The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 1:1, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…”

Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

Luke 1:13-4. “it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.”

John 1:1-3. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

If I were to say to you that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were the four Gospels, you might ask why there are four of them. The answer is simple:

Matthew wrote to the Jews;

Mark wrote to the Romans;

Luke wrote to the Greeks;

John wrote to the Church (the believers).

There is really only one Gospel, but it must be shared with people of different cultural backgrounds. Paul wrote to the Colossians saying, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person (Col. 4:6).

Each of the four groups had distinguishing backgrounds. If the Gospel were to be effectively shared with them, it must be “packaged” in their culture, explaining things they would not have otherwise known. When I was in Papua New Guinea, I learned that there are no sheep in that region –none at all! So, telling them that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29), makes no sense to them at all. Missionaries have to share the Gospel with native people when it’s wrapped up in their culture. We have to do the same thing; we just don’t think of it in the same way.

I’ve found that Jewish people really speak their minds! Sometimes they snap at you. I snap back!

Responding to them with their own method of communication works. It was “foreign” to me at first, but I soon got used to it and it was effective. Just remember that LOVE is the key. We’re not trying to win arguments; we’re trying to share the Love of Jesus Christ with people who are imprisoned in sin. BE Christ-like! Understand the culture of their work and home. Show concern for their souls. Don’t get sidetracked on sports or politics! Keep your eye on the ONE you want them to see: Jesus!

Praying for you this week,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. Please remember to pray for Rose Marie. Her hemoglobin is down again and she needs blood.

Attn: Nurses! You know who you are. -??

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,

Colossians 1:11-14, “So that you may be… strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Seminaries are strange places –probably, due to the strange students that attend them. I remember well a

fellow-student asking, “Professor, do you think Paul prayed as much as he said he did?”

The professor was prime in his reply. He snapped, “I’ll tell you what I think! I think Paul prayed a lot more than you and I think he did.” Indeed Paul did pray a lot. He prayed that the Colossian Church might be sufficiently strengthened with the power of the LORD that it might be steadfast in the faith and joyfully thankful for all the LORD had given them, and for all He would ultimately give them on the day of eternal rewards.

We must remember that, like the Colossians, we have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. He is our Redeemer and has forgiven us of our sins. Don’t lose sight of that! I’ve met many people who have slipped back into sin after having been saved. Such people often then doubt that they were ever really saved. Don’t fall into that trap! James and John plotted to sit beside Him in the coming Kingdom. Simon Peter denied even knowing Jesus! Yet, they had been saved, and were ultimately allowed to write letters (books) that are included in the New Testament. Salvation does not mean instant perfection. It mean we’ve taken the initial step in walking with Him by faith.

Salvation comes in three tenses: We have been saved. We are being saved. We shall be saved. If you’re not residing in one of these categories, you need to be saved. Just tell Him that you are truly sorry for your sins. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and take control of your life –every facet of it! He will take control and you will begin to grow by His love and grace. The Christian life is joyous and spiritually productive!

We pray daily for you as you pray daily for others,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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,

Colossians 1:7-10, “…you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…”

Isn’t it an encouragement when we learn that something good we have said about another believer has become an encouragement to the believer himself? Epaphras must have felt good in his heart, too, for the opportunity he had to share good things about the Colossian believers.

When Paul learned the Colossians’ faithfulness from Epaphras, he increased his prayers for them. We should always pray for the lost and errant believers. At the same time, we should pray fervently for those who are increasing in the faith. None of us are truly “filled with the knowledge” of God or His will for our lives. That’s why we need to pray fervently for each other.

We need increased knowledge of God and His will for our lives. We need divine wisdom and understanding. It is those spiritual ingredients that enables us to live godly lives –lives that in everything are pleasing to the LORD. We don’t always know how influential our lives and words are on others. I’m thinking now of someone

to whom I witnessed years ago. To my knowledge, she has yet to come “full circle” to Jesus Christ. Yet, I still pray for her. We all need to pray for others, both the saved and the lost. And our lives need to be lived to the glory of Jesus Christ. That will be the influence needed to support the words that we speak.

God bless you abundantly, as you yield your life to Christ today,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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,

Colossians 1:3-6, “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;

5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel,

6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth…”

I know I’m supposed to love him, but I just can’t! I’ve really tried, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Ever feel that way? I’m sure we all have. What makes it easy for us not to love someone is the way they behave. But is that really an excuse? Maybe we ought to start by “giving thanks to God” and “praying always –at all times.

Admittedly, it’s easier to pray for those who are already saved, already committed to Jesus Christ. When we pray for fellow believers, and witness, or even hear of their love for others, it produces a love within us for them and for those for whom they are praying.

The Gospel is the Word of Truth! It has been brought to us through the Scriptures and through the witness of those who were believers in Christ before we were. And everywhere the Gospel has been introduced, it “is constantly bearing fruit and increasing.” You should read the missionaries’ reports that I receive! Tribes that only a few years ago were literally “head-hunters” have opened their hearts to Christ Jesus and are now missionaries to those they previously hated and killed. We hear of hoards of Muslims in Africa, but Christianity is increasing all over that continent! Muslims in Turkey are turning to Christ in huge numbers! Recent reports reveal that mulitudes of Jews, although not Christians, have come to believe that Jesus is truly the Messiah!

Sometimes when we witness, we meet strong and often hateful resistance to that witness. We must remember two things: 1) Satan often fills the unsaved with hatred, intended to scare us and run us off; and 2) often harsh and hateful words are intended to test whether we will respond the same way. So, always be loving. Be gracious. Remember that they do not know Christ’s love as we do. Deep down they want to know it. They hate what they do and they hate what they are. Remember: every person in the world is either looking for something he doesn’t have, or he’s running from something he doesn’t want, or he’s found it and is trying to share it. Let’s be the once who are sharring!

Praying for you as you share Him with othes,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. I would love to hear from you with regard to your witnessing experiences. If you have questions about how you

could better your witness, write me. I’ll be glad to respond to you, and it will always be in strictest confidence.

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,

Colossians 1:1-3, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you…”

How often have you heard someone refer to another person as a “saint?” More often than not, when the word is used in this regard, it is intended to convey a person’s excellent, spiritual attitude. In the Bible, however, –particularly in the New Testament– “saint” refers to a spiritual position, not a spiritual attitude. Of course, those who are in the right spiritual position will possess a spiritual attitude as well.

The word “faithful,” also in verse two, refers to spiritual responsibility. Paul doesn’t waste words. “To the

saints and faithful brethren…” –those who have the good spiritual position because they have trusted in Jesus Christ and those who are living up to their spiritual responsibilities. The word “brethren” in this verse refers to others who are “in Christ.” Those “in Christ” are the Church, the Christian community, in every successive generation. It has no bearing upon any religious denomination, except that those embracing a Christian denomination, hopefully, are themselves embraced by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The statement “Grace to you and peace from God our Father” (v 2b) opens Paul’s acknowledgment of blessing from the LORD. As always, “Grace and peace” are his subjects of focus. Grace is the activity of God’s love. Nowhere in history is this more visible than in A.D. 33 on a hill just outside the walls of Jerusalem. For there on Calvary Jesus Christ was crucified, giving Himself to His Heavenly Father as payment for our sins. “Clean out the old leaven,” Paul said in First Corinthians 5, “that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed” (I Cor 5:7). Paul admonishes the

Corinthian believers to live consistently clean lives, inasmuch as Christ has paid the supreme sacrifice for them.

“Peace,” by definition, is the confidence of God’s Love. If Grace, as the activity of God’s Love, is associated with the Cross of Christ, then Peace, as the confidence of that Love, is associated with the Resurrection of Christ. For it is through His Resurrection, His people know peace.

The Father and the Son are jointly the source of favor and blessing bestowed upon sinful, but repentant, man. When Paul says “Grace to you” and “peace from God,” he says more than our English translation allows. “To you” means “advantage.” ‘Grace is to your advantage,’ Paul is saying. And ‘peace comes from the ultimate source: God.’

The big question is: Are you a saint? That means, Have you willfully turned away from your sin and received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If you have not, you ought to immediately! “Now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation!” (II Cor 6:2).

If you have been saved, the big question to you is: Are you faithful to the Lord? Faithful in reading His Word

daily? Faithful in praying–not just when you’re in trouble, but to tell Him you love Him, just to praise His Name! Are you faithful in worship? Do you worship regularly in a Bible-believing, Christ-exalting church? Do you contribute your spiritual gifts to the upbuilding of the Body of Christ, His Church? Are you faithful in witnessing to others about Jesus’ saving grace? How long has it been since you spoke personally to someone in the effort to see them receive Christ? There really is a lot to being a Christian!

Pray for us as we pray for you,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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.”