The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 9:1-6, “And Jesus was saying to them, ‘Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.’
2 Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;
3 and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them.
4 Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’
6 For he did not know what to answer, for they became terrified.
7 Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud,
‘This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!’”

Have you ever found yourself in the presence of some distinguished people, but clearly lacked the ability to contribute anything of value to their conversation? Well, I have; and what was more, I lacked the good sense to just listen and refrain from contributing anything! My feeble contribution was received for what it was worth; and I was left standing alone, embarrassed, and with no way out. In this manner only could I ever claim a relationship to Simon Peter.

Notice too that James and John, who were known as “the sons of thunder,” were entirely quiet throughout the conversation. Ultimately, the voice of the LORD broke through the heavens with exactly what was needed to be said, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!”

The presence of Christ involved in that august gathering called forth that which was primary. Jesus’ instructions are always primary! Why, then, do we manufacture sub-standard stuff and inject it into His plan instead of simply saying, “LORD, what will You have us do?” Possibly, we are frightened over what we believe He will say. Yet, are we afraid of His inevitable plan. Do we believe that He will allow the plan to hurt or consume us? Do we believe His plan to somehow be inferior?

Whatever Elijah was saying to Jesus was forever interrupted. Possibly, Elijah had a plan. Nothing, however, could have overshadowed the plan the LORD Himself could set forth. Thus, whatever we think…however much we would like to be included…we simply need to “be still and know that (Jesus) is God.” Our ways are
not His ways; and His ways are always superior.

“Heavenly Father, make us willing to cease resisting
Your Plan, and to know that with You, all things are well. Amen.”

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,

Hebrews 11:1-3, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
2 For by it the men of old gained approval.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”

Anytime we willfully encounter something we’ve not previously encountered, we can speak of it as a “faith-encounter.” Take bungee jumping. You have to trust the cord that it is designed to withstand your weight as well as its secure binding to something grounded and stable– something with sufficient elasticity to withstand your weight without being disconnected at the terminal point of your jump. In short, you have to believe the cord will withstand your weight when it is thoroughly challenged to do so.

Faith, therefore, may be defined as “believing in something or someone” whom you have
never previously trusted. We exercise faith when we agree to bodily surgery. We exercise
faith when we eat a food we’ve never before eaten. I exercise faith every time I submit
myself to the massage chair because I was once literally “bound” to the chair when the electricity decided to cease its participation!

Yet, these expressions of “faith” are quite minimal when compared with faith in the LORD
Jesus Christ and what He can accomplish. I put my faith in Him when I accepted His
promise to save me 80 years ago. And it was the continuance of faith that prompted me to share His Good News with thousands of people around the world.

If you have never experienced faith in Jesus Christ, I urge you to do it today! He is stable
and able to forgive your sins and to set your feet on paths that He Himself has walked. There’s a ine in a song that epitimizes all I’m saying:

“There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! no, not one!
None else can heal all our souls’ diseases:
No, not one! no, not one!”

Now, in simple faith, ask Him to save you; trust Him with your life. You’ll forever be glad that you did!

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,

Daniel 5:1-4. “Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.
2 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple, which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God, which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.”

Did you ever devise a plan that turned out all wrong? Have you ever known someone who experienced an unexpected tragedy when he had been drinking? Do you or any of your friends ever honor or mess with gods that do not exist? Doing that is tantamount to mocking the True and Living God. You don’t want to anger Him! He is the Supreme Being of all time! He constructed and maintains the entire Universe in which we live. He is
powerful beyond words; yet He is kind and loving, and understands us and all of our needs.

Galatians 6:7-10, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

Sometimes situations are so complicated that it often takes more time for us to receive what we want than we had hoped or planned. At the same time, there are people who need our attention and the provisions that we have. If we assess that the LORD truly wants us to help others, we need only to trust Him to lead us. Things will occur on time; others will be helped, and we will know the joy of having worked with Him.

Daniel 5:5-6, “Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.
6 Then the king’s face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together.”

You don’t ever want to mock God or even summon the power of His Hand against you. He loves you, but will never overlook our selfish attitudes or unconfessed sins. Trust Him with your life. He loves and cares for you.

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,

Revelation 20:1-6, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

If there was ever any doubt in your mind about who killed the two Murdaughs, the evidence has now brought everything to light and justice, including the true villain. If there is any confusion in your mind about the end
times, this verse that comes to us from the Scripture should be comforting. This verse brings to mind the Scripture that says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23).

“For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the land of the righteous, so that the righteous will not put
forth their hands to do wrong. Do good, O LORD, to those who are good and to those who are upright in their
hearts. But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, The LORD will lead them away with the doers
of iniquity” (Ps. 125:3-5).

The Scriptures inspire the righteous! The inestimable glory of the Life to come does not shudder in the face of
evil. When I asked you to pray for Alex Murdaugh, it was for his soul I was asking. Many South Carolina
residents are solid, spiritually-minded Christian people. Unfortunately, there are also many who are not.

Yet, the spaces allotted to those who occupy prison cells are not to be compared with the glorious, spaciousness of Eternity’s provisions for the Righteous. It is they, who are committed to Jesus Christ. “I go to prepare a place for you,” He said, “that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:3).

Does your life belong to Him? If not, why not? Are you ready for the challenge to share Christ with the lost? The signs of His Return are rapidly increasing in our midst. We must be ready, lest His Coming catches us unaware! Then, what will become of those who do not know Him? He will simply answer, “I never knew you!”

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 11:20-26, “…there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.
22 The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch.
23 Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;
24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.
25 And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul;
26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

I want to ask some strange and meaningful questions. Do you know how many times the word “give” is mentioned in the Bible? Would you believe it is in excess of 2300 times? That’s true. Would you hazzard a guess as to how many definitions there are to the word “give”? It is in excess of 30– thirty different definitions of the four-letter word “give.” Don’t get excited! I’m not going to list them for you or ask you to look them up. But, I will admit that I was shocked that there were that many different definitions to that little four letter word, g-i-v-e.

Now, let me ask if you know how many different definitions there are for the word “Christian.” Personally, I have no idea. To some. it depends upon whom you ask. Some people will say that a Christian is someone who isn’t a Jew. Others will say that it depends upon whether you attend or joined a “Christian” church, or whether you believe the Bible or whether you consciously omit from your life some of the things that do not honor or depict Jesus, the Founder of the Christian faith. There are a lot of varying ideas, aren’t there?

Well, the truthful answer to “what a ‘Christian’ is” comes to us from the Bible –especially, the New Testament. A Christian is an ordinary person of any ethnic background, who has learned from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Son of God, and has believed and trusted Him to forgive his sin. That’s the guarantee of Eternal life, as described in the Scriptures. Does that definition fit you? If it does, you can praise thd LORD.

But, if that definition doesn’t fit you, you need to do something about it. Does confessing your sin and accepting Jesus sound like a good solution? It had better, because there is no other person or way to embrace that guarantee. And when you do trust Jesus, you will be called “Christian”; and your life and testimony will begin to show others that the true and only way is in Jesus. God bless you!

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