The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Romans 12:1-11, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

3 For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,

5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

6 And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;

7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;

8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;

11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”

These items that are advocated are the experiences of the writer Paul himself. It’s hard, if not impossible, to urge others to do what you yourself are not doing. Yes, it can be said aloud and put into books, but if the author has abandoned the very principles he advocates, it is futile to gain acceptance from hearers.

The purpose of Paul’s writing is to build up the believers in the way of the LORD. No doubt, Paul himself had fought against these very things; but overcoming negative habits is, in point of fact, a form of building. Prophecy, service, teaching, and exhortation are but some of the aspects of building that strengthen the lives of others. These things we will do if we are devoted to one another and to Christ.

The true spiritual advocate of these elements of spiritual growth is manifested in them as he teaches and demonstrates them in others. We often think that those of New Testament times had an edge on us, since they actually knew and heard the teachings of the great Apostle Paul. Yet, the LORD is just as eager for us to learn His ways as He was for Paul and those early Christians.

There is some great teaching in those eleven verses above. Why not re-read them, so as to firmly implant them in your own Christian life? Knowing almost always precedes doing; yet doing needs knowing. They are inseparable twins.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Revelation 12:10-12, “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night.’

11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.

12 “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.'”

Little does the world know, but what is contained in verse 10 is what the world has been waiting for! No, not everyone in the world, but the ones who either know God or know about Him – they are waiting for His loud voice and the message that it carries. “The accuser of the brethren has been thrown down” is what true believers are longing to hear. It’s the Divine Voice of Authority that is debasing and erasing all evil for all time!

But, how is this to take place? How are the lost to receive it? Not well, I should think. Satan is their leader. How are those who follow him to respond when it becomes known that he has lost the battle, and their hopes are forever gone?

One should believe that the righteous will rejoice! Certainly, they will, but they will also be aware that all others – friends and relatives that have not accepted Jesus will be banished to Hell forever! “Forever” is a long, long time. The Word says, “Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts (Psa. 95:7-8). Be open to the Gospel, it’s the Good News!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

2 Kings 18:1-7, “Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.

3 And he did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

4 He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.

5 He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.

6 For he clung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.

7 And the LORD was with him; wherever he went, he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.”

Do you ever wonder where you were when you were the age of someone else, maybe someone famous? I’m guessing that most of us have wondered about that. Our passage says that Hezekiah became King of Judah when he was 25 years old. Our text says he then reigned for 29 years! What is even more important is that “he did right in the sight of the LORD.”

Those who hold serious positions of authority do well when they “do right in the sight of the LORD.” They do well when they fear the LORD and follow His leadership. Hezekiah commenced his reign as king by destroying Judah’s false gods—even those that Moses had made—because he trusted in the LORD! “he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments.”

Is it not possible that those who are younger are yet able to trust the LORD and keep His commandments? We could do with a few leaders who possess the spunk to follow the LORD. But where do we find them? We pray for them. Currently, they are in the LORD’s hands. He releases them to assist us when we show we’re ready to follow Him! If we’re not ready, we will ultimately suffer the consequences!

To be quite honest, I was recently challenged by someone who didn’t know he was challenging me. But I felt the brunt of his challenge and was all the better for it. Be ready to challenge others to follow the LORD! Be ready to accept His challenges, too. That’s how we grow spiritually!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Judges 11:16-21, “For when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh,

17 then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let us pass through your land,” but the king of Edom would not listen. And they also sent to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained at Kadesh.

18 ‘Then they went through the wilderness and around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came to the east side of the land of Moab, and they camped beyond the Arnon; but they did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.

19 ‘And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land to our place.”

20 ‘But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered all his people and camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.

21 ‘And the LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.”

It looked as if Israel had met her match. Israel had ventured into some unlikely territory where other nations already occupied the land. The proper way to gain the right to cross the occupied land was to ask permission from those who were the current occupants. How long the leaders of the two nations were in deliberations, we do not know; yet, in the end, Israel was denied the right to cross the land.

Israel then sought the able assistance of Sihon, but he “did not trust Israel to pass through his territory.” This caused a fight – a fight that Israel won! Ultimately, Israel “possessed all the land of the Amorites.”

What we learn from Israel’s experience is 1) always respect the rights of others. They were the occupants before Israel came into the land. 2) Always look to see if there are other ways or people who could help you to gain your objective. 3) Trust the LORD, even when you have to fight to gain the objective. 4) Never forget that the LORD is with you! Always remember that whatever is gained becomes HIS possession!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,

2 that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed.

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

8 And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming…”

Have you ever had someone relate something to you that you ultimately forgot? I surely have! Especially is that true as I grow older. Well, don’t despair. It happened to the Thessalonian Christians, too.

Paul had previously been to Thessalonica and had shared with the believers what he knew of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Apparently, however, as is often true, once the bearer of the news to the church departed, confusion arose and it became necessary for the apostle to write to the church and repeat what he had previously said.

Notwithstanding, these words from Paul have as much relevance for our own day as they did for the Thessalonians or any group in all of human history.

It’s easy to misunderstand. It’s even easy to have forgotten the matter altogether.

The “lawless one” of whom Paul speaks is the antichrist. Elements of his presence are within our midst even now! People who claim to be Christians proudly acknowledge belonging to a religion that denies what they claim it believes.

Let me urge you to read and study the Bible regularly! God’s truth is in His Word. Not every church, not every pastor, believes what the Bible contains. Still, unless you read the Scriptures yourself, you won’t know whether you are receiving the truth. If you’re not currently reading the Bible daily, you need to start today! Be prayerful as you read. The Lord will bless you!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom