The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 8:18-24, “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
19 saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
21 “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
22 “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.
23 “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
24 But Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

There are two “Simons” in our verses above; however, the one in the first verse is known elsewhere as “Simon the Sorcerer.” The other Simon goes by his second name, “Peter.” Verses earlier than ours, but yet in the same chapter, tell us that Simon the Sorcerer had become a Christian. But, like a lot of us, there yet remains still some carnality.

Simon acted hastily when he witnessed the Holy Spirit enter the lives of some who had believed upon Jesus. Acting totally without spiritual thought, Simon asked for the authority of implanting the Holy Spirit, knowing that he could make a lot of money with it. Peter lashed out at him with a bare-knuckle shout! “May your silver perish with you…,” Peter shouted! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God!” Peter was right! Furthermore, he barked at Simon saying, you need to pray that the LORD will forgive you for even thinking of such a thing!

Simon was so stunned that he could not pray! He asked Peter to pray for him, lest the LORD bring upon him a great disaster! The Scriptures do not tell us whether Peter prayed for Simon or not. I can only guess that Simon never said anything like that again. We’ve all said and done things that were not pleasing to God. But have we repented? Have we asked His forgiveness? Let Peter’s soul-shattering word to Simon speak to us, as well. The LORD is not glorified by money! He is glorified when we yield our lives and our wills to 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,

Acts 8:1-4, “Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.
3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.
4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the Word.”

The New Testament overflows with enemies of the Cross of Christ and the declaration of its message. Saul, whose own conversion appears in the next chapter of Acts (ch. 9), was adamantly convinced that Jesus and His followers were wrong and ought to be imprisoned or suffer death. Even Stephen’s death by stoning, as he continued to praise the LORD, had no immediate effect upon Saul.

The Church itself was scattered, as if the ambush of Saul was working. Yet, the church was “scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria,” undoubtedly sharing the Word of Salvation. While it looked to many, maybe most, that persecution was disabling the Church, members of the church carried with them the Word of Salvation in Jesus Christ!

Christians in many countries of the world are today facing savage persecution; yet, many believers in Christ Jesus are reaching out to these very nations with the Gospel of Christ. Those who oppose Christ and His teachings always lose. What momentarily appears to be a victory against the Church, turns out to be victorious instead. There is no suppression of the Word of God! It always goes where it is sent and it achieves the purpose God Himself intends. Therefore, you witness for Him never in vain.

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 7:54-60, “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.
55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;
56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse.
58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ Having said this, he fell asleep.”

Have you ever said something to someone that just made them mad? It wasn’t gossip. It wasn’t said in anger, but it was forceful; and above all, it was the truth! That’s exactly what occurred with Stephen in these verses of the seventh chapter of Acts. Stephen told the truth. It was a clear reiteration of a portion of Israel’s history. But, it just didn’t set well with the hearers.

It’s truly difficult to say things that you know beforehand will irritate those who hear them. Sermons are often like that. So, if your pastor shares Scripture that causes you to get angry, just stop for a few moments and evaluate what he said. It was biblical, wasn’t it? It fit the situation, didn’t it? Then, just praise the LORD that Truth from the Word had come to the ears of needy persons.

The verses above speak for themselves. Stephen spoke the truth; those who heard him didn’t like what he said. But his cry to the LORD should always be our cry; namely, “LORD, do not hold this sin against them!” It was at that moment that Stephen went into the presence of the LORD. What a way to go!! God bless you, dear reader! May the lessons of the Word strengthen you in the ways 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

Dear Grands,

Acts 2:36-40, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ– this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

Have you ever made a serious mistake and wondered if you could ever correct it? This is one passage that should help you. Remember that Peter was the one who “jumped the gun” in casting lots that enabled Matthias to be numbered with the eleven apostles? Later in Jerusalem, he redeemed himself, as the Holy Spirit came upon the Jews on the Day of Pentecost. They began to speak in languages they had not previously known, and it was Peter who announced that what they had witnessed “…was spoken through the prophet Joel…” God had poured out on these Jews the Person of the Holy Spirit. And He had used Peter!

The Jewish people then turned to Peter for further instructions from the LORD, and Peter commanded them to repent (change their minds) and acknowledge the LORD Jesus’ in their lives by being baptized in Jesus’ Name. From that time onward, those who turned away from sin and trusted Christ Jesus for salvation, were baptized in acknowledgement their faith in Him.

It is not baptism that saves us; it is faith in Jesus that brings salvation. Yet, baptism in water is a pictorial sign of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we are baptized, we physically demonstrate our belief in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection for us! Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior? If not, you ought to trust Him right now! If you have trusted Him, have you publicly demonstrated your salvation through baptism in water? If not, you should do so as soon as possible.

You may sometimes step out of line like Peter did before the Holy Spirit came. But you can still be forgiven and renew your fellowship with Christ just like Peter did. Don’t treat the love and sacrifice of Jesus with delay. Do all that He has commanded as quickly as possible! It’s obedience to Him and will be a blessing to 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 1:20, “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘LET HIS HOMESTEAD BE MADE DESOLATE, AND LET NO ONE DWELL IN IT’; and, ‘LET ANOTHER MAN TAKE HIS OFFICE.’”
Psa 109:1-8, “O God of my praise, do not be silent!
2 For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without cause.
4 In return for my love they act as my accusers; but I am in prayer.
5 Thus they have repaid me evil for good and hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked man over him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty, and let his prayer become sin.
8 Let his days be few; let another take his office.”

To their credit, the disciples did pray when they got back to Jerusalem, but they failed to wait on the Holy Spirit for instructions. We’re like that sometimes –maybe more than “sometimes.” In yesterday’s Grands Letter, I noted that Simon Peter did not wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, as the LORD Jesus had instructed; rather, Peter quoted a verse from the Psalms and moved quickly to “cast lots” to determine who would take Judas Iscariot’s place among the twelve apostles. Sometimes we rush and grab a Scripture that suits our “thinking,” rather than waiting on the LORD as instructed.

Over time, the Psalms acquired categorical names. Psalm 109 is an “imprecatory” psalm — a psalm whose author calls for Divine devastation to fall upon his enemies. It certainly suited Peter’s personality. Doubtlessly, he had read it numerous times. Still, we have to be careful in our use of Scripture. The Bible does not exist as “ammunition” to destroy the thoughts or positions of others, who happen to oppose us on various issues. It needs always to be read and studied in the context in which it was originally written.

We would do well not to rush what we do, but to wait on the Holy Spirit’s lead. God’s ways are timeless. He doesn’t rush anything. We’re the ones who rush! And it often leads us to a less-than-helpful conclusion. Pray and wait! The LORD is always on time!

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