The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 1:26-35, “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the Holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”

“No one of any nobility travels alone.” At least, that was surely what was thought by the multitude of men and women going to the place of their birth to register as citizens. What was unique was that Mary and Joseph were not traveling alone! The Holy Spirit of God was their constant, inseparable Companion.

Accommodation in Nazareth in those days was not what it is today. Oh, they had “inns” where a couple could spend the night, but the inns were already filled to capacity, requiring the young couple to find accommodation in a stall with the cattle. We can only imagine what they thought – the Savior of the world, born in the company of livestock!

I’ve slept in some “accommodations” that were less than desirable. Yet, I never complained, knowing that my hosts were providing for me the best that they had. We will always do well to remember where Baby Jesus was born.

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need,

Until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Luke 2:9-19, “And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let us go straight

to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’

16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

Make no mistake about it, angels are real; and the angels that stood before Mary and Joseph not only gave glory to the LORD for the birth of His Son, Jesus, they signified openly and forthrightly that this Baby – Jesus Himself — was to be the Savior of the world.

The difficulty many today have in believing the angels’ proclamation arises from how our culture has deviated from the LORD’s spiritual truth in favor of candy, presents, fun, and food… In other words, we celebrate the celebration, ignoring the Physician of Faith.

Could we not return this year to the spiritual aspect of CHRISTmas? There is so much secularism! It has tended to smother the Christ-Child and stifle His Message of Hope for our troubled mankind. Merry CHRISTmas!

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need,

Until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Luke 2:1-7, Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the City of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

One of the most miraculous experiences in all of human history occurred at this time! With the world in torment and people scattered everywhere, not knowing what to do, the LORD God sent His Beloved Son, Jesus, from Heaven to earth with the ability to intervene and smother earth’s fateful conflicts.

With evil beclouding the world at large, it can hardly be denied that even this census enabled sinful activities. Remember the tax collector, who shinnied up a tree to see the LORD Jesus? His confession was that he had stolen enormously beyond what was required for the taxes! The enormity of sin that currently blankets our earth requires the Holy Spirit’s conviction and our need for redemption. Once an individual is convicted, however, the Spirit leads him to the Savior, Who forgives all who confess and commit their lives to Him. Where are you in all of this?

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need, Until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Matthew 2:1-8, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

 ² “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

 ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

 ⁴ Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

 ⁵ They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

 ⁶ ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'”

 ⁷ Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

 ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

We have no idea how much the magi actually knew about what they saw. Being inveterate sky-watchers, however, they were the first to identify the Child Jesus as “the King of the Jews.”  Just how much these eastern star-gazers knew about Jesus, we do not know – only that they said they had “come to worship Him.”

It’s fair to say that the preponderance of rulers in those days were fearful of anyone who threatened their position. The very desire of the magi produced a threat. It was not unusual for a ruler to be removed by death in order to make room for another who wanted that royal position. Thus, King Herod was frightened that this Baby might actually cause him to lose his throne. And eventually, He did!

Yet, that Baby grew into manhood as the LORD Jesus Christ. And He is available to be your LORD and Savior if you will allow it. He is your only hope for Heaven above and your only hope for true life here on earth. Trust Him today as your Savior!

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.          

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need,

Until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Ezra 3:1-5, “Now when the seventh month came, and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.

2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers arose and built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.

3 So they set up the altar on its foundation, for they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening.

4 They celebrated the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the fixed number of burnt offerings daily, according to the ordinance, as each day required;

5 and afterward there was a continual burnt offering, also for the new moons and for all the fixed festivals of the LORD that were consecrated, and from everyone who offered a freewill offering to the LORD.”

Have you ever been afraid? I mean really afraid! It’s only a guess, but I cannot imagine anyone being more afraid than these Israelites were when they suddenly realized that they had neglected to build an altar to the LORD God of Israel! It was serious! Building the altar was an indispensable responsibility! Additionally, they were terrified of the people who lived in the land!

The situation has hardly changed over the years. No, we don’t build altars to the LORD, as the Israelites did; but we pray! I can recall several instances (I will spare you the knowledge of when and where!) when my “race” to prayer might easily have surpassed those of the Israelites!

Thinking comparatively, how much do you think we might accomplish if we worked and prayed as earnestly as the Israelites? We could probably outnumber them with complaints!

Give some thought to your prayer life. How often do you pray? How earnestly do you seek the LORD on behalf of others? How often do you thank the LORD for answering?

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need,

Until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom