The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 3:27-30, “John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from

Heaven.

28 “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’

29 “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him,

rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. And so this joy of mine has been made full.

30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

It is often said that education is the way to a wealthy position in business. Yet, there are multiple students

who have achieved the education without the position or the wealth it was purported to bring. You may not think John the Baptist knew much about either. After all, he came in from the wilderness, clothed in camel’s hair and having eaten locusts and wild honey. What can a guy like that tell us about education or wealth?

Yet, John had the key! He said, without the slightest fear of successful contradiction, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from Heaven.” That’s as true a statement as any! That is not to discourage anyone from advancing educationally or in business or in obtaining honest money for the service he renders. It’s simply saying that the LORD is the giver of every good gift. We should never fall under the belief that we, in and of ourselves, are responsible for anything we possess. The wisdom and energy success requires always comes from God!

In John’s illustration in verse 29, Jesus is the Bridegroom; the Church is the Bride; and John the Baptist is the friend of the Bridegroom –the one who listens and then declares to all mankind the consummation of the marriage of Christ and His Church. Then the guests then rejoice!

John concludes by saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Obedience to this concept is sorely lacking among Christians today. We give to support the LORD’s work, but we want others to know how much we gave. We witness of His saving grace, but we want others to know that we were involved and how many responded to His loving grace. STOP!! Learn from John: the LORD Jesus is the Bridegroom! He is the One to be exalted! We are His children, His people, His missionaries. We amount to nothing unless He is glorified. Yes, “He must increase, but (we) must decrease”; because “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Prov. 16:18). Prayerfully consider what is at stake here. Just don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. And if there’s telling to be done, let the LORD do it!

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 16:13-15, “And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

14 And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.”

It’s a shame that more men don’t attend church! That’s where the Gospel (Good News) about Jesus is preached, and it’s the easiest place to meet Him and learn His Word. Have you noticed that when Paul and Silas (Acts 15:40ff) gathered together for prayer (v. 13), only women were there with them. We wonder why children are into so much serious trouble these days. Take a look: their dads don’t set the proper spiritual example.

Nevertheless, the women gathered listened to the message Paul preached to them. Lydia listened carefully “and the LORD opened her heart.” Do you listen when your pastor preaches? Have you ever thought, “That

is speaking to me?” Would you believe that that thought came from the Holy Spirit? It did! And He was

saying, “You know what’s missing in your life – it is Jesus! Open your heart to Him! He loves you and wants to save you.” A simple, but sincere prayer for forgiveness and acceptance of Christ is what is necessary to be saved (born from Above). How will you know whether you are saved? The Spirit will reveal it to you.

What is also exciting is that when Lydia accepted Christ as her Savior, her example encouraged others to do the same. After they all acceped Christ as their Savior, they were baptized. Christian Baptism is the subsequent action of a person’s good conscience to God. It symbolizes the death and burial of Jesus, as one goes under the water; and it symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus, as one rises up from the water.

Readers who have experienced salvation in Jesus Christ already know all of the above. They should tell what they know to others. My prayers are for all who are on this Grands List! I remember you every night.

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,

John 3:1-7, “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;

2 this man came to Him by night, and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.”

Nicodemus was a ruling member of the Sanhedrin, the court system of the Jews. He was also a Pharisee, a religious-political group that sometimes bent the Scriptures to fit their ideas. Furthermore, Nicodemus was extremely wealthy, some say the wealthiest man in Jerusalem. It was this same Nicodemus, who was seeking spiritual answers that only Jesus could provide.

There are various ideas by writers as to why Nicodemus came by night. The most logical reason is that he knew that Rabbis did their scriptural studies at night. In any event, Nicodemus was polite and commenced his interview with a valid compliment, “You have come from God…” Jesus knew what was in Nicodemus’ mind and heart and answered his question almost before he could ask it. “You must be born again.” Literally, Jesus said, “You must be born from above.” Nicodemus understood only the physical birth; he had never known what “from above” meant. In fact, he might never have heard of it previously.

Jesus spoke to him of being “born of water and the Spirit.” Children are encased in what could be called a “water sack” prior to being born. That’s what “water” means in this passage. The “spiritual birth” is activated by the Holy Spirit when He enters into a human life at salvation. He turns from sin and accepts Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior. Literally, “born again” is translated “born from above.”

This whole encounter has often been confused by those who want “water” to always mean “baptism.” It does not mean that here. Had baptism been the focus of Nicodemus inquiry, he could have asked John. It was deeper than that. Some people are immersed in water without first confessing their sins. That is not true baptism. Baptism is a symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we confess our sins, we bury them, put them away completely. Unless the burial of sin comes first, the immersion in water is meaningless. Where are you in all of this? Have you been “born from Above”? That’s what Jesus sald was necessary for Nicodemus. It’s necessary for you a well. Think about it. It’s how you answer Christ’s invitation.

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 1:25-29, “And they asked him, and said to him, ‘Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’

26 John answered them saying, ‘I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.

27 “It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’

28 These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”

In was June of 1971 and my family and I were in Israel, attending the Jerusalem Conference on Evangelism. Various non-descript speakers had occupied the platform, when suddenly the announcement came and there at the podium stood David ben Gurion, the primary national founder of the State of Israel and her first Prime Minister! Was that a surprise!! Ben Gurion was the preeminent leader of the Jewish community from 1935 until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948!

Remember those insincere questioners of John the Baptist to whom we introduced you last night? Well, they’re back, and they’re in for a big surprise, too! John the Baptist was called “the Baptist” because he went about baptizing people. He was repeatedly asked who he was, and he consistently replied that he was not the Christ, but a mere messenger ordained to introduce Him to a lost and dying world. No reply ever seemed to satisfy his critics.

Among their endless questions was this: “Why then are you baptizing?” they continually asked. And John’s reply was always the same: “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” The religionists were stymied for the moment, but their big surprise was to come the very next day.

It was while John was still busy baptizing repentant sinners, “he saw Jesus coming to him, and said aloud, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ It was a far more grandiose introduction than that Ben Gurion was to receive many years later. Furthermore, it was far more significant and encompassed the entire world. Jesus was His Father’s sacrifice; and it is the sacrifice destined to erase sin from the human heart and life of everyone – if those hearts and lives repent of their sins and accept Jesus Christ as God the Father’s Sacrifice for their sin.

If this Great Announcement is a surprise to you, you need to repent and trust Him right now. Say a prayer

like this and mean it in your heart:

Dear LORD, I know that I am a sinner. I know I’ve done many wrong things

in my life. I’m sorry for my sin. I know that Jesus loves me, and that He died

and rose again to save me from my sin. Right now, in my heart, I willingly

turn from my sin, and by faith I receive the LORD Jesus Christ as my Savior.

In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Now, if you sincerely prayed that prayer, take God at His word and believe that you are a “born again”

Christian! Jesus said, “…him who comes to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). Nor can you ever

again be lost outside of Christ. As a born-again believer, you are thoroughly and forever secure in

Jesus Christ! 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 God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 1:19-23, “And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

20 And he confessed, and did not deny, and he confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

22 They said then to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

When you really get down to the root of it, there are only two basic kinds of questioners: One is sincere and really

wants to know what you know. The other is insincere, doesn’t know what you know, but wants you to think that what he knows is better than what you know. One is a sincere seeker; the other is only argumentative. John the Baptist encountered both, but the latter (the insincere), those who had come from the priests and the Levites, were contentious and obnoxious.

John, on the other hand, kept his composure and responded graciously to his inquirers. Politely (as we interpret his replies), he responds saying, “I am not the Christ…I am not (Elijah or the Prophet). I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’ (just as Isaiah said).”

What we can profitably draw from this passage should be self-evident. Those who approach us regarding our beliefs, or those whom we approach with a witness for Christ Jesus, are either sincere and wanting to know, or they are insincere and want to endlessly debate. The latter seek debate as a means of self-extraction from the guilt of sin. Some of them know they are outside of God’s will. If they can “defeat” the one witnessing for Jesus, they feel less guilty, if guilty at all. But, in this they are self-defeating because “defeating a witness is not extraction from sin. It takes the love and blood of Jesus to deliver them.

So, how should we behave in such a situation? What did John the Baptist do? He refused to be ruffled. He spoke

Truth in love. He stood his ground in the Prophet Isaiah. John was not the Savior, yet he had fulfilled his responsibility in witnessing. Can you behave like that? Most definitely you can! He cared for his questioners, but their insincerity barred them from the Truth. Be like John! Don’t get discouraged. You were not called to “win” them, but to witness of the One who could. May the blessed LORD both ground and guide you is my prayer.

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.”