supports all who are committed to Him by faith.

My dear old grandmother, who was sometimes pushed into revealing something someone had said, used to reply, “I couldn’t say.” Harmless and inoffensive, no one ever knew whether she did or did not know about a particular situation.

Be prepared to always tell the truth. In the long run, you’ll be thankful you did!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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,

John 8:31-36, “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,
‘If you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’
33 They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet
been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, “You will become free?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin
is the slave of sin.
35 “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.
36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

The nations of this world vary considerably with respect to the word “freedom.”
Some countries differ considerably in the meaning of “freedom.” Laws are a true
necessity in every corner of the globe, yet in some places the laws inhibit freedom, while in others, they do not.

What Jesus said to the Jews regarding freedom was that truth produces freedom. “…you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” That the Jews did
not understand is revealed in their reply: “We…have never been enslaved to
anyone.” Oh, but they had!

Jesus said to them that “everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” Have we
committed sin? Assuredly so! Thus, we are slaves to sin. Just try to stop sinning! Breaking a promise not to tell something is sin. It may not be something of a gargantuan nature, but breaking the promise is sin– no doubt about it!

No way around it; but a sure way of forgiveness! That is the Son’s business! “…if
the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” Have you been born-again?
If not, why not? And if you have been born again, are you telling others that they
need to know Christ and be bereft of sinning?

We have a current Speaker of the House who courageously shares his faith in Jesus Christ. Surely, we who share his faith can share his courage.

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