The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Galatians 1:3-8, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”

The Apostle Paul sets the standard for all believers with this address to the Galatian Church: “Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…” Of course, this was the general greeting of believers to believers in the early centuries of the Church.

Paul commences by speaking forthrightly to the Galatian Churches. The Galatians were originally a rough and rowdy crowd who had burst into the southern region bearing no standard of living, even closely resembling that of those upon whom they encroached. Paul had known them previously; therefore, he speaks to them as the wild bunch they basically were.

We have to be careful in our approach to others. I have often sought to “size up” those to whom I was speaking prior to sharing the Gospel with them. People are not always where we are; therefore, it is to the advantage of what we’re going to say that we evaluate them as best we can.

Teachers in school make it a habit to know something of the homes from which their pupils come. In this way, they do not say things that would offend a child. At the same time, when instructions for behavior in the classroom have been given, that more easily becomes the “platform” from which the teacher speaks.

All of that is to say that Paul was eminently justified in chastising this church. The people had allowed someone to mislead them. They were indeed a church of Paul’s founding; therefore, he possessed the right to scold them for deserting the Gospel he had given them.

There are multitudinous “gospels” being preached today. They are on radio, television, and in places where hundreds of people gather on the LORD’s Day. Many of these gatherings seek more from their constituents than they give in return. I can only urge you to find a church where the Bible is preached and Jesus is uplifted –a church that looks to give instead of receive. For the church that uplifts Jesus and stays close to the Scriptures will be the church that is caring for those who are in need of Him.

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