Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 11th November 2024. The Bible is very strong on taking the weak and turning them into something useful. Spiritually speaking we are actually all weak. We would be nothing without the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 3rd November 2024. The following is a simple analysis between the plausibility of God creating our current world with purpose and planning in mind. Alternatively, all of the natural world is meaningless, unplanned randomness, which somehow sees matter and life evolve and appear in incremental stages over a long period of time. * These notes assume God is right despite religious arguments, which may be erroneous to the scriptures. * That Godless evolution requires a complete lack of purpose, design and logical process. If it is to remain valid... everything must be coincidental and without intelligent structure or pattern. The scientific explanation for our world is... something came from nothing. The key assumption of this model is that just before the Big Bang, space filled with an unstable form of energy, whose nature is not yet known (out of nothing). At some instant, this energy was transformed into the fundamental particles from which arose all matter we observe today.. which is scientifically impossible. A PDF copy of the talk notes is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered By Chris Tankey on 20th October 2024. When God does something in the Bible, we should consider it carefully. He does nothing without a purpose, and thinking about His actions tells us about His character and nature. One of the most important events in the Bible occurred at Mt Sinai where God called Moses up the mountain and gave him two stone tablets on which He had written some rules for living - they are of course, the Ten Commandments. A PDF copy of the talk notes is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 20th October 2024. This talk follows the talk 'Rejecting The Secret Rapture', where 'the' Rapture, 'the' Great Tribulation and 'the' Antichrist are falsely used. As a result of these errors, the correct understanding of salvation and overcoming are clouded in doctrinal garbage. Factual points to consider... The concept of a secret rapture is totally refuted by clearly defined scripture... see 'rejecting the secret rapture'. Great Tribulation... there is no such thing as 'THE' Great Tribulation.. the word 'the' is not used. Antichrist... neither is 'THE' used with 'Antichrist'... meaning it's not a specific person. 'Antichrist' (antichristos) as a word has a simple meaning... 'anti-' (against or instead of) & -'christ' (the anointed or anointing). It is not a person, but rather a doctrinal attitude towards the anointed or the anointing experience of the Holy Spirit. The worst betrayer of God's gospel comes from within the church itself... not an outward person or group. Spirit filled people who compromise the true gospel and promote a water-down version of salvation that removes the emphasis from the 'anointing' and shifts it to a lesser gospel are 'antichrists'... in simple terms, it is God's own people who are doing the most damage to God's blessings. A PDF copy of the talk notes is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 15th October 2024. A few observations about the new Jerusalem and the millennium. A PDF copy of the talk notes is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 13th October 2024. Before we disprove the "secret rapture", let us look at the teaching... 1. The rapture takes place when Jesus suddenly and secretly comes to the earth to gather all "born again" Christians to heaven. Importantly, this occurs without warning or sign -- and literally happen any day now. 2. According to most proponents, the rapture includes both living Christians and those "dead in Christ". A minor view holds that the rapture is only for those Christians alive in the last days. 3. The rapture occurs before the onset of "the" Great Tribulation -- hence, it is often called the pre-Tribulation rapture. Thus, Christians are spared the horrors of the Great Tribulation (this seems to be the motive behind the teaching). 4. Depending on the particular school of thought, "the" Great Tribulation -- described as a time of unprecedented trouble on the entire world -- lasts either three and one half years, or seven years. 5. After "the" Great Tribulation, Jesus will "officially" and visibly return to fight in the great Battle of Armageddon. Factual points to consider... The word 'rapture' {secret or otherwise} is not used in the scripture... the rising of the overcomers at Christ's return is the reference. "Great Tribulation"... there is no such thing as 'THE' Great Tribulation... the word 'the' is not used. "Antichrist"... neither is 'THE' Antichrist a specific person... 'the Antichrist' is not used in Revelations. 'Antichrist' (antichristos) as a word has a simple meaning... 'anti-' (against or instead of) & -christ (the anointed or anointing). It is not a person, but rather a doctrinal attitude towards the anointed or the anointing. A PDF copy of the talk notes is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 15th September 2024. When God created Adam and Eve, they were created as spiritual beings in physical bodies. The serpent first pretends to offer a greater source of blessing than God, and temps them to believe him rather than God... A PDF copy of the talk notes is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 10th September 2024. The revelation from God that we are created for a positive purpose and the fact that he is prepared to reveal these purposes, is the most wonderful knowledge that any human could ever experience. The opportunity to be anointed (enlivened) by God's Spirit and the promise of eternal life almost seems to good to be true. The Bible not only reveals these truths, but also reveals the best way to deal with problems as well. A PDF copy of the talk notes is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 3rd September 2024. Jesus give us an understanding of what Spiritual truths are, how God sees us, and how he deals with us relative to mercy and forgiveness. The parable of the lost sheep, The parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost son.

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 1st September 2024. We will particularly look at Mark 16 and the 'casting out of devils'... why is casting out devils listed first? Let's see how the word 'devils' is used in scriptures... The Jews had no words for mental illness as we now have today. Many of the 'demon possessions' in the scriptures are mental illnesses and are quite definable by modern medicine (let's not confuse the cause with the solution... God heals and cleanses, and this also includes both spiritual and mental problems). This presentation is not denying the existence of devils and demons as some understand them, but is revealing that there are often other options or explanations for the same event. Not every 'devil' that is healed or cast out is a reference to supernatural possession.

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 28th August 2024. To walk with Jesus, simply means to follow in his footsteps with the same motivation and intensions that he had. This starts with a personal invitation... A PDF copy of the talk notes is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 18th August 2024. Every member of the human race is shaped by the culture and the community they live in...every one of them will also die. The bible offers a solution to the problem of death by introducing a spiritual culture that comes with evidence and scriptural support. This dates back for a couple of thousand years. Better is offered. A PDF copy of the talk notes is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered by Byron Carragher on Sunday 11th August 2024. This talk looks at the example of Joseph in the scriptures relating to adversity and we can draw encouragement from the ups and downs of Joseph's life which can often mirror our own up and down experiences. Daniel and Paul are two other such examples of many in the scriptures that we can draw encouragement from knowing that what we face as adversity is ultimately for God's ultimate plan and purpose.

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 11th August 2024. The Bible frequently use symbolism to help us to understand spiritual principles and human success or failings. Goats are often used as a multifaceted symbol or metaphor because of their varying characteristics. Goats can symbolize sacrifice and atonement... obtaining reconciliation. Goats are also used to reveal the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness... clean or sinful. Goats were seen as clean animals for the purpose of sacrifice and were clean for food, according to God. A PDF copy of the talk notes is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 28th July 2024. Unlike the animals, all humans have a conscience that determines between right and wrong. Being Spirit filled by God offers us an unlimited supply of moral inputs, that shapes our conscience in a way that is able to sustain eternal life. The Holy Spirit inside us provides a consistent and enduring sense of right and wrong... both approving or condemning the things we think or do. It reflects on what others do and determine whether they are right or wrong.

Delivered By Chris Tankey on 21st July 2024. Jesus says "take my yoke upon you and learn of me" {Mat 11:29}. We know that means to understand and to submit to His teachings and example. But the "yoke of the Torah" also meant the specific teachings, interpretations and behaviours of each Rabbi. A few outstanding Rabbis had S'mikhah - the authority to make their own "yoke". Jesus' yoke - easier than strict yokes of most Rabbis of the day - is the only true and correct yoke. It is what we will be judged against. A PDF copy of the Powerpoint presentation is available at: https://www.brf.org.au/articles/articles.jsp?category=9

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 16th July 2024. A few interesting observations out of Revelation 21... the second last book in the bible. These observations are not stated as doctrine, but expressed as interesting possibilities. The words in Revelation were not written for nothing... they are there for a God given reason.

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 14th July 2024. When God created mankind, his intention was that the family unit would be the basis of all society. The family groups would provide for each other as God gave them the increase. Selfishness led to the first sin where Adam and Eve chose personal benefits ahead of God's plans. This sin has led to every other sin that plagues the human race. Selfishness and greed has also led to physical and spiritual death.

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 16th June 2024. God has purposely equipped us with the wisdom (an unconditional gift of the Spirit), so we can have a clearer understanding of the purposes he has for us. The following scriptures contain surprising truths about some aspects of God's love and how it is determined.

Delivered By Pastor Brad Smith on 9th June 2024. Part 1 was delivered 5th May 2024, and Part 2 was delivered 2nd June 2024. In very plain terms, miracles occur when people simply do what Jesus asks them to do... this is still happening today, because nothing has changed within God's promises. Miracles come from obeying and doing the Lord's will.