The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 1:6-8, “And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’

7 He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;

8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’”

Something like three hours prior to my typing this Letter, the power in my house went out! It was not yet dark, but it was less than a minute from getting my supper into the microwave. Suddenly, there were no lights, no heat, no electric power. The only things that continued to run without immediate power were my cell phone and my Apple watch. And even these derived their power from electricity.

As a child, we often had power outages. It didn’t seem so bad then. We laughed about being in the dark, and about having to wear warmer clothes because the furnace was not producing heat. But, when the television doesn’t work and all computers don’t function and digital clocks throughout the

house have to be reset, we come face-to-face with our dependence upon electric power.

All of that prompted me to consider how vital spiritual power is to our lives!

1. We need spiritual power. Sometimes we jockey through life thinking little to nothing about spiritual power or our need for it. Then, like a rocket, trouble invades us with it’s blackness and we instinctly cry out for help. Everything has gone awry! And when no one comes to answer our cry, we turn to God.

2. We cannot ourselves produce that power. Anytime we cry for help, it is an admission of self-worthlessness in the situation. When those trained and conditioned to help us are themselves as worthless as we to conquer the malady we face –that’s when things get really scary.

3. God alone produces the power we need. His Word says, “…you shall receive

power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” The Bible teaches us that God

has made every person aware of His being, “so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20). When any individual recognizes his need for God and cries out for Him, the LORD lovingly and graciously enters that indivual’s life in the Person of the Holy Spirit. From that

instant, that person belongs to the LORD! The Holy Spirit is the mark that identifies the person as belonging to the LORD God. The Spirit indwells the new child of God and directs his understanding of the Word of God (the Bible), enabling the new child of God to live “to the praise of the glory” of the LORD Himself (Eph. 1:14).

All this is to say two basic things: one, if you have never met the LORD personally, you are

without spiritual power. You stand in need of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself on the Cross

to die for your sins against the true and holy God.

It also says that if you know Him through the new birth, you have a responsibility to live for Him so that He is praised by your life as well as by your words. His power is resident within you because you have the Holy Spirit indwelling your life. If the Spirit’s power does not show through your life, something is seriously wrong, and you need to get it fixed quickly!

One day soon He is Coming! You will not want to meet Him unless you have been made right.

My prayers are for you if you do not know Him, and for you who do, but need His power.

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 17:11-12, “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.

12 Many of them therefore believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.

Some of you may be old enough to remember Ark Linkletter on radio. He used to interview youngsters he had on the show with sneaky questions like, “Did your parents tell you anything not to say today?” Kids, of course, said, “Yes,” and Linkletter asked them what it was. It was great fun, and Linkletter used to say, “Kids say the darnest things.” Well, it’s not only kids, it’s much older kids, too.

The verses above crept into some studies in the School of Biblical Apologetics lessons and one student wrote,

Like the Bereans, we are to have a “readiness of mind” and to “search the Scriptures” for our own learning and study, and to check the teachings of others to see if they are truly consistent with the whole of Biblical teaching. Scripture is like a tapestry where the threads of doctrine and historical accounts, personal accounts and prophecy, songs and poetry are all interwoven and relate to one another. If someone is teaching a doctrine that does not comport with – logically adhere to – the whole of Scripture (on that topic, and all related to it – which does encompass the entirety of the Bible) they are not teaching Truth. The whole tapestry unravels with even a single thread removed.

Laura is right! It is vital that we understand the whole of what is said in Scripture. And that comes from “examining the Scriptures daily” with the purpose of understanding what they say. It is then that we will know whether the teachings we are receiving from others are truly biblical. When we come to understand the truth of Scripture and share it with others, many people will come to believe. And through our witness and the faith of others in the LORD, He Himself is glorified!

Is that where you are? If you’re in the Word daily, you are witnessing. If you’re witnessing, those who do not know Christ, will come to know Him. So, study, pray, learn, teach! One day, He’s Coming back! And it could be sooner than you think.

Prayerfully yours 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,

Numbers 32:20-23, “So Moses said to them, ‘If you will do this, if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for the war,

21 and all of you armed men cross over the Jordan before the LORD until He has driven His enemies out from before Him,

22 and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you shall return and be free of obligation toward the LORD and toward Israel, and this land shall be yours for a possession before the LORD.

23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.’”

Years ago, there was a radio show entitled “Truth or Consequences.” The host would interview a contestant and then ask him a question. If he answered it correctly (which contestants rarely did), he got a prize. But if he answered it incorrectly, there was a consequence –and the consequences were hilariously funny. The show ran for years, and was the first radio quiz program that made it to television.

The real truth is that there are consequences to what we do. The verses above need little explanation. Moses had led Israel’s army to the Jordan river. There were occupants across the river. But the LORD had given the land to the Israelites, and it was time for them to cross the Jordan and drive out the unlawful occupants.

The Israelites were instructed as to what they were to do. Being obedient to the LORD’s command would mean victory and possession of the land. Failure to obey the LORD’s directive would mean sin “against the LORD.” What’s more, Moses said, “…be sure your sin will find you out.” That’s another way of saying, If you fail to obey, there will be consequences to pay.

That forewarning is still operative today. Parents fail to train their children in the LORD, and we encounter their ultimate rage in human society. Children fail to obey their parents, and they suffer for disobedience. Men and women take vows of marriage and then disobey them. The results (make that consequences!) are visible in their lives and work against the

welfare of their children. On and on it goes. You can’t do wrong and get by! Why? Because the sins one commits affect all who are connected with him. Even the family name can become smirched, so that the innocent are viewed as guilty in the eyes of the whole community.

Watch what you do! Be careful what you think about! Weigh the consequences of all acts. If you do, you’ll be surprised how few of them you will indulge in. Tell the Truth! Live the Truth! Share the Truth! It’s the Truth that will set you free! (Jn 8:32).

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 Timothy 5:22, “Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thus

share responsibility for the sins of others, keep yourself free from sin.”

As a college teacher, I often had students ask for a recommendation for

a specific job or for a school, where they intended to continue their education.

I always relished these opportunities, especially when the student was

outstanding academically.

But, there’s a “flip side” to such recommendations. If the student had

displayed a negative attitude, despite being intellectually qualified, I would

be giving my stamp of approval –a stamp that could negatively label me.

Paul has just instructed young Timothy with some “dos and don’ts.” One

of Paul’s don’ts had to do with asigning responsibility for service to someone

who was not prepared intellectually, emotionally, or spiritually to undertake it.

To do so would be tantamount to assuming personal responsibility for what

another person does.

Each of us is responsible to repent of our sins and believe upon the LORD

Jesus for forgiveness and for salvation. Then, we are responsible to share

the Good News of Christ Jesus with others. We are to be conscientious and

loving in our witnessing. But we are not responsible for their acceptance or

rejection of the LORD Jesus Christ.

It hurts to see people you love say no Jesus. We must not give up on them,

but the decision is totally theirs! We are responsible to pray for them and to

present the Gospel. Since the responsibility of salvation is the LORD’s, we

are not held to account for whether they accept. Be loving, be clear, be prayerful,

but trust the LORD to work in their hearts.

Praying heartily for you,

(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,

Ephesians 3:13-19, “Therefore, I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

14 For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father,

15 from whom every family in Heaven and on Earth derives its name,

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man;

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.”

In one way or another, tribulation strikes every family on the Earth. With some, it is disease; with some, it is turmoil within the members; with others, it is the scarcity of daily provisions. Yet, whatever characterizes your tribulation, it can turn out to your benefit. I don’t even understand how and will not pretend that I do. But the Word above says, “they are your glory.”

Without clear understanding himself, the Apostle Paul turned to PRAYER. What he did understand was that every family in Heaven and on Earth were given its name from the Father. His prayer that the LORD would grand each family, and each member of it, the PROVISION of strength and power through the Holy Spirit, Who indwells the faithful hearts, with the PURPOSE that those hearts may be “rooted and grounded in love.”

Here’s something additional that’s very important: Love is the key to everything. Why did God create the heavens and the Earth? He did it out of Love. Why did God provide a way of forgiveness and salvation for men when they sinned brazenly in the sight of God? It was out of Love that He did it. What was Christ Jesus’ answer when one asked Him which was the greatest commandment. Remember? He said, “You shall love the LORD thy God…and your neighbor as youself.”

Love surpasses knowledge! Ministers and theologians may possess and proclaim God’s Truth, but it’s ineffective without love. Is Truth what you hear from ministers cradled in Christ’s love? If it is, you can be certain of its accuracy. If it is not, you had best seek another avenue for His Truth.

Be in church on Sunday! Sing and worship the LORD! Listen and learn of His Truth. Just be certain that it is wrapped in the Love that sent Christ Jesus to the Cross.

I am praying for you! God bless you and you grow in Him and in Love.

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.”