The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Timothy 1:1-6, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,
2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,
4 nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.
5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
6 For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion,
7 wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

If ever a passage of Scripture reached its ultimate height of relativity, it is this passage above. First of all, Paul identifies his instruction to be “the commandment of God…” Knowing Paul to have been called by the LORD to be an apostle of the faith, might have been sufficient for the urgency of the matter. Nevertheless, with full authority from Christ Himself, Paul levies instruction he has previously given: namely, that certain men are “not to teach strange doctirnes…”

Is it possible that Paul might have envisioned what our world is experiencing of “strange doctrines” today? Men who have no calling from God, who know nothing of the Word of God, feed indigestable chaf to poor, starving congregations who are in search of something real and soul-satisfying. Instead, they listen to the chatter of smooth-talkers and depart with myths that are less than cotton candy from a meaningless circus.

Paul advocates spiritual instruction in love that emanates from a pure heart and a sincere faith. To be sure, there are some sound teachings from godly men, who are instructing the spiritually hungry. Yes, it takes financial support to keep them all on the airwaves. Yet, close scrutiny will separate those who are sincere advocates of Jesus Christ from those who simply “use” Jesus to fill their coffers and enhance their opulent lifestyles.

Make no mistake! Discover and devour the teachings of those who emphasize Jesus! Reject out-of-hand those who emphasize anything other than He. Jesus alone is True and those who teach His Truth alone are the true ministers of righteousness.

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,

Philippians 1:2-6, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,
5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

There’s nothing quite like the study of words. The difficulty we often encounter, however, is that we use words to express meanings we intend without knowing the words’ true origin. When I was born, I was given the name “Gene.” It was obviously a shortend version of my father’s name, “Eugene.” Still, neither of us were of Greek origin. When I was studying Greek in college, the professor noted the names and said, “So, your father was “well-born”; you were just “born.” The class, of course, erupted in laughter!

You probably know someone named Grace; that means kindness. The word “peace” in Greek means Irene in English. Not all of the Graces of the world are kind; and not all of the Irenes are peaceful. So it is also with the designation “Christian.” It is a name awarded to those whose life-attitudes are “like Christ.” It is of Christians that Paul can say, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.”

That “remembrance” Paul references in his joyful prayer. It is a thanksgiving prayer offered for those who are fellow-participants in the sharing of the Gospel. His confidence is that having received Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior, they will continue to share Him with those who have yet to know Him as their Savior.

Thus, these verses raise two key questions: one, do you know Jesus as your own, personal Savior? Have you confessed your sins to Him and trusted Him to forgive you? If not, you are missing the blessings that He wishes to give you! If you have trusted Him, are you sharing Him with others who have yet to receive Him? If not, that is a supreme blessing you are missing.

The Apostle Paul’s confidence is that the LORD will complete His purpose in your life, if you will allow it. So, yield your life to Christ today. Start sharing Him with others. Coming to know Christ is of supreme value. Sharing Him with others is a close second. To do neither is to lose out all around.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: My long-time Christian friend, Dr. Donald J. Ralston, 88, is in a Florida hospital
with a serious, life-threatening illness. His family and I will deeply appreciate your prayers for him,

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,

2 Corinthians 5:17-21, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

With the enormous amount of money that is annually expended on cosmetic applications it is virtually impossible to deny that men and women are seeking to improve their appearance. They want “old things” to pass away and “new things” to replace them. Of course, we’re speaking of physical appearance; the Scripture is speaking of a new spiritual experience.

When Christ is personally accepted and believed upon as the “only begotten Son of God,” the one who believes is transformed into a spiritually born-again individual. Those things that were once deeply embedded in our human lives are spiritually removed and replaced with the Living Holy Spirit of God. That’s what the verse above means when it says the LORD “committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Being “reconciled to God” is like changing families. Before our reconciliation, we lived for ourselves and the things we desired. We may have even been somewhat active in a church. But, when we trusted Christ and asked forgiveness for our sins, we became a true member of His family. What’s more, we want others to be a part of that family as well. Thus, “we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Central in this entire experience is the final verse in our verses above; namely, “He (the Father) made Him (the Son), who Himself knew no sin, to ‘become’ sin on our behalf; that is, Christ Jesus took upon Himself all of our sin in order “that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Oh, it’s so simple: He took our (your and my) place on that Cross! What Jesus suffered, is what we
should have suffered. Yet, He suffered and died in our place. How then does His death and life transfer to us? We are told to believe what He did and that He did it for us. He then erases the sin that was ours. He laid it all on Christ Jesus, and we experience what God calls “salvation.” I did this when I was very young. I’m not-at-all young anymore, but He saved me then and has been with me everyday thereafter. Now, I commend Him to you. Will you trust Him? Believe me, He keeps His promises.

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,

2 Corinthians 5:17-20, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

There are some people who honestly believe that they can tell a true believer in Christ from one who is simply pretending to be a believer. It may take some time, but it is possible to tell the difference. The language, the habits, the overall demeanor of a true believe is simply different from the one pretending. Oh, the pretender may pull the wool over the eyes of some for a time, but eventually his old habits will emerge and his true identity will be revealed.

When Paul says that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself,” he was saying that Christ is God and His purpose has always been to change man to be what God wants him to be. It simply comes from our trusting God to change us. There is no way we can change ourselves; yet, nothing is beyond the LORD’s power. We simply have to be willing to be changed and say, “LORD, I’m sincerely sorrow for the sins I have committed. I know You want me to be more like You. I can’t accomplish chamge by myself, but I can yield my life to You and You can give me new life in Christ.

Our world is in an evident mess! Many are pretending to be “believers in Christ,” but they are not! It all starts with the Father’s sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, to pay for our sins. When we yield our lives to Him, He forgives us and we become His, and commence to share Him with others. Jesus is coming again! At that time, He will enable us to meet Him in the air, and “thus shall we ever be with the LORD.”

In the meantime, we who are saved by His death and resurrection, are to share His love with others. Have you trusted Him as your LORD and Savior? I pray daily for you to know Him. Accept Him today, and share with me that you are now His child. I will love to hear from 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,

1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

“Temptation” by definition is a solicitation to engage in evil. It may come from others, who say, “Oh, come on! This will be fun! You will enjoy it like nothing you’ve ever experienced.”
Or, it may issue forth from your own mind when it is not focused upon nobler things the LORD God has given you.

In any event, temptation does not come from God. He is never the author of it, although He may at times allow it as a test of our commitment to the LORD Jesus Christ. We may not know our own limitation to the temptation that is upon us. Yet, we have the LORD’s promise that He “will not allow (us) to be tempted” more severly than we can handle.

With each temptation that seeks to assail us, we have the opportunity to resist. Satan is clever, saying, “This won’t hurt. You will like it. Try just a little.” Yet, to those of us who are born again and dedicated solely to the will of our LORD Jesus Christ, we have the ability to say “NO!” And with each rejection of Satan’s temptations, we become stronger in our resistance.

Corinth was a wicked city! Perhaps that is why the LORD allowed the Apostle Paul to write
two Letters to the Church there. Perhaps, also, that is why we should read and study what Paul teaches in both letters concerning the value of resisting temptation. If our lives are truly comitted to Christ, we will relish the apostle’s instruction. And the resistance to all temptation to do evil will bring joy and added strength against future temptations. May our LORD bless you abundantly as you follow His biblical instruction.

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