The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Jude 1:4-9, “…certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.

6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,

7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.

9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

How is the true believer to deal with the ungodly, who seek to make God’s grace look like evil, and who deny the righteousness of the LORD Jesus Christ? To be succinct, the believer ought to continue to hold to those things he knows to be right. He should avoid all evil and concentrate on the LORD, trusting in His omnipotence. Unbelieving troublemakers should be totally left for God.

Verse six above reads, “…He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment…” What more can we do other than to leave everything in the hands of a loving and omnipotent Father? Even the archangel Michael could do nothing more than say “The Lord rebuke you!”

Numerous times in Scripture, servants of the LORD have admitted they knew not what to do! Check out the following (to name only a few): Exodus 17:4; 1 Samuel 10:2; 2 Kings 2:9; and 4:2; 2 Chronicles 25:9; Matt. 27:22; Luke 10:25; 12:17; 16:3-4; 22:10.

Christ Jesus is our life! He knows the way, regardless of the dangers. “Stay the course!” Trust the LORD Jesus Christ without even the slightest reservation. He has never failed!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all that we need,

Until He becomes all that we have.”

– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

3 John 1:1-12, “The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

3 For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth.

4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.

5 Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers;

6 and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.

7 For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.

8 Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

9 I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.

10 For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.

11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.”

It’s no wonder that the Apostle John wrote such warm and loving letters. It’s easy to commend friends when their activities are commendable. That’s not to say that those to whom John wrote were all that they ought to have been. Seldom is that true of any of us. We all need that time-to-time encouragement from loving, competent friends like the beloved Gaius.

In this Scripture, we are to understand not that everyone had spiritually slipped, but that everyone needs encouragement from time to time to keep from slipping. Don’t you sometimes feel a little “out of it”? No, you’ve not abandoned the faith that was “once delivered to the saints”; you just haven’t been “on your game” like you know you should have been. Start imitating what is good! Share with others your testimony of encouragement just like the one you received from Demetrius.

Let’s rededicate ourselves to our LORD Jesus Christ and to the work He has assigned us to do! In both the long and short run, we’ll find that we’ve renewed our dedication to Him; and with that renewal, we’ve also grown to love Him more!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all that we need,

Until He becomes all that we have.”

– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

2 John 1:1-12, “The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth,

2 for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.

5 Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.

6 And this is love that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.

10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;

11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

12 Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full.”

My guess is that everyone reading this letter knows someone who resembles the “chosen lady” to whom John addressed it! She has children who are “walking in truth” and in love. She acknowledges the Lord Jesus Christ in her own life. She is, however, aware of the Antichrist, who leads people away from the Word and replaces it with the folly of his evil deeds.

John warns this beloved sister against even inviting into her house those who come with a teaching that is not of the Lord! To some, this may seem a bit harsh, but there’s even an old Arabian proverb that says, “Once the camel’s nose is in the tent, his body soon will follow.” We would all do well to adhere to John’s wise counsel. Stick with the Lord! Follow His teachings! “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God” in his life. Do you have Him in your life? I trust you do.

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all that we need,

Until He becomes all that we have.”

– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

1 John 1:1-10, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life–

2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us–

3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed, our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;

7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

If you’ve ever watched water boil, you have some idea of how the Apostle John is feeling as he labors with intense joy writing to the Jewish believers of his day and to us! There is no question about where John has been or what he has done, for joy such as he is espousing has originated with the LORD Jesus Christ. Still, he says that he has seen and touched the very Word of Life! Now, he is encouraging us to do the same.

His announcement says that “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness”—not one little bit! There are those who claim to know Him but live in darkness (i.e., evil). John is adamant in saying that if we claim to be in fellowship with the Savior, yet continue to walk in the darkness of moral filth, we are simply lying—lying in the effort to mislead others into thinking that we are living in a pure and honest relationship with Jesus Christ. But that cannot be! Those who pretend to be in fellowship with the LORD are simply lying.

Those who have faithfully confessed their sins to the LORD Jesus Christ have changed position with those who are retaining life in the darkness of moral filth. Christ alone can cleanse one from mortal sin. Yet, he must first confess (agree with God about) his sin and ask for His forgiveness. Christ will forgive sin. That’s what He does, and He does it quite well.

Those who trust Jesus understand what it is to be saved (born again). Have you trusted Him? I pray that you have; for when you do, you will understand what it means. And you will want your friends to understand it, too. God bless you abundantly!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all that we need,

Until He becomes all that we have.”

– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

2 Peter 1:1-12, “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our LORD;

3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,

6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,

7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;

11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

12 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.”

In his final letter to believers of all ages, Simon Peter urges adherence to the spiritual and moral directive of our LORD Jesus Christ. In this way, every believer will become “a partaker of the divine nature” and escape the lust that endeavors to demean His teaching and destroy the effect of the righteousness He came to instill in us. Peter further avows that the acclamation of these qualities will enable believers to avoid stumbling and to be increasingly useful “in the true knowledge” that the LORD Himself demonstrates through His own life.

It does us well to consistently evaluate our standing with Him and with His teachings. In this manner, we not only “avoid stumbling,” but we encourage other believers to evaluate their lives as they communicate with Him. Further, it is Peter’s confident assurance that those who engage in serious evaluation will not stumble, thereby avoiding a hindrance to others.

Quite seriously, we all need to adhere to Simon Peter’s encouragement. We also need to encourage others by reminding them of the LORD’s directives. Of course, we should remember to do it gently; and above all, to demonstrate His Word through our own lives.

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

Until He becomes all that we have.”

–Corrie ten Boom