Gus Cameron

12 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 4:4-16

Gus Cameron

12 March 2026

4 I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
5 The fool folds his hands
and consumes his own flesh.
6 Better one handful with tranquility
than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
7 Again, I saw futility under the sun. 8 There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up! 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
13 Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning. 14 For the youth has come from the prison to the kingship, though he was born poor in his own kingdom.
15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king. 16 There is no limit to all the people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Tim Mitry

Have you seen those ads that say, “Do this to retire at 40,” or “Do these 5 simple steps to make your money work for you”? You know – the ad that promises never having to work again? At the same time, have you ever noticed that in Australia we subtly boast about doing extra hours or overtime? Our culture has a foot in two camps – we love the idea of never working another day in our life, but we also love to proudly show off how hard we work. We like to make sure we “keep up with the Joneses,” after all.

I’ve felt the pull of both of these. I’ve yearned to have 5 investment properties and be able to tell my boss, “Hey I’m not coming in tomorrow…or ever again,”, but I’ve also heard that voice inside me say, “Keep grinding the billable hours, my mates have been to Japan twice and I’ve only gone once.”

Verses 4-6 of today’s passage are pointing out that working to keep pace with the rest of society is just as empty as refusing to work at all – both are like chasing the wind. The “grind life” is nothing to brag about, but neither is disengaging from “the grind” altogether.

Many of my friends are building businesses, travelling overseas regularly, buying homes and investment properties, and filling their lives with bigger and shinier things. The author of Ecclesiastes reminds me that a peaceful life with enough is better than a life driven by endless striving for more. I am challenged to see that God created me to work – it is good for me to work! But if I worship work, or worship what it can do for me, I’ll be enslaved to it. Praise God for Jesus who offers true, lasting satisfaction, and frees me to work faithfully and contentedly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim is one of our ministry apprentices.

Gus Cameron

11 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3

Gus Cameron

11 March 2026

16 Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”
18 I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.” 19 For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile. 20 All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.
21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth? 22 I have seen that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come after him?

Chapter Four

1 Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter. 2 So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

As I read this passage, it made me think about what life would be like without God and without knowing the Lord Jesus.

First, it describes us as no better than the animals. We live and we die. We come from the dust and we’ll be buried in the ground. I remember as a child saying to my mum that we are just animals – smart animals, but just animals all the same. Except that’s not true! We are made in the image of God, we belong to him, we are precious to him – so precious that he sent his Son to die for us so that we might live with him forever. How sad is it for those who don’t know Christ Jesus, who live believing that we are nothing.

Second, it describes the injustice of this life. We know that evil and wickedness go unpunished all too often. Imagine believing that there is no justice, that evil people will get away with their evil. But we know that Christ Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. We know that there will be comfort for the oppressed when every tear will be wiped away.

This passage shows us the despair of life without Christ. It makes me so much more thankful for Christ Jesus. Give thanks for Jesus, and pray for someone who doesn’t know him, that he would rescue them from that despair.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assisant Minister.

Gus Cameron

10 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

Gus Cameron

10 March 2026

9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live, 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him. 15 What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

Ecclesiastes has reflected on the futility of our hard work and toil. But today’s passage reminds us that there is someone whose work is not futile: God. God’s work is good and productive and beautiful. In Genesis 1 and 2 we read about how God worked to bring creation into being, and God saw that “it was good”. After God created human beings in his own image, he saw all he had made and “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Then, after all his work of creating, God rested. Unlike us, God can work and then find complete satisfaction and enjoyment in his work.

Ecclesiastes is showing us where to find happiness. We will never find it in our own work, but we will find it in God’s work. This is most clearly seen in God’s work of salvation. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.”

Ecclesiastes tells us that God has put eternity in our hearts (v 11); but no matter how hard we work, no matter how good our works are, we cannot work our way to eternal life. But God’s works last forever, his gracious gift is to give us Christ Jesus. His work on the cross frees us to work in a new way, to serve God, doing the good work that God has given us to do.

Do you see the difference between our work and God’s work? Our hard work will always end in frustration, but God’s work lasts forever. The way to find happiness and satisfaction is come to Christ Jesus, give him your life and serve him as your Lord and saviour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assisant Minister.

Gus Cameron

9 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Gus Cameron

9 March 2026

1 To everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to break down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to count as lost,
a time to keep and a time to discard,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

I feel like life is busy and full of different things to do every day: making breakfast, getting the kids to school, writing a talk, opening the church hall for a tradie, picking the kids up again, driving to sport or piano, dinner, Growth Group, sleep. Then the next day it all begins again—with a different list of things to do.

This passage in Ecclesiastes describes how the days, weeks and months of our lives often feel. It describes many of the joys of life. There are times to dance and gather, embrace and laugh. But also times to weep, mourn, tear down and die.

It describes life in a fallen world, where we experience moments of deep love and joy, but also times when the right response is to grieve or hate the evil we see around us.

We cannot control the passage of time and we cannot control what events we will have to face in life. Life will be full of ups and downs. I am thankful for the honesty of this passage. Rather than pretending everything is ok, the passage gives a true and honest description of what life is like. It reminds me to trust God for my days, to depend on him on the hard days and to give thanks to him for the joyful days. I’m also thankful that we can look forward to eternity, when the passage of time will no longer be marked by highs and lows, but instead by the unending joy of being with our Lord Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assisant Minister.

Gus Cameron

7 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 2:18-26

Gus Cameron

7 March 2026

18 I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
20 So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun. 21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great evil. 22 For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
24 Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that this is from the hand of God. 25 For apart from Him, who can eat and who can find enjoyment? 26 To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

Many of us know people who have fled warzones and arrived in Fairfield with nothing. Many of them have worked incredibly hard to create a new life for themselves, and especially for their children. They aim to instil in their children the discipline of hard work. Their hope is that their children will have a better and far more prosperous life than they themselves had.

But then I was talking to a tradesperson this week who has lived the Aussie dream. He came as a refugee, and now he runs his own business instead of working for someone else. He said he’s making a lot more money, but he also has a lot more stress in life. He works hard, but his hard work hasn’t given him peace or freedom.

Today’s passage is a sobering reflection on the futility of toilsome work. It asks: “What do we get for all our toil and labour?” – and the answer is: death. We cannot work ourselves out of death. Even the hope of leaving our kids better off is not certain, because we cannot control our kids once we are gone. They might make wise decisions, but they might not.

Work has been painful and difficult toil ever since God said to the man in the garden of Eden, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17). Hard work is not the answer to life’s problems; it is a reminder of life’s greatest problem. We face death because of sin, and hard work will not overcome death.

There is work we should do – we should work to provide food and pay the rent. But there is also a type of work that will endure forever – what the Apostle Paul calls “the work of the Lord”. As we saw on Thursday, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.”

Ask God to protect you from being drawn into the lie that hard work can free us from the curse. And pray that God would help you remember the joy of working for our Lord Jesus, who really has freed us from death. Ask God to help you fix your mind every day on the hope and security we have in him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is one of our Assistant Ministers.

Gus Cameron

6 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

Gus Cameron

6 March 2026

12 Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s successor do than what has already been accomplished? 13 And I saw that wisdom exceeds folly, just as light exceeds darkness:
14 The wise man has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both.15 So I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?”
And I said to myself that this too is futile.
16 For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both will be forgotten in the days to come. Alas, the wise man will die just like the fool! 17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

In the first devotion, I said that both Job and Ecclesiastes are balancing the perspective of the book of Proverbs. Proverbs describes the usual pattern of life in God’s world, where godly wisdom normally leads to positive results. But “normally” isn’t “always.” Job balances that by asking about unjust suffering. Ecclesiastes asks whether godly wisdom actually produces anything lasting and meaningful.

The Teacher wants to find something solid, permanent and good. But whatever path he explores along, he always runs up against the same huge obstacle at the end. In today’s passage, he mentions that great final obstacle for the first time – and it will loom larger and larger as we approach the end of the book. That obstacle is death.

Here, the Teacher makes it clear that it’s at least a bit better to be wise than to be a fool. The wise person “has eyes in his head”, while the fool “walks in darkness” – that is, wisdom will enable you to make better decisions in life.

But he comes back to the brutal reality that “one fate overcomes them both.” The wisest sage and the stupidest fool will end up in the same place: 6 feet under. On top of that, give it long enough, and everything they both did will be forgotten and irrelevant. Death is like the gigantic final boss in the video game of Life – and this final boss is impossible to defeat.

It’s hard to know how much the writer of Ecclesiastes knew, or suspected, about any hope beyond death. But what he certainly didn’t know about is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. That’s the game-changer – Jesus has smashed the final boss! And that means living with godly wisdom is not just a bit better; it’s a no-brainer. It’s the path to resurrection with Jesus and to solid and permanent joy.

Let these words from 1 Corinthians 15 fill your thoughts and your prayers now:I

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. … If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor. 15:17, 19-20)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister

Gus Cameron

5 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

Gus Cameron

5 March 2026

1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!”
But it proved to be futile.
2 I said of laughter, “It is folly,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”
3 I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
4 I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees.
7 I acquired menservants and maidservants, and servants were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me, 8 and I accumulated for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered to myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men—many concubines.
9 So I became great and surpassed all in Jerusalem who had preceded me; and my wisdom remained with me. 10 Anything my eyes desired, I did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleasure. For my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.
11 Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Yesterday, the Teacher considered whether having the wisdom of Solomon would enable you to do anything truly lasting and meaningful. Today he turns to consider the enormous riches and resources Solomon had at his disposal.

His conclusion is: Even having all the wealth of Solomon – or of Elon Musk – won’t give you anything lasting. Pleasures only last the few short days of our lives. You can build buildings and gardens; but they will crumble. You can accumulate mountains of money or construct a huge business empire; but one day, whether it’s before or after you die, you’ll discover it was nothing more than “a pursuit of the wind” (v 11). It was futile, meaningless, all in vain. Nothing you do “under the sun” will last.

It takes bravery to face the fact that one day, absolutely everything you are living for and trying to achieve will be dust. Well … unless you trust in Christ and are striving to live your life for him! In 1 Corinthians 15:58, after explaining the resurrection of Jesus and his victory over sin and death, Paul says: “Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

It’s sobering to reflect on our dreams and ambitions. Take some time to ask yourself some hard questions, before God, about your priorities and what you are putting all your energy and your hopes into. Remember that Jesus told us both, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,” and also, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:19, 33). Are you following a foolish path, or are you striving to live for Christ and his kingdom?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister

Gus Cameron

4 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

Gus Cameron

4 March 2026

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
17 So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow,
and as knowledge grows, grief increases.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

On Monday, I raised the question of who wrote Ecclesiastes. For some people, the answer is simple: King Solomon wrote it. In verse 1, he was introduced as “the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” Here he repeats that, and also describes his great wisdom – which Solomon was famous for (1 Kings 3, 10).

But if Solomon did write it, there are some major puzzles. The name “Solomon” never appears. More puzzling is verse 12: “I, the Teacher, WAS king over Israel.” Why the past tense? Solomon ruled Israel until his death. Then in verse 16 he says, “I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem” – but there was only one Israelite king who ruled in Jerusalem before Solomon: his father David. Finally, after chapters 1 and 2 there is nothing in the rest of the book that suggests or sounds like it is Solomon – in fact, several passages sound like an ordinary man who has seen and experienced harsh treatment from kings (e.g., 5:8-9; 10:5-6).

Now, Solomon might have been “the Teacher” – that wouldn’t be a problem. But I think it is more likely that the Teacher was a much later wise man who was exploring the limits of the kind of wisdom we find in Proverbs. In chapters 1 and 2 he does that by adopting the persona of Solomon – role-playing being the wisest king in history who wrote many proverbs . If so, he wasn’t trying to trick anyone – Solomon had been dead for many years. His point was to show that not even someone with even Solomon’s famed wisdom could find anything truly lasting in human endeavours “under the sun.”

The problem with purely human wisdom is that it lets you understand what’s wrong with the world, but that doesn’t mean you can fix it! So growing wiser might just increase your sadness and grief (v 18). But God’s wisdom is not just his perfect knowledge, it is also his goodness and his power to save; and God has unveiled his saving wisdom in the cross of Jesus. That’s why Paul says that Christ Jesus “has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). Ask God to both give you the wisdom you need for life, and to rest in his far greater wisdom in Jesus.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister

Gus Cameron

3 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 1:4-11

Gus Cameron

3 March 2026

4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets;
it hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows southward,
then turns northward;
round and round it swirls,
ever returning on its course.
7 All the rivers flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full;
to the place from which the streams come,
there again they flow.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can describe;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear content with hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
and what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a case where one can say,
“Look, this is new”?
It has already existed
in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance
of those who came before,
and those yet to come will not be remembered
by those who follow after.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

This guy must have been fun to be around at parties, right? Not exactly a ray of sunshine. But sometimes we human beings need a healthy dose of cold, hard reality.

Today’s passage reminded me of a conversation I had years ago in Chile. I was doing walk-up evangelism, and I got talking to a guy who had a strange mix of Catholic and New Age religious beliefs. He told me that he believed in “spiritual evolution.” Just like species evolve biologically, he believed, over the centuries humanity has also evolved spiritually, so that each generation is spiritually superior to the one before. I said to him, “Let me ask you one question: When you look at relationships between people today – from personal conflicts and divorce rates, all the way up to international relations and wars between countries – do you think the human race is any better today than it was 2000 years ago?” He said, “No, I guess not.” There goes that theory.

The Teacher’s basic point in today’s passage is: No matter how hard we try, we never really make progress. Yes, we might make advances in technology, medicine, etc. But at a more fundamental level of why we exist and what makes us human, things never change. History keeps repeating itself over and over. There are cycles of greed, abuse and moral corruption that humanity has never broken (hello, Epstein Files!). There is “nothing new under the sun” (v 9).

Except … something new did happen, centuries after the Teacher wrote this, something colossal: the Son of God rose from the dead. And that means there is one genuinely new thing that can happen in a person’s life – something that, eventually, will break every cycle of evil and despair: You can be born again by the Holy Spirit, when you accept Jesus as your Lord.

Take time in prayer to appreciate how huge that new thing is; and pray that God would do a great new work of His Spirit in St Barnabas, in Sydney, and in the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister

Gus Cameron

2 March 2026

Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

Gus Cameron

2 March 2026

1 These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Futility of futilities,”
says the Teacher,
“futility of futilities!
Everything is futile!”
3 What does a man gain from all his labor,
at which he toils under the sun?

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

This month we are going to read the puzzling, thoughtful, and sometimes challenging Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. For today, I want to give a quick introduction to the book and its main theme.

Ecclesiastes is one of the Old Testament wisdom books. Proverbs is the most positive book of Old Testament wisdom – it describes the normal pattern of life in God’s world, where living by “the fear of the Lord” will generally bring positive benefits. But that “normal” pattern often doesn’t match our experience, which is why Job and Ecclesiastes are also in the Bible. They balance the perspective of Proverbs by exploring the dark parts of life that challenge simplistic answers. Job does that by asking: What about when the righteous suffer unjustly – do God’s wisdom and goodness fail? Ecclesiastes does it by considering a different challenge … which we’ll get to on Friday.

The book is mainly a collection of sayings by someone who is simply called “the Teacher.” Who was he? We’ll come back that question on Wednesday – the answer is not quite as simple as it seems.

What is the book about? Verses 2 & 3 tell us the three most important things to understand this book.

First, what is the Teacher’s perspective? He is looking at and thinking about the world “under the sun” (v 3). That is, he is trying to work out if he can find meaning and purpose in life only by observation and making logical deductions. For most of the book, he leaves God out of the equation, and limits himself to what he can see and hear and touch. He’s taking the perspective of a rationalist.

Second, the main topic he explores is “labour” or “toil” (v 3). He’s trying to figure out what we achieve through all our effort and sweat and tears. Do we actually achieve anything permanent and lasting?

That leads to the third thing, which is the conclusion he comes to in the end: “Futility of futilities! Everything is futile!” (v 2). If you leave God out of it and only consider what we can observe in the world, you have to conclude that we achieve absolutely nothing. Zero. Zip. Life is meaningless, and our most grand and solid achievements will ultimately turn out to be as permanent as a puff of wind.

I love the brutal honesty of the Teacher – he’s far more honest than many apparently clever atheists, who somehow convince themselves that even though we’re nothing more than random and meaningless clumps of biomatter (or so they believe), life somehow has meaning and value. As we work through the book, the Teacher is going to unveil the foolishness and emptiness of their philosophy.

Now if you were only to read Ecclesiastes, you’d get very depressed. But the ultimate goal of Ecclesiastes is to drive us to Jesus, the Son of God who gives us a view of life “above the sun.” If you know Jesus, you know God, you can know for sure that life is full of meaning and purpose. Thank God now for the ways in which knowing Jesus gives you a sense of meaning and purpose.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.

Gus Cameron

28 February 2026

Titus 3:9-15

Gus Cameron

28 February 2026

9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, arguments, and quarrels about the law, because these things are pointless and worthless.
10 Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a man is corrupt and sinful; he is self-condemned.
12 As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. 13 Do your best to equip Zenas the lawyer and Apollos, so that they will have everything they need. 14 And our people must also learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet the pressing needs of others, so that they will not be unfruitful.
15 All who are with me send you greetings.
Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with all of you.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Nathan Ting

Growing up with an older sister, I would say I did my job of being the annoying younger brother pretty well. I would not be able to count the number of times that we would quarrel over such trivial things that by the end of it, even if I had “won” the argument, I would often not feel satisfied – because it wasn’t even worth arguing over in the first place!

Earlier in chapter 3, Paul exhorted Titus (and us) to remember the grace of God poured out on us through Christ, so that we might grow in godliness and live to please God, which is “excellent and profitable for everyone” (v8). In today’s passage, Paul continues to remind us to remain on course by steering away from things that are “pointless and worthless” (v9) in Christian living. This includes arguing over things that, instead of edifying the church, focus on semantics and nitpicking, minor details. Ultimately, those arguments distract people from the assurance and hope of the gospel message. Paul clearly warns Titus against such divisiveness and divisive people, telling him not just to ignore such a person but to actively reject them (v10, 11) because they are self-condemned. That kind of pointless arguing would undermine Titus’s teaching of the gospel.

Have you ever had disagreements with fellow believers over minor issues that really aren’t connected to the gospel or the truth of God’s word? While it (hopefully) may not be our intention to be divisive or to engage in pointless quarrelling, we can sometimes get caught up in the finer details and lose sight of the bigger picture – the amazing news that while we were all still sinners, Christ died for us so that we could all be invited into God’s family.

Spend a bit of time now praying that we would all remain united in the gospel, building one another up and fixing our eyes on Jesus as we continue living for Him and waiting for His return.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nathan is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

Gus Cameron

27 February 2026

Titus 3:1-8

Gus Cameron

27 February 2026

1 Remind the believers to submit to rulers and authorities, to be obedient and ready for every good work, 2 to malign no one, and to be peaceable and gentle, showing full consideration to everyone.
3 For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life. 8 This saying is trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize these things, so that those who have believed God will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. These things are excellent and profitable for the people.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Paul Bogg

Salvation is a really good thing. Sometimes, I don’t really think about it and I comfortably go about my business. But there are other times when I remember what I have been saved from, and what I am saved into, and it resonates deeply inside of me. Today’s passage draws me out of my comfort zone and reminds me of the great truths of what salvation really means.

For the first half of my life, I didn’t know Jesus. I too was “foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures”. I wouldn’t have called myself “living in malice and envy”, but maybe in God’s sight, I was. I wouldn’t doubt it!

But when I discovered the kindness and love that God the Father has for the world, that he is ready and willing to forgive our wrongs through the blood of his Son, that we could through faith alone, in his grace alone, become heirs with the hope of eternal life through Christ alone – this grace and mercy was more than I had ever received in my entire life. So I accepted the offer of life, making Jesus Christ my Lord and saviour.

At the beginning, this was transformative – I was a changed man. And as the years have rolled on, I am still a changed man, yet somehow I’m more complacent or comfortable. I don’t strive to be devoted to doing good deeds as much, or I’m far more tempted to not listen to rulers or authorities. But notice what the apostle Paul charges Timothy to do: emphasize everything that salvation means, so that those who have believed God will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. If I am truly a man saved from foolishness and slavery, and saved into a new birth, a new life, and an eternal future – then remembering that should cause me to be devoted to a radically “good” living. Not just good for myself, but a good that shows peace and gentleness and consideration to all people, for their benefit. And not “good” to earn anything from God, but “good” because he has already given me everything.

These are the truths that I need reminding of. Pray with thankfulness for them, that we would remind each other of them regularly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.

Gus Cameron

26 February 2026

Titus 2:11-15

Gus Cameron

26 February 2026

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone. 12 It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. 14 He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
15 Speak these things as you encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Yuan Vongsavanh

In yesterday’s reflection on Titus 2:1-10, the take-away was how our behaviours should reflect sound doctrine, especially in self-control. Today, in verses 11-15, God through Paul tells us in more detail the reasons why we should have these behaviours.

I read something recently on how we should teach our children, and the importance of delayed gratification. The idea is that we shouldn’t just give them sweets and help them solve every small problem. That might bring them happiness now, but for their long-term growth we should get them to eat vegetables and discover for themselves that if you jump into puddles you’ll have wet socks all day. That is, letting them experience small “inconveniences” now will (God willing) reward us with healthy and capable adults.

From today’s verses, my personal reflection on the “why” of self-control and godly behaviour is: because God our heavenly Father loves us in a way that we simply can’t fathom. Our Father has given us a blueprint of how to behave now, before we see him in the life to come. He knows that we are sinful and so won’t follow it perfectly until we are raised to life again, but the reason he has given it to us is in verse 11: “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.” The reason is his undeserved love and kindness. And Jesus died for us “to redeem us from all lawlessness,” to purify us and make us his own (v. 14). Our salvation is not based on our “performance” – we can be comforted by knowing we will see him in heaven – but in saving us, he rescues us to live for him, which is really the best possible life we can live and the path to true happiness.

Sometimes we think that godly behaviour is a form of “delayed gratification.” But it’s not that at all – it’s joy! I am so thankful that the work of redeeming us from all the wicked things we’ve done and will do, is already done. Jesus died on the cross to take all our sin and ungodly behaviour onto himself. How can we not trust that our heavenly Father’s plan for us is good and submit to his love and authority? Thank our heavenly Father now for the loving way he has designed our redemption, and ask him to help us live as we should, in joy, to bring honour to Him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yuan is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

Gus Cameron

25 February 2026

Titus 2:1-10

Gus Cameron

25 February 2026

1 But as for you, speak the things that are consistent with sound doctrine.
2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance.
3 Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good. 4 In this way they can train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, managers of their households, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be discredited.
6 In the same way, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
7 In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed to have nothing bad to say about us.
9 Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not stealing from them, but showing all good faith, so that in every respect they will adorn the teaching about God our Savior.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

One of my constant struggles in life is that I don’t understand colour combinations. I can’t tell which colours are supposed to go with which, so I’m constantly being told, “You can’t wear that shirt with those pants!” Oh… I don’t get it, but OK.

There’s a different kind of combination which is essential for every Christian believer to understand and apply: the behaviour that goes with the truth of the gospel. Paul tells Titus to teach the church “the things that are consistent with sound doctrine” (v 1) – that is, the attitudes and behaviours that are consistent with the Bible’s teaching.

Two main things stood out to me about the attitudes and behaviours Paul lists. First, even though Paul lists virtues for each group (old men, women, etc.), self-control appears in nearly every list. For older women, Paul warns against addiction to wine, which is also a self-control issue – and for young men, self-control is the only issue!

I did a search of the New Testament, and self-control is often linked with being “sober-minded,” and also with remembering that Jesus will return and this present evil age will be destroyed (for example, 1 Peter 4:7). That suggests that all of us need to work hard (and pray hard) to keep a certain degree of seriousness in life. It’s great to enjoy good times with friends, but we need to recognise the danger of becoming flippant and careless in our attitude to enjoyment and fun times. Heaven and hell are real. The return of Jesus is always just around the corner, and salvation is at stake. Keeping those realities in mind will then help us to work at self-control, or discipline – learning to discipline our minds, our bodies, our habits, and our patterns for relating to others.

The other thing that stood out was the reason why it matters whether our behaviour matches the truth we believe. I mean, it matters on a personal level because Jesus warned that those who claim to believe but ignore his word will be shut out of the kingdom (Matthew 7:21-27). But the bigger reason to learn godly behaviour is “so that the word of God will not be discredited” (v 5), so that opponents of the gospel will not be able to criticise us (v 8), and so that we will “adorn the teaching about God our Saviour,” showing people how beautiful and good the gospel of Jesus is (v 10).

Do those reasons motivate you to be godly? If not, have you yet turned to Jesus? And if so, spend some serious time in prayer, reflecting on areas where you need to coordinate your behaviour more with the truth of Christ.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

Gus Cameron

24 February 2026

Titus 1:10-16

Gus Cameron

24 February 2026

10 For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not. 12 As one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of men who have rejected the truth.
15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Susan Everett

How do you respond when someone tells you that you’re wrong?

A few years ago, I co-led an event at my church with my old pastor. During the evening, I said something up front which wasn’t quite right biblically. My pastor then corrected me in front of everyone.

I have no memory of what I said. But I do remember how I felt – a bit embarrassed, but also annoyed and defensive. After all, was what I said really that bad? Why did he need to correct me in front of everyone?

We heard yesterday in Titus 1:5-9 Paul’s encouragement to Titus to appoint faithful leaders for the church. Our passage today shows us why that’s so important – there were many false teachers in Crete – “rebellious” people, “full of empty talk” (v10). And it seems their teaching was making it into Christian households (v11). Paul says that faithful Christian leaders needed to rebuke this false teaching (v13).

That’s actually what my pastor had done a few years ago. He wanted me, and our church, to be ‘sound in the faith’ (v13), so he corrected me. It was the loving, faithful thing to do. Today, there is still lots of false teaching around – and it’s possible that we ourselves might need to be graciously rebuked and corrected. So, how do you want to respond if your Bible study leader corrects you? Or if your pastor rebukes you? Are you prepared to see it as gracious act of love?

Why not spend some time praying for the humility to accept correction, and for God to help our Christian leaders protect us from false teaching.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan is one of our Student Ministers.

Gus Cameron

23 February 2026

Titus 1:5-9

Gus Cameron

23 February 2026

5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you would set in order what was unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife,[B] having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.
7 As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money. 8 Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

This always feels a bit awkward – when I’m the one explaining passages about standards for elders in the church. Whatever I say, it’s pointing squarely back at me as the person it applies to most of all. You’ll be glad to know that I’ve only got one wife, anyway (and I’m sure she’s glad to know that too!).

But of course, this passage doesn’t just apply to full-time paid ministry staff, or even just to those who have an official role or title of leadership in a church. The qualities and areas of godliness that Paul talks about should be the longing of every Christian, which we are all striving to grow and progress in through prayer and self-discipline. The reason Paul focuses specifically on elders is because the more responsibility a person has in the church, the greater impact their godliness (or ungodliness) will have on Jesus’ sheep and Jesus’ reputation in the community.

I think that’s what Paul means by saying an elder must be “blameless” (v 6) and “above reproach” (v 7). He doesn’t mean there’s a group of people in the church who should be perfect and sinless – that’s none of us! He’s talking about the kinds of things that are likely to lead to scandal in the church, things which will knock the church’s mission and ministry off course and bring shame on the name of Jesus.

I’ve got two suggestions for spending time in prayer to apply the passage now. First, pause on the lists of fleshly and godly attributes in verses 7-8: Is there a fleshly tendency that you need help to put to death, or a godly trait that you haven’t yet learned to put on in Christ? The fleshly: being self-absorbed, quick-tempered, you get drunk, you are violent or greedy. The godly: being hospitable, loving what is good, being self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. Maybe you could share something from that list in your Growth Group prayer time this week.

Secondly, we are searching for a new assistant minister to bring onto our staff team next year. Pray that God would bring us someone who is so filled with Christ-like character that their ministry with us will bear much fruit and resound to Christ’s glory.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.

Gus Cameron

21 February 2026

Titus 1:1-4

Gus Cameron

21 February 2026

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. 3 In His own time He has made His word evident in the proclamation entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior.
4 To Titus, my true child in our common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Vivian Abdala

Titus is one of the personal letters that Paul wrote to an individual ministry coworker. He wrote this to Titus, who Paul had left in charge of the church in Crete, to help him in his role of pastoring the church.

Here are some of my reflections from the opening to the letter.

First, Paul’s purpose is clear: to promote and strengthen “the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” (v1). What a great thing to be known for! It challenges me to pause and consider whether my own words and actions reflect that same aim. Am I intentionally helping others grow in faith and in their understanding of truth? Am I encouraging my brothers and sisters to live that out in godliness? We often praise Paul for his devotion to God, but what stands out is how selfless he is in his goals. His ministry was never about building his own name—it was about honouring God and strengthening others.

One of the things that struck me when I first began reading the Bible was how intentional God is. His promises were not random; they were planned. That realisation gave me a deep confidence that God’s Word can be trusted. Our hope is rooted in something eternal and deliberate, not uncertain or improvised.

Secondly, there is a deep affection between Paul and Titus that comes through in this passage. His greeting carries warmth and care. It reminds us that Christian faith is relational—it is meant to be lived out together. We are not called to walk alone, but to encourage and spur one another on toward godliness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vivian is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

Gus Cameron

20 February 2026

James 5:13-20

Gus Cameron

20 February 2026

13 Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail. 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.
19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Today’s passage has sometimes been misused by people who say that Christians should never get sick, or that if they have enough faith they will always be healed. That is not what James is saying, and it’s not what the Bible teaches.

So, what is he saying? Well, he starts by encouraging us to pray in every situation in life. But from verse 15 on, the key is to notice how much he talks about sin, forgiveness, and bringing back someone who is wandering away from the truth. Through the whole letter, James’s biggest focus has been on the double-minded Christian – the person who keeps going back and forth on whether they believe (1:6-8), the person whose faith is just empty words (2:14-19), the person who is in the church but wants to be friends with the world and who lives for their own desires (4:1-4). That person is in perilous danger unless they repent.

This last section is a final call to do everything possible to bring people like this to repentance. The sick person in verse 15 is someone who is afflicted in some way because they are double-minded and wavering in their faith – just like Israel in the time of Elijah. James reminds us of 1 Kings chapters 17 and 18, when Elijah prayed for drought because the Israelites couldn’t decide whether to worship the Lord or Baal. That led to his famous confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, when Elijah pleaded with the people: “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). Then, after God revealed his power, the people recommitted themselves to him – and Elijah prayed again for rain.

So James’s promise is not guaranteed healing from every sickness. It’s that if someone is afflicted because of double-minded faith, if you can bring them to genuine confession, then through your prayer and their repentance they will be restored – most importantly, spiritually restored and forgiven, and even physically restored.

So, what should we take from this passage? First, if you trust in Christ, your prayers are SO much more powerful than you imagine! “The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail” (v16) – and James is talking about the ordinary believer, who is righteous through Christ. So pray always, pray with confidence, because God loves to answer the prayers of his children.

And second: Let’s burden ourselves in prayer for those we know who have wandered from Christ or are shaky and wavering in their commitment to him. Is there someone you know like that? Pray for them now. Ask God to bring them back – and ask him to give you the boldness and love to reach out to them, to gently warn them and urge them back to Christ.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.

Gus Cameron

19 February 2026

James 5:7-12

Gus Cameron

19 February 2026

7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains. 8 You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
10 Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Ashel Singh

Recently, I’ve been trying to make a really good smoothie – a balance between being healthy while also tasting good. I’ve tried so many variations, but now I’m at a point where I’m ready to give up. I’ll probably just keep visiting Boost juice and settle for paying $11 for a smoothie that it isn’t really healthy.

This passage makes me think how, as believers in Christ, we’re called to be steadfast, to show patience as we wait for the return of Jesus. We are to stay the course and finish the race. That means being ready to persevere and wait, just like a farmer has to wait after preparing their field and sowing their seeds – the harvest doesn’t happen immediately. God’s design encompasses a time-lapse between the work accomplished and the result granted.

In today’s world, we’re surrounded by the illusion of instant gratification – if you follow a particular method, you will get maximum output for minimal input, and with minimal delay. But James points to the example of God’s people in the Old Testament, where many times they needed to wait for years or even generations. Moses wandered forty years in the wilderness after taking Israel out of Egypt, King David waited for more than fifteen years to become king after he was anointed – and during that time he was fleeing from Saul. James talks about Job, who lost everything he had and had to wait without answers until God finally restored him. Prophets like Jeremiah didn’t live long enough to see the fulfilment of God’s promises. In all this, God was teaching his people patience and the importance of depending on him and submitting to him.

We too will suffer trials, we will be persecuted, bad things will happen in our lives. During these times we are called to wait patiently. But we can also rest in hope, because we know that Jesus died for us and rose again, so we know that he will return. That is when we will experience the true and eternal blessing that God has promised those who trust in him – and God’s promises are everlasting, trustworthy and precise.

So James encourages us to be patient “until the Lord’s coming” (v7). Let’s encourage one another to faithfully endure our trials patiently, without compromise, discouragement, giving up or turning away from God. Let’s remind one another that Jesus will return, and in the meantime, let’s serve the Lord and one another, meditating on the Word and trusting in his gracious control over our lives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashel is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.

Gus Cameron

18 February 2026

James 5:1-6

Gus Cameron

18 February 2026

1 Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire.
You have hoarded treasure in the last days. 4 Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

My first reaction to reading this was to think, “This isn’t about me!” I’m not that rich, I’ve never forgotten to pay someone to mow my lawns or harvest my fields, and my house isn’t all that luxurious compared to all the new places around here.

But when I think about what my great, great grandparents would think of my lifestyle, I need to admit that I am so rich. They lived in tiny, thatched-roofed, stone-walled houses lit by old burning lanterns, heated by wood fires, and had just one pair of hand-me-down shoes! I think I am a lot richer than I realise. Imagine what the Apostle James would think of our rich lives if he could see how we live today!

As we buy our iPhones, save our superannuation and worry about being overweight from eating too much, we need to take James’ warning to heart. I know too many people who have been tempted away from Jesus and church by the love of money, as the desire to work and holiday more means they give less and less time to their relationship with Jesus and his people.

In Matthew 19:23 Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” But when the disciples respond, “Who then can be saved?”, Jesus also said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” While the riches of this world so easily distract us from Jesus, God is more than able to work in our lives to bring us to himself.

Rather than reading a passage like this and thinking about how it doesn’t apply to me, we should hear the warning to keep depending more and more on our gracious Heavenly Father. Give thanks for all the wonderful things God has given us, and pray that he would protect us from the love of money, from selfishness and greed. Pray that he would help us love the Lord Jesus more deeply each day and help us to remember that the riches of the kingdom of God are infinitely greater than the gold and silver of this world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is one of our Assistant Ministers.