The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 4:11-14, “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”

Simon Peter is often criticized in the Scriptures for saying thing out of place. He was often
criticized by the LORD Himself for speaking out of turn or saying things that were not in accord
with the Scriptures.

At the same time, the old rough and ready fisherman, said and did some things that were both
to his credit and enabling to believers centuries after his passing. Oh, that that might be said of
us as well!

In the above passage, we are encouraged to live and serve to the glory of God! Our profession
of knowing Jesus Christ ought always to match with the way we live. Jesus suffered; therefore, it should be no surprise to us that we are also called upon to suffer! At the same time, Peter notes
that we should rejoice for the privilege of suffering. Yet, most of the time, we complain by asking,
“Why are we suffering?” We ought to view suffering as a privilege when it‘s for His Name!

Most of us probably have difficulty understanding how Peter could say that we are blessed through suffering. Yet, we should know that the Spirit of glory and of God always rests on us.

When Rose Marie and I encountered difficulties in life, she always responded by singing:

Cheer up, ye saints of God! There’s nothing to worry about;
Nothing to make you feel afraid; nothing to make you doubt;
Remember Jesus never fails, so why not trust Him and shout?
You’ll be sorry you worried at all tomorrow morning.”

He never failed us, regardless of how difficult the situation appeared!
(Thank you, Sweetheart!)

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 17:8-13, “8 Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.
9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow
I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
10 Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur
went up to the top of the hill.
11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his
hand down, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on
it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his
hands were steady until the sun set.
13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

As of the timing of this writing, Iran (ancient Persia) is relentlessly bombing Israel. Warfare is quite different today than it was in Joshua’s day. Israel is the name the LORD gave to Jacob in Genesis 32:28: “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel…”

Amelek had a long history of waring against Israel (Exodus 17). Now Iran appears to have followed in Amelek’s footsteps. Yet, the LORD’s Word to Moses was:

“Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I
will utterly blot out the memory of Amelek from under heaven.
Moses built an altar and named it ‘The LORD is My Banner,’ and
he said, ‘The LORD has sworn, the LORD will have war against
Amalek from generation to generation’” (Exodus 17:14-15).

We, who know the LORD Jesus Christ, will do well to prayerfully remember Israel in these fearful days of her warfare. While Christians everywhere should pray for Israel,
we should remember that from the LORD’s perspective, this warfare exists to bring Israel into an acceptance of Jesus as her LORD and Savior.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you.
7 “May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.”
8 For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, ‘May peace
be within you.’
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good”
(Ps. 122:6-9).

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 4:1-4, “As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.
4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

Have you ever encountered hatred when you were affirming something in which you
genuinely believed? I distinctly remember someone saying, “Why don’t you just shut
up?” My response was: “I cannot stop affirming what I sincerely believe.”

The disciples of our Scripture above, however, were facing a more delicate situation. The municipal authorities were commanding their silence! In fact, they implemented
physical force along with their verbal command. We’re moving rapidly toward that same
kind of authoritarianism. What are we to do if and when we encounter authorities telling
us to “Shut Up”?

To begin with we need to know our “rights” in such a situation. We need to be respectful
toward those who would silence us. We need to remember that they are doing what
they believe is their legally authorised responsibility. We need to demonstrate that we
are unshaken by their orders, inasmuch as our beliefs and orders are from the LORD.

Ultimately, the outspoken disciples were jailed; and on the next day, they were questioned by those who were ostensibly in authority. But, the disciples maintained
their rightful position – a position that won over the interrogators, who “began to
recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

Standing up for spiritual, biblical truth is not always easy. Municipal authorities are not
always Christians themselves. Often times, they are not. Still, the Authority who sends us forth to stand up for His Name abides within us. Ultimately, we will know and witness the power of His Name.

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 4:27-31, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
29 “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,
30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”

Recently, I witnessed the testimony of two young Iranian women, who had suffered
enormously at the hands of their own countrymen because they dared to speak out on behalf of the name of their Savior, the LORD Jesus Christ.

Their testimony and faithful stand for Jesus Christ was a virtual blueprint of early Christians in the Book of Acts! As I mused upon the courage of these girls, I was
reminded of the question:

“If you or I were arrested for being a Christian,
would there be enough evidence to convict us?”

Time and again these faithful ladies were ordered to cease and desist in their witness of their Christian faith. “Iran,” they were told, “is an Islamic nation!” And time and again they simply replied, “We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

We Christians, who live somewhat luxuriously in a free speech nation, have no idea
what believers in non-Christian nations are forced to endure. If we were a bit more outspoken regarding our faith in the LORD Jesus Christ, we would come to understand the trials and tribulations of believers elsewhere in our world.

Perhaps we would do well to recognize the faithfulness of our Jewish friends. No, they are not committed to Jesus Christ; but under great pressure, they are standing firmly for
Judaism! May God help us to be faithful as true Christian believers!

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,

Ezra 9:8, “But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that
our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage.”

This small verse in the book of Ezra speaks quite loudly to our Western Civilization.

Ezra was indeed a man of prayer. The Jewish people of his day had sinned grossly, and Ezra was faithfully praying for them. In the midst of his spiritual solicitation of the LORD’s mercy, he voiced the words of our verse for today.

The LORD is faithful and gracious; despite the sins of His people, He loves them. In the midst of Ezra’s prayer, he sees a brief moment wherein the LORD extends grace to His people. He then further notes that the LORD has given “us a peg in His holy place.” What does that mean?

In the Hebrew language, we learn that vowel points in the Hebrew words can have various meanings. “Peg,” for instance, can mean a nail, a pin, a spade, or a paddle.
In metaphorical terms, it can mean a “prince” or “head of state,” seeing that the government is “pinned” to him. Interestingly, too, is the fact that the prince is often described in Scripture as “the corner stone,” a designation applied exclusively to the
LORD Jesus Christ.

The teaching, therefore, is that God enables the eyes of His people to be enlightened, when they trust in Him, and He grants them “a little reviving in the midst of their bondage.” It would seem that this is precisely what our entire Western Civilization needs as this pandemic swirls madly about us.

In Ezra’s day, the LORD’s people were the Jews. They are still in His focus, as is evident from His reestablishment of the nation of Israel in 1948. Subsequent to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, however, His people are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles, each of whom has personally trusted in Him as their LORD and Savior. It is, thus, for us as Christians to pray for His grace and share His Good News with all who do not know Him. Stay in the Word! Don’t neglect to pray! And God will bless you abundantly! It is His solemn promise!

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