The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Nehemiah 5:1-8, “Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.
2 For there were those who said, ‘We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live.’
3 There were others who said, ‘We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine.’
4 Also there were those who said, ‘We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards.
5 Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.’
6 Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words.
7 I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, ‘You are exacting usury, each from his brother!’ Therefore, I held a great assembly against them.
8 I said to them, ‘We, according to our ability, have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?’ Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.”

When people –especially, the LORD’s people—are in trouble, it is usually due to their failure to obey the LORD. From the earliest biblical prophecies, the Jews were intended to be free. Yet, when they sinned, the LORD allowed them to suffer until they repented of their sin.

That is true of born-again people living life today. The little phrase, “You can’t do wrong and get by,” is operative in every people, in every nation, in every century! It’s even true of the Church. Christian people are not “Christ-like” because they’re better than other people; they’re simply better in God’s sight when they are Christ-like!

We’re living in an extremely difficult time! Our “foes” are both outside and inside the Christian faith. The spiritual demise of so many pastors demonstrates the seriousness of our times. I used to read the “Christian Post”; now, I simply scan it for pieces that don’t elaborate on the multiple sexual sins of mega-church pastors! What on earth have we come to?

“…behold, the wicked bend the bow,
They make ready their arrow upon the string
To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed, what can
the righteous do?” (Psa. 11:2-3).

It is only my view; however, we have the entirety of Holy Scripture; therefore, we are more culpable than any Old or New Testament saint. It is indeed time for true revival within the 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,

1 Thessalonians 5:18-24, “…in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit;
20 do not despise prophetic utterances.
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22 abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body
be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

Have you ever had a problem giving thanks for something you didn’t want, despite the fact that it was clearly the will of the LORD for your life? Do any of the problems you face relate to the words “always” or “never”?

The things we face are often the LORD’s tests of our trust. Are you ever guilty of knowing the LORD’s will, but continue to resist the Spirit’s leadership in some specific matters or areas?

Do you ever treat with “a smidgen of contempt” the directives the LORD gives you even when they are clearly spelled out in the Scriptures? Do you examine “carefully” everything you’re biblically instructed to do, or do you decide some things for yourself?

Are you abstaining from everything that is “evil,” even when other believers are involved in participation? Are you seeking to lead others away from questionable activities and urging them to follow the LORD?

Do your thoughts build up your Christian life and bring glory to the LORD? If they don’t help you, how will they help others?

Yes, being a true believer in Jesus Christ is costly! Still, the cost will be more than worth it all, when we see Jesus!

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 Thessalonians 5:14-23, “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.
16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit;
20 do not despise prophetic utterances.
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22 abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Have you ever read more exciting thoughts than the ones set forth for you in the above Scripture? I doubt that you have. I even doubt that you could. There is an urgency in Paul as he writes to the Christians at Thessalonica. Admonish… encourage…help, and be patient with everyone.

Were Paul writing today, it is doubtful that he would change anything, including the order (…admonish…encourage…help, etc.). His temperament, however, is as justified as it is necessary. Parents will understand this. Unruly children (of all ages) will eventually surrender to it.

We are not to stifle the urgencies of the Holy Spirit in our lives! Oh, how often we fall prey to what we want or don’t want instead of yielding to the cry of the Spirit. He
calls us to do what we don’t normally do, and to desist from the things we normally embrace.

In Paul’s concluding verse above (v. 23), he admonishes us as if he were immersing us in the fullness of God’s peace. “Spirit and soul and body” covers everything; and our submission to the LORD will indeed be our preservation if we “hold fast to that which is good” (v. 21).

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,

Jeremiah 7:1-7, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 “Stand in the gate of the LORD’S house and proclaim there this word and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the LORD!'”
3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place.
4 “Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’
5 “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor,
6 if you do not oppress the aliens, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin,
7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.”

It’s exciting to know that the LORD is greatly concerned about how we live! It is necessary, too, that He direct how we live! “Stand…proclaim” are His words to the Church. Yet, there’s far more to standing and proclaiming than we know. We must first graduate into His likeness!

Would you be less likely to honor the word of a policeman if you noticed that his entire demeanor (clothing, weapons, et al) were lacking the concise decorum that was specified by his department? Certainly, such absences would affect you.

Such is the same with those who proclaim affinity with Jesus Christ. It’s easy for one to say that he knows Jesus; it’s far more difficult to prove it by how the man or woman speaks and generally behaves.

Each of us, who claims to know Jesus and to be one of His followers, is required by Him to be what we profess. If every aspect that is externally viewable is in order, others are far more likely to believe our profession of being a Christian. Our words, our humor, our spiritual demenor –all combine to depict who we really are!

If you are a representative of a work-related endeavor, and behave as such, you will be a credit to that work. True Christians are intended to be a credit to Jesus Christ! How we behave in every aspect of life demonstrates who’s we are! May we ever and always demonstrate a Christ-like demeanor because what we say and how we behave reveals our true identity!

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 2:1-7, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

In these seven short verses, the Apostle Paul speaks of the reality for each of our lives. Initially, we were spiritually dead when we were born. That’s why the Scripture tells us that “we must be born again” (John 3:3, 7; I Peter 1:3, 23). No one is automatically a Christian. I once knew an elderly woman who believed she was a Christian because her parents were Christians. I often wondered if her parents had been truly born again spiritually.

I never knew the woman’s parents, so I cannot speak to whether they understood God’s plan of salvation. My parents were both Christians, but I came to understand that I was not and needed to be born again spiritually.

My assessment is (and I am not the only subscriber) that hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and committing one’s self to Him as the Savior constitutes “being a Christian.” Some of the finest Christians in all of history belonged to a different church than I. Some viewed baptism in a different way than I.

The Bible teaches that at some point in life we reach an “age of accountability.” We learn from Scripture that Jesus is God and that He lived the life that God the Father wished Him to live. Ultimately, Jesus went to the Cross, giving His Life for the sins of mankind. Some come to believe in Him and have their lives transformed. They are afterwards called “Christians.”

Everyone needs to commit his or her life to Jesus Christ. When we make that commitment, He forgives our sins and we become “new creatures in Christ Jesus.” That is the most vital aspect of it all. Thereafter, we should acknowledge Him in water baptism and church membership. We should study His Word and pray for understanding. It’s truly a conversion!
Everything is new! And part of that “everything” is the knowledge that True Life has just begun.

Yes, there are skeptics. But some of the finest Christians ever started out being skeptics.
What have you got to lose? I’ve been there and done that and am always ready to say that
I know Him, and one day I will live with Him in the glories of Eternity! You can only lose what you have never tried.

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