The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 2:40-51, “The Child (Jesus) continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast;
43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it,
44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him.
46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.”
49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
50 But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.
51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.”

Time does things to all of us. It was the same with the boy Jesus. He grew physically, as we would expect; however, He also gained wisdom, the ability to understand and apply the principles of life. All He gained were the enablings of the Father.

Parents who are Godly quite naturally desire their children also to walk in the ways of the LORD. Furthermore, they endeavor that their lives might set a Godly example for their children.

One aspect of Godly living was their annual attendance of the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. The Feast originated in Egypt on the night prior to Israel’s departure (Ex. 12:11). The food was eaten in haste because of the need to quickly escape the Egyptian army.

Israeli homes were to be thoroughly cleansed. Blood was sprinkled on the doorposts of all Israeli dwellings, and on the cross piece above the entrance. Thereafter, this ritual was to be observed annually, as it is in orthodox Jewish homes today. Oh, that we
Christians were as diligent as those we endeavor to evangelize!

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 3:1-6, “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
2 ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, ‘THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’ (Isa. 40:3)
4 Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan;
6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.”

It’s quite common for a secondary player in a thespian production to upstage the main character for a brief time. That is precisely what John the Baptist (lit., John the baptizing one) did by arriving on the scene prior to Jesus.

It was John who said, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mat. 3:11).

“Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him.
14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?’
15 But Jesus answering said to him, ‘Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he permitted Him” (Mat. 3:13-15).

Water baptism overtly demonstrates that one has accepted Christ as LORD and Savior. Yet, John stated that Jesus would baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

A careful examination of Scripture reveals that “Spirit baptism” (i.e., coming to know Jesus Christ as one’s LORD and Savior) is primary. Baptism in water, while not necessary for salvation, is nevertheless the “fulfilling identification of a righteous, spiritual life.”

Accepting Christ as LORD and Savior without baptism in no wise
renders your salvation invalid; however, accepting Jesus Christ and submitting to water baptism is an act of righteous obedience
(cf. Acts 8:36-39). That is why I ask first, “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?” If you have, baptism tells others that you have accepted Him. But, if you have not accepted Him as Savior, baptism in water has no spiritual value at all in your life.
Study the Scriptures! Trust Jesus as your Savior! Then be baptized!

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 2:14-23, “So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON” (Hosea 11:1).
16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the Magi.
17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE” (Jeremiah 31:15).
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said,
20 “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”
21 So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,
23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

One lesson for us all comes from what the Magi unintentionally revealed to Herod when they said of the Young Child, “We have come to worship Him.” The Magi had no idea that Herod would seek to kill the Christ-child. In the same way, we never know who will use for evil information we innocently offer in the presence of others. Be extremely careful of what you say, especially in the presence of those who are unknown to you! Satan works furiously against us all!

Some Grands Letter readers will remember the commercial where the woman warningly said, “It’s not nice to fool mother nature!” Well, it was less than nice to have fooled King Herod. He was furious! –so much so in fact, that he ordered the slaying of all baby boys, who had been newly-born while under his jurisdiction. Exactly how many male babies were slain by Herod is not known; however, scholars believe the number to be somewhere around 20 or less.

There was no easy communication in New Testament days. How was Joseph to know when –or even whether—he was to return to Israel with his young family? Yet, the LORD had provided an angel, who appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him that Herod was dead, and he and his family could then safely return to Israel.

Another “guidepost” reminds us that we are not forgotten. No matter where we are, or what our circumstances, we are within the area of Divine Communication. The LORD never loses sight of His own! We were saved for His glory! So, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Let this season of the year magnify and glorify our LORD Jesus Christ! “There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus; no, not one.”

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 2:4-13, “Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’
7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”
9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.’

Someone once wrote —

“English is a strange language;
It’s as strange as it can be;
It killed the ancient Romans,
And now it’s killing me.”

Sometimes what is said with specific intention is misunderstood because the words are unintentionally twisted or simply put in the wrong place. This, I fear, is what happened when the Magi said, “We have seen His Star in the east…”
It was not the star that was in the east; it was the wise men. Thus, it might better have been stated, “We in the east have seen His Star.”

Where you currently are in life may not be of first importance; but it is of vital importance whether you have found and accepted Him! The wise men were wise because they sought Him. They were wiser still when they found Him.
Have you found Him? Have you honestly sought Him? The Bible teaches that He is seeking you!

That was true of the Magi, too. When they found Him, they worshipped Him.
It is the Father’s desire that we, too, worship His Son, Jesus. Is Jesus the object of your worship? There is no time like the present to yield your life to Him! Just pray with me –

Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and have done
many wrong things in my life. I know that Jesus loves
me and died on the Cross to save me from my sins.
Right now, I yield my heart and life to You. Forgive
me of my sin and come into my life and save me.
In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

Now, thank Him for His forgiveness and for His love and for saving you.
Start reading the Bible every day. You will experience a difference in your
life. His love will take charge of you more every day. You will sense the
difference, and you will commence to love those whom you could not
love before.

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,

Luke 1:1-5, “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us,
2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,
3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;
4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.”

From the verses above, we can learn that the Herod was King of Judea when Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was serving as a priest in the Temple of the LORD. The approximate date is 37 BC–4 AD. Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias, was a relative of Mary; and Elizabeth gave birth to John only a few months before Mary gave birth to Jesus.

Luke 1:6 gives us the LORD’s requirements, which were attended to most carefully. “They (the families) were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the LORD.”

The key to the LORD bringing these boys into the lives of the two families
was that the families were “walking blamelessly” in every way before the
LORD. We have no idea how faithfully the LORD could deal with our lives if
we were spiritually all that He wants us to be!

Would you believe that even CHRISTmas could be more meaningful to us if we were committedly obedient to Him? Shamefully, however, we have allowed the celebrated time of our Messiah’s birth to be cluttered with virtually everything except Christ Jesus Himself!

Certainly, the LORD does not expect us to withdraw from everyone and hibernate until the day of celebration has passed. We celebrate Thanksgiving and we also celebrate Christmas. Yet, the very meaning of the word “celebrate” indicates that we have not forgotten the true meanings of these days.

Thanksgiving remembers the LORD for His watchcare in safely bringing our forefathers to this then New World. Christmas remembers and celebrates the LORD Jesus’ birthday. Without His guidance and protection, we would not be a politically free people. And without His love, death and resurrection, we would not be spiritually free with Heaven clearly in view. Do you know Him in true salvation? “He only a prayer away.”

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