The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 16:14-18, “And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. 16 And it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortunetelling. 17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, ‘These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.’

18 And she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!’ And it came out at that very moment.”

This is a contrast of two women: Lydia was a free woman, who came to faith in Christ

through the preaching of the Apostle Paul. The other woman was a slave, who was

controlled by a demonic spirit. It is a contrast that exists today. Some people are free

in Christ and others are controlled by the devil. Both women heard the same Gospel.

Lydia was amenable to Paul’s message of Christ because she was already God-fearing.

The salve-girl taunted Paul and Silas by ridiculing their message of salvation. Note that

Paul was patient, putting up with the slave-girl’s taunts for “many days.” But enough

was enough! Recognizing that it was not the slave-girl herself, who was speaking these

things, but a demonic spirit, he addressed the spirit in the Name of Jesus Christ,

commanding it to come out of the girl –and it did!

While these two experiences are real and true, they also represent the kind of people

we have in the world. Some are open to the Gospel, and they trust the LORD quickly.

Others, are skeptical and often ridicule and argue against our witness. We must be

careful not to blame the individuals entirely. Satan still infests the lives of people, who

rail against our message. Patience and prayer are our keys to victory. Just don’t give up.

Like digging a well, it takes time, energy, and faithful patience. But the water of salvation

and freedom is there, and the break-through lies in the Hands of the LORD.

Faithfully praying for you each day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 16:6-7, “And they passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region,

having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia;

7 and when they had come to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia,

and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them…”

The New Testament is literally filled with commands to GO, to SHARE,

to WITNESS. We’ve all read them many times. So, it seems somewhat

out of place that we should ever be stopped from doing what we are

being urged to do. I’m sure Paul wondered about this when he was

twice hindered from sharing the Gospel that had fundamentally changed

his life. ~ When we were all little children, we often heard the words “NO!

STOP! DON’T DO THAT!” (Sometimes we still hear that, don’t we?) But

when did you last hear a parent, and older sibling, or a pastor say, “Don’t

tell him about Jesus”? Cars have to have brakes. It would be disastrous

if they didn’t. We need brakes, too; and the Holy Spirit serves us as both

an Accelerator and a Brake. We don’t always know why. Paul didn’t

know, either. But he obeyed. Stop and Go are learning instructions.

Sometimes we want to go before we are ready. Sometimes we are

ready, but hesitant to go. Listening to the Holy Spirit is the all-important

lesson. He “sees” from afar; we don’t. Practice listening to Him and

pray for His guidance. Then go when He tells you. Lydia was glad they

did!

May His Love and always guide you is our prayer,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 15:34, “But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.”

Some bad doctrine had crept into the teachings of the Early Church.

A Conference in Jerusalem (A.D. 50) brought the church together.

And as with any conference, when it was over, the participants left and

went home. Silas, however, for a reason that would later be learned,

remained in Jerusalem, just “hangin’ around.” Have you ever just

felt alone, seemingly with nothing to do? Why am I here? What’s this

all about? What am I going to do? Undoubtedly, Silas felt alone and

uncertain. In the meantime, Paul and Barnabus, good companions

on their first missionary journey, engaged in an argument that caused

them to separate. Barnabus took his relative, John Mark, and departed,

leaving Paul without a companion –but there was Silas, just “hangin’

around.’ The LORD had had a plan for him all along. He just needed

to be patient and wait for the LORD’s timing.

So it often is with us. The lesson here is not to get in a hurry. Everything

will work out IF we take our time and wait on the LORD. That doesn’t

mean we should be idle. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all

your might” (Eccl. 9:10). But don’t get anxious (Phil. 4:6) and run ahead

of the LORD. Remember, He is our Leader! He won’t forget you; and

He will place you where He knows you belong in His Eternal Plan.

Praying for you to stay strong in the LORD,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 14:16-17, “And in the generations gone by He permitted

all the nations to go their own ways; 17 and yet He did not leave

Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains

from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food

and gladness.”

Did anyone ever mistake you for a god? It occurred to Paul and

Barnabus when they visited Lystra. By the power of the LORD,

Paul healed a man, who had been born lame in his feet. The

crowd, being of a superstitious nature, immediately assessed

that Paul and Barnabus were gods. Trying to dissuade people

from a false belief is often as difficult as persuading them of the

truth. So, when Paul attempted to correct their misconception,

they stoned him to the point of death. Now, just stop and think

of that for a minute. Paul heals a man. The people think he is

a god. He says, “No, I’m not,” so they try to kill him. What an

ignorant, hostile people!

Paul doesn’t give up. That’s what’s wrong with a lot of us. We

share Christ with someone, and they reject our witness, so we

just give up. Paul identified the LORD as the One who gave rain

from Heaven –rain that produced food for the people. (No

global warming nonsense, here.) Yet, even that did not discourage

Paul. He went on to say (v. 22), “’Through many tribulations we

must enter the kingdom of God.” Our responsibility is 1) to live

righteously, 2) to share our faith in Christ with others, and 3) to

trust the results to the LORD. How are you doing?

How we love and pray for you every, single day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 13:9-12, “But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,

fixed his gaze upon him, 10 and said, ‘You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you

son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked

the straight ways of the Lord?

11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not

see the sun for a time.’ And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he

went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul

believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.”

Every time we endeavor to serve the LORD, we can expect to have conflict.

What do we do when conflict arises? Solomon said, there is “A time to be silent,

and a time to speak” (Eccl. 3:7). Paul said, “Be angry, and yet do not sin…” (Eph.4:26).

Neither Paul nor Barnabus went out spoiling for a fight. They were sharing the Gospel,

when Elymas, a demonically-controlled man sought to hinder them. This was a time

to speak, and to speak in anger, but without sinning. How does that work? Note that

Paul was “filled (controlled) with (by) the Holy Spirit.” I remember being challenged

regarding something I said in a sermon in Virginia church. My response was stern, but

so immediate that it had to be of the LORD. My “challenger” had no response.

Paul was not defending himself against Elymas. He was defending the Gospel against

Satan. The “fight” was the LORD’s and He simply used Paul in the process. It’s a good

feeling when you know the LORD has used you; and it’s an even better feeling when

there is a positive result. The belief of the proconsul was the intention of the Gospel.

Yes, you will encounter conflict whenever you’re on the LORD’s mission. Just remember

that it is He who is in control; He is the Victor and He alone is to receive the glory.

Always lovingly and prayerfully yours,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”