The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 5:8-13, “…let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,

13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.”

Paul is coming to the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians, written about A.D. 52. He will write yet another to them about a year later. This first letter deals primarily with the LORD coming for His people. The second letter will deal with the LORD coming with His people.

Immorality was rampant in the days of this letter, much like it is today. So, Paul admonishes them to be sober, that is, to maintain a well balanced state of mind. Sobriety in Scripture always advocates the elimination of intoxicating beverages. We all need to be reminded of Solomon’s admonition: “Wine is a mocker; strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise” (Prov. 20:1).

Paul’s emphasis of the “breastplate” should remind us of the Old Testament priests (Ex. 25:7). Soldiers, of course, wore breastplate for defense; but priests wore them as an indication of their office before the LORD. They spoke of trust and reliance upon the LORD, the same as they do for us as Christians.

We are to love one another, showing them affection and esteem, and all that is a high level of interest in the well-being of others.

Moreover, we are to encourage and strengthen one another in the things of the LORD. At the same time, we are to respect those who are in authority over us. None of us are all that we ought to be, and esteeming those who are our authorities is moving in the right spiritual direction. Failure to adhere to the wise counsel of the LORD is to reckon ourselves as our own authority.

Finally, we are to “live in peace with one another.” Do we do that? Well, some-times… No, we are to be at peace with all believers all the time. This is the will of God for us. Let’s pay attention to the One who is coming for us and will one day judge us for all our ways.

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,

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”

Whenever you say something important, you want everyone to understand it fully and clearly. That’s exactly what the Apostle Paul wants of us and of all who read his words – yet, they are not his words; they are the LORD’s Words!

He is writing to the Thessalonian Christians, and some of them are saddened by the loss of loved ones. It’s not wrong to be saddened when one dies. It’s only wrong when hope is lost; and Christians don’t lose hope, because there is life beyond the grave!

Listen! Do you believe that Jesus died and rose again? If you do (I do!), we will see all of our beloved believers again. Paul borrows Christ’s word “sleep” instead of using “death” (see John 11:13), because life to a believer always supersedes death!

Still, the heart of Paul’s message here –the message he wants us to clearly understand – is that Jesus is Coming back to gather up all true believers, both living and asleep. He will descend from Heaven. There will be a shout –no doubt a shout of victory by His archangel. And a heavenly trumpet will declare His Presence!

At this point, all believers now in graves throughout the world will arise from their graves. Military veterans, who have believed upon Jesus, and have been buried at sea, will be resurrected with all other believers, and be caught up to meet the LORD in the air! My dear wife and I used to talk about how we would hold hands as we would arise in the air to meet Him. She got anxious and went before He came. But, He IS Coming! And I will see her again, too!

The BIG Question: Do you know Him? Have you trusted Him as your LORD and Savior? Are you ready to meet Him if He should come today? Is your life

clean of worldliness and sin? Are you living for Him and sharing Him with others? Be ready! He could come at any time!! Now is the time to prepare.

I love you all, and trust you know Him and are sharing Him with others.

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,

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, “…knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.”

The Lord chooses us in love (v. 4). In Ephesians, Paul writes that the Father “chose us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world…” (Ephesians 1:4).

There are some who think they will get to Heaven by their own sweat (i.e., works), others believe that whatever is going to happen is going to happen and there’s nothing that can be done about it. These are the two extremities of the whole election discussion; and there are multiple variations of each.

Compromise is not the issue; balance is. Dr. C. Gordon Olson writes: “…if election is to salvation, and salvation is conditioned upon faith, then of necessity election must also be conditioned on faith….”

Whatever else might be said about the Biblical doctrine of “election,” one thing is certain: it is a doctrine that concerns the saved, not the lost. God does indeed elect to save some; otherwise, no one could be saved at all. Yet, He emphatically does not elect anyone to Hell!

Make no mistake about it, Hell is real enough! People who die without Christ go to Hell, according to the Scriptures. Matthew 25:41 tells us, “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels….” Still, the Scripture says, “It is the will of God that none should perish, but that all might come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).

There is no question but that we all deserve Hell; it is only by the grace of God that we are saved at all! It is “His choice of you,” as verse four tells us.

We accept the gospel by faith (v. 5). Ephesians 2:8-9 say,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”

The concept of faith includes both revelation and response. God revealed His love by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on Calvary’s Cross for our sins. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved…” (Acts 16:31). God the Father reveals His Son, and we respond by believing upon the Son as the Father’s sacrifice for our sin. Where revelation and response meet, FAITH occurs!

Paul says that The Gospel comes in word (v. 5a). That is, it comes through human proclamation (logos, word, speaking, always with rational content). It may come publicly, as in a sermon or a Bible lesson.

What I’m doing right now is proclaiming the Gospel to you in word. The Gospel coming “in word” may be through a Gospel tract or a Gideon Bible or a Christian film or an audio tape.

But, public or not, the Gospel always comes personally. While the Lord is concerned for the salvation of all mankind, He is vitally concerned for each individual that comprises all mankind. (cf. Mark 16:15, where “to all creation” (???? ?? ??????) is better translated “to every creature.”

For example, when you see television pictures of the emaciated people, say in Ethiopia, know that the Lord is personally concerned for the eternal salvation of each and every one of those poor souls you see.

When Paul wrote in Romans, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to foolish…” (1:14), he wrote in such a way that we might know the personal obligation he felt toward each and every person who comprised each group he mentioned. The absence of the definite article (the) in the Greek text denotes Paul’s self?assessed indebtedness to each and every person within the stated groups, i.e., Greeks and barbarians). Paul’s obligation was not greater than Christ’s, but it was heavy upon him.

Not only does the Gospel come publicly, Paul says that the Gospel also comes in power (v. 5b,d). Literally, the last of the verse says,

“…what kind of men we were made to be among you for your sake.”

Paul forcefully implies that he himself did not possess sufficient power to make himself what the Lord wanted him to be.

The same is true of us. A man approached me in an overseas crusade to say, “No one can live like you preached tonight. It’s just not humanly possible!” I surprised him by saying, “You are exactly right. Such a life is not humanly possible. That’s why the Lord works to bring it about in our lives.” Is He using your life? If not, why not? One day we will meet Him and give accountability. Start today and be “a good servant.”

My prayers are that you and I might each become more like Jesus!

Heartily in Christ,

(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,

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, “Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;

3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,

4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;

5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

A work of faith is more than doing what the believer thinks to be right; it’s doing what the Holy Spirit has directed him to do. The Thessalonian Christians were following the Spirit’s leadership, and it was for this that Paul was expressing thanks.

Paul is also thankful that their labor is a labor of love. The word Paul uses for labor, kopos, means “work to the point of exhaustion.” There is a sense in which we are to let the Holy Spirit work through us. “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us…” (Ephesians 3:20).

The priests in the Old Testament were to wear linen garments while ministering before the Lord (Ezekiel 44:19). Woolen garments made them sweat. And sweat symbolizes human effort. Sweat is first mentioned in Genesis 3:19, and is connected with how man is to live under God’s judgment for sin. One principle of Biblical interpretation is the “first mention” principle. The manner in which something is first mentioned in Scripture has been noted to be the manner in which it is mentioned throughout. For example, the first mention of light occurs in a good sense, and the usage of the world light throughout the Scripture is in that same good sense. The first mention of the serpent, however, is bad, and all subsequent references to serpents are also bad. In this sense, “labor” is a negative factor.

But, there is another sense in which we are to be physically and emotionally involved in the work the Lord assigns us. It’s not always easy to serve the Lord; but He promised, “My yoke is easy, and My load is light” (Matthew 11:30).

Above all, spiritual work must be motivated by our love for Jesus Christ. This is the way it was with the Thessalonians.

Paul is thankful, too, that their steadfastness rested in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“…and steadfastness of hope in our

Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our

God and Father…” (v. 3c).

What the Thessalonian believers did, they did with the anticipation and expectation of the Coming Again of the LORD Jesus! Their hope was rooted in His coming again. When the Bible speaks of “hope,” it is always future, yet it is always completely certain. Elpis signals “expectation of a divinely provided future…”

Nothing prophesied in Scripture concerning the LORD’s return is more phenomenal than the prophecies surrounding the nation Israel. Scattered among the Gentile nations as an act of judgment from God, Israel has now been brought back into her Promised Land by the hand of the Lord.

Jeremiah prophesied,

“‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the

sons of Israel from the land of the north

and from all the countries where He had

banished them.’ For I will restore them

to their own land which I gave to their

fathers” (Jeremiah 16:15).

Israel has hope today in the Lord’s remembrance of her. Does America have hope? I certainly pray that she does! But what about you? Is your hope certain? Are you ready for the Coming of the LORD? Are you ready to meet Him whether at His Coming or in death? You are if you are a committed believer in Jesus Christ. Nothing in this life is more important!

Remember that it is the Holy Spirit’s leadership and power that brings lost souls to Jesus Christ. We are merely His messengers. Yet, the messengers are important; otherwise, He would not have commissioned us to witness.

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,

Mark 14:27-31, “And Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away, because it is written, “I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.”

28 ‘But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.’

29 “But Peter said to Him, ‘Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.’

30 “And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, that you yourself this very night, before a cock crows twice, shall three times deny Me.’

31 “But Peter kept saying insistently, ‘Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!’ And they all were saying the same thing, too.”

Did you ever tell a lie? What is a lie, anyway? A lie is a purposeful denial of something, so as to exonorate ourselves from an action or attitude that would otherwise condemn us.

Think about the verses you’ve just read. Did Peter lie? In my estimation, Peter did not lie, although as we will see, he veered away from his original intention. We’ve all probably done that in the heat of the moment.

Jesus had just told His disciples that they would “fall away” from Him and from the Truth. Impetious Peter insisted that he would not! He would not deny his LORD even if it cost him his life. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, that you yourself this very night, before a cock crows twice, shall three times deny Me.” Peter then even denied the truth spoken by Jesus Himself, when again he said, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You” (v. 31).

Later that same night, Peter was approached by some who challenged his affiliation with Jesus. Each time, Peter denied even knowing Jesus. In verse 71, Peter “began to curse and swear, ‘I do not know this man you are talking about!’” Let me assure you that although Peter was then lying, he was not cursing and swearing in the way we think today. His “swearing” was like taking an oath, as in a court of law; and his “cursing” was a strong declaration of that oath. He was “putting himself under a curse,” if his oath were not true. Peter was not “cussing.” There was no profanity from the lips of Peter. But when the cock crowed, Peter remembered the LORD’s words, and he wept profusely!

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and LORD, we pledged to stick with Him in every situation of life. When we veer from that pledge, we are denying Him much like Peter did. No, a true believer can never again be spiritually lost; but he can sin by denying he belongs to the Savior. I endeavor every day to be true to Jesus, my LORD and Savior. I’m sure you do, too. But may we never become arrogant, just because we can never be spiritually lost.

Jesus wants us to be open and honest about our relationship with Him. That’s what witnessing is all about. We witness with our lives and with our voices.

May the LORD bless and care for you always.

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.”