The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 69:30, “I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.”

There are 60 some verses throughout the Scriptures that contain the word thanksgiving! Many are scattered appropriately throughout the Psalms—many more than we could include here. Yet, they all direct our thoughts to the One who deserves our thanks: the LORD Jesus Christ.

It’s true that many are thankful—they just don’t know how to express it. When we do, we often focus upon some item for which we are thankful, or for the person or persons who were thoughtful to have expressed their love through giving. Were it not for the LORD, however, nothing would truly matter.

Throughout the Psalms, the Psalmist expresses praise to the LORD. “Do homage to the Son,” he says, “…how blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (2:12).

We are blessed to know the LORD Jesus as our Savior and LORD! We are blessed to have families, to live in a free world, and to have the freedom to worship Him without fear of retribution from others.

So much of the world lives in darkness! There is political darkness, economic darkness, and spiritual darkness. Yet, all darkness is dispelled by the Light of the Savior, Jesus Christ! There’s an old hymn that’s sadly neglected in today’s church;

Look and live, my brother, live!

Look to Jesus now and live!

‘Tis recorded in His Word, Hallelujah!

It is only that we look and live!

May the LORD God bless you abundantly! Just don’t forget to say “Thank You” to Him!

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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,

Acts 4:1-12, “And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees, came upon 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.

5 And it came about on the next day that their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem;

6 and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.

7 And when they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people,

9 if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well,

10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health.

11 “He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very cornerstone.

12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”

With so many variant ideas of what salvation is and how it works in and for the lives of people, I am once again attaching below the Gospel tract, “It’s Not How You Play the Game.” Download the tract to your computer. This will enable you to forward it to numerous unsaved persons on a “one-on-one” basis. It would be my blessing to rejoice with you over the salvation of your friends who trust Him. I will not personally intercede with anyone unless I am asked to do so.

God bless you abundantly!

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
United States of America

Click here to view the Gospel tract — “It’s Not How You Play the Game.”

Dear Grands,

John 8:31-36, “Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You shall become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

35 “And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.

36 “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Freedom is a word that has a plethora of meanings. My minuscule dictionary, making no pretense of infallibility (but wanting no contradictions), gives no less than 17 separate definitions of the word.

All of that is to say that there was virtually no opportunity for those to whom Jesus spoke to escape His meaning of “freedom.” What “triggered” His Word in those Jews provoked their response: “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never yet been enslaved…”

Have you never shared the Gospel with someone, even of Jewish lineage, who said, “I’m a member of the church,” or “I’m Jewish!” How easily some people seek to escape from truth – even the Truth spoken by the Savior Himself.

Possessing truth never depends upon one’s membership in a church – any church! It clearly depends upon one’s having personally accepted the LORD Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior. Even then, one’s freedom rests exclusively upon Jesus’ words.

Only recently, a man knocked on my door. Before he left, I asked if he were a Christian. His brief testimony was convincing. He was free to believe and rest in Jesus; I am free to believe in Him, also. And so are you! Have you trusted Him? Have you been born again? I honestly trust that you have.

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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,

Ezra 4:1-5, “Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel,

2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”

3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”

4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building,

5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

It never fails! Just let someone endeavor to accomplish something for the LORD, and opposition forces arrive in a flash! Sometimes the opposition is subtle (“Let us build with you…”); yet, when rebuffed, their tactics alter: (“Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah…and frightened them”).

I’ve encountered numerous people over the years who rallied with excitement to discourage whatever progress was taking place. “It won’t work! You can’t fix it; you don’t have permission! – and the list goes on!

Whatever you do, don’t stop to engage in debate with these people. They love that! It’s exactly what they want and how they slow things down. You don’t have time to argue – not even to explain why you’re doing what you are! Not even a supreme countermeasure will work against such people. Besides, what you’re doing is what the LORD has given you to do. Time is the only other chief factor; and the LORD is surely in control of that, too!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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,

Colossians 3:1-11, “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

6 For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come,

7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.

8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.

9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,

10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him

11 — a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.”

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Have you ever eaten anything that tasted so delectable that you just had to have more of it? Abundance and frequency are the “more-more” twins! It’s the same with the Apostle Paul. ‘Keep on seeking,’ he said. The more you seek, the more you will find. And the more you find, the more eagerly you will seek it yet again. Your soul will never become filled with the goodness and likeness of the LORD! There are some incredible things coming down the line – things that will greatly increase your spiritual activity!

When these things from the LORD commence to fill your life, there will be no empty space for those “former things” (immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, and greed). They will have been displaced by love and all the qualities we find in the life of our LORD Jesus Christ. Displaced will be anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech—all qualities of the Devil, the evil one! Now, mind you, I didn’t say that you would lie idle. Not for a moment! How could anyone lie idle with this much excitement!? How about giving it a try?

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

Until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom