Author: Percy Parakh

India Blog, Magi

What The Magi Mean To Christmas

Dec 29, 2021 by Percy Parakh

PARSI ZOROASTRIANS WORLDWIDE – THE HYDERABADI PAGE

For my Parsi Zoroastrian friends from India!(THIS IS SO POWERFUL IT SHOULD BLOW YOUR MIND!)

The Statue of three Persian Magi raised in Brazil in honor of the 3 revered Zoroastrian priests who visited Jesus Christ when he was born and brought the first gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.. to the new born Jesus

Some Bible Scholars say that the Magi (wise men) may have been Zoroastrian priests, and astrologers from Persia, during the reign of King Cyrus or Darius.

The Bible says they came and worshiped the baby Jesus, and gave him the gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. The Magi are mentioned in the book of Daniel.

They probably heard the prophecies about the Messiah, from Daniel, who was a Jewish prophet captive in Babylon, during the reign of the Medo -Persian empire. Daniel had earlier correctly interpreted dreams for the King, and therefore he and the God of Israel were greatly respected even in Babylon!!

Source, US Blog

The Source Of Justice – God Requires Justice

Dec 20, 2021 by Percy Parakh

Isaiah 9:1-7 NIV

1 [a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

US Blog, Wonderful

It’s a Wonderful Life – Jimmy Stewart

Dec 20, 2021 by Percy Parakh

It’s A Wonderful Life – Jimmy Stewart

For all the fans of “It’s A Wonderful Life” and Jimmy Stewart. Just months after winning his 1941 Academy Award for best actor in “The Philadelphia Story,” Jimmy Stewart, one of the best-known actors of the day, left Hollywood and joined the US Army.

He was the first big-name movie star to enlist in World War II. An accomplished private pilot, the 33-year-old Hollywood icon became a US Army Air Force aviator, earning his 2nd Lieutenant commission in early 1942.

With his celebrity status and huge popularity with the American public, he was assigned to starring in recruiting films, attending rallies, and training younger pilots.

Stewart, however, wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to fly combat missions in Europe, not spend time in a stateside training command. By 1944, frustrated and feeling the war was passing him by, he asked his commanding officer to transfer him to a unit deploying to Europe.

His request was reluctantly granted. Stewart, now a Captain, was sent to England, where he spent the next 18 months flying B-24 Liberator bombers over Germany.

Throughout his time overseas, the US Army Air Corps’ top brass had tried to keep the popular movie star from flying over enemy territory. But Stewart would hear nothing of it.

Determined to lead by example, he bucked the system, assigning himself to every combat mission he could. By the end of the war he was one of the most respected and decorated pilots in his unit.

But his wartime service came at a high personal price. In the final months of WWII he was grounded for being “flak happy,” today called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

When he returned to the US in August 1945, Stewart was a changed man. He had lost so much weight that he looked sickly. He rarely slept, and when he did he had nightmares of planes exploding and men falling through the air screaming (in one mission alone his unit had lost 13 planes and 130 men, most of whom he knew personally).

He was depressed, couldn’t focus, and refused to talk to anyone about his war experiences. His acting career was all but over.

As one of Stewart’s biographers put it, “Every decision he made [during the war] was going to preserve life or cost lives. He took back to Hollywood all the stress that he had built up.”

In 1946 he got his break. He took the role of George Bailey, the suicidal father in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The rest is history.

Actors and crew of the set realized that in many of the disturbing scenes of George Bailey unraveling in front of his family, Stewart wasn’t acting. His PTSD was being captured on filmed for potentially millions to see.

But despite Stewart’s inner turmoil, making the movie was therapeutic for the combat veteran. He would go on to become one of the most accomplished and loved actors in American history.

When asked in 1941 why he wanted to leave his acting career to fly combat missions over Nazi Germany, he said, “This country’s conscience is bigger than all the studios in Hollywood put together, and the time will come when we’ll have to fight.”

This holiday season, as many of us watch the classic Christmas film, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” it’s also a fitting time to remember the sacrifices of Jimmy Stewart and all the men who gave up so much to serve their country during wartime.

We will always remember you! Postscript: While fighting in Europe, Stewart’s Oscar statue was proudly displayed in his father’s Pennsylvania hardware store.

Throughout his life, the beloved actor always said his father, a World War I veteran, was the person who had made the biggest impact on him. Jimmy Stewart was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985 and died in 1997 at the age of 89.

— Ned Forney, Writer, Saluting America’s Veteran


Remember, US Blog

Remember Us O Lord

Dec 20, 2021 by Percy Parakh

In the large African church, the pastor fell to his knees, praying to God. “Remember us!” As the pastor pleaded, the crowd responded, crying, “Remember us, Lord!”

Watching this moment on YouTube, I was surprised that I shed tears too. The prayer was recorded months earlier. Yet it recalled childhood times when I heard our family’s pastor make the same plea to God.

“Remember us, Lord!” Hearing that prayer as a child, I’d wrongly assumed that God sometimes forgets about us.

But God is all-knowing (Psalm 147:5; 1 John 3:20), He always sees us (Psalm 33:13–15), and He loves us beyond measure (Ephesians 3:17–19).

Even more, as we see in the Hebrew word zakar, meaning “remember,” when God “remembers” us, He acts for us. Zakar also means to act on a person’s behalf.

Thus, when God “remembered” Noah and “all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark,” He then “sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded” (Genesis 8:1).

When God “remembered” barren Rachel, He “listened to her and enabled her to conceive. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son” (30:22–23).

What a great plea of trust to ask God in prayer to remember us! He’ll decide how He answers. We can pray knowing, however, that our humble request asks God to move.

Justice, US Blog

The Mercy Of Justice – God Requires Justice

Dec 17, 2021 by Percy Parakh

2 Samuel 9:1-12 NIV

David and Mephibosheth

9 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

“At your service,” he replied.

3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”

Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”

4 “Where is he?” the king asked.

Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.

6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.

David said, “Mephibosheth!”

“At your service,” he replied.

7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”

8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”

9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 

10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s[a] table like one of the king’s sons.

12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.

Love, US Blog

Putting Love Into Practice

Dec 17, 2021 by Percy Parakh
💫

Putting Love Into Practice
In his book Christians in the Marketplace, Bill Hybels says that people outside the faith often say, “Show me” before they say, “Tell me.”

I knew a young man in Germany named Wolfgang who modeled Hybels’ principle at a building site where he worked. As an enthusiastic believer, Wolfgang always read his Bible during lunch.

Though his fellow workers jeered, he didn’t stop his daily reading. He simply prayed for a way to demonstrate Christ’s love to them. When the workers went home at night, they always left their muddy boots behind.

Wolfgang began staying late after work to clean their boots. The men were puzzled at first but then realized that Wolfgang was the only one among them who would perform this humble service.

Not only did they come to respect him, but sometimes they even asked him to read the Bible to them. Only eternity will reveal the full effect of Wolfgang’s shining life.

But this we know: When his co-workers saw his good works, they started listening to his God. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may … glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

If you long to lead the people around you to Jesus, radiate His love by doing practical deeds for God’s glory alone.— Joanie Yoder A Christian’s life is a window through which others can see Jesus

More Grace, US Blog

He Giveth More Grace

Dec 17, 2021 , , by Percy Parakh
  1. He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
    He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
    To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
    To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
  2. When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
    When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
    When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
    Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
  3. Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
    Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
    Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
    The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
  4. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
    His power no boundary known unto men;
    For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
    He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Please click on link below to Hear me sing this Song:
He Giveth More Grace

Protection, US Blog

The Protection Of Justice – God Requires Justice

Dec 8, 2021 by Percy Parakh

Deuteronomy 5:1-3 NIV

The Ten Commandments

1 Moses summoned all Israel and said:

Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 It was not with our ancestors[a] that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NIV

Fear the Lord

12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Deuteronomy 27:1-10 NIV

The Altar on Mount Ebal

27 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands that I give you today. 2 When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. 

3 Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 

4 And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. 5 Build there an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool on them. 

6 Build the altar of the Lord your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God. 7 Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord your God. 8 And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up.”

9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today.”

Grace, US Blog

My Grace Is Sufficient For You!

Dec 8, 2021 by Percy Parakh

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 The Message

7-10 Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations.

Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty!

At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift.

It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks.

I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

His Strength Is Perfect – Song

Fables, US Blog

The Fable Of Porcupines

Dec 8, 2021 by Percy Parakh

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm.

This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions. After a while, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone & frozen.

So they had to make a choice…Either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together.

They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the warmth and heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

The best Group is not the one that brings together perfect people, but where each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and at the same time, admire the other person’s good qualities as well.

Better to be surrounded by ‘warm wounds’ than be frozen in solitude !

Praise, US Blog

Who’s In Charge Here – Visions Of Praise

Nov 19, 2021 by Percy Parakh

Revelation 11:15-19 NIV

The Seventh Trumpet

15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
    the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
    and he will reign for ever and ever.”

16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
    the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were angry,
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

Denomination, US Blog

Denominational and Racial Differences in Church

Nov 19, 2021 by Percy Parakh

In Bombay (Mumbai), there is a beautiful road running parallel to the sea, called Marine Drive or the “Queens Necklace”, a name left over from the days of the “Raj” (two hundred years of British rule before India’s independence)

This is lined on one side by probably the most expensive real estate in Bombay, that runs into millions of dollars for a three bedroom flat.

Also lined along there are some of Bombay’s Sports Clubs ( called Gymkhanas from the days of the Raj – where a lot of cricket is played ).You have the Muslim Gymkhana, Hindu Gymkhana, Parsi Gymkhana, etc. lined up one after the other.

Hey Friends, let’s talk about some of the division amongst our churches. I am talking about racial and denominational differences within our churches.

Forget about the differences outside our churches in the secular world, but now we are talking about this within some of our churches. It is so sad to see that 11 o’clock on a Sunday is still the most segregated hour for the church.

Hispanics go to predominantly Hispanic Churches, Blacks go to predominantly black churches, Whites go to predominantly white churches etc..

On top of that we have Denominational differences, like Baptist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Presbyterian churches etc. The reason why this is so bad for us Christians, is that the Bible says in

John 13:34-35 King James Version

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Further in the Book of Revelation Revelation 7:9NIV says:
The Great Multitude in White Robes

9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

I think that a lot of Christians will be in Culture Shock in Heaven, especially in view of what the Bible says. It won’t be like Marine Drive, in Heaven, with a Baptist section, Charismatic section, Hispanic Section, etc.

Also our credibility among the unsaved surrounding us is greatly tarnished by our behavior. Souls will perish, and go to an everlasting hell, if we refuse to repent and change.

Denominationally I believe like Augustine said.

1. In ESSENTIALS Unity – Diety of JESUS, Infallibility of Scriptures, The TRIUNE GODHEAD Father, Son, Holy Ghost, the Death, Burial, Bodily Resurrection and Ascension of JESUS CHRIST, the Shed BLOOD of Jesus, for the Forgiveness of our sins, the VIRGIN Birth, etc.

2. In NON-ESSENTIALS Liberty – Worship Styles, Minor Doctrinal Differences like Baptism in Jesus Name, or Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Baptism by Sprinkling or Dunking, etc.

3. In EVERYTHING ELSE Charity (Love)

I am not suggesting we abandon our Denominational distinctives, but that we can have fellowship with folks from different denominations. Of course we should never be inclusive of Cults.

Since Jesus could come back at any time, we need to repent, change, and wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb!

Knee, US Blog

The Power Of The Bended Knee!

Nov 19, 2021 by Percy Parakh

“The Power of the Bended Knee”

Birds go to sleep on their perches, but they never fall off. This is because of the tendons in the bird’s legs. They are so constructed that when the leg is bent at the knee the claws contract and grip like a steel trap.

The claws refuse to let go until the knees are unbent again. The bended knee gives the bird the ability to hold on to his perch so tightly. Isn’t this also the secret of the holding power of the Christian?

Daniel found this to be true. Surrounded by a pagan environment, tempted to compromise with evil, urged to weaken his grip on God, he refused to let go. He held firm when others faltered because he was a man of prayer. He knew the power of the bended knee.

From sleeping birds we can learn the secret of holding things which are most precious to us- honesty, purity, thoughtfulness, honor and character. That secret is the knee bent in prayer, seeking to get a firmer grip on those values, which make life worth living.

When we hold on firmly to God in prayer, we can rest assured he will hold on tightly to us.

US Blog, Visions Of Praise

The Rest Of The Story – Visions Of Praise

Nov 11, 2021 by Percy Parakh

Revelation 7:9-17 NIV

The Great Multitude in White Robes

9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
    will shelter them with his presence.
16 ‘Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’[a]
    nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
    will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’[b]
    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’[c]”

Forgiveness

Forgive Our Trespasses by Chuck Swindoll

Nov 11, 2021 by Percy Parakh

Forgive Our Trespasses by Charles R. Swindoll

“Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.

To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; nor have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets.” —Daniel 9:8-10

Forgive us, our Father, for being attracted to the pleasures of sin . . . to what appears to be full of ecstasy and satisfaction but is, in fact, empty and stupid.

Thank You for bringing conviction, for pointing out our rebellion. We need that reminder every day, so that we might invest ourselves in that which endures.

We want to pursue the things of God, the things You consider important and valuable—a righteous walk, a pure heart, a committed lifestyle. We long to place family above fortune and purpose above fame and righteousness above riches.

Our Father, You instruct us and teach us in the way we should go. Thank You for that. You shine a bright light on our path from Your Word.

Thank You for the relief that comes with being forgiven and the peace of mind that accompanies a clean heart. Finally, thank You for Your mercies, new every morning, and Your grace, needed every day. We thank You in the dear name of Jesus. Amen.
See also Matthew 6:12; Acts 10:43; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:22

Compassion, US Blog

How to show Cruel Compassion!

Nov 11, 2021 by Percy Parakh

Cruel Compassion

When our daughter was just a baby we had a pretty small house where you could look in all the rooms from the kitchen. During the summer we had this big old exhaust fan on the floor in the kitchen, which was really the only way to suck some air through the house.

Well, our daughter thought this fan was kind of intriguing, she thought it would be neat to explore. I had no idea how attracted she was going to be to it. I walked into the kitchen one day and here she is toddling toward that fan with her hand fully extended.

She wanted to put her fingers in the fan! Guess what I didn’t say – “oh go ahead honey, I love you. No I said, “No!” She tried again a few minutes later. She really wanted to do this. So I kind of spanked her on the bottom and said, “No, no! Don’t do that.”

Now if I tried to explain it to this little toddler, she wouldn’t have understood it at all. But I had to stop her. I knew what would happen if she went ahead with it.

Can’t you imagine what she would’ve said, if she could’ve said, “Haven’t you heard of love? If you love me, you’ll let me do what I really want to do.” No, not in this case.

Today I think she’s very glad I didn’t think that was love.
I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Cruel Compassion.”

Our word for today from the Word of God, we’re in the book of Lamentations. And what’s being lamented is the fall of God’s people and the fall of God’s city, Jerusalem.

Here’s a couple things that Jeremiah says. He’s talking about Jerusalem, “She was once queen among the provinces and is now become a slave, all because of their sin and God’s resulting judgment.”

He goes on to say that, “She herself groans and turns away.” It’s just a time of sadness and shame for God’s people. It’s a broken time. Well, as this book identifies where the blame ultimately lay, it gets to our word for today from the Word of God.

And in many ways it identifies some of the mess that we’re in in our world today as well. It says in Lamentations 2:14, “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless. They did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.”

There’s a lot of power in those words because it’s saying that the people who knew you were sinning didn’t do anything to expose the wrongness, the sinfulness of it.

And as a result, they didn’t tell you the consequences of staying on that road. So they didn’t ward off their captivity. Those people back then didn’t do any favor to those people by not telling them where God says those actions would take them.

In other words, you wanted to stick your fingers in the fan and they didn’t stop you. Now, they maybe didn’t want to judge anybody. They wanted to be tolerant and loving, and not condemning.

That’s nice. But then they let them walk right into the blades of God’s judgment. See, it’s not loving to not let people see where their sin will take them.

To be non-condemning and loving doesn’t mean that we don’t tell them what God says the consequences will be. To live and let live when it comes to sin is not really compassion.

I was told by a couple of men who used to live in a homosexual lifestyle and felt that Christ had given them the power to change and move on from that, they were commenting on people who say, “you know, I think we should just accept them and let them be themselves.”

And they said “Ron, that’s not compassion.” They said “We call that cruel compassion.” It’s letting them march right into captivity.

Well listen, whether it’s sexual sin, or divorce, or dishonesty, or anger, or “justifiable bitterness,” if we leave it unconfronted, unchallenged, without telling them the consequences and what God says he must judge, it’s not compassion.

It’s letting a person take a drink you know is laced with poison. Sin makes people slaves. It destroys families, it destroys friendships. It promises to make you feel better about yourself and leaves you feeling worthless, sometimes even suicidal.

Sin cuts people off from each other, cuts them off from God. Compassion is doing everything you can to warn them of the wages of sin. We’ve got to love people enough to kindly, gently, lovingly tell them the truth.

Love will always stand in the way of someone who is about to stick their fingers in the fan.
By Ron Hutchcraft

House, US Blog

Our House – Called To Praise God

Oct 28, 2021 by Percy Parakh

Psalm 84 : 1 – 12 NIV

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d]

7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob.

9 Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Suffering, US Blog

A Purpose In Suffering – Our Daily Bread

Oct 28, 2021 by Percy Parakh

A Purpose in Suffering

Bible in a Year:

I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. Job 42:7

Today’s Scripture & Insight: Job 42:1–9

“So what you’re saying is, it may not be my fault.” The woman’s words took me by surprise. Having been a guest speaker at her church, we were now discussing what I’d shared that morning. “I have a chronic illness,” she explained, “and I have prayed, fasted, confessed my sins, and done everything else I was told to do to be healed. But I’m still sick, so I thought I was to blame.”

I felt sad at the woman’s confession. Having been given a spiritual “formula” to fix her problem, she had blamed herself when the formula hadn’t worked. Even worse, this formulaic approach to suffering was disproved generations ago.

Simply put, this old formula says that if you’re suffering, you must have sinned. When Job tragically lost his livestock, children, and health, his friends used the formula on him. “Who, being innocent, has ever perished?” Eliphaz said, suspecting Job’s guilt (Job 4:7).

Bildad even told Job that his children only died because they had sinned (8:4). Ignorant of the real cause of Job’s calamities (1:6–2:10), they tormented him with simplistic reasons for his pain, later receiving God’s rebuke (42:7).

Suffering is a part of living in a fallen world. Like Job, it can happen for reasons we may never know. But God has a purpose for you that goes beyond the pain you endure. Don’t get discouraged by falling for simplistic formulas.

By:  Sheridan Voysey

Piritual Warfare

Spiritual War Against The Very Soul Of America

Oct 28, 2021 by Percy Parakh

There is a Spiritual Battle going on for the very Soul of America, and we are so divided in this country. It’s not about the DONKEY, it’s not about the ELEPHANT, it’s about the LAMB, and the LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH!!

The BRITISH ruled INDIA by the PRINCIPLE of Divide and Rule. They kept HINDUS fighting the MUSLIMS, and VICE VERSA. Different Ethnic Groups fighting one another.

While they were at each other’s throats they successfully RULED India for over 200 years. Indians were too busy fighting one another, instead of fighting the real enemy! “A House divided against itself cannot stand!”

The same way most people don’t even realize that the TRUE ENEMY is the DEVIL (Satan), and we are in a SPIRITAL BATTLE, that can be won by uniting under the banner of JESUS CHRIST.(One can put a thousand to flight, two can put ten thousand to flight)

Even CHURCHES are so DENOMINATIONALLY divided. I am reminded of AUGUSTINE who said the following:

1. In ESSENTIALS Unity – Deity of JESUS, Infallibility of Scriptures, The TRIUNE GODHEAD Father, Son, Holy Ghost, the Death, Burial, Bodily Resurrection and Ascension of JESUS CHRIST, the Shed BLOOD of Jesus, for the Forgiveness of our sins, the VIRGIN Birth, etc.

2. In NON-ESSENTIALS Liberty – Worship Styles, Minor Doctrinal Differences like Baptism in Jesus Name, or Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Baptism by Sprinkling or Dunking, etc.

3. In EVERYTHING ELSE Charity (Love) – This is not an Exhaustive List, but something to express what I am talking about! We can all have our DENOMINATIONAL Preferences, but not use that to divide the BODY of CHRIST.

There is ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM.

Released, US Blog

I Shall Be Released – Called To Praise God

Oct 21, 2021 by Percy Parakh

Psalm 107:1-9 NIV

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.[a]
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
    finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
    to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.

Psalm 107:39-43 NIV

39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
    by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles
    made them wander in a trackless waste.
41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
    and increased their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
    but all the wicked shut their mouths.
43 Let the one who is wise heed these things
    and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.