The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Philemon 1:4-14, “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints;

6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.

7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

8 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper,

9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you– since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus–

10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment,

11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.

12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart,

13 whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel;

14 but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.”

How marvelous it is to commence a conversation with thanksgiving! Paul viewed Philemon as a dear and precious brother. We all have some of those, and we would do well to follow Paul’s example in commending them for their loving friendship.

At the same time, Paul has a sincere petition for which he needs Philemon’s help. Paul had met Onesimus while they were both imprisoned. Onesimus had previously been affiliated with Philemon, but at some point, he had robbed him and been imprisoned.

Paul led Onesimus to faith in Christ and was now appealing to Philemon to forgive the one who wronged him. How many of us would forgive those who have wronged us? Maybe you could think of some who have done you wrong and share the Gospel with them via the Gospel Tract attached below. The best way to get rid of your enemies is to make friends with them!

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

Dear Grands,

Genesis 42:8-16, “…Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him. Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land.”

10 Then they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

11 “We are all sons of one man; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”

12 Yet he said to them, “No, but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land!”

13 But they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive.”

14 Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you, you are spies.

15 By this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here!

16 “Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” Joseph had virtually become the ruler of Egypt. Previously, he had been sold into slavery by his brothers. Time had now passed, and the brothers were seeking food in a time of famine with which Egypt had been plagued. All of the brothers were now older and had outgrown the boyishness of their younger years. Joseph had learned the Egyptian language but had retained the Hebrew language which he had originally known. Thus, he had a decided advantage over his brothers, as they spoke among themselves about their home, their father, and their young brother, Benjamin.

Those of us who have come to know Jesus as our LORD and Savior have a decided advantage over others who do not know Him. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, giving us a clear advantage over those without Him. Joseph used his advantage to make his brothers understand the wrong they had done to him. It was nevertheless to Joseph’s advantage. Although he was technically a slave himself, Joseph’s primary allegiance was with the LORD. Thus, he dared not keep silence about his LORD. Those of us who are born-again Christians are somewhat in Joseph’s situation. We know the LORD Jesus, whom others do not know. We have the responsibility to share Him with them.

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

Dear Grands,

1 Kings 6:1-9, “Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

2 As for the house which King Solomon built for the LORD, its length was sixty cubits and its width twenty cubits and its height thirty cubits.

3 The porch in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits in length, corresponding to the width of the house, and its depth along the front of the house was ten cubits.

4 Also for the house he made windows with artistic frames.

5 Against the wall of the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the nave and the inner sanctuary; thus, he made side chambers all around.

6 The lowest story was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he made offsets in the wall of the house all around in order that the beams would not be inserted in the walls of the house.

7 The house, while it was being built, was built of stone prepared at the quarry, and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool heard in the house while it was being built.

8 The doorway for the lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would go up by winding stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third.

9 So he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar.”

With all of his subsequent faults, it has to be said that Solomon truly knew how to build a glorious house for the LORD! And with current situations looking upward in Israel today, it may not be long before Israel commences to follow in Solomon’s steps.

We will do well, too, if we assess the details Solomon followed in his building and determine to be as precise in the quality of construction within our own lives. Sadly, Solomon was not as competent in the construction of his life. Hopefully, we will do better by following the Holy Spirit’s direction. Once we confess the sin that indwells us and have trusted the LORD Jesus for salvation, we are to follow His blueprint for our daily life. The way to be externally beautiful is to be internally beautiful. That commences with the confession of our sin and the dedication of our life to Him and His cause for all mankind. His Word clearly states His will for us, and that far surpasses the splendor created by Solomon.

How about our lives? Are they what the LORD desires? He is the Supreme Judge of us all; and we are responsible to clean and care for our lives on a regular basis.

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

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 5:10-17, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.

12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.

13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;

15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Have you ever wondered why the LORD leaves you here on Earth? I certainly have. Oh, it’s not that I don’t love my family. I surely do! But my parents and grandparents have all gone on to be with Christ; so too has my wife. They’re all with Him, so life is certainly more than one’s family.

One day we, who truly know Jesus Christ, will stand before Him at what the Bible calls the Judgment Seat. At that time, He will assess the quality of our lives and whether we had attended well to the assignments He had given us while we were here on Earth. At that time, also, we will give an accounting for the things we have done and have not done. That will be far less than enjoyable!

Yet, we still have the opportunity to reclaim ourselves. There are lost souls who need our witness. There are straying souls who need our spiritual guidance and comfort. Our lives should demonstrate Christ before all mankind! Nor should we stand in the way of a brother or sister when they seek to honor Him. We are to be His “new creatures!” Others will notice our lives and ask how we managed to become what we are. At that point, we can tell them of Jesus! We are not responsible for whether they accept Him. But we are responsible to see that they have had the opportunity to receive Him! Are you with me? Okay, let’s go do it together!

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

Dear Grands,

James 5:13-20, “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.

14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

“It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples” (Lk. 11:1 NAU). Prayer has never been more needed than it is today! Yet, I suppose that thought has been circulated numerous times over the years.

James allows that some sicknesses occur because of sin. Who is to know whether sin is the cause of an illness? The elders of the church are to know! James alludes to the elders’ spiritual insight. The Holy Spirit awakens their insight, and they all pray for the one who is suffering.

I once knew a missionary who anointed someone with oil. When asked why he did so, his reply was: “That’s what the Bible says to do, and I had no other option.” Sounds right to me. Yet, in many instances, we’ve veered away from what Scripture says. Perhaps we need to start by confessing our own sin before we endeavor to help others.

James then cites Elijah. He was human just as we are. But when he prayed, the LORD responded mightily! If we would see answers to prayer, we must be men and women of prayer. We would do well to remember James’ admonition: “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” – much in our lives, much in our homes, much in our churches!

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