The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 24:44-48, “Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you,

that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be

fulfilled.’

45Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

46and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third

day;

47and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations,

beginning from Jerusalem.

48″You are witnesses of these things.’”

“I told you you could go if you accomplished the tasks I left for you to do.” Do you remember something like this being said to you in your youthful years? There was something you desperately wanted to do; and your mother or dad had said you were permitted IF you completed the tasks that were assigned. Everything you needed was at your disposal, and you had been well schooled in precisely how to do it.

That’s not precisely what Jesus said to His disciples, but it’s close. Does He really mean there are things that are written about Him that are in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and Psalms? Where are those things? How are we to find them? He opens our minds so that we can understand the Scriptures. But, what about Jesus’ suffering, and the cross, and rising from the dead? Does He explain all of that? Yes, He does. Then, how can I know? you ask.

It all starts with repentance. Repentance means a “change of mind.” You have to give up those things that

fill your mind with rebellious and evil thoughts. That’s your part. Then, there’s forgiveness of your sins. That’s God’s part. When you express to Him a genuine sorrow for endeavoring to live life without Him, He erases those impediments that were against Him and resident in you mind and heart. And His forgiveness extends to all mankind. Once we have been forgiven, we are free to share with others how we were forgiven. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “You are witnesses of these things.” His presence in your life will show forth in ways you cannot currently imagine! And His Spirit will indwell your life, teaching you

about Him in the Bible. It’s a great life! It’s the only life! Everything else leads downward.

I am praying 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,

Luke 23:20-23, “And Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again,

21 but they kept on calling out, saying, ‘Crucify, crucify Him!’

22 And he said to them the third time, ‘Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt

demanding death; I will therefore punish Him and release Him.’

23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.”

Little children learn early in their lives that if they scream or cry or throw some kind of tantrum,

they will eventually get their way. Interestingly enough, children who get their own way by screaming

grow up to be adults, who get their own way by screaming. It doesn’t mean it’s right; it doesn’t mean

what they want is right; but when they don’t know how to play fairly, it is the only means they have for getting what they want.

Earlier that same day, Herod had exercised his best efforts in procuring a miracle at the Hand of Jesus.

His tactics didn’t work, so he returned Jesus to Pontius Pilate. What influence Pilate’s wife had on him

no one knows; however, she warned her husband that she had suffered in a dream regarding Jesus’

persecution because He was an innocent man.

Not being a jurist, I am limited to what lawyers have to say regarding all that transpired with Jesus. Still,

like you, I can read; therefore, I have elected to attach short paper from my files by one who is a jurist.

He addresses cogently the “rights and wrongs” of Jesus’ trial before Pilate and says in his opening

statement, “The concept of procedural due process, or fair treatment, is essentially a biblical concept.”

Our culture today has taken the wrong track. Those whose ideas are at odds with biblical fairness and cannot achieve their desires legally in a court of law, organize a mob and yell and scream like little kids

until they get their way. In the finality, Jesus was crucified most unfairly. Pilate was correct in his assessment when he said, “I find no fault in this Man”; but he was weak in giving way to the mob who screamed, “Crucify Him!”

Whatever level of achievement you may have reached or may yet reach in life, remember that fairness to

others is of vital importance. It is a biblical concept, and Christ is not honored when we do not enact in fairness toward others. It’s not how loud a crowd shouts, that matters; it’s how fairly we behave.

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 5:30, “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

If you were told that that this verse was spoken by John the Baptist, you would not be surprised. For it was that same John who said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn.3:30). But the verse above was not spoken by John the Baptist. It was not spoken by the Apostle John. Give up? It was spoken by none other than Jesus Christ Himself. In fact, He says in John 8:29, “He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

Question: If Jesus affirms that without the Father, He “…can do nothing…,” how do we come up with the idea that we can handle things by ourselves, without Him? Those who claim self-sufficiency in any matter are either egotistical or stupid or both! Everything that is accomplished in this life is either promoted or allowed by the LORD. The ideas man thinks of as his own are not his own; they come from God.

All judgments, whether such as occur in courts of law, or in the “think tanks” of science or business, have the fingerprints of the LORD upon them. Human justice in Appelate Courts rests on a minimum of three men, indicating that no one man, however skilled he may be, possesses alone the wisdom of true justice.

That being true, Christ Jesus’ claim that His “judgment is just” stands well beyond any judgment of man.

With brused and crushed egos, we bow our heads in shame. Yet, the LORD bids us to “look up.” His example gives us hope when we rely in faith upon Him for all that we undertake. Do you rely upon Him?

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 4:5-7, “He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his

son Joseph; 6and Jacob’s well was there.

Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink.’”

Probably, the most difficult aspect of witnessing is starting the conversation. Jesus intentionally took the

route from Judea to Galilee that passed through Samaria. The Jews intentionally avoided that route because “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (v. 9). Yet, it was a considerable distance, and Jesus

was tired. He came to Jacob’s well and asked for a drink from a woman who had come there to draw water. Samaritans likewise had no dealings with Jews; but He needed the water, and, besides, it was a conversation starter.

I’ve often followed that plan in witnessing. Sometimes I give candy to children and create the opportunity

to talk with their parents. Sometimes I use humor and work into a conversation that leads to Jesus. It’s never complicated to share the Gospel when the barrier to conversation is removed.

Today, I had wearied myself with study and with searching through old papers that hadn’t been read in years. I relaxed with the intention of taking a short nap when the doorbell rang. It was a worker I knew, and

once we had exchanged thoughts about why he was there, I left him to his work and went back to my chair.

It was then that I realized I had not witnessed to him. What if this were his last opportunity to hear the Gospel? I wrestled with the idea, but knew that his soul was worth much more than my weary mind and body. So, I took advantage of the situation and shared the Good News.

Jesus climbed over several barriers when he undertook to speak to the woman at the well. Not only did their cultures and history not allow it, neither did men speak with women in public in those days –not even

with their own wives! Please read the rest of what happened. It’s in your Bible in the verses following those listed above. Consider what you might use as a conversation-opener. Then, when you next have the opportunity to share Jesus, do it with a smile and an attitude of love. How will people ever hear unless from someone who knows Jesus? It just may be that silence is our greatest sin.

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 3:34-36, “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without

measure.

35″The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.

36″He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life,

but the wrath of God abides on him.”

I am intrigued by these verses. They speak clearly of the Trinity and do it in three verses. There is also

an indisputable message to us and to those who lived before us and will live after us. Let’s look at them

very carefully.

The first “He” above is clearly the Son, Jesus Christ, for “God” (the Father) sent Him (Jesus) to be the Savior of the world. When the Holy Spirit is given, He is given without measure; that is, there is no such thing as God partialing out the Holy Spirit as ½ to you, 2/3 to another, and so forth. When one repents of

sin and accepts the LORD Jesus Christ by faith, he immediately receives ALL of the Holy Spirit. Did you

ever hear of an earthly father saying of his son, “He’s half my son, and she’s ¾ my daughter”? That’s nonsense! He’s either the man’s son or he isn’t. No percentages involved.

“But,” you ask, “How do I know whether I have the Holy Spirit within me?” Do you obey the Son? Obedience to the LORD Jesus Christ is your proof of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. If the Spirit controls you –your thoughts, your actions, your attitudes, your prayer life –everything; then you have the Holy Spirit indwelling you life because it’s impossible to do the will of God without the Spirit’s leadership. The Spirit always directs us to obey the Word, the Bible! He also gives us understanding of the Bible as we read and study it. That’s also your pastor’s responsibility. Hopefully, he understands what you don’t and can explain it to you.

It’s truly exciting to know that God loves you and has His Holy Spirit dwelling within you. But, there’s also a

solemn warning in our last verse above. “He who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of

God abides on him.” The Holy Spirit is God’s mark on your life that you belong to Him. Obedience to the Word and the Spirit is proof that you belong to the Father. That’s not just attending church, although that is included. It’s reading the Bible and praying for understanding; then, it doing what you understand. All of that brings glory to God and is proof that your love is vested in Him as His is in you. God bless you! You are in

my daily prayers.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. If you’ve recently committed your life to Jesus Christ, please let me be one of the first to know. I want to pray specifically

for you and encourage you in your newly-found faith. If you’ve never started to church and don’t know where to go, I will

seek to research and find a good fellowship near where you live. My contact information is below, but I am much easier to

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.”