The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Isaiah 38:1-8, “In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.”
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
3 and said, “Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,
5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
6 “I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.”‘
7 “This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that He has spoken:
8 “Behold, I will cause the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, to go back ten steps.” So the sun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.”

I recently witnessed Donald Trump speaking to a largely Jewish audience. His praise for Israel was strong and certain. Yet, he subsequently predicted a time when Israel would fail as a nation. Donald Trump is right about many things, but I hasten to note that he is not right about everything –especially, not about things related to Israel.

Despite the LORD’s criticisms of His people, Israel, there is no biblical statement related to her total destruction. Israel is the LORD’s chosen people (Rom. 11:1-2). What’s more, He speaks of Israel’s restoration and salvation (Rom. 11:5-6).

We must never forget that Israel is God’s “Chosen People.” However it may appear, the LORD is guiding and discipling and protecting her by His eternal Word and for His own glory. He cites her as “a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever…” (Ex. 31:17).

I have known numerous Jewish people over the years. Needless to say, most were not Christians. Yet, I have sensed in them all something unique. The Word says,

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

Galatians 1:3-8, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”

The Apostle Paul sets the standard for all believers with this address to the Galatian Church: “Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…” Of course, this was the general greeting of believers to believers in the early centuries of the Church.

Paul commences by speaking forthrightly to the Galatian Churches. The Galatians were originally a rough and rowdy crowd who had burst into the southern region bearing no standard of living, even closely resembling that of those upon whom they encroached. Paul had known them previously; therefore, he speaks to them as the wild bunch they basically were.

We have to be careful in our approach to others. I have often sought to “size up” those to whom I was speaking prior to sharing the Gospel with them. People are not always where we are; therefore, it is to the advantage of what we’re going to say that we evaluate them as best we can.

Teachers in school make it a habit to know something of the homes from which their pupils come. In this way, they do not say things that would offend a child. At the same time, when instructions for behavior in the classroom have been given, that more easily becomes the “platform” from which the teacher speaks.

All of that is to say that Paul was eminently justified in chastising this church. The people had allowed someone to mislead them. They were indeed a church of Paul’s founding; therefore, he possessed the right to scold them for deserting the Gospel he had given them.

There are multitudinous “gospels” being preached today. They are on radio, television, and in places where hundreds of people gather on the LORD’s Day. Many of these gatherings seek more from their constituents than they give in return. I can only urge you to find a church where the Bible is preached and Jesus is uplifted –a church that looks to give instead of receive. For the church that uplifts Jesus and stays close to the Scriptures will be the church that is caring for those who are in need of 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,

Genesis 49:1-8, “Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, ‘Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come.
2 “Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; and listen to Israel your father.
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn; my might and the beginning of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
4 “Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it– he went up to my couch.
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are implements of violence.
6 “Let my soul not enter into their council; let not my glory be united with their assembly; because in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they lamed oxen.
7 “Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.”

Taken from the Scriptures of Genesis, we might well believe that there was excitement among the sons of Jacob as he assembled them for a most notable father-son talk. How many of us can relate to such an assembly. “What’s it all about?” one son would say to another. “Oh, our father is going to tell us what is going to take place in the days ahead,” the other would reply. In the end, Jacob’s words would not be received acceptably – at least, not as acceptably as they all would have anticipated.

The words of Jacob would surely have at first excited Reuben, as he was the eldest. But then, it was openly revealed that Reuben’s sin with his father’s wife had without question eliminated his right to be the family leader at the time of Jacob’s demise. (Strangely enough, those “enjoyable” sins are often the most costly!)

Simeon and Levi were doubtlessly fine warriors. We can only imagine that their pride exceeded their ability with their swords because they were known for their violence. Furthermore, they were angry and thoughtlessly slew men and lamed oxen, resulting in their useless endeavor to pull heavy loads.

By the grace of Almighty God, we can avoid these senseless slaughters and become invaluable to the work of the LORD. We ought never to follow the ways of prideful, thoughtless men. “Cursed be their anger,” the Scriptures say, as they cover us as well as the cruelty of Simeon and Levi.

Judah, the last-mentioned son of Jacob, was praised! Jacob’s words so regarded Judah. He was without a doubt, Jacob’s choicest son! The scepter, indentifying rulership, was resident in Judah hands; and it would remain their “until Shiloh comes.”

How does our LORD Jesus Christ rate us? Yes, He redeemed us, and He put responsibilites in our hands. How are we doing? Are we truly like Judah? Or are we too often like Simeon and Levi? We all (this writer included!) need to evaluate our standing day-by-day.

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 15:11-16, “”Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?
12 “You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them.
13 “In Your lovingkindness, You have led the people whom You have redeemed; in Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.
14 “The peoples have heard, they tremble; Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 “Terror and dread fall upon them; by the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; until Your people pass over, O LORD, until the people pass over whom You have purchased.’”

Israel was not the easiest nation to command. They were and are a stubborn people. The nations, among whom they mingled, believed in many gods. When things didn’t go well for Israel, she occasionally got sidetracked herself. Yet, when things were going well and the LORD was blessing, Israel cried out in praise, “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD?”

The word “holy” (?????? qodesh) means “apartness, sacredness, consecrated.” In various forms the word is mentioned some 685 times in the Scriptures. Thus, when the Simon Peter says, “…be holy yourselves…in all your behavior…” (1 Pet. 1:15), he is calling us to adopt the same attitude of life as the LORD intended when He called Israel.

The Exodus passage above calls us to holiness just as Israel was in Old Testament times. The LORD wants us to be pure in heart and life, and to live out everything holy that permeates our lives. We are to be and live to the glory of the LORD! When we live holy lives, others will either be fearful of us or will long to become more like us. We, of course, want them to be like Him and be ever and always under His control.

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,

Numbers 14:2-9, “All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!
3 ‘Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?’
4 So they said to one another, ‘Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.’
All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!
3 Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?’
4 So they said to one another, ‘Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.’
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel.
6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;
7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, ‘The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.
8 ‘If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us– a land which flows with milk and honey.
9 Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.’”

Some days are just beyond belief! And some are even beyond that! The LORD had led His people under the guidance of men like Moses and Aaron, Joshua and Caleb — great men of faith! Men obedient to the LORD and His every command. Wouldn’t you love to have a pastor like that? Some of us do; but do we listen? Are we following their directives, as they are following the LORD?

The LORD gives each congregation the men He has singled out to be the leader. They’re human, like Moses and Joshua. But are we listening? Are we praying for them? Are we following their lead
as they understand it to be from the LORD? In other words, do they have our trust? –our complete trust?

In one church where I pastored, the previous pastor had stolen money from the church. When the finance committee sought my signature that was required for signing checks, I naturally refused to sign! It was, however, to their credit they trusted me. We have to trust the leadership of our pastors.

It’s not easy to be the leader of anything that is spiritual in nature. The slightest variation can mislead others, bringing the wrath of God down upon them, as well as upon those that they lead. We must trust those whom the LORD has appointed to leadership. And we must follow them willingly and prayerfully, remembering that they, like us, are seeking to follow the supreme leadership of the LORD.

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