The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 15:1-5, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit,

He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.

3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine,

so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for

apart from Me you can do nothing.”

When Jesus spoke to His disciples, he used illustrations from true life experiences. I think that’s what Evangelist Billy Sunday was thinking when he said, “Put the cookies on the lower shelf where everyone can reach them.” The Gospel is simple. It parallels those illustrations from life.

Those to whom Jesus spoke understood all about vineyards. The main part is the vine; the branches have to be connected to the vine or they will not produce grapes. Jesus is the Vine, and if we are to be productive physically or spiritually or commercially, we have to be connected with Him!

I’ve often heard it said that the “fruit” of which Jesus spoke were the lost souls that come to Him in saving faith. I tend to believe, however, that the “fruit” mentioned in this passage is our likeness to Christ Jesus Himself. “Abiding” means “to settle down and make your home in Him.” Anytime we live with someone, we unconsciously take on some of their characteristics. It may be how you pronounce certain words or how you fold a towel before hanging it up on a towel rack; but you learn these things from living with another person.

Notice the progression, too. Jesus spoke of “fruit,” “more fruit,” and “much fruit.” Newborn Christians often become discouraged at not immediately being able to be and do all they desire. But growth in everything takes time. I heard of a small boy telling his mother that he “was as tall as Goliath.” When she challenged him, saying that Goliath was nine feet and six inches tall, the boy replied, “But I made myself a yardstick and I measured myself, and I’m as tall as Goliath.”

The measure of our spiritual growth often takes time. After all, the more we depend on Jesus,

the faster and better we grow. Are you growing spiritually? Are you truly connected to Him, the Vine? “Apart from Me,” He says, “you can do nothing.” And nothing apart from Him glorifies God.

That’s really why we’re here! Let Him make some changes in your life. He has some ways of speeding up your spiritual growth process. I know that’s what you want.

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,

John 14:23-24, “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word;

and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.

24He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine,

but the Father’s who sent Me.’”

A pastor friend of mine visited me this week. I showed him my library and he was amazed at the number of books it contains. “Have you read all of these books?” he jokingly asked. And I gave him my standard response (as I’ve been asked that question several times): “I’ve read some of all of them.”

The world in which we live is literally FILLED with books! Solomon said, “the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body” (Eccl. 12:12). And the only book that emphasizes true love is the Bible. Jesus’ love reaches through virtually every page, and He says that those who love Him will keep His Word; and those who keep His Word will be loved by the Father. When our lives become the home of the Word, the Father’s love makes its home within us.

In his first epistle, John wrote: “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19). It is my earnest hope and trust that you and all readers of this Letter truly love Jesus. What exceeds my hope, however, is the certain knowledge that He loves you! With so much hate and evil in the world today, we all need to be exposed to Christ Jesus’ love. You’ll find it quickest in the New Testament section of your Bible. His love is what preserved His Word; and it’s all there for you!

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,

John 14:12-17, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.

13 “And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

16 “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.”

There may not be a greater chapter in the Bible than John 14. You can argue with that – and you may be right – but you have to agree that at the least, it is one of the finest chapters! I’m sure I’ve said it previously, but the verb is the most important word in any sentence. It expresses action of state of being. In these verses above, John cites Jesus as using believe, ask, love, and give, four key verbs.

Belief heads the list because without trust or confidence none of the other verbs would be meaningful. The object of that belief must be Jesus. He is the lynchpin that holds all of the other concepts together. In other words, unless and until you are committed to Him in believing faith, don’t count on any of the other verbs to work for you.

Still, when you know Jesus Christ in saving faith, you can ask and He will respond. In another place in the Scripture it says, “If the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who will prepare for the battle?” The bugler’s notes tell the soldiers whether to advance or retreat. When we know Jesus as our LORD and Savior, we can ask anything – anything, that is, that brings honor and glory to Him – and He will answer accordingly.

Love is an active verb in verse 15. If we love Him, we will keep His commandments. The meaning here is not the Ten Commandments, but His instructions that remain with us after He fulfilled the Old Testament Law of Moses.

When we are saved, having believed on Jesus, He promises and implants within us the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit’s role to guide us, as well as to mark us as belonging to Christ. At that point, the believer –hopefully, you! – can never be lost again. There is no such thing as “not belonging” to Christ, when once we have trusted Him. He secures us eternally! Oh, dear friend, believe me: this is THE LIFE! It’s not in wealth or position or fame; True Life is in Jesus Christ! But, like a new

flavor of ice cream, you have to try it to know just how good it is! Just pray and ask Him to forgive your sin and be your Savior! So many are finding Him to be even more than they ever believed. I want this to be true of you, too! And I’m praying for you to this end.

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,

John 13:1-5, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that

He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He

loved them to the end.

2And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon,

to betray Him,

3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth

from God, and was going back to God,

4rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.

5Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them

with the towel with which He was girded.”

The original Passover was in Egypt. It was the preparation for Israel’s departure, and certain procedures demanded by the LORD God had to occur. One was the slaying of a lamb that was eaten, and the sprinkling of its blood on the door posts and on the cross piece that connected the two sides as they formed the doorway. It was the beginning of a new era for the Nation of Israel.

Now, centuries later Jesus and His disciples partook of the Feast of the Passover as the end of the Old Testament era. It was at the Passover that Jesus announced Judas Iscariot as His betrayer. Satan had convinced Judas to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. John 13:30 reads, “And so after receiving the morsel he (Judas Iscariot) went out immediately; and it was night.” Leaving Jesus, Who is the Light of the World, always and only leads to darkness.

After Judas Iscariot departed from the Passover, Jesus introduced the LORD’s Supper with His disciples. Many today call the LORD’s Supper “Communion.” Yet, there are multiple ways in which we are able to commune with the LORD. Prayer and the study of the Bible are means of communion. There is only one LORD’s Supper. It is only for born-again Christians and speaks of our LORD’s death, burial, and resurrection. It has no saving graces or powers to change human life. Only the blood of Jesus can do that. All of this is to say that Judas Iscariot, as a Jew, was a part of the Old Testament Passover, but since he was never saved (born again), he had no part in the LORD’s Supper.

Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet is emblematic of His humility. Only the lowliest servant washed the feet of strangers that came to one’s dwelling place. Jesus demonstrates His consideration of Himself as a servant of God the Father. There is a lesson in this for all of us. First, we must be His children to have the right to sit at His Table. To become a child of God (a true Christian), one must willingly turn away from sin and commit his life to Jesus Christ, much like one does when entering military service. Second, once accepted, you belong to Jesus forever! You’re committed to doing His will, while simultaneously, receiving live-saving protection forever. Then, still in His service, you are to witness of Him to others, leading them to faith and to eternal life.

If you’ve never trusted Him, give Him a chance with your life! If you have accepted Him, start telling others that they, too, may know Him in eternal love. God bless you abundantly!

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,

Judges 6:25-27, “Now the same night it came about that the LORD said to (Gideon), ‘Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it;

26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.’

27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had spoken to him; and it came about, because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, that he did it by night.”

Most people who have worked for someone have been ordered to do things that were strange and difficult. Sometimes, they were even dangerous. Such is the situation with Gideon. His father was a worshipper of false gods, one of whom was Baal. Asherah was a female goddess of Phoenicia, whose image was like that of Baal. Gideon was charged by the LORD to tear down both images.

It was not an easy task –not so much the actual destruction of the images, but because they were the property of Gideon’s earthly father. What’s more, he was instructed to build an alter to the LORD and offer a burnt offering to the LORD, using the wood from the Asherah to feed the fire.

It was an early test of Gideon’s trust in the LORD. Greater things than this were coming. So Gideon obeyed, but he was so afraid of his father that he and some fellows from his city did it at

night.

We all have some form of false gods or goddesses in our lives. Some are greater than others; yet,

they are all evil and need to be destroyed. Some evil things around and within us are known to others, some are not. But all need to be destroyed! Even with their destruction, we are a bit sheepish and more than a little embarrassed to construct something to the LORD’s glory. So, we do that destruction and construction, as it were, at night –quietly and outside the knowledge of others. Still, they will know when they see us that we are different. And the LORD will rejoice that He is glorified.

Isaiah supports what Gideon did when he says,

“’Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.

Cease to do evil, 17Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan,

Plead for the widow. 18’Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the LORD, ‘Though your

sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will

be like wool. 19 “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; 20But if you refuse

and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.’ Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

–Isaiah 1:16-20

May the LORD aid us all in the destruction of fortresses that bring no honor to Him!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. I sincerely apologize for the absence of last evening’s Grands Letter. I was necessarily called out of town

and was away from my computer. Your prayers are always needed and welcomed.

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.”