The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 6:13-18, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…”

When young David expressed to King Saul that he wanted to challenge the giant Goliath, the king’s first impression was to outfit David with armor. But, David said to Saul, “I have not proved them,” meaning he had never used armor in the battles he had previously fought. David chose to be clothed with the armor he knew: a slingshot guided by the LORD God Almighty!

In our verses for today, Paul writes of the seven pieces of armor every Christian needs in the battle against evil. The first piece is the Belt of Truth! Truth holds everything together. Mark Twain once said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” In David’s case, Truth held everything together. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (Jn. 8:32). All of this says to us: Always be truthful! And study to know well the Truth of the Word of God!

The Breastplate of Righteousness protects all the vital areas of the body against the most vicious attacks. Barclay notes that “words are no defence against accusations, but a good life is.” Remember the verse that says, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches” (Prov. 22:1)? When we base our lives in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we have no greater protection.

The Sandals protect the feet that carry the gospel of peace. The roads of life are often rocky and difficult, yet the sandals enable the Witness to go further and more often than would be normal for bare feet.

The Shield of Faith is large and easily repels what was perhaps the most dangerous of weapons in ancient warfare: the firey darts that were dipped in oil and set afire before they were launched at the enemy. The warrior, who held the huge Shield of Faith, could easily imped the course of the firey dart and extinguish the flame. Undaunting Faith is complete trust in the LORD and deals well with the darts of temptation, too.

The Helmet of Salvation covers the head, where the mind is confident of the warrior’s own salvation, and feeds the faith that all will be victorious in the battle against the enemy. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. It is ingested into the mind and is a constant reminder that the “battle is the LORD’s,” not man’s.

History reminds us that Cromwell’s men, known as “Ironsides,” fought with a sword in one hand and a Bible in the other.

Prayer, of course, is both an offensive and a defensive weapon. We pray to be successful in our endeavors, while simultaneously, we pray that all impediments that would forestall our victories, would be overthrown. It is in the overthrow of the enemy that would defeat us, that Christ Himself is glorified. He is our Captain! He has never been defeated! Who would not wish to serve faithfully under His command? May God help us to serve valiantly!

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,

Ephesians 6:10-12, “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.

11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

What would you do if you suddenly found yourself in a federal prison, accompanyied 24-hours by a guard?

What if you were allowed to entertain visitors, and even to write to friends who could not, for various reasons, leave their homes and work to visit you, what would you write? Would you have any enthusiasm for writing?

I honestly doubt that I would. But, then, I am not the Apostle Paul!

Gifted by and with the Holy Spirit, Paul writes to the Ephesian believers and encourages them to “be strong (?????????, increasingly empowered) in the strength (??????, might)” of the LORD. You and I probably have no real idea of how strong and almighty the LORD is! Paul knew. He had experienced the miracles of the LORD and trusted Him in every difficult situation.

Paul’s recommendation –actually, his order—to the Church at Ephesus is to “…put on the full armor of God…” He guarantees to them and to us that with the LORD’s armor we will be “able to stand firm against the schemes (????????, methods of deceit and craft) of the devil.” His emphasis was not that we should launch a counterattack against the men whom Satan would empower to oppose them, but against Satan himself and all of his demonic forces.

In verse 12, Paul lists the four levels of demonic forces that are set to prey against the Church: rulers (????), the powers (???????, authorities), world forces of darkness (???????????), and spiritual wickedness (???????, evil producing). The purpose here is not to enter into the extended workings of these demonic powers, but to acquaint you with the fact that demons do exist, and have specific tasks to accomplish as they infiltrate our individual lives and the life of the Christian Church!

“Gee Whiz!” as my dear dad would say, “what are we to do?” Paul has already given us instructions: we are to put on the full armor of God,” because with it and with it alone, we shall be able to “stand” successfully against all demonic attacks! “Are we really under demonic attacks?” you ask. We sure are! Sometimes demons will cause us to worry or to fear. If we’re living close to Jesus and studying His Word every day, those worries and fears will be eliminated by the power of Him who indwells us. Some attacks are stronger than others; remember, different demons attack with different elements. Yet, all of our confidence must rest in the LORD and in His Word! Satan is a defeated foe! He was defeated in the death and resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ!

Cheer up! ye saints of God,

There’s nothing to worry about,

Nothing to make you feel afraid,

Nothing to make you doubt;

Remember Jesus never fails,

So why not trust Him and shout?

You’ll be sorry you worried at all

tomorrow morning!

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,

Psalm 31:23-24, “O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful,

And fully recompenses the proud doer.

24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.”

What do you do when you have a question, but not the answer? The tougher question is, What do you say when someone asks you a question for which you have no answer? There’s a very simple solution to each of these queries: you ask the One who knows! You research His answer in the Bible!

“But,” you say, “my question isn’t a biblical question.” It may not appear to be, but in all truth, it is. Sometimes we become so encumbered with the views of mortal men and their solutions, that we tell ourselves that they have all the answers because they present themselves as possessed of “great knowledgeable intellect.” If we believe man instead of believing God, we place ourselves on the rocky road to ruin.

The psalmist makes a strong case when he instructs us to “love the LORD.” He even allows that those who do are acknowledged by the LORD as His “godly ones.” For it is the LORD who preserves the faithful. If anyone claims otherwise, the LORD views him as “proud,” and renders to him what a fool deserves!

Therefore, those who truly belong to the LORD are encouraged to “be strong, and let (their) hearts take courage.” There is nothing to fear; no one will attack us without His knowledge. No trouble will ultimately suppress us! Why? Because the LORD is our Hope, our Protector, our Redeemer! Nothing is stronger than He! If fear still oppresses you, you have yet to allow Him to fully ocupy your life. May He show you His protection as He instructs your mind with answers to questions unsaved men will never know until they come to know Him as their LORD and Savior! Start tomorrow with bright hope! He is alive and always ready!

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,

Psalm 30:4-5, “Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His Holy Name.

5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”

These are but two verses out of 12 in this Psalm. David is encouraging us to “sing praise to the LORD!” He identifies those to whom he speaks as the LORD’s “godly ones.” That is reasonable because only the godly are able to sing praises. Further, the psalmist directs us to “give thanks to the LORD’s Holy Name.”

Giving thanks to anyone for anything presupposes they have given to us something of sufficient value – a value that requires a sincere “Thank You” from us. Stop for a moment and think of the multiple blessings you have because of the LORD!

1. You have life! Your very origin comes through Him.

2. You have health! It varies by degrees as you get older, but you have it.

3. You have wealth! Wealth varies –not by what you want, but by your needs.

4. You have friends! True friends are always concerned to help you.

5. You have a job! The energy to do your work comes from the LORD!

6. You have family! Some may have slipped the bonds of Earth, but others remain

that they might encourage you.

7. You are loved –genuinely loved—even by those you fail to love as you ought.

We allow ourselves to become discouraged when we see and think of things we want, but do not have. Why not think of what we have for which we have yet to say “Thank You, LORD!”

Some things He withholds from us, knowing them to be hurtful and injurious to our lives. Some times He is angry with us because we do not recognize His blessings and thank Him for them.

The LORD Himself hurts when He has to discipline us! No true, loving earthly father delights when he is forced to punish his child for doing wrong. His own weeping, and ours, may last the night, but we rejoice in the morning when we come to learn that His way was best!

So, examine the multiple reasons you have to “sing praise to the LORD” and start SINGING with all your heart! The greatest music this side of Heaven comes from the hearts and voices of the LORD’s children as they praise Him! So sing, Sing, SING!

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,

Ephesians 6:1-3, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise),

3 that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the Earth.”

Recently, I viewed a documentary that dealt with some serious issues in which children younger than

teenagers were involved. That prompted my reading of the above verses and utilizing this space to

warn everyone (children and adults) of our responsibility to keep our eyes on Jesus and adhere to His every command.

We are all children until we either reach the respected level of adulthood or live apart from our parents. Some would perhaps wish to read that first line as “…obey your parents when they are in the LORD.” Yet, that is NOT what the Scripture says. If you have not reached adulthood or continue to reside in your parents’ home, you are to be subject to them. The Greek word “obey” (?????????) is

a present, active imperative verb, second person plural, which includes all “children” and emphasizes the command to submit to parental wishes.

To “honor” one’s parents means the children are to respect and revere the parents, inasmuch as they have authority over all who reside in their house. The value of this to the LORD is noted in that the commandment is the first in Scripture to carry with it the promise of long life on the Earth. In the practical sense, if one never learns to respect and obey his parents, he will never grow into adulthood with respect and obedience of any authority, legal, moral, or corporate. The Home is the preparatory level for all life-learning.

Parents, too, have the counter-responsibility to “train up a child in the way he should go” –that way being the way of the LORD as noted multiple times in Holy Scripture. Children, such as I viewed in the documentary mentioned previously, go bad because their parents are either bad themselves or neglectful to engage in proper training of the child. Still, unwise parents are no child’s excuse for involvement in unwise activities. The problem with juveniles today arises from the lack of good parental instruction. And the reason for the lack of good parental instruction lies with the parents’ parents! The LORD has great and glorious things for those who follow His commands!

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.”