The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 5:15-20, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

I won’t ask if you’re at all careful about “how you walk.” Three years ago, I wasn’t paying attention
to how I walked and fell! I will spare you the pictures, but I went through several tests, spending the night in hospital. I won’t say it wasn’t “fruitful,” as I had opportunity to witness, but falling is not encouraged.

The word “walk” in our verses above, however, is better translated “live,” since the apostle Paul goes on to say “making the most of your time,” as the days in which we live are evil. We shouldn’t spend too much time here, as few if any readers of this “letter” would contest the reality of evil in our world today.

Paul’s challenge is negative toward wine, but positive toward the Holy Spirit. It’s imperative that we understand “wine” to have been mixed with water in those days. Nevertheless, some were more “generous” with the wine than they were with the water!

Believers are soundly disscouraged from excessive wine consumption, but positively encouraged to be “filled” (i.e., controlled) by the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit controls us, we enjoy speaking to one another “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…making melody (at all times) to the LORD.”
My dear old grandmother used to go about her work singing a hymn to the LORD. Notice that the attached singing that Paul encouraged was the singer’s heartfelt thanks to the LORD! Everything good comes from Him, and everything good accrues to His favor and glory. Think about this the next time you sing a hymn in church.

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,

Genesis 22:1-5, “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’
2 He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.
5 Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.’”

How many times did it take you to become obedient? Obedient to whom? Well, your parents, your grandparents, your uncles, your aunts, your teachers… you know! How many times?

Quite honestly, had you known this was a test, you might have minded them sooner. Abraham, however, did not have the luxury of knowing what God ultimately intended. He only knew what God had told him –and that wasn’t much. In fact, the word “worship” is mentioned only once in our passage above (v. 5). Moreover, the LORD had previously told Abraham nothing other than his son was to be offered as a sacrifice. Wow!

Still, Abraham’s faith was enormously strong. Look at his words to the young men who accompanied them: “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there, and we will worship and return to you.” The word “worship” is mentioned 183 times from Genesis to Revelation; but what does “worship” mean?

We say, “We’re going to worship this morning,” but what does that entail? Do we really worship? The word “worship” is a Hebrew word meaning “bowing down.” Easton’s Bible Dictionary goes further by saying that it is “homage rendered to God, which it is sinful (idolatry) to render to any created being.” It was a homage that Peter refused back in Acts 10:25-26 and Revelation 22:8-9.

Interestingly, it is a “reverence” afforded to Almighty God –a reverence that esists mostly in churches many would not consider as evangelical. From a practical-theological viewpoint, things have become twisted in our day. Some pastors of yester-year used to kneel and bow at their pulpits prior to bringing God’s message to their congregations. The singing of hymns may also be considered “worship,” provided that they are sung humbly to the LORD.

Closing one’s eyes in prayer is also worshipful, provided it is for the right reason. As a boy, I can remember asking my dad why he closed his eyes when prayer was being offered. He said it was to shut out everything that would take his mind off of the LORD! That’s a habit I have continued to use throughout my lifetime.

Join with me in bowing with closed eyes when you pray. Shut out what ought to be, and learn to worship the LORD in true, spiritual, worshipful music and prayer.

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 10:34-43, “We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.
40 “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible,
41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
42 “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,
35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
36 “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)–
37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.
38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

The message of the Apostle Peter in these ancient verses above is as applicable to us as it was to those to whom it was first delivered. The problem we face is not due to the absence of the Message; rather, it is the failure to apply it fully in our worship of the LORD Jesus Christ.

This past week I witnessed on television a “high profile” person being asked if he knew our LORD Jesus Christ. It was evident from his response that “Christianity” meant to him virtually any church that loosely claims Jesus as its founder. Nothing personal was stated by the individual. The young girl who was conducting the interview seemed to know clearly what “trusting Jesus” really meant. Her final question was as clear as anyone could have wished. The interviewee’s response was simply all too generic. How sad.

May we who know the LORD Jesus live and speak so clearly that no one will fail to notice a clear difference in our lives.

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 Samuel 8:10-21, “So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people
who had asked of him a king.
11 He said, ‘This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he
will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his
horsemen and they will run before his chariots.
12 ’He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and
some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of
war and equipment for his chariots.
13 ‘He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers.
14 ‘He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive
groves and give them to his servants.
15 ‘He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his
officers and to his servants.
16 ‘He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your
best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work.
17 ‘He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his
servants.
18 ‘Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have
chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.’
19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they
said, ‘No, but there shall be a king over us,
20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go
out before us and fight our battles.’
21 Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated
them in the LORD’S hearing.”

Do “godly people” always behave in a godly manner? Do they always listen to
the LORD or to the leaders He provides to guide them with wisdom?
Does He, nevertheless, always deliver them our of dangerous situations?
The passage before us says, “No!” Of course, they don’t!

Let’s be honest; do we always behave in the manner that is pleasing to the
LORD? I’ll let the finger point to me and indicate “No.” To be thoroughly honest,
I never intentionally leave the worship service at church with an attitude or
thought that defies what I’ve heard from the LORD’s messenger. Absolutely
not! Never!

At the same time, I often fail ultimately to respond in the way that would please
both the messenger and the LORD. Of course, my failure is not intentional. I
don’t listen to the pastor with an attitude that’s pre-determined to just do
whatever I want! Of course not! Nor do I believe that most parishioners have
that attitude, either.

But, intentionality is not all there is to it. Verse 19 says, “…the people refused
to listen to the voice of Samuel…” They said, “No, we want to be like all the
nations, that our king may…go out before us and fight our battles.’” Well, that’s
some attitude! Freedom comes at a considerable cost. Reliance on the LORD
as our Leader is one thing; being unwilling to follow His lead is quite another.

There’s a little rhyme that seems appropriate right here. It says,

“Ours is not to reason why;
Ours is but to do or die” (Tennyson)

Confidence in the LORD is confidence in His leadership. Follow Him, and know
that you will come to a good end. Failure to follow Him, and– well, you’re on
your own! And once of that should be enough –even for the most stubborn
among us.

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,

Psalm 11:1-7, “In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain?’
2 For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
4 The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain snares; fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
7 For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.”

Have you ever seriously contemplated that we are currently “at war”? Well, we are! What’s more, as long as we live, we will be. Consider that most of the world’s population is “anti-Christian,” and much of what we call “Christian” is like faded glory.

The Church-at-large has virtually abandoned much of what it was intended to be. Many have become mere rallying places that gives their congregations a “secular high” once a week. I wrote recently commending our three pastors who are in charge of the spiritual leadership of our church. Thank the LORD that they and we have maintained our spiritual calling.

We must remember that the church is simply comprised of ordinary people. Outside of any church, I’m certain there are numerous personal disagreements. What a problem the parking lot would be if every car were same color –or even the same make and model! Just imagine! People are different, too. They vary in many ways. Jesus, however, is the Supreme One who brings us all together. He is always the same.

A good salad is good because of its varying ingredients. To a degree, so is the church.
We cannot all be the same; but we must all together be focused on the LORD Jesus Christ! He alone is our Supreme Leader. We must always trust and follow Him as He leads us.

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