The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

I Corinthians 15:12-20, “Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;
14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.
15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;
17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.”

In our last Letter, we emphsized the Resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ. We spoke of it as the key to His Crucifixion’s validity. In these verses, we have a logical continuation of that Message. Some were saying, as some say today, that Jesus did not rise from the dead. Paul argues that if there were no resurrection, then all the preaching of Christ’s Resurrection is “vain” (?????, kenos, empty, foolish, futile).

Without the Resurrection, It would then follow that all the Christian ministers throughout history were then “false witnesses” of Almighty God. Further, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith (i.e., all of you who are now reading this Letter) is worthless…” and what’s more, “you are still living in your sins.”

Tell me, what could be worse? The loss of all your possessions, or the notification of your total indebtedness to someone of whom you’ve never heard – nothing is comparable to being wrong about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Oh, and what of the dead, who have believed in His Resurrection? Your husband, your wife, your child, your parents –all of them having been taught and believed that Jesus arose from the dead— only now you discover that there is no resurrection from the dead. Think about that!! What if that were true? Thank God it is not!

Ah, but “Christ has been raised from the dead…” He was the initial Sacrifice, the One who assures us that all who believe on Him before they die, will indeed be raised from the dead, when He returns! The only hope anyone has to be resurrected when Jesus comes again, lies in the repentance of his sin and trust in Jesus before he dies. Have you called upon Christ Jesus for salvation? Are you trusting in Him alone? Trust Him today before it’s too late! Every day brings us one day closer to the day of His Return!

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 15:1-11, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”

As the Apostle Paul comes to the closure of this first Corinthians epistle, he emphasizes the resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ. As important as the crucifixion of the LORD Jesus is, without His resurrection, the guarantee of eternal life would be lacking.

Paul designates both the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as of “first importance.” Many other things are important; however, if the cross and the resurrection are ignored, there is no salvation.

The cross was witnessed by scores of people; the resurrection by fewer. Paul is building a case by specifically naming Peter and the twelve apostles. Further, he notes that there were more than 500 believers who were witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection, many of whom were still alive at the time of his writing.

Why is all of this so important? It is important because the Scriptures had vowed that Jesus was dying for the sins of mankind and would rise to life again after three days. Without the resurrection, there would have been no salvation for those who believed in Him. These two salient factors are key components in our salvation. To activate eternal life, you have but to confess your sins to Him and trust in Him.

Have you confessed your sin? Have you believed on Jesus for salvation? Pray a simple prayer of faith. It’s not that you have to convince Christ to save you! He wants to do that! He just needs to know that you trust Him. He’s coming again to receive His own? I pray that you will be in His group!

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,

Romans 16:17-20, “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.
18 For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.
19 For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore, I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

Remember when you were a child? You were headed to a birthday party for one of your friends, but not before your mother reminded you to behave and treat everyone nicely; and above all, don’t forget to tell your friend’s mother that you had a nice time and tank her for having the party. Remember that?

Well, the apostle Paul is saying something like that to us as he closes his Letter to the Romans. The circumstances, however, are understandably different, He warns us to watch closely those who cause “dissensions and hindrances” which are contrary to the Scriptures. Those who live in opposition to the Word of God are numerous! They disguise their true meaning with nice sounding phraseology, but their intention is not for our good.

Notice, too, that Paul is not merely speaking of those who pretend to be followers of Jesus. Those in governmental positions are not exempted from his warning. I remember a preacher once saying, “I don’t believe all I hear that is preached.” How right he was! We are to remain obedient only to the Word of the LORD.

Paul’s Scriptural promise is that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan.” When will that occur? We are not told; but we are blessed when we follow and rest in the promises of the LORD. Stay in the Word! Stay spiritually prayerful! His Word is destined to triumph!

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,

Romans 9:1-5, “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,
4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises,
5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”

Sometimes, when we are about to reveal something almost unbelievable, we start by saying, “I’m going to tell you something truthful –something you may find it hard to believe.” With such a statement, we are “conditioning the mind” of the hearer to accept what we are going to reveal. Such revelations often need bolstering in order to be believed.

It is that very situation that the Apostle Paul anticipates in the verses above. He begins by a simple statement of truth, and with the addition of the words “in Christ,” he bolsters the validity of what he intends to say. Further, he states plainly, “I am not lying” (???????? pseudomai; pseudo). Supporting truth, he cites his own conscience, as it is supported by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within him.

Whatever could be of such important as to necessitate a threefold spiritual support? Paul is encountering “great sorrow and unceasing grief. This is not grief, such as is caused by eating too much food; nor is it something irritatting his digestive system. No, this was a deep-seated grief concerning his Jewish fellowymen. They had yet to come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Do you have friends like that? –friends you love, but friends that have yet to recognize the Love of Christ, who gave Himself on the Cross for their sins? Paul grieved over their failure to accept Jesus Christ. Do we have that intensity of grief in our hearts for our friends? I’m thinking now of a man I knew was lost. He came by my house some years ago, asking if I would like to go fishing? I had already scheduled other plans. That man – a kind and close friend – may well have had a greater reason than fishing. But, now he is gone – the opportunity to share Christ is no longer there. I missed that opportunity. Paul grieved over his kinsmen and was willing to suffer the pain of Hell itself, except that it was too late.

Don’t be too late in trusting Jesus! Don’t be too late in sharing Him with others who are lost! Those are regrets that will plague 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,

Romans 8:35-39, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Do you remember the question that was popular some years ago? It asked, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” It usually got a laugh, until those that heard it stopped long enough for it to filter through their thoughts. Then, it became serious and they became sober.

There are a host of things that labor feverishly against us when we are believers in Christ Jesus. Yet, we are to love Him and live for Him regardless of the consequences. Tribulation and distress can often fall upon us circumstantially. Persecution is always intentional and comes from people, who either oppose what we believe or who generally dislike us for believing something they reject.

The lack of food or clothing may not be helped, but they can become objects that bring disdain upon us. “If God is what you say He is, why doesn’t He provide you the basic necessities of life?” Peril and sword may also be the results of hatred on the part of unbelievers. In such situations, what are we to do? How are we to react to such opposition?

The Apostle Paul speaks forth quite positively, saying that believers “overwhelmingly conquer” such opposition by trusting in Christ. In fact, he avows that absolutely nothing is “able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our LORD.” Faith and trust in Christ Jesus always trump the howl of the unbelieving crowd. Stay the course, Christian! Keep trusting in the LORD. Feed on His Word; bask in His everlasting love. He won your victory on the Cross! He can never be defeated; nor can you, when you lovingly trust in 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