The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Judges 6:11-19, “Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites.
12 The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.’
13 Then Gideon said to him, ‘O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, “Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?” But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.’
14 The LORD looked at him and said, ‘Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?’
15 He said to Him, ‘O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.’
16 But the LORD said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.’
17 So Gideon said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me.
18 “Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.’ And He said, ‘I will remain until you return.’
19 Then Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them.”

Don’t you just hate it when you’re in the midst of something and have it interrupted by something else? At that point, you don’t know whether what you had intended to present will be sufficient or
not! Undoubtedly, this thought was in the fore of Gideon’s mind. He knew it was the LORD, and to his credit, he did not seek to avoid the LORD or His plan for Gideon’s own life.

Knowing that it was necessary to present an offering to the LORD, and being fearful that the LORD would depart before he could prepare and present it, Gideon asked the Angel of the LORD to remain until he could prepare a proper offering.

When we are moved by the Holy Spirit to do what the LORD specifies, we want to do it properly.
We also need have no fear that the Spirit will leave or alter His plans before the preparations are complete. All we need is to follow the procedures He has previously given us. In Gideon’s case, the LORD had prepared him thoroughly.

Is there a procedure which the LORD has specifically prepared for you to do? If so, you need have
no fear in doing it. You certainly are not Gideon; but the Spirit of the LORD has not changed. He will
be with you! Just make sure you are trusting 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

Dear Grands,

Exodus 4:2-9, “The LORD said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ And he said, ‘A staff.’
3 Then He said, ’Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
4 But the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail‘– so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand–
5 ‘that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.’
6 The LORD furthermore said to him, ‘Now put your hand into your bosom.’ So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.
7 Then He said, ‘Put your hand into your bosom again.’ So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.
8 ‘If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign.
9 ‘But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.’”

How many times have you been challenged to do something you’ve never done before? –or
challenged to do something that seemed impossible? That’s exactly what occurred with Moses.
He was being challenged by the LORD to face Pharaoh with a proposition. Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say?” (My dear, old grandma would have said, “Well, he just
hasn’t reckoned with the LORD.”)

It was the LORD’s response to Moses: “What is that in your hand?” Moses was probably stunned;
still, he said, “A staff.” He was undoubtedly never without it; but how could a staff be a challenge to
Pharaoh? The LORD had a lot to teach Moses. He has a lot to teach us, too.

“Lord, I can’t do that!” we often say. No, without Him, we cannot. But, did He not say, “…apart
from Me you can do nothing”? What is it that He is calling you to do? Whatever it is, it is possible
when the LORD is involved. The Scriptures are replete with “believers,” who professed their inability
to do what He told them! Yet, when they yielded to His will and call, He did it through them!

There’s a Scripture that says, “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). Trusting Him is an act of faith. When it’s His stated plan for you, He will not allow it to fail. As they
would say in Australia, “Giv’ it a go, mate. He’s got ya hand.”

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,

Matthew 16:5-11, “And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread.
6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.”
8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?
9 “Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?
10 “Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up?
11 “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Have you ever jumped to a conclusion? Of course, you have! So have I. This is precisely what the
disciples did when Jesus said, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
Sadducees.” The word that misled them was the word “leaven.” Bread is edible when it is leavened.
The disciples misunderstood the LORD’s use of the word “leaven,” and came immediately to a
wrong conclusion.

There are scores of words that we use every day that have different meanings. They correctly heard what He said, but misunderstood what He meant when He said it. Someone once said, “Jesus said,
‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.’ Thankfully, there were only ‘leaven of them.”
Obviously, whoever said that missed the day’s reading and spelling lesson in school. Some words
are spelled alike, but have different meanings depending upon where and how they are used. We all need to be careful to learn to write clearly what we mean. That way, what we intend will not be
misunderstood.

Occasionally, you will possibly hear your pastor give words in Scripture their true meaning in their original languages of Hebrew or Greek. Those languages are taught in Biblical Schools to enable
pastors to accurately instruct their congregations of the Bible’s true and accurate meaning. We, too,
need to be careful to use Biblical words accurately. There are scores of books by reputable Bible
scholars that teach the original and historical meanings of Biblical words. Listen carefully to your
pastor. It is his responsibility to teach God’s Truth very clearly. Then it is our responsibility to
accurately share God’s Word with those who have never heard it. Be careful in teaching! But, be
careful not to neglect it.

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 1:14-20, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

When an employer hires you to perform specified duties, it is then your responsibility to carry out
those duties for which you were employed. It is somewhat the same with salvation, only that once
you are saved, you are forever employed with the responsibility of sharing your Employer and all
He is with others. There is no shame involved because He is what no one else is or ever could be.

Nor is there a lack of those who need Him! There are far more who need Him than we can ever
reach. There are even some who doubt His ability to perform a transformation in their lives. Your
life will be the prime example of His handiwork, and day-after-day they will witness the change in your life into His likeness. Exactly how all of that works is somewhat difficult to explain, but your fellow-workers will see the difference increase in you and will acknowledge that you are not the
same person that started work with them in the weeks previous.

You will be praying for the LORD, who transformed you, to do the same in the lives of your fellow-
workers. The same power of the LORD that made changes in your life will cause them to ask how
you became what you now are; and you will have the opportunity to share the LORD with them.
You will then be able to verbally share you testimony with them.

The LORD, who saves us, will put within us the desire to share Him with others. That’s what Paul
meant when he said, “THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” May the LORD bless and
use you for the praise of His glory!

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,

Matthew 16:1-4, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
3 “And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?
4 “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.”

Oh, I know you’ve done it! So have I –probably more times than either of us would want to admit. Done what? We’ve asked a question of someone either in jest or just to see whether he could answer it. It’s often more humorous for the respondent than it is for the questioner. Only Jesus could know what was truly in the minds of the inquirers. No one could know for certain, but my guess is that Jesus smiled within Himself as He answered the question.

The Pharisees believed in miracles and aligned with many things that were spiritually true. The Sadducees denied miracles and virtually everything for which the Pharisees stood. (That is why they were sad, you see.) Although Jesus knew what both groups believed, He replied to them anyway. His response was one of those “gotcha” replies that left both groups astounded and not a little embarrassed. It was almost like saying, “You know all about the weather around you, but haven’t the slightest knowledge of what the people around you believe or are doing.”

Then having given His answer to their inquiry, He introduced them to Jonah, the prophet who feared going to Nineveh with the Gospel, but found himself in the midst of a spiritual revival as he preached the Gospel to them.

There are many today, who simply adore the ministry of certain ministers, but haven’t the slightest knowledge of what they acturally believe. We need to be careful and stay in the Word of God, listening only and carefully to pastors and teachers who adhere closely to the Holy Scriptures. It’s easy to become intrenched in wrongful teaching. It’s as true of ministers as it is of us: “It’s not how loudly we shout, or how highly we jump. It’s how we run when we hit the ground.”

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