Faithful In Trying Times – Exposition by Apostle Paul on 1 Thessalonians 2, 3

Jul 25, 2025 Perilous Times by Percy Parakh

1 Thessalonians 2:13-20 New King James Version

Their Conversion

¹³For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. ¹⁴For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, ¹⁵who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are ^[a]contrary to all men, ¹⁶forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

Longing to See Them

¹⁷But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. ¹⁸Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us. ¹⁹For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? ²⁰For you are our glory and joy.

1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 New King James Version

Concern for Their Faith

3 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, ²and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, ³that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. ⁴For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. ⁵For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13 New King James Version

Encouraged by Timothy

⁶But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you— ⁷therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. ⁸For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

⁹For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, ¹⁰night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

Prayer for the Church

¹¹Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. ¹²And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, ¹³so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Entire PDF of Lesson below:
Faithful In Trying Times

Fall, Harder, US Blog

The Harder They Fall – Jesus And The Temple

Jul 25, 2025 Temple by Percy Parakh

Matthew 24:1-8 New International Version

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ²“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

⁴Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Matthew 24:15-24 New International Version

¹⁵“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’^[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. ¹⁸Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁹How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ²⁰Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

²²“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. ²³At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

US Blog, Zubin's Wedding Pics.

Zubin’s Wedding Pictures

Jul 25, 2025 Wedding by Percy Parakh

These are some of the Wedding Pictures of Zubin’s Wedding to Suzanne Michele Parakh. Top Left is Zubin with his mom Deborah, Middle One is Me, Zubin, Suzanne, and Deborah, Top right is Deborah holding her granddaughter Olivia.

Bottom Left is Zayda, Stephenie, Neville, Zubin, Suzanne, Kara, and Sophie, Bottom Middle includes the whole family and Lily (doggie). Right is All My Immediate Family of Neville and Zubin.

Hindu Monk, India Blog

I Was A Hindu Monk Until I Met Jesus

Jul 18, 2025 Hindu by Percy Parakh

What happens when a devoted Hindu monk begins questioning everything? In this episode, Lisa Fields sits down with Rahil Patel — a former Hindu monk who spent years in one of the world’s most influential Hindu traditions — to explore his incredible journey to Christianity.

They dive deep into the key differences between Hinduism and Christianity, how to talk to Hindu friends about Jesus with respect and understanding, the importance of grace vs. karma, and Rahil’s personal story of encountering Christ after years of spiritual searching.

Whether you’re curious about Hindu beliefs, interested in interfaith dialogue, or looking to better understand how to reach others with the gospel, this episode is rich with wisdom and grace.

Support the mission and vision of Jude 3 Project here: https://www.jude3project.org/donate Grab our curriculum here: https://www.jude3project.org

Jesus, US Blog

Bake Sales Gone Bad – Jesus And The Temple

Jul 17, 2025 Bake Sales by Percy Parakh

John 2:13-25 New International Version

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts

¹³When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”^[a]

¹⁸The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

¹⁹Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

²⁰They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²²After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

²³Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.^[b] ²⁴But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. ²⁵He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

Paul's Ministry, US Blog

Paul’s Ministry In Thessalonica

Jul 17, 2025 Thessalonic by Percy Parakh

Acts 17:1-13 New King James Version

Preaching Christ at Thessalonica

17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ²Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, ³explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” ⁴And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.

Assault on Jason’s House

⁵But the Jews ^[a]who were not persuaded, ^[b]becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. ⁶But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. ⁷Jason has ^[c]harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” ⁸And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. ⁹So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Ministering at Berea

¹⁰Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹These were more ^[d]fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. ¹²Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. ¹³But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 New King James Version

Greeting

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace ^[a]from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Their Good Example

²We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, ³remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, ⁴knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. ⁵For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

⁶And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. ⁸For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. ⁹For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 New King James Version

Paul’s Conduct

2 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. ²But ^[a]even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. ³For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.

⁴But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. ⁵For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a ^[b]cloak for covetousness—God is witness. ⁶Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. ⁷But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. ⁸So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. ⁹For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; ¹¹as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and ^[c]charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, ¹²that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

Johnathan Edwards, US Blog

Johnathan Edwards the Great Revivalist

Jul 17, 2025 Awakening by Percy Parakh

GREAT AWAKENING.

Jonathan Edwards, who was one of America’s greatest theologians, was a New England pastor of the 1700s. Edwards was brilliant. At age 6 he studied Latin. He entered Yale when not quite 13 and graduated when barely 15. He was ordained at 19, taught at Yale by 20 and later became president of Princeton. Harvard granted him both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree on the same day.

But he is best known for Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God – the most famous sermon in American history. He preached it on Sunday, July 8th, 1741 while ministering in tiny Enfield, Connecticut. A group of women had spent the previous night praying for revival. When Edwards rose to speak, he quietly announced his text was Deuteronomy 32:35 “… their foot shall slide in due time.” This “hellfire and brimstone” approach was somewhat a departure for Edwards. Of his thousand written sermons, less than a dozen are of this type. Edwards neither gestured nor raised his voice. He spoke softly and simply, warning the unconverted that they were dangling over hell like a spider over the fire.

“O sinner! Consider the fearful danger. The unconverted are now walking over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there innumberable places in this covering so weak that it will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen.”

Edwards’ voice was suddenly lost amid cries and commotion from the crowd. He paused, appealing for calm. Then he concluded: “Let everyone that is out of Christ, now awake and flee from the wrath to come.

The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation. Let every one fly out of Sodom.”

Strong men held to pews and posts, feeling they were sliding into hell. Others shook uncontrollably and rolled on the floor. Throughought the night cries of men and women were heard throughout the village, begging God to save them. Five hundred were converted that evening, sparking a revival that swept thousands into the kingdom.

The Great Awakening had come.

Tim Hall

Restores, US Blog

Job Repents, God Restores

Jul 11, 2025 Repents by Percy Parakh

Job 42:1-6 New King James Version

Job’s Repentance and Restoration

42 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

²“I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
³You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
⁴Listen, please, and let me speak;
You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’

⁵“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.
⁶Therefore I abhor^[a] myself,
And repent in dust and ashes.”

Job 42:7-9 New King James Version

⁷And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. ⁸Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept ^[a]him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”

⁹So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for the Lord had ^[b]accepted Job.

Job 42:10-17 New King James Version

¹⁰And the Lord ^[a]restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. ¹¹Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.

¹²Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. ¹³He also had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴And he called the name of the first ^[b]Jemimah, the name of the second ^[c]Keziah, and the name of the third ^[d]Keren-Happuch. ¹⁵In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

¹⁶After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. ¹⁷So Job died, old and full of days.

Temple, US Blog

A Question Of Authority – Jesus And The Temple

Jul 11, 2025 Authority by Percy Parakh

Matthew 12:1-8 New International Version

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. ²When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

³He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.

⁵Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? ⁶I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

⁷If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’^[a] you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

God, US Blog

God Answers Job

Jul 4, 2025 Answers Job by Percy Parakh

Job 38:1-21 New King James Version

The Lord Reveals His Omnipotence to Job

38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:

²“Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
³Now ^[a]prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.

⁴“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
⁵Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the ^[b]line upon it?
⁶To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
⁷When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

⁸“Or who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
⁹When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
¹⁰When I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
¹¹When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves must stop!’

¹²“Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
¹³That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
¹⁴It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
¹⁵From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the ^[c]upraised arm is broken.

¹⁶“Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
¹⁷Have the gates of death been ^[d]revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
¹⁸Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.

¹⁹“Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
²⁰That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
²¹Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?

Job 39:26-30 New King James Version

²⁶“Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,
And spread its wings toward the south?
²⁷Does the eagle mount up at your command,
And make its nest on high?
²⁸On the rock it dwells and resides,
On the crag of the rock and the stronghold.
²⁹From there it spies out the prey;
Its eyes observe from afar.
³⁰Its young ones suck up blood;
And where the slain are, there it is.”

Job 40:1-5 New King James Version

God’s Power and Wisdom

40 Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said:

²“Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”

Job’s Response to God

³Then Job answered the Lord and said:

⁴“Behold, I am vile;
What shall I answer You?
I lay my hand over my mouth.
⁵Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;
Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

Job 40:6-14 New King James Version

God’s Challenge to Job

⁶Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:

⁷“Now ^[a]prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me:

⁸“Would you indeed ^[b]annul My judgment?
Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?
⁹Have you an arm like God?
Or can you thunder with a voice like His?
¹⁰Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,
And array yourself with glory and beauty.
¹¹Disperse the rage of your wrath;
Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.
¹²Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low;
Tread down the wicked in their place.
¹³Hide them in the dust together,
Bind their faces in hidden darkness.
¹⁴Then I will also confess to you
That your own right hand can save you.

Jesus, Temple, US Blog

Home Alone – Jesus And The Temple

Jul 4, 2025 Home alone by Percy Parakh

Luke 2:41-52 New International Version

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

⁴¹Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴²When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

⁴⁹“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”^[a] ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁵¹Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Integrity, US Blog

Job Proclaims His Integrity

Jul 4, 2025 Proclaims by Percy Parakh

Job 23:1-9 New King James Version

Job Proclaims God’s Righteous Judgments

23 Then Job answered and said:

²“Even today my complaint is bitter;
^[a]My hand is listless because of my groaning.
³Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!
⁴I would present my case before Him,
And fill my mouth with arguments.
⁵I would know the words which He would answer me,
And understand what He would say to me.
⁶Would He contend with me in His great power?
No! But He would take note of me.
⁷There the upright could reason with Him,
And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

⁸“Look, I go forward, but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
⁹When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;
When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.

Job 23:10-12 New King James Version

¹⁰But He knows the way that I take;
When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
¹¹My foot has held fast to His steps;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
¹²I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth
More than my ^[a]necessary food.

Job 27:1-6 New King James Version

Job Maintains His Integrity

27 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:

²“As God lives, who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
³As long as my breath is in me,
And the breath of God in my nostrils,
⁴My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit.
⁵Far be it from me
That I should say you are right;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
⁶My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go;
My heart shall not ^[a]reproach me as long as I live.

Job 23:13-17 New King James Version

¹³“But He is unique, and who can make Him change?
And whatever His soul desires, that He does.
¹⁴For He performs what is appointed for me,
And many such things are with Him.
¹⁵Therefore I am terrified at His presence;
When I consider this, I am afraid of Him.
¹⁶For God made my heart weak,
And the Almighty terrifies me;
¹⁷Because I was not cut off ^[a]from the presence of darkness,
And He did not hide deep darkness from my face.

Jacob, US Blog

Jacob Sets Up A Sacred Pillar

Jul 4, 2025 Sacred Pillar by Percy Parakh

Genesis 28:10-22 New International Version

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

¹⁰Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. ¹¹When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. ¹²He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³There above it^[a] stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. ¹⁴Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^[b] ¹⁵I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

¹⁶When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

¹⁸Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹He called that place Bethel,^[c] though the city used to be called Luz.

²⁰Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord^[d] will be my God ²²and^[e] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

Job's Friends, US Blog

Job’s Friends Respond Harshly

Jun 24, 2025 Harshly by Percy Parakh

Job 4:1-9 New King James Version

Eliphaz: Job Has Sinned

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

²“If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?
But who can withhold himself from speaking?
³Surely you have instructed many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
⁴Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
And you have strengthened the ^[a]feeble knees;
⁵But now it comes upon you, and you are weary;
It touches you, and you are troubled.
⁶Is not your reverence your confidence?
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷“Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright ever cut off?
⁸Even as I have seen,
Those who plow iniquity
And sow trouble reap the same.
⁹By the blast of God they perish,
And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.

Job 4:18-21 New King James Version

¹⁸If He puts no trust in His servants,
If He charges His angels with error,
¹⁹How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before a moth?
²⁰They are broken in pieces from morning till evening;
They perish forever, with no one regarding.
²¹Does not their own excellence go away?
They die, even without wisdom.’

Job 5:8-18 New King James Version

⁸“But as for me, I would seek God,
And to God I would commit my cause—
⁹Who does great things, and unsearchable,
Marvelous things without number.
¹⁰He gives rain on the earth,
And sends waters on the fields.
¹¹He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
¹²He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
¹³He catches the wise in their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
¹⁴They meet with darkness in the daytime,
And grope at noontime as in the night.
¹⁵But He saves the needy from the sword,
From the mouth of the mighty,
And from their hand.
¹⁶So the poor have hope,
And injustice shuts her mouth.

¹⁷“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects;
Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
¹⁸For He bruises, but He binds up;
He wounds, but His hands make whole.

Job 8:1-13 New King James Version

Bildad: Job Should Repent

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

²“How long will you speak these things,
And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?
³Does God subvert judgment?
Or does the Almighty pervert justice?
⁴If your sons have sinned against Him,
He has cast them away ^[a]for their transgression.
⁵If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty,
⁶If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would ^[b]awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
⁷Though your beginning was small,
Yet your latter end would increase abundantly.

⁸“For inquire, please, of the former age,
And consider the things discovered by their fathers;
⁹For we were born yesterday, and know ^[c]nothing,
Because our days on earth are a shadow.
¹⁰Will they not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their heart?

¹¹“Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the reeds flourish without water?
¹²While it is yet green and not cut down,
It withers before any other plant.
¹³So are the paths of all who forget God;
And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,

Job 8:20-22 New King James Version

²⁰Behold, God will not ^[a]cast away the blameless,
Nor will He uphold the evildoers.
²¹He will yet fill your mouth with laughing,
And your lips with ^[b]rejoicing.
²²Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
And the dwelling place of the wicked ^[c]will come to nothing.”

Job 11: 1-20 New King James Version

Zophar Urges Job to Repent

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

²“Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should ^[a]a man full of talk be vindicated?
³Should your empty talk make men ^[b]hold their peace?
And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
⁴For you have said,
‘My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in your eyes.’
⁵But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
⁶That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that God ^[c]exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.

⁷“Can you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
⁸They are higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than ^[d]Sheol—what can you know?
⁹Their measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.

¹⁰“If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
Then who can ^[e]hinder Him?
¹¹For He knows deceitful men;
He sees wickedness also.
Will He not then consider it?
¹²For an empty-headed man will be wise,
When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.

¹³“If you would prepare your heart,
And stretch out your hands toward Him;
¹⁴If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
¹⁵Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
¹⁶Because you would forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
¹⁷And your life would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
¹⁸And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety.
¹⁹You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favor.
²⁰But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they shall not escape,
And their hope—^[f]loss of life!”

New Well, US Blog

Digging Your Own Well – The Genesis Of Altars & Sacrifices

Jun 24, 2025 Digging by Percy Parakh

Genesis 26:24-33 New International Version

²⁴That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

²⁵Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

²⁶Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. ²⁷Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?”

²⁸They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you ²⁹that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”

³⁰Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. ³¹Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

³²That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” ³³He called it Shibah,^[a] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.^[b]

Grief, Pain Filled, US Blog

Job’s Pain Filled Grief

Jun 13, 2025 Pain by Percy Parakh

Job 2:11-3:10 New King James Version

Job’s Three Friends

¹¹Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. ¹²And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. ¹³So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job Deplores His Birth

3 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ²And Job ^[a]spoke, and said:

³“May the day perish on which I was born,
And the night in which it was said,
‘A male child is conceived.’
⁴May that day be darkness;
May God above not seek it,
Nor the light shine upon it.
⁵May darkness and the shadow of death claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.
⁶As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not ^[b]rejoice among the days of the year,
May it not come into the number of the months.
⁷Oh, may that night be barren!
May no joyful shout come into it!
⁸May those curse it who curse the day,
Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.
⁹May the stars of its morning be dark;
May it look for light, but have none,
And not see the ^[c]dawning of the day;
¹⁰Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

Job 3:11-19 New King James Version

¹¹“Why did I not die at birth?
Why did I not ^[a]perish when I came from the womb?
¹²Why did the knees receive me?
Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
¹³For now I would have lain still and been quiet,
I would have been asleep;
Then I would have been at rest
¹⁴With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built ruins for themselves,
¹⁵Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver;
¹⁶Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
Like infants who never saw light?
¹⁷There the wicked cease from troubling,
And there the ^[b]weary are at rest.
¹⁸There the prisoners ^[c]rest together;
They do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
¹⁹The small and great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.

Job 3:20-26 New King James Version

²⁰“Why is light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter of soul,
²¹Who long^[a] for death, but it does not come,
And search for it more than hidden treasures;
²²Who rejoice exceedingly,
And are glad when they can find the grave?
²³Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?
²⁴For my sighing comes before ^[b]I eat,
And my groanings pour out like water.
²⁵For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me,
And what I dreaded has happened to me.
²⁶I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest, for trouble comes.”

US Blog, Value

The Value Of Your Life – The Genesis Of Altars And Sacrifices

Jun 13, 2025 Altars, Sacrifices by Percy Parakh

Genesis 22:1-14 New International Version

Abraham Tested

22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

²Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

³Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

⁶Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

⁹When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

¹²“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

¹³Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram^[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Pentecost, US Blog

The Gift Of The Holy Spirit – Pentecost

Jun 13, 2025 Holy Spirit by Percy Parakh

Acts 1:4-8 New King James Version

The Holy Spirit Promised

⁴And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; ⁵for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” ⁶Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. ⁸But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be ^[a]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 2:1-6 New King James Version

Coming of the Holy Spirit

2 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all ^[a]with one accord in one place. ²And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³Then there appeared to them ^[b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Crowd’s Response

⁵And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. ⁶And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.

Acts 2:12-24 New King James Version

¹²So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

¹³Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”

Peter’s Sermon

¹⁴But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. ¹⁵For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only ^[a]the third hour of the day. ¹⁶But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

¹⁷‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
¹⁹I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
²⁰The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
²¹And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.’

²²“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— ²³Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you ^[b]have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; ²⁴whom God raised up, having ^[c]loosed the ^[d]pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

Acts 2:32-33,36 New King James Version

³²This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. ³³Therefore being exalted ^[a]to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
³⁶“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Acts 2:37-41 New King James Version

³⁷Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

³⁸Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the ^[a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

A Vital Church Grows

⁴⁰And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this ^[b]perverse generation.” ⁴¹Then those who ^[c]gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

Storms, US Blog

Jesus Calms The Storms or Calms Us In The Storm

Jun 13, 2025 Storms by Percy Parakh

When we don’t trust the Lord in any given difficulty, the entire burden is on us. We’re tense, and our lungs are tight. But when we roll our burden onto the Lord’s shoulders, we are finally able to exhale.

A life of faith is one of breathing deeply, being filled with the Holy Spirit’s oxygen, and learning to relax and smile.

1 Peter 5:6-8 New International Version

⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

⁸Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Rainbow Promise, US Blog

The Rainbow Promise – The Genesis Of Altars And Sacrifices

Jun 13, 2025 Altars, Sacrifice by Percy Parakh

Genesis 8:13-22 New International Version

¹³By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. ¹⁴By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry.

¹⁵Then God said to Noah, ¹⁶“Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. ¹⁷Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.”

¹⁸So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. ¹⁹All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another.

²⁰Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. ²¹The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though^[a] every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

²²“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”

Genesis 9:11-13 New International Version

¹¹I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

¹²And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.