Preach the Word and build the church

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;  4and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  5But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry".                                2 Timothy 4:1-5.   NKJV

What does the Word say here? It tells us to Preach the Word. Now this usually is meant for a pastor or evangelist to do. But, if you go down to verse 5 in this text, we read, 'do the work of an evangelist'. Now some may say that you're not a pastor or an evangelist and that may be so, if you were trying to do that in church on a Sunday morning. But, when you're not and when you're at home or out and about and the opportunity arises, it's not much use to say, 'hold on, I'll ring a pastor to come and speak with you.' that may be very inappropriate, especially when the person needs to Word of God there and them. 

We are all called to go and make disciples (Mark 16:15 Jesus Words) so we are qualified to do this and then, if needed, invite them to your church to see for themselves. We should always be ready to do this, when it's convenient and when it is inconvenient. This is what Paul means when he says 'Be ready in season and out of season.' Sometimes we are tempted to water the gospel down a little by missing bits such as hell and damnation. But people need to hear this. On one hand, it may not help to go in with guns blazing. However, then again, what is the use of wrapping someone up in cotton wool and saying that all will be well, 'I'll pray for you.'

As we saw yesterday, there are people in the world who will lead people astray by preaching what they want to hear. They will preach to itching ears - the people who want to hear a satisfying gospel, one that sounds good. If we don't speak the truth to someone who asks us about Jesus, they may go to these people who have the power to lead them astray. It's far better to preach the truth, even if people don't want to hear it.

Why is it that people are so attracted by the sects of the world? It's probably because, the teachers there tell them what they want to hear. They use persuasive talk and lure the people in and before they know what happened, they're hooked. It seems so attractive in comparison to some churches who have lost the way themselves and have fallen asleep.

God is life; He wants life in you and He wants life in the church but who will do it? 'Here am I! Send me' (Isaiah 6:8). Isaiah, the one who stood up and made a voluntary offer to tell people what God wanted them to hear. I ask you, have you the willingness to stand up and offer yourself to God this way? If there isn't an appropriate church in your vicinity, how about building one yourself, starting in your house. It's a thought and, many have done this and built great fellowships. Pray about it!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Living in the Last days

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  3unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,  4traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!  6For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,  7always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"   2 Timothy 3:1 - 7   NKJV

Do you recognise any of this behaviour at present? Yes, of course you do and the reason for that is, we are living in the Last Days right at this moment. The Last Days commenced with the resurrection of Jesus Christ and The Rapture - the time when Jesus will come to collect His faithful people. 

Just look at the list that Paul gives us about people who are: Lovers of  themselves, Lover of money, Boasters, Proud, Blasphemers, Disobedient to parents, Unthankful, Unholy, unloving, unforgiving, Slanderers, Without self control, Brutal, Despisers of good, Traitors, Headstrong, Haughty, Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

They also have a form of godliness but deny its power.

Friends, this is happening today right under our nose. People are being abducted and sold into sexual slavery possibly abroad. There have been cases of some families hiding children away in cellars, not seen for years - if ever. They are subjected to sexual torture. Some people are forced into slavery and forced to work in return for food, and this is happening in our country. Sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and a host more. You name it, it is happening, we are living in the Last Days.

Take for instance children being disobedient to their parents and threatening parents that they will report them to the authorities if they take action against them. They know that smacking is almost a crime these days. Children abusing your property. One has to be very careful if you catch one of these and touch them. It's a crime. Then there is the violence on the streets - stabbings, murders, mugging, gangs stopping people and forcing them to hand over their mobiles or whatever. I could go on.

Realise that we are living in the Last Days and not everyone is your friend out there. Jesus protects us, that is true. But He also wants us to be wise and live as Peter said in 1 Peter 5:8-9 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  9Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world". 

As I've said, there are people around who are not your friend, some filter into our churches. What are they like? 'having a form of godliness but denying it’s power.’ 2Timothy 3:5. Make sure you put on your armour everyday. Some people will say that there is no need to do that, they're already wearing it. But I encourage you to do it anyway Ephesians 6:12-18. 

Be alert to what is around you. Why do you think that armies have guards? To keep out people who shouldn't be there, that is why. Do you get the picture?

Bless you

f you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Be careful what you hear - test it

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also".         2 Timothy 2:1-2.  NKJV

Despite being held chained in a dark, smelly prison, Paul never lost courage or his love and dedication for Jesus. In fact, he was working while he was in there, writing letters of encouragement and sending teachings. He was able to write to Timothy to be strong in the grace of Jesus Christ, because he was writing from experience. That is the difference. Many can say things to us but lack the experience and so, we need to be alert to what we hear and test things. This doesn't mean that we should refuse to believe someone but, some things that we hear sometimes don't seem quite right. At times like this, if it has resulted from a one to one situation, then think it through and pray about it before you act on what was said. If what you hear was from the front of the church, many others may have a problem with what has been said. This doesn't mean that we should start a debate that can turn into rebellion if we're not careful. If necessary, quietly mention it to a leader, if he hasn't heard himself and then don't get involved in what others may be saying or wanting you to give your thoughts about it. Things like this can split a church. When I hear someone preach, whether it be in a church or, I read in a book, if I don't agree with what is said, I decide not to take any notice of it and just pray that God will handle it.

Paul touches on this in verse 2 'And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also'. Because of the phrase 'among many witnesses', Paul was saying very much the same thing. Commit it to figures of authority if you need to and then let them handle it. It makes so much sense. 

We must remember that we are in the Army of Jesus Christ, and as a soldier, you may be shot at many times. Verse 4 reads, 'No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life.' Therefore, we need to remember that we are all human and we make mistakes. Even well-seasoned preachers and teachers can say the wrong thing while they're in the throng of a session. So, enough said on this subject; don't become too involved, let leadership sort it out.

However, some people are out to cause disruption and will cause unrest and start digging away at an individual or perhaps the whole church. Just by their attitude, they are easy to spot. Don't get involved with them. God will soon move them on if we don't give them any fuel for their fire. 

So be careful what you hear, test it if you are not sure about the content. Don't try to hold a battle yourself. Go through the proper channels and you will be qualifying your role as a Soldier in the Army of Jesus Christ!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Stir up the Gift of God

"Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God"                 2 Timothy 1:7-8.     NKJV

Paul wrote to Timothy by way of encouragement. He could no longer visit him as, he was a prisoner in Rome. He wanted to ensure that Timothy was in good, spiritual shape in order to carry out his duties for Jesus in top form.

We know, from Paul's comments that, Timothy had a genuine and sincere faith in Jesus. He had been taught well by his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice. So with Paul's teaching and support, He had been in good condition. However, one of the problems Timothy had was, he suffered with natural timidity. This is nothing new for some ministers, many suffer from fear, especially when they are under pressure from people who should be supporting them, not pointing the finger. However, Timothy was full of the Holy Spirit and this would compensate him for this, giving him the power and strength to succeed. 

Paul reminded him to stir up the gift that was within him. We are not sure what this gift was but Paul did and encouraged him to ensure that he kept his gifting in good shape.  This is something that we all need to do and the best way is spiritual exercise, reading the Word of God regularly and allowing God to speak to us clearly. We need to know the way forward; we need the strength and power of the Holy Spirit so that we can stand tall each day.

One thing we have to be careful of, is being ashamed of the gospel. Let me explain, embarrassment can take over when we realise that we are witnessing to someone who really knows the 'old you'. How many times have you been frightened to speak about Jesus in front of your own family because they frown on this. It's easy to water things down to try not to offend family or anyone who is close. Therefore, we bite our tongue and dampen things down a little. Think about this; how will you feel if you do this and then see them being turned away by Jesus when they reach heaven and stand before Him to give an account of their life? It doesn't bear thinking about does it?

Therefore, have a rule that whenever you have the chance, you will let them know about Jesus and leave the choice to them. We are all called to stir up the gift of God that dwells within us. Never water things down to save face, it is too important. Time is running out here on earth. We don't know when Jesus will return but, with the state of the world at the moment, it may be getting close. 

STIR UP YOUR GIFT!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

The Great Mystery

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.               1 Timothy 3:16   NKJV

I don't know about you but, before I was saved and came to know Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, I knew very little else about Him. I knew there was a God but, I never considered that He was Jesus. I'd pray when I got myself into trouble but, I didn't really know who I was praying to. But when the prayer worked, I never thanked them for helping me. It really was a great mystery, one in which I didn't come to know Jesus properly until I was in my thirties. When I think back to how I was then, a rough and ready soldier who lived by the next drink he could find, I often think that if I had been God at the time, I wouldn't have given me the time of day. But He didn't and this is why I am doing what I do today - serving Jesus.

As I was flicking through my bible this morning, I noticed this particular verse and just had to share it with you. David Guzik writes a helpful piece at the beginning of this verse:

WITHOUT CONTROVERSY 

The wonderful summary of Christian truth in 1 Timothy 3:16 should be without controversy among believers. It is unfortunate when those who claim to be Christians debate or deny these fundamental truths'.    David Guzik Enduring Word

Spurgeon also quoted and wrote:

“When he says ‘without controversy,’ I suppose he means that there ought to be no controversy about these facts, though controversies have arisen concerning them, and always will, since the most self-evident truth will always find self-evident fools to contradict it.” Charles Spurgeon.

There will always be people who doubt the deity of Jesus Christ. This is why there are so many sects in the world today. Many only give Him a fleeting word and never go as far to say that He is God. You've met many of these since you were saved - Jesus did and so will you.

GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH

This is the essence of the incarnation; that God the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, added to His deity humanity – and was thus manifested in the flesh. Read and let the Words of  the first chapter of John flood over you.

JUSTIFIED IN THE SPIRIT

We can say that Jesus was justified by the Spirit not in the sense that He was once sinful but made righteous, but in the sense that He was declared to be, by the Holy Spirit, what He always was – completely justified before the Father.

David Guzik comments:This declaration was made at His baptism (Matthew 3:16), and at His resurrection (1 Peter 3:18; Acts 2:32-33). 

SEEN BY ANGELS

The ministry of Jesus, both on earth and through the Church, is of great interest to angelic beings. There were many instances when Jesus was seen by angels (Mark 1:13; Luke 22:41-43), and especially at the resurrection (Matthew 28:2-7).

There is so much more that can be said about Jesus. As an exercise, why not get a bible, notebook and pen and read 1 Timothy 3:16 yourself. I must admit that my findings today have been a joint effort with mixing my findings along with David Guzik's. Two heads are better than one sometimes.

In conclusion, this Great Mystery was unfolded before your eyes. He loves you so much that He wanted to share with you all about Himself. He has nothing to hide and, this is the way He wants each of us to live, totally transparent.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

The Grace of God

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  14And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  15This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  16However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.  17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen"     

                                                                         1 Timothy 1:12-17   NKJV

If ever a man received amazing grace from God, it was Saul of Tarsus. He was a very influential Pharisee who took his service in a dedicated manner. Saul had broken the Ten Commandments, speaking of blasphemy, persecution, all in a insolent manner. He had sought to put Christians to death because he felt that this new 'Sect' posed a threat to Judaism. He took delight in carrying out his evil plans and committing insolent, violent and outrageous acts. 

In Acts 9, we read of Saul's conversion on the Damascus Road. He was actually going to serve others with threat of death around this area when suddenly a powerful light shone all around him and he was blinded. Jesus, who by now was at the righthand of God in heaven, asked him why he was 'kicking against the goads'. (My paraphrase) This is a metaphor of an Ox kicking against a spiked stick (Goad) that doesn't wish to obey. Jesus knew that Saul wouldn't give in unless He took action. Therefore, Saul was blinded and was sent, 3 days later, to a disciple called Ananias, who even fearful of Saul's reputation, baptised him in the name of Jesus and Saul's sight was returned. He was also told to take the name of Paul from that day forth. From thereon, Paul's ministry took on another meaning.

It was not what Paul would do for the Lord but, what the Lord would do for him. It was total grace, something that Paul could never get over - Jesus not only saved him but also counted him faithful and so, appointed him to His service. Paul received mercy because he did all of his previous acts in his ignorance and unbelief. He had genuinely felt that he was doing God's work at the time.

Have you ever stopped and thought of your past, all of the things you did which you now know was against God's will. What happened when you met with Jesus, He forgave all of your sin and wrongdoings, they were nailed on His cross. Therefore, from that moment your sin of the past was taken away. Jesus knew this to be true and no doubt you did at the time. But occasionally we are tempted to believe that we are still guilty and under condemnation. This is why Paul and others wrote that your sins are in the past. Cast them aside and leave them there. They are holding you back. Jesus Christ forgave you and took your sin upon Himself. Yes, you will still sin daily because we live in the flesh, we haven't yet received our spiritual bodies. So it's a good ides to ask Jesus to forgive you for the sins that you may have committed daily. They are then forgiven instantly.

You know, God's grace is amazing - Amaing Grace - WE have Jesus walking with us and guarding us on a daily basis. Yes, we will make mistakes, He knows this. But He will forgive you when you confess, all the time. Now that's Grace!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Jesus wants to give you His peace

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid".     John 14:27   NKJV 

When we read through this piece of scripture, we need to realise that, He is not promising that we will never have storms happening in our lives, because we will have, and Jesus knows it. What He promises is when we go through a storm, His peace will be right beside us. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus". There is a big difference. Jesus doesn't want us plagued with anxiety. instead He tells us to pray about such things that may come against us. We may be entering a big storm in our lives but remember, Jesus is still on the throne. He won't let you down.

Jesus is not talking about ordinary peace; He is speaking to us about Shalom peace. The kind of peace that is bigger than any peace the world can offer. Note how Paul describes this Hebrew word here" It implies health, happiness and well-being peace. (Is 26:3) This type of peace is described in Hebrew as Shalom, Shalom. This is why, Paul described it this way: 'and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus'. 

This is what Jesus was teaching His disciples that day. But this is available to us as well because, it is a Living Word. Anxiety and worry unplugs the faith force from us before we have begun. We can write an essay on the reason why we can't do a particular thing. Allow me to be brutally honest, if you can spend that amount of time thinking about why you can't do this, then why not utilise this time properly, thinking about how, with God's help you can do it. Stop the wasted time. We need to make the best of every second we live through - people need Jesus, they are going to hell if they are not told about Jesus and how He lived and died to save each one of us.

While we sit and discuss and worry about unnecessary things, people are dying, they don't know Jesus. You may have the attitude of 'Well if I don't tell them, somebody else will, so that's all right, isn't it?' Not really, because if they are saving the person you could have saved, others are missing out.

I know I've said it a lot of times but here we go again: dust off you bibles, read it, believe it and pray about it, then keep on doing this. Then put on the Armour of God (Daily) Ephesians 6:12-18, and then as you learn more about Jesus and become clothed in the Spirit, branch out in triumph, full of power and Jesus and tell some people about Jesus. 

You know it makes sense!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard.