The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 1:1-5, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.”

Have you ever greeted someone who responsed, “I am the CEO of the company”? It might have been helpful to know that, but it would certainly have been better had someone else shared that he was “the CEO.”

One of the factors that prompts us to admire Paul, is that he always presented himself as a lowly messenger of Jesus Christ. The word “apostle” (?????????)
has over time come to be admired as a position of status. Yet, it was not a symbol of status in biblical times.

Paul was unquestionably the author of the Corinthian epistles, yet he graciously introduces Timothy as his spiritual “brother.” This is undoubtedly the manner in which we should introduce our spiritual companions. Not everyone I knew in the days of my evangelistic travels were my physical companions; yet, there were innumerable believers who companioned with me through their prayers. We can (and should) do the same with our pastors and missionaries.

Grace (????? ) simply means “kindness, blessing.” Today, it might be translated as “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” It is indeed a term of kindness, as is it’s oft- companion, “peace” (??????). Both words were spiritually transitional in nature.
They were what could be expected from the hearts and mouths of Christ’s servants.

That the LORD was their “Father of mercies (?????????) and comfort
(??????????),” seems a subtle transition into coming affliction (??????); yet they
possessed the comfort of Almighty God. What’s more, we possess His comfort
and protection when we are in spiritual battles; for all spiritual battles concern
our LORD. And He is ever faithful to deliver us, no matter how abundant they are. Are you in the battle for our LORD Jesus Christ? Don’t go AWOL! Stand
true for Him! He is standing true 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,

2 Timothy 2:15-21, “But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,
17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and
they upset the faith of some.
19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’
and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.’
20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of
earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.
21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified,
useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”

Quite truthfully, our family has a few very nice pieces collected from various countries where we have
been privileged to minister on behalf of our LORD Jesus Christ. Still, I have to admit that most of what we have collected over the years would bring only a pitance. The value of anything is how meaningful
it is to the owner.

Sometimes the owner stumbles when attempting to decide whether some is valuable at all. Unfortuantely, the two men in verse 17, Hymenaeus and Philetus, strayed from the Truth and upset a host of serious believers. The root of Hymenaeus’ name comes from Humen, a god related to weddings and marriage. Philetus came from paganistic Rome. Bedfellows, but not strangers!

Note that they both had opportunity to receive the Gospel. They chose, however, to “stray from the Truth.” Those who propagate heresy are always those who have resisted the Truth when it was presented to them. I have read biographies of scientists, who were reared within the sound of the Gospel, but abandoned it for an evil lifestyle and an advocacy of heresy. Even the Christian Post, appears to feature those with current evil lifestyles that attract readers to what they now believe rather than the Truth they abandoned.

Paul never pulls his punches! If anyone who currently embraces evil and propagates untruth, cleanses himself by a spiritual apology to the LORD, “he will be a vessel of honor.” That repentant one will then be honored, much like gold and silver vessels. Wouldn’t it be an honor to have a replica of someone godly gracing your home? You do! His Name is Jesus and He’s right there in your Bible!

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,

Ezra 7:10, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.”
2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of truth.”

Our previous letter emphasized the need to pray. Inasmuch as every born-again believer in Christ Jesus needs daily to lean upon Him in prayer for guidance, so we need to study His Word, the Holy Scriptures, for it is by them that we maintain a stable, Christian life.

Ezra, an earnest scribe, from the Old Testament days, set his heart to study and to practice and then to teach others.

Sadly, there are multiple proclaimers of humanistic ideologies who allege their words come from the Scriptures. They profess to teach the pure Word of God, but have not proven it through practical witnessing. That’s how many people are misled into believing things that simply are not true. That is also why Timothy urges us all to “be diligent” in what we proclaim as His Word, and demonstrate that the Word has been “approved” by the LORD.

I was once told of a preacher who said, “I don’t believe all I hear preached”; then he added, “I don’t believe all I preach!” It stretches the imagination to believe that some preachers believe the drivel they foist upon their congregations! Genuinely true ministry embraces study, then practice, then proclamation!

We want the gasoline pumps to register accurately. We want the specification labels on the food we buy to be accurate. More importantly, we want what we hear from the pulpit to be studied and tested prior to its proclamation as truth. At that point, we become as responsible for sharing that Truth as the pastor who proclaimed it. There are scores of people who long to know Jesus! We have the responsibility to tell them! Is that a responsibility we are taking seriously? I truly hope it is!

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 20:7-8, “Now therefore, restore the man’s wife, for he
is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you
do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all
who are yours.”
8So Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his
servants and told all these things in their hearing; and the men
were greatly frightened.”

The story behind these verses is not long. Abraham’s half-sister
was also his wife. When he entered King Abimelech’s territory,
it was vitally necessary that he have Sarah to identify herself
as his “sister,” so as to avoid a conflict with Abimelech. When
Abimelech discovered that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, as well
as his sister, he confronted Abraham regarding the lie.

The LORD had protected Sarah and had instructed Abimelech
that Abraham would pray for him. This is the first mention of
prayer in the Bible. It should, therefore, be a reminder to us to
pray before we seek to understand anything in the Word of
God.

There are several Hebrew words translated “pray” or “prayer”;
still, we need not know the vary nuisances of the words in
order to engage in communion with Almighty God. He
understands our intentions more than we do. And as an
earthly father makes allowances for his immature son, so the
LORD makes allowances for our lack of understanding.

Prayer is the key to understanding the LORD’s Word! Don’t
force meanings on His Words; allow Him to reveal themselves.
Serious, sincere prayer draws us closer to Him. What can be
better than that?

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 11:29-30, ““Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (KJV).

More literally Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me (??? ????); because (???) I am gentle (?????) and lowly (????????) in heart: and ye shall find spiritual rest (???????? ?????????) to your souls. 30 For My yoke is kind (???????), and My burden is easy to bear (???????).”

When Jesus spoke to the people in this Matthewen text, He expressed it in soft and endearing words. He was certainly concerned that they learn the content of His teaching; however, He was equally concerned that they learn from Him. In the truest sense, to learn from Him was to learn of Him. And so it is of us today.

The Daniel text (1:5) is far less soft. Daniel growls, “..grow up; become great!” Why do you suppose He saved you, anyway? Some of us need that stiff language at times, do we not? We tend to “baby” ourselves, when we’ve been His far too long to be handled with kid gloves. The twigs that are intended to become trees need support. And stiff language is often the very support we need.

The John 7:15 verse is softer, yet it still carries the mandate: learn from Me. If we are to do just that, and become what our LORD intends us to become, it is imperative that we study His Word daily! There is always the tendency to peruse what others have said about Him. Yet, even the most humble, dedicated, scholars know less of Him than He knows of Himself. Therefore, always choose the best scholar. He wrote the best Book!

Acts 4:13 was both startling and self-identifing of me! Agrammatos translates “without learning, uneducated!” In an honest self-assessment, there was a time when I thought I had a pretty good handle on the Scriptures. Yet, if truth be told, I am now like a small child just commencing to learn the alphabet. Serious study in the Word of God reveals human inadequacy. Could that be why we’re tempted to slight our Bible study?

Acts 7:22 and 22:3 utilize the same Greek phraseology that urges us “to train and “chasten” and “correct” children. What the Scripture knows, however, is that as we obey the instruction it gives regarding others (i.e., the children), we cannot help but learn what the LORD has there for us.

Let me urge you to engage in serious, daily study of the Holy Bible. Start with prayer because without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you can quickly find yourself in a Biblical quagmire. The Spirit leads us as we pray and brings the Scriptures to life! And when they come alive, we soon learn that we are alive, as well. 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