The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 27:22-25, “And yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there shall be no loss of life among you, but

only of the ship.

23 “For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me,

24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who

are sailing with you.’

25 “Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God, that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.”

Do you remember a few Letters ago when we talked about Paul being jailed in Jerusalem? The LORD appeared to him, promising that everything would go well. Immediately after that promise, Paul’s nephew spoke to the Commander about the plot to take Paul’s life. The Commander wrote a letter to introduce Paul to Felix, who was in Caesarea. Then under heavy guard, the Commander sent Paul to stand before Felix.

Back in the Jerusalem jail, the LORD spoke to Paul, assuring him that he would stand before Caesar. Now, en route to Rome with an horrendoous storm preying upon the ship, an angel of the LORD once again encourages Paul, “Do not be afraid… you must stand before Caesar…” Paul, then encourages the sailors and passengers, saying, “I believe God, that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.”

Sometimes when we hear the LORD call us to a specific task, we find obstacles in the way. Satan is very real, and he always, without fail, seeks to intervene. But, God is Almghty! He keeps His word and He can overpower Satan.

Our responsibility is simply to believe the LORD and get on with what He intends us to do. We may not be called to do exactly what others do. Yet, it is our responsibility to determine our part and follow His directions. Remember these words: encourage, believe, pray. Then apply them rigorously despite all external circumstances. Yes, Paul did stand before Caesar; and it is necessary that all mankind hear the LORD’s Word and come to faith in Him! You and I have a responsibility to share Christ. Are we fulfilling His calling to us? Encourage, believe, pray.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 23:19-22, “And the commander took him by the hand and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately,

‘What is it that you have to report to me?’

20 And he said, ‘The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to the Council, as though they

were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him.

21 ‘So do not listen to them, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him who have bound themselves under

a curse not to eat or drink until they slay him; and now they are ready and waiting for the promise from you.’

22 Therefore the commander let the young man go, instructing him, ‘Tell no one that you have notified me of these

things.’”

Did you ever sell someone short? That’s another way of saying “Did you ever look at someone, especially a child, and say to yourself, “He’s just a kid! He could never do what I need him to do!” There’s no way of knowing, of course, but it would be interesting to know exactly what went through the Commander’s mind when Paul’s young nephew shared the conspiracy that was afoot, a conspiracy to kill his Uncle Paul.

Did the boy’s manner strike strangely in the way he spoke to the Commander? It was as if he just blurted it all out! The childish way in which he instructed the military leader is itself amusing. “So, do not listen to them!” he said rather commandingly, leaving nothing to chance. Children tend to be forthright and determined in the way they say things. This boy’s facts were in tandum with his determination. His mind was not cluttered with the sights inside the prison. He knew what he was saying and why it was necessary to get it all straight.

The very mention of the boy’s manner of speech contrasts with what we would expect. As adults, we often feel sensitive, and sometimes necessary to add to the facts our implications. Yet, these only clutter the minds of our hearers and leave them wondering what it was we really intended to say. Little kids only clutter their rooms, not their minds. They learn mind clutter from us.

How old was Paul’s nephew? It’s impossible to know with certainty. The word for “lad” in Greek is ?????????, neaniskos, meaning “a young man,” making him to be somewhere in the range of 8 to 10 years old, but possessing

a clear concept of truth and bespeaking the decorum of a well-trained child. We would all do well to examine the pattern of a well-trained youth, even better to exploit it. Let’s examine ourselves carefully. The better behaved we are, the clearer our mission will be to ourselves and to those we pray to win to the Savior.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

I regret that these items were mistaken on tonight’s Grands Letter.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

James 2:15-17, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

16 and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give

them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

When was the last time you truly “Stretched Your Faith”?

I have known the Kolker family for nearly 20 years. Leonid is Jewish by birth, but came to faith in Christ Jesus and was then baptized in 1994 in his hometown, Odessa, Ukraine. His wife, Elena, is also a born-again believer in Christ. Leo holds a Ph.D. and is proficient in linguistics (French, Ukrainian, Russian and English, etc.) He has served as a translator in numerous important situations. Lena is a psychologist, and worked tirelessly with refugees during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict a few years ago. Together, they have one son, David, who has graduated college and is now living in Poland.

Leo and Lena are currently living in New Hampshire, awaiting a Green Card entry into the United States. It is a long, difficult, expensive procedure, but they love the United States and long to make it their home and contribute to our nation, as many immigrants have in the past.

Currently, they face upward costs in the neighborhood of $5,000. There is an Immigration lawyer’s fee of $4000, a U.S. Government fee of $800, and required medical expenses of $700.

Here is the “Stretch of Faith” challenge that came to me –a challenge I want to place before you. Since you and I belong to the LORD, everything we possess is truly His! So, pray for the LORD to increase your faith! Pray about whether the LORD would have you to contribute toward these fellow believers’ needs. In a true sense, the faith factor is more valuable than the gift; but it takes the gift to launch the faith factor. With all that determined, I am sending what the LORD lays upon my heart, believing that whatever that amount is, it is first of all His, and He is as able to meet all of our needs just as He is able to use us to meet the needs of others.

PLEASE, DO NOT SEND MONEY TO ME! This is not about me! It’s about a “stretch of your own faith” and your obedience to whatever the LORD lays on your heart. May God bless you abundantly, along with the Kolkers!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 23:12, 16-18, “And when it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under

an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul….

16 But the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, and he came and entered the barracks and told

Paul.

17And Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, ‘Lead this young man to the commander, for he

has something to report to him.’

18 So he took him and led him to the commander and said, ‘Paul the prisoner called me to him and

asked me to lead this young man to you since he has something to tell you.’”

“What do they know? There just kids!” Have you ever heard adults make a remark like that? Well, the passage above “moves to differ” with the implications of those two sentences. The implication is that because some are younger, they have no mature abilities. Still, nothing could be further from the truth.

Paul’s forthrightness with the Gospel had aroused the Jews and some of them thought the easiest way to squelch the Christian Gospel was to erase the life of the speaker. So, they formed a pact that they would do whatever was necessary to silence Paul. And that meant death!

This is also the passage that tells us that Paul had at least one sister; and that sister had at least one son. Don’t ever mistaken a young boy as worthless! The Scriptures are replete with accounts of young people who either overheard something or possessed something –something that proved invaluable when the whole of the story was known. For starters, how did a young lad get past the guard and into the prison where a relative of his was being held? Simply stated, the boy told Paul and Paul told a guard, who took the boy to the Commander of the Garrison.

I clearly remember a young Israeli lad who said to me, “Sir, do you know where the USA is?” I replied, “I’m sure I do; that’s where my home is located.” He smiled and then said, “It’s right in the middle of

Jerusalem.” And it was! JerUSAlem! Don’t overlook the young! They need good, godly guidance. But, they can achieve some things we adults cannot. Remember the words of Solomon, and find a child who

needs your spiritual and practical guidance. Such is always honoring to our LORD.

“Train up a child in the way he should go,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

(Prov. 22:6)

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”