The Grands Letter

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.”

Dear Grands,

Acts 12:5, “So Peter was kept in the prison,

but prayer for him was being made fervently

by the church to God.”

Herod had imprisoned Peter, fastened him with

chains and guarded him with 16 soldiers. The

probability factor of his escape was beyond

belief. What was he to do? He slept. Think you

could have under such conditions? I don’t. But

Peter rested in confidence. He had seen the

LORD work before; and besides, his friends in

the Church would surely be praying. Prayer was

the only way to deal with Herod. It’s the only way

to deal with a host of things, yet we resort to protests,

to communication with governmental officials –

we do everything except pray! Peter’s church

prayed fervently! Theirs was no now-I-lay-me-

down-to-sleep prayer. It was intense! And it

prevailed!

Did you ever feel like you were in prison? Things

that captivated your mind were wrong, but you

could not seem to shake them? What do you do?

Yes, it is true that the LORD does not always

answer our prayers as quickly as we would like.

We have to leave the timing to Him. Yet, it is

also true that we don’t pray as intently as we

ought. He knows just how serious we are with

wanting to be free. Do we not know the inevitable

consequences of sin? “LORD, teach us to pray.”

For His promise is: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect

peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he

trusts in Thee” (Isa. 26:3).

Our prayers of love ascend for each you daily,

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 11:23, “Then when he had come and witnessed the grace of God,

he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain

true to the Lord.”

Simply stated, history is a record of past events. The Book of Acts is

an accurate record of the origin and development of the Christian faith.

Once the LORD Jesus had arisen from the dead and returned to Heaven,

the Church burst open on the world with the Good News, sharing it

everywhere! Not only the Jews, but the Greeks (Gentiles), too, were given

the Good News and were coming to faith in Jesus as the Christ.

The Church at Jerusalem sent Barnabus (“son of encouragement”) to

Antioch to witness and encourage new converts, telling them “to remain

true to the LORD.” As difficult as it may be for some to come to faith in

Christ, once they are saved, it often becomes equally difficult for them

to remain true to Him and His teachings. I’m sure each of us has

experienced that. Barnabus may have been a Class A personality, we don’t

know. What we do know is that he was a first class encourager. I want

to be that to you! I’ve seen a lot of change in the world during my lifetime.

If the LORD tarries, you will see the same in your lifetime. Just never lose

faith in the LORD. Always remain true to Him, however difficult times

become. Nothing will ever occur that He cannot control. Just “remain

true to the LORD” and He will preserve and protect you.

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.”