The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Romans 5:1-5, “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the

glory of God.

3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;

5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who

was given to us.”

It’s an open secret that some preachers have favorite themes –even favorite sermons—that they preach over and over, as

if there were no other themes in the Bible. Yet, before you criticize them, take a look at the life of a another man of God.

Once Paul came into a true, spiritual relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ, his life was so full of love and gratitude that he just kept telling his story over and over again. “…justified by faith…peace with God…by faith into this grace…hope…glory…”

The old hymn, Tell Me The Old, Old, Story, has a verse that says,

Tell me the old, old story;

For those who know it best,

Seem hungering and thirsting

To hear it like the rest.

The Apostle Paul exulted (boasted) in the “hope of the glory of God” and in “tribulations.” Tribulation builds endurance, and

endurannce builds character –proven character. And that character produces hope –hope in which there is no disappointment, because everything in life hinges on the love of God that has given us the Holy Spirit.

Moments before I penned this Letter, I was on the phone, speaking to someone who is facing some dim, possibly dark, days

ahead. Yet, it was anything but a mournful conversation. My conversant was filled with hope! Hope is not uncertain. Hope is

future certainty! When you have the Holy Spirit living within you, even the prospect of pain and difficulty are dwarfed by the

absolute certainty of the LORD’s Hand of comfort.

The old Negro spirituals reflected the hope that anchored their lives. What’s more, their hope was contagious, and we

adopted their spirituals. Yes, “…justified by faith” produces “peace with God”; and that peace is the doorway to grace and hope and glory! Yet, it comes only to those who have turned from their sin (repentance) and trusted in the LORD Jesus

for salvation.

If you have yet to trust Christ as your Savior, do it right now. Just stop reading, bow before Him, turn away from your sins,

and ask Jesus’ forgiveness. If you have already trusted Him, share Him with someone who hasn’t. It is a joy you will both

cherish for a long time to come! 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

Dear Grands,

Romans 1:1, “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,”

Were I to ask you what you do in life, the likelihood is that you will respond by saying, “I work for UPS,” or some such

company that employs people and gives them a wage. You might say, “I am an attorney,” meaning you are self-employed.

Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with being a businessman or a professional or simply a menial, low-wage employee. Everyone needs a financial income and everyone has a right to work so long as it’s a legitimate enterprise and a legitimate source of income.

Paul’s birth name was Saul. He was born of Jewish parentage in the City of Tarsus (today’s sourthern Turkey). All Jewish boys were taught a trade, and Paul’s father taught him tent-making (Acts 18:3). Later, as he grew older, Paul was sent to

Jerusalem, where he studied Mosiac Law and all things Jewish under the learned Gamaliel. He spoke of himself as “a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee” (Phil. 3:6).

Yet, after his Damascus Road experience, where he met the LORD Jesus Christ, and his life was transformed, Saul’s name was subsequently changed to Paul, and he viewed himself as a “slave” (doulos) to his LORD Jesus Christ. He wrote the Philippians saying, “…whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (Phil. 3:7).

Yet, the foremost word in our Roman’s verse above is the word “set apart” ??????????? (aphorismenos), “selected, separated for a special purpose.” Is that not what we all are in a special sense? In Second Corinthians 6:17-18, Paul wrote, “’Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. 18 And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,’ Says the Lord Almighty.”

In the midst of this study, I am reminded of that sweet little children’s song that said…

Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see,

Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see,

For the Father’s up Above, looking down in tender love,

Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.

Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear,

Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear,

For the Father’s up Above, looking down in tender love,

Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.

Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say,

Oh be careful, little tongue, what you say,

For the Father’s up Above, looking down in tender love,

Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say.

Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do,

Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do,

For the Father’s up Above, looking down in tender love,

Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do.

Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go,

Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go.

For the Father’s up Above, looking down in tender love,

Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go.

(Be thankful I didn’t sing it to you!)

Always think before you act: “Would I do this if Jesus were standing beside me?”

And then realize: He always 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,

Matthew 10:28-31, “And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to

destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 “Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Have you ever been in the midst of something, only to be called away to consider something different?. In the verses before us, Jesus was in the midst of ministering, when He called His disciples aside to instruct them in how to minister the Gospel to the people-at-large. Witnesses often encounter difficult situations, some possibly due to public occurrences. Care should always be taken when speaking with strangers. Nevertheless, Jesus dispelled all fear, teaching that the Father is both watchful and consistently protective of His own.

Christ’s words in the verses above indicate that man can experience fear and even death, so far as the body is concerned. Yet, the soul is always under the protective security of the Father. Our human souls are of infinite value to the Savior! What is

the value of a human soul? Sparrows were virtually worthless on the monetary scale. Two of them were worth one assarion,

the smallest, copper coin in the realm at that time. Our English text renders is “a cent,” but it was worth much, much less than

our cent. Jesus’ point is that despite the virtual worthlessness of a sparrow, they never escape our Heavenly Father’s observation.

To that He adds, “…the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” As moronic as it might appear, I think of that verse every

time I run a comb through my hair –and, yes, individual strands of hair fall helplessly to the floor. Is God truly keeping track of

how much (or how little) of my hair is retained each day? Or is that thought simply an indication of His eternal watchfulness? It

could be either. After all, how could we question God’s ability to keep count of human hairs when He created the universe?

We are instructed not to live in a state of apprehension! When we have repented of our sins and believed upon Jesus as our LORD and Savior, we live freely and constantly under His divine protection and inestimatible care.

Live in the Word, dear friend! Pray constantly in all you do and encounter! Trust in the LORD always! You have no better or competent friend.

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 21:10-14, “And as we were staying there for some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In

this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'”

12 And when we had heard this, we, as well as the local residents, began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound,

but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

There are indeed some very interesting and tender moments in biblical history. Agabus is mentioned only twice, both of which are in the Book of Acts. Both times, Agabus is avowed as a prophet. He had previously indicated “by the Spirit” that a great famine would prevail over all the Earth, and indeed it did. Now, this same prophet, predicting what he alleged was by the word of the same Holy Spirit, that Paul’s entrance into Jerusalem, would result in his being bound and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. Interesting, too, is the visual demonstration that Agabus used, taking Paul’s own belt and binding his own hands and feet, simultaneously alleging this to be a divine revelation of the Holy Spirit.

The assembly of believers were thereby convinced that Paul should not venture to Jerusalem. Paul, on the other hand, was resistant to the prophecy of Agabus, despite the tearful pleading of his Christian friends. Why Paul would resist Agabus’ prophecy, especially when it was someone he knew to be a valid prophet of the LORD? Paul and Barnabus had met Agabus in Antioch (Acts 11:22-28); but before we conclude who was right or wrong in this situation, we need to look ahead at what actually transpired. Both men were right. Agabus was right in what he predicted, and Paul was right in going to Jerusalem. The people who witnessed Agabus’ prophecy were also right when they said, “The will of the LORD be done.”

The emphasis we must not miss is that of Paul. The congregation was weeping, as it urged Paul not to go. Their sincerity grieved Paul to the depths of his heart. Yet, his response was that he was ready to be bound as a prisoner –even to die for the name of the LORD Jesus! This is the ultimate act of dying to one’s self. For when we truly die to “self,” there is nothing at all that matters, except the glorification of the LORD Jesus Christ. And that is what a true believer’s life all about! Are you a “true believer”? Think about it carefully before you answer.

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 20:24, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”

Last evening I watched a football game on television. One of the teams was Pitt, and that brought to mind a long-time friend, who was offered a football scholarship to Pitt. What made it all interesting was that Bill never played for Pitt. Instead, he elected to lead the singing for his father, who was a traveling evangelist. Bill gave up a cherished collegiate football scholarship to engage in what many would call an insignificant role in the LORD’s work! But, the truth is, there are no insignificant roles in the LORD’s work!

Dying to the “self factor” is never easy. It was undoubtedly more difficult for Paul than we could ever know. He was an outstanding graduate of the top conservative Jewish school of his day and studied under the celebrated Gamaliel (Acts 22).

He had a brilliant mind, and after his conversion, became as enthusiastic for Jesus Christ as he had been for Judaism.

He might have looked upon himself with great pride –but no! He considered his life of no personal account. His ministry

was totally focused on bring glory to his LORD, Jesus Christ!

The LORD certainly knew what He was doing when He arrested Paul on the Road to Damascus. He knows what He is

doing with respect to your life, too. Yet, as long as we consider ourselves “something,” we are truly nothing! We only become

valuable when we die to ourselves and live only for Him. Remember that simple saying,

Only one life; it will soon be past;

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

The life that you have, the air that you breathe, the health, the mind, the so-called natural abilities – are all from the LORD!

They were not granted to you for your own purposes. They are His gifts to you by which you may glorify Him! Sometimes, He

is forced to cripple us or withdraw those abilities because they have usurped His rightful intention. No, it’s not too late to repent. He can restore those abilities. He can make you what you ought to be –what He intended; yet, time is swiftly passing. Think about it! You have life because He wills it so. Use it from this day forward for His glory alone!

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