“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto your name, O most High” (Psalms 92:1)

God has clearly been active among us in recent months. People have been physically saved from pending death, either because of suicidal intent, neglect due to substance abuse, or in one case an active miscarriage. Others have been granted incredible recoveries from very serious injury. The Lord has also allowed us to: minister to the homeless; clearly present the Gospel to more than a dozen individuals; be involved in the deliverance of several people from demonic oppression, and watch as God physically overwhelmed a few people during our prayer times at the end of our services so that He could minister into their situations in a deeper way. God has been so good.
Two consequences of this divine activity among us have been the drawing of new people to His kingdom, with some measurable increase in our numbers attending worship, and me learning something that Jesus clearly understood very well: “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees the Father doing” (John 5:19). Perhaps a cruder way to express this principle would be: “We cannot do anything in our own ability, so go where the action is and be involved in what God is clearly doing”. This leads to two other conclusions: God is in charge of our fellowship, and we need to let go of our agendas even if they seem to be good causes to us, and get on board with His agenda. We have so much to learn about being led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14); however, God has been so good.
In conversations with other pastors and ministers in Benalla, it is evident that God is working with them as well. Stephen MacDonald, the Presbyterian minister, shared with me that they have had two younger men who simply “showed up” among them. One is Persian and came to the church because he had recently downloaded a copy of the Bible onto his phone and wanted to know the meaning of the things he was reading. Rose City Baptist have also been experiencing steady growth, and they have been participating in the Men’s Breakfasts for the last few months. The Salvation Army have officially opened their renovated building and other ministers around Benalla have shared with me about how God has been so evidently involved in their ministries. God has been so good. We have regular opportunities in our services for us to share about what God is doing among us. Let us glorify the Lord and render due praise to Him by sharing these good things with one another. John the Apostle also reminds us that “This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: and if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” (1 John 5:14-15). We have plenty of opportunities in our fellowship to gather together to give thanks to God for what He has done and bring our petitions to Him. I have learned that God is not offended by our petitions; hopefully, we will not be offended by how He chooses to answer them.

God has been so good. “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD”.

Pastor Graham Brodie

God asks us to “Trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Trust is an interesting thing.
Firstly, trust makes us vulnerable. To trust someone means that we need to depend on that person. We can no longer depend on our own strength, knowledge, or resources.
Secondly, trust must be demonstrated. There must be evidence in our actions that we trust something or someone. For example, if we trust that a chair will hold our weight, we demonstrate that trust by sitting on the chair. James reminds us that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).
Thirdly, trust will be tested. God will allow events or people to come into our lives which are intended to test our trust in the Lord. Peter reminds us that our faith is much more precious than gold, though it is tried in the fire (1 Peter 1:7). It is worth remembering that trials, tests, and difficult people are an opportunity for us to “trust in the Lord”.
Fourthly, sometimes we will not understand why something happened. We all have “unresolved” things in our lives that simply do not make sense in the light of a loving God (John 3:16) who works all things out to our good (Romans 8:28). The story of Job is probably the best example of this. There were many ideas in play throughout the story of Job and the conversations he had with his three friends. The main point that his friends were trying to make was that a good God rewards righteousness and punishes wickedness. Because it was very apparent that Job was suffering, it was equally apparent that he must therefore be wicked; therefore, he needed to repent of his wickedness and God’s favour would return. The trouble with this argument was that it was completely wrong, as God points out to Job’s three friends at the end of the story (Job 42:7). Careful reading of the story reveals that Job did not even know why he went through the trials that he experienced. Job did learn to not to lean on his own understanding. I believe that he also learned to trust in the Lord.
Many Christians experience unbelievable trials of their faith. The World Watch List publishes statistics about religious persecution around the world. In 2024, about 365 million Christians were subjected to “high levels of persecution and discrimination”; approximately 1 in 7 Christians are openly persecuted for their faith; almost 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith; and 14,766 churches were attacked. We have not yet resisted sin unto the shedding of blood and we have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto children, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked by Him, for whoever the Lord loves he corrects and scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:4-6).

Pastor Graham Brodie

In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul assures his readers that “we have the mind of Christ”; however, many continue to be carnally minded and fail to grow up in the Lord, just as Paul points out in the very next verses in 1 Corinthians 3:1-7.

The Greek word that is used here for mind is “nous” (nous), which seems to have come into our English language to mean intelligence or common sense. Therefore, it is “common sense” to desire spiritual growth so that we are no longer babes feeding only on milk.

The Lord has made provision in His church for our growth. “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the  edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the  measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13). The first and most obvious point from these verses is that the work of helping God’s children grow up is not vested in one person or even in one gift. “It takes a whole village to raise a child”. It takes a whole church to disciple a young Christian.

There is no room for egos in the Kingdom of God. Neither is there any room for “lone Rangers”; Jesus prayed four times in John 17 that we would be one, just as he and the Father were one. Oneness can only be expressed in community. Philippians 2:5-11 says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, having the outward appearance of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the outward appearance of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).

God the Father is the one who exalted Jesus. God will also exalt us, if we will first humble ourselves and become obedient, even when we do not understand why God asks us to do something or when the thing that God asks us to do becomes hard. For example, Peter tells servants to be “subject to their masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.” (1 Peter 2:18). The Greek word that is used to describe these harsh masters is skolio‚ (skolios), which in 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul assures his readers that “we have the mind of Christ”; however, many continue to be carnally minded and fail to grow up in the Lord, just as Paul points out in the very next verses in 1 Corinthians 3:1-7.

The Greek word that is used here for mind is “nous” (nous), which seems to have come into our English language to mean intelligence or common sense. Therefore, it is “common sense” to desire spiritual growth so that we are no longer babes feeding only on milk. The Lord has made provision in His church for our growth. “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come also means tortuous, crooked, unscrupulous, perverse, and unfair: hardly a good character reference.

I have had personal experience with a boss who had all these traits. He was almost universally hated by his staff, but as a young Christian at the time, the Lord taught me a lot about submission and how to do my job to the best of my ability, even when this man screamed at all his staff in front of customers and all the other staff. In time, God delivered me from this situation and gave me a different job, which eventually led to international respect and global responsibilities. None of this change in my situation was because I was particularly good or clever, but because our God is good and He is faithful to His promise that if we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, He may exalt us in due time (1 Peter 5:6).

So, what was foremost in the mind of Christ? When Jesus was young, he separated himself from his family and was eventually found in the temple talking with the spiritual leaders of the land. When asked about this by his deeply concerned parents, he replied, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49). Later, in his ministry he repeatedly stated that he must be about the work of the Father who sent him (John 4:34; John 5:30; and John 6:38-44 to cite a few); therefore, being a “grown up” Christian is doing the will of the Father on earth as it is done in heaven (Matthew 6:10), even when we don’t understand why God desires these things of us or when doing what God asks us to do becomes hard and hurts.

Pastor Graham Brodie

In the last days of the kings, the people of Judah believed that God would never allow the kingdom of David to be overthrown.  After all, God had made a promise to David: “The LORD tells you that he will make you a house. And when your days are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, which shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you.” (2 Samuel 7:11-15).
Unfortunately, the people of Judah presumptuously assumed that this promise of an “eternal kingdom” exempted them from God’s discipline and judgement.  The prophet Jeremiah confronts the people about this very issue in Jeremiah 7:1-8. The prophet reminds the people that they would only dwell in the land provided they obeyed the Lord and acted justly. Their  longevity in the land would have nothing to do with “the temple of the Lord” being there.  Ultimately, God’s judgement on their false understanding (Jeremiah 7:4) came to pass on two separate occasions:  The first judgement was under the hand of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, in 597 BC, when the Lord gave king Jehoiakim of Judah into the hands of king Nebuchadnezzar and many were carried away to Babylon, including Daniel and his friends (Daniel 1:1-4). The final destruction of the temple and the city taking place about 11 years later (2 Kings 25:1-12). The second  judgment time was 666 years later, in 70AD, under the hand of Titus, the son of the newly ascended Roman emperor Vespasian. This event was forecast by Jesus himself in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.
Unfortunately, the people of Judah had based their faith on a false understanding of God and His purposes for them. As Christians, we need to
also be careful not to base our faith on false assumptions about God and His purposes for us. This is why we need to know the “full counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Many evangelists emphasise the “blessings” of accepting Jesus as saviour; however, the lordship of Jesus and the cost of faith is less known.
Jesus was very clear about what would happen to those who chose to follow him. “Remember the word that I said unto you, ‘The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also'” (John 15:20).  Effectively, those in the faith community will hear one another and edify (build up) one another; however, those of the world will hate the faith community & seek to destroy it.

There are great rewards for those who give themselves to the Lord. What He has for us is beyond imagination. “As it is written, ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has
prepared for them that love him'” (1 Corinthians 2:9); however, God will allow our hearts to be tested and the genuineness of our faith to be proven (Proverbs 17:3; 1 Peter 1:7).
We have been called to be Christlike. If Jesus was made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 2:10), then it should be reasonable for the God of all grace, who has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered for a while, to make you perfect, established, strengthened, and settled (1 Peter 5:10), “for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17). “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Pastor Graham Brodie

Leviticus 10:9-10, when speaking to the priests of God, says, “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations: so that you may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean”. This links in with Ezekiel 44:23, which says, “They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.”
We need to be able to distinguish between the holy and profane. This is especially important because we are meant to be led by a spirit (i.e.,the Holy Spirit – Romans 8:14). Unfortunately, there are many spirits in the world and Satan can “transform himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). His ministers can also “be transformed as the ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15). Satan knows the scriptures very well, as was demonstrated in his temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:3-11); therefore, simply appealing to scripture is insufficient for us to know which spirit is leading us and our church, because it is possible for us NOT to be “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
John tells us not to believe every spirit, “but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1). “The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). Most agree that we are living in the latter times; therefore, this scripture must have been fulfilled: God said it and that settles it. God can not lie (Numbers 23:19). How then can we differentiate between seducing spirits and the Holy Spirit? We must be led by the Spirit, if we are true children of God (Romans 8:14). No man has seen God at any time (John 1:18) because God is a Spirit (John 4:24), so how can we be led by someone we cannot see?
I cannot see electrical voltages and currents in a wire, which can be potentially deadly if I do something foolish; however, with the right equipment I can discern their presence and their potential to either harm or help me. Spiritual things must be spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14), so the Holy Spirit equips us for our role as children of God. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to hear from God (John 16:13). He also gives us the ability to discern between spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10). We need the Holy Spirit to show us “the difference between the holy and profane” when seducing spirits try to entice us and our church away from the truth. There is good reason why we are commanded to “not be drunk with wine … but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18); we are blind without Him.

Pastor Graham Brodie

Jesus said these words in the context of his coming death, resurrection, and imminent departure to stand at the right hand of God, as seen in the vision granted to Stephen as he was dying (Acts 7:55).

There are many things that can be drawn out of this text; however, for the sake of brevity, consider why we needed another Helper.

The Spirit is first and foremost, a “replacement” for Jesus in the earth. Until this point, the disciples had assumed that Jesus was about to establish his kingdom and reign eternally on earth. This is evident even moments before Jesus ascends into heaven, when the disciples asked him if he was about to restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). The fact that Jesus was ascending to the Father and therefore would not be around to continue the work that he had been doing among them was inconceivable.

Secondly, the Helper needed to be a spirit, because God’s plan had always been that Jesus would be the “firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29) “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9; Revelation 14:6); therefore, this Helper must have the ability to be in many places at once. Only a spirit can do this. Not even Jesus was given the ability to be in more places than one at any given time.

Thirdly, the Helper continues and extends the ministry of Jesus by teaching the disciples all the things that Jesus could not teach them because they (and we) were not ready to bear them. This is such an important thought. Jesus had much more to say than he could, because the disciples were unprepared to receive it. This is highlighted in John 16:12-15, which says, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now; however, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come. He will glorify me, for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine; therefore, I said that he will take of mine and declare it to you”. So, from this we can glean a few important points: the Spirit has come to continue and extend Jesus’ work among his followers; the Spirit does this by “speaking” to Jesus’ followers; and

Finally, the Spirit glorifies Jesus. If the Spirit is meant to be speaking to Jesus’ followers, and we are among those who follow Jesus, then surely, we should be listening for the Spirit to speak to us individually and corporately. In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, there is a repeated phrase: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches”. Even at the very end of God’s revelation to us in the Bible, the Spirit is still speaking, with an expectation that people hear his voice and respond: “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17). Do we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to our church?

Graham Brodie