The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 2:1-7, “Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city.

4 And 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,

5 in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.”

According to Roman law, a census of the people was taken every 14 years. The purpose was for taxation and for eligibility for military service. Everyone was compelled to return to his city of birth to register. The distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem was some 80 miles.

Apparently, it was necessary for both Joseph and Mary to register. Both were Jewish, although they came from different lineages. From Joseph, Jesus received His legal right to the throne of David. Matthew carries the genealogy of Joseph back and through David to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. For Luke, the concern and emphasis was that Jesus was actually, truly, and humanly the Son of Mary. So, he traces Jesus’ bloodline back through Mary to David, back to Abraham, back to Adam and back to God. Thus, Jesus is both “The Son of Man” and “The Son of God.”

Marriage arrangements in biblical times were legal contracts and usually undertaken by the couples’ parents. The parents engaged in a contract for their children that was as binding as the marriage itself. In some instances today, that is arguably a good idea. Christian parents want their children to be happy and successful in marriage. Parents also, having themselves lived together, are aware of the elements that make for a successful marriage and the dangers that work against a marriage. Physical appearence and personal mannerisms often today displace the true elements of love and devotion –elements that are indespensable to a loving, lasting marriage.

There are multiple pitfals that await marriages today. Yet, with the couple’s devotion to Christ, they can be foreseen and avoided. Preparation for engagement and marriage commences with personal commitment to the LORD Jesus Christ and His Word. The Holy Spirit then steers those who are dedicated to Christ into the right pathway, so as to bring them together. When we live as the LORD would have us live, He Himself is glorified. And His glorification is the ultimate purpose for all of His children.

We love you and wish the LORD best for you always,

Nana & 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,

Matthew 1:22-25, “Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,

23 ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.’

24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife,

25 and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.”

Prophecy is history written before it occurs. The prophet alluded to here is Isaiah (7:14) and occurred 740 years before Christ. Ahaz was king of Judah and Judah was being threatened with invasion by Syria and Israel. While Ahaz contemplated calling upon Assyria to help him, the LORD spoke to him when Isaiah urged him to look to God for help, rather than to others. The sign was that a virgin would have a son, and before the son was born, those who threatened Judah would be eliminated.

Joseph was probably acquainted with Isaiah’s prophecy, given to him in a dream. And when he awoke, he did precisely what the angel had told him. He put off the thought of divorcing Mary, but refrained from any sexual contact with her until the birth of Jesus.

Why are we always in such a hurry to do things our own way? We look to Scripture and learn that the LORD is with us and available to do “exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20), yet we worry and frustrate ourselves needlessly! My dear old grandmother used to say, “They haven’t reckoned with the LORD.” And it is so! Joseph entertained no extraneous thoughts. He simply did what the angel had told him, and everything turned out far better than he could have otherwise imagined.

“…and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Once we have trusted Christ as our LORD and Savior, He is always both to us forever! He guides every step of our lives. Even in those dark times, when it seems as if nothing is working out for us and few if anyone cares, He is there! He cares! Don’t get discouraged! Don’t give up! Just stay in the Word and trust Him. As the old song says,

Ask the Savior to help you,

Comfort, strengthen and keep you;

He is willing to aid you,

He will carry your through.

Our prayers are with you all,

Nana & Dado III

(Gene & Rose Marie)

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,

Matthew 1:18-21, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly.

20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21 ‘And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.’”

I held my great-grandson, Joseph David VerHoeven, the other night. It’s an awesome experience to hold a fourth generation child, knowing his relationship to me. Questions multiply on such occasions: Who does he look like? He has this one’s ears…that one’s nose…another’s chin…” More importantly, what personal characteristics will he come to have as he grows to boyhood, to manhood?

Mary must have been smothered with such questions, even before the birth of her Son. Her pregnancy and her Son’s birth would be the most momentous experience of its kind in all of human history! Girls married

early in those days; thus, in all probability, Mary was an early teenage girl. She was engaged to a probably older man, say in his 20s or even 30s (we’ll never know exactly); yet, they had guarded their intemancy carefully. True love is clearly demonstrated in that when Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy, and knowing himself to have been a righteous man, he did not want “to disgrace her” with a secret divorce.

The intervention of the LORD’s angel staighten out the thinking of Joseph when he said, “…that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” Let me state clearly and without equivocation, I believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ. That being said, it might more accurately be stated, “I believe in the miraculous conception of Jesus Christ. His birth was ‘natural.’” Further, the angel declared his gender (Mary “will bear a Son…”); he declared the Son’s name (“…you shall call His name Jesus…”); and he declared the

Son’s destiny (“…it is He who will save His people from their sins.”).

The phrase, “His people,” certainly indicated the Jewish people. Yet, it might also be extended in meaning to “all people,” inasmuch as all human births are traceable back to Adam, the first human creation of the LORD God. Regardless of the specific meaning of “His people,” Jesus is the sole designate of the Father to deliver His creation from the shackles of sin. He is available to all –all, who will believe upon Him and trust Him as the sacrifice for their sins. Surely, He looks upon us, as Mary and Joseph once looked upon that new-born Child. Yet, He knows our destiny. Still, He leaves to us the responsibility of trusting Him as LORD and Savior of our lives. Yes, He knows Joseph David VerHoeven’s days, just as He knows yours.

What a joy it is to pray for you,

Nana & Dado III

(Gene & Rose Marie)

P. S. One or two Grands Letters have been missing recently. Rose Marie is back at Regional Hospital in Fayetteville

with pneumonia, but is in a recuperative stage. While we personally regret her circumstances, we continue to

have opportunities to meet and bear witness to new contacts of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Please pray for

her. She is in excellent spirits!

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,

Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.”

21 “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Electric lights don’t work until they are plugged into a socket that carries electric power. It’s a strange analogy, but salvation doesn’t work until we are connected with Jesus. In the verses above, Paul tells us that he has been once-and-for-all time, connected with Christ Jesus; and the life-change that is viewable is not due to anything he himself has done, but is due to the life of Christ with Whom he is not connected. That connection can never be severed. Literally, the Greek language reads,

I have been once-and-forever crucified with Christ. I no longer live. Christ is living in me.

Christ Jesus died as the Heavenly Father’s sacrifice for mankind’s sin. It is available to everyone; but each person must believe (get plugged into) in Jesus’ death and resurrection in order for His sacrifice to apply to him. Just knowing that He died and arose from the dead is not enough. We just believe it was for us and trust in Him.

At the point in which we trust in Jesus, His Life enters us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Now, the change

that others see in us –the change in our lifestyle—is not reformation, but transformation. It’s not that we have made up our minds to live differently (How many times have we tried that and failed?); rather, it is that

He, the Holy Spirit, has transformed us and is forever working to make our lives like Jesus’ own life. We still

possess that old nature that wants to do what we used to do before we trusted Christ. Yet, the Spirit within us works against that old nature to conform us into His image.

The Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Jesus was His Father’s own sacrifice for our sin. Jesus’ resurrection proved that the Father was satisfied with His Son’s sacrifice and made it available to each and everyone who would accept it for himself. Native people living far away from civilization know nothing of Christ or what He has done. We send missionaries to tell them. When they hear and believe, they too are accepted into His family of believers. It’s the message of Jesus that constitutes the Gospel.

When those around us see His life in us, they wonder from where it came. When we tell them of Jesus, they, too, can be saved.

The big question is: Are we living His life before them? If so, they will notice and want to be saved, too. That is His plan. Let’s yield to the control of the Holy Spirit daily, so that His life in us will cause them to trust Him, too.

We love you and pray for you that Christ’s life will lead others to believe in Him,

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,

Galatians 2:11-16, “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.

13 And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

15 ‘We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from among the Gentiles;

16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.’”

Christians often disagree. They often disagree about biblical teachings. In this passage Paul disagreed with Peter. He vehemently, forcefully disagreed because the situation was extremely basic to the Christian faith.

Jews historically never had dealings of any kind with Gentiles. They maintained strict separation. The early Church, however, broke down that barrier as believers, both Jew and Gentile, engaged together in a Love Feast. Peter was partaking of the meal, eating with Gentile believers. Suddenly, some strict Jewish men appeared on the scene. Seeing them, Peter withdrew from participation with the Gentile believers. Paul saw this as a spiritual contradiction and he challenged Peter on the spot.

Christians today often differ about spiritual matters. Some things are trivial, like how often the Church is to partake of the LORD’s Supper (a memorial ordinance that helps believers to remember that Jesus is coming to Earth again). On the other hand, some things are vitally important, such as how one lives has any bearing on his salvation, Some would argue (as did the late President George H. W. Bush’s pastor). He argued that while Christ is involved, it is how we conduct ourselves that ultimately determines whether we go to Heaven when we die.

I would argue that what Jesus did, dying on the Cross and arising from the dead, is all that is needed. When we believe in Him, He forgives our sin and accepts us into His family. No amount of “good works” on our part can replace pure faith in the LORD Jesus Christ.

Be careful whose teachings you follow, “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but through faith in Christ Jesus…” (vs. 16). The interpretations of even the most sincere believers and teachers cannot substitue for the clear teachings of the Bible. The Bible itself is sufficient to bring men and women to faith in Jesus Christ. And if we follow the teachings of Scripture, we will live as we ought to live, bringing honor and glory to our LORD Jesus. Pray for understanding as you read the Bible. The Spirit of God will give you understanding.

We pray for you and for your understanding of Scripture,

Nana & Dado III

(Gene & Rose Marie)

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.”