The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,

12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly,

righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the

appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave

Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself

a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

I was taught to 1) memorize the books of the Bible, 2) learn the theme of each

book, 3) memorize the number of chapters in each book. This gives the good

Bible student a “firm handle” on the whole of the Scriptures.

The theme of the Epistle to Titus is “God’s Ideal”; and nowhere is that theme

more fully expressed than in the verses above. Grace is favor that we don’t

deserve. To all men does not mean that everyone will be saved; but rather

that it is possible for all people to be saved. Once we are saved, we are to

deny (refuse, disown) all ungodliness and to live righteously, and to look

for the blessed hope, which is the return of the LORD Jesus Christ. We

never do wrong in the sight of someone who always does right. That’s why

we are to watch daily for the return of Jesus Christ.

When I was just a kid, before my teenage years, I was convicted of going

to movies. (And they were “good” compared to anything showing today!)

Then, one night I had a dream that I had gone to a movie and was sitting

on the first row. Some girls came out on the stage before the movie, and

one of them pointed to me and said, “Gene Jeffries, what are you doing

here?” In my dream, I was doing something I knew not to do and had been

“called out” for it. It was then many years before I even entered a movie

theatre, even when there was no movie showing. Think what you will, but

I am still sensitive of doing anything that takes my thoughts off of the Return

of Jesus Christ. I don’t want Him to come finding me doing something that

is offensive to Him and contrary to His purpose for my life. Sound stupid?

Well, it’s not. We belong to Him! Read the verses above again.

Love and Prayers for you all, every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Luke 21:34-36, “’Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be

weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries

of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;

35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.

36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength

to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before

the Son of Man.”

In some ways these are difficult verses to translate. But the essence

of them is that we should not just breeze along through life, doing

whatever we please and have the day of judgment come upon us

like a trap –without warning. We are to keep alert (awake) at all

times and be prayerful for strength to be delivered from all the

sinful things that are taking place throughout the world. Sin is becoming

rampant! Ungodly teachers are forbidding Christians students to engage in

things the LORD has instructed, like reading the Bible before class begins!

Schools that purport to be amenable to Christianity, are not amenable!

Chaplains are forbidden to pray “in Jesus’ name,” despite the fact that

prayer is personal to the one praying and not to be judged by the group

who hears. But, don’t let these things worry you and weigh you down!

They are signs of the times, and signal the soon return of our LORD

Jesus Christ. Just keep praying. Jesus Coming is very near!

Loving you and praying for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 4:17-24, “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord,

that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because

of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality

for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,

21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him,

just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life,

you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the

lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in

righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

This is a long passage, so I will say less than usual. Paul is drawing

a stark difference between evil and good. Salvation in Christ must

mean something different or it is of no value at all. We were sinners,

outside of Christ. Then we believed upon Him, and He saved us. Are

we now to return to what we were before salvation? Are we to

engage in those things in which the lost engage? Absolutely not!

We are to “lay aside the old self…be renewed in the spirit of (our)

minds, and put on the new self.” When the lost world sees the

difference in our lives and theirs, they will see what is missing in

them; and they will turn to Jesus, just as we have. May the LORD

help us all to be what He desires!

Love and Prayers always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 1:13-14, “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth,

the gospel of your salvation– having also believed, you were sealed in Him

with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance,

with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Everyone who has read the writings of the Apostle Paul, has to admit

that they are rich and full-to-the-brim with knowledge. Every word is

weighed, and arranged logically so as to provide all that we need for

understanding the LORD’s truth. First, we listened to (understood) the

LORD’s Gospel. Second, we believed (trusted) what we heard. Then,

the LORD put His seal (the Holy Spirit) within us as His pledge (promise,

down payment) toward the full redemption (release) we will know with

Him in Heaven!

All of this is to say that when we heard the Gospel and believed, the

LORD saved and secured us fully and completely. Then, He put the

Holy Spirit within us, not only as a Guide in this life, but as His down-

payment against all the glories we will one day enjoy with Him. No

one can defraud us of the Holy Spirit, which means that our salvation

cannot ever be revoked. “Once saved, always saved.” Still, the fulness

of our future enjoyment surely hinges on our yielding to the Spirit’s

control of our lives now. Is He fully in control of you?

I had correspondence with a Liberty colleague recently who signed

his email, “Yours, but mostly His.” Our love is toward you daily, but

mostly toward the LORD who saved us.

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 22:19-21, “So that your trust may be in the LORD,

I have taught you today, even you.

20 Have I not written to you excellent things

Of counsels and knowledge,

21 To make you know the certainty of the words of truth

That you may correctly answer him who sent you?”

In the midst of his many writings, Solomon shares why

he has written them: “So that your trust (confidence)

may be in the LORD.” There are those who believe that

money or fame or education are what brings confidence;

but Solomon says, “No!” Trust must be in the LORD

alone! Further, Solomon’s counsel and knowledge are

given that we might know “the certainty of the words

of truth,” which He gives. He desires that we might be

able to correctly (faithfully) respond to the persons who

ask because they do not know. In other words, don’t

take your eyes off of the LORD! Always focus on Him.

His Word is truth. Yet, when we allow our eyes and our

minds to drift toward material things, we begin to doubt

what the LORD has said. Always keep your focus on HIM!

We love you and pray for you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas