In today's second installment of his teaching session titled, The Biblical Anatomy of Culture, Craig takes us to both Old and New Testaments to explain what God's Word has to say about human cultures.  Beginning in Genesis 11, he takes us back to where he describes all of humanity, runs into each other at a place called the Plains of Shinar. Here we see our common ancestors demonstrating the effects of the curse of sin as human cultures begin to develop.  Those two things?  Pride and Disobedience!  You can find these deadly enemies manifesting themselves right up to today in every single human culture that were shooed of Shinar's plains and scattered by the Sovereign God over all the earth.  It was here languages were introduced not so much as God's gift but a part of God's judgement on our common single cultural ancestors but then over time we see God giving not only languages, but sovereignly assigned locations for all the nations, all for a divine, redemptive purpose as articulated in Acts 17.  But God not only determines the exact locations of the nations, but also, the times set for them...times when God chooses to show up big time and bring a divine move of His Spirit to do unprecedented work in the midst of various tribes and nations over time.  Craig shares one of the most encouraging tribal stories that affirm this truth as he unpackages the story of the Otovala Indians of northern Ecuador.  Can God do it here as well?  Absolutely.  But Craig leaves us with a probing question that asks, What kind of message will we proclaim should God move mightily among us before Jesus comes again?  Will it be a message of the timeless gospel of the Bible, or some syncretistic compromised message that would not please the Lord at all?  An important question for sure, and one that needs to be considered by the church today.  And that's why this Indigenous Faith series is so important! 

As we begin the third session in Craig's six-part Indigenous Faith teaching series, Craig chooses to include in this episode the all-important backstory to their near fatal and life-altering auto accident which happened on June 9, 2009, in which both he and LaDonna should never have survived.  It gives you some important context on why they are compelled to present this important teaching series, in that they are still alive to share it!  And that's so very important to the Smiths. 

In this visit back to the summer of 2009, you'll find out just how miraculous their survival was.  As Craig mentions at the end of today's episode, perhaps there's someone, or maybe even more than one, who could benefit from the spiritual insights and lessons they learned through their ongoing journey of pain and suffering.  "Where was God," Craig shares, "when we rolled those three times going 75 miles per hour down a freeway?  Well, He was right there with us going for a roll as well!" 

In a unique way, their story is their testimony of how their own Indigenous Faith has grown and matured through their own school of suffering.  For many followers of Christ, the class in suffering is a vital part of this school that we only graduate from when God calls us home, either by the grave or when we are caught up in the air to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we be with the Lord!  So let brother Craig get down and personal with you today in an intimate look at personal faith that has been tested by fire, producing in both he and LaDonna, a much finer Indigenous Faith!

Dr. Vern Charette comes back to the podium to present his third devotional teaching on the Authority of Scripture.  He began this informative and inspirational series with the doctrine of General Revelation through His creation, then in his second session directed listeners to the all important doctrine of Special Revelation, which God gave to mankind primarily through the revealed Scriptures.  In today's session, brother Vern transitions to the all important teaching on the Sufficiency of the Scriptures, a theme that carried him through the remaining of his teaching series at our Indigenous Faith  International Leaders Conference in Bemidji, Minnesota in August 2022.  Today, brother Vern presents great biblical insights on the Sufficiency of Scripture for Salvation, using the example of young Timothy, who learned the sacred writings through his mother and grandmother which made him wise to salvation.  Vern also challenged us with a strong indictment for those who pay lip service to the Sufficiency of Scripture, yet by their actions prove anything but a commitment to its authority and sufficiency.  Important insights as we consider the teaching of the Redeeming of Culture teachers that are promoting syncretism that is being advertised as contextualization.  Brother Vern helps set up the teaching sessions that Craig and LaDonna bring as they dig into the weeds of the issues of Christ and culture, especially in the North American Indigenous evangelical ministry scene.  As you listen to both Dr. Charette and the Smiths, we're sure you will see how each other's teaching compliments and supports what the other is saying.  Why?   Because between Dr. Charette and the Smiths there is no distance between not only their strong commitment to Scripture's authority, but its sufficiency as well!  Be blessed, dear friends, through the powerful and practical teaching in today's important session with Dr. Vern Charette!

In this, the fourth and final part of Craig's session on the Authority of Scripture, he discusses the impact the Redeeming of Culture  teachers have had on the North American Indigenous evangelical churches and institutes of Christian higher education.  He continues to explain the path the syncretists have taken in bringing this false teaching into the Native evangelical world, describing it as a pendulum swing from one extreme to another as it flies right past the center of biblical truth.  Of utmost importance is Craig's sharing about the presuppositions that have led those who promote this teaching to come to their conclusions, arguing those presuppositions do not find biblical support.  He leaves us with one of the most provocative statements made in this whole series of teaching, based upon the authoritative Scriptures that in one passage alone in Psalms strikes down the whole Redeeming of Culture philosophy.  Don't miss this all important conclusion on one of the most important sessions in this Indigenous Faith teaching series.  Please come totally focused on today's teaching.  You'll be glad you did!

In today's episode, Craig Smith presents clear information about the difference of mere intellectualism being misunderstood as the Spirit of God speaking to our souls and what it really means about letting the Spirit of God speak to us through His Word and understand it and obey it.  Why does this simple process sound so important?  Because often times intellectuals, especially those of higher educational training, can confuse their own determinations, arrived at from their highly trained minds, as the leading of the Spirit of God.  Craig asks the probing question, Is this how many decisions in corporate board rooms of ministry organizations are arrived at?  Implying they are missing the leading of God's Spirit, which often defies human reasoning and common sense as the mysterious ways of God are lived out in our lives and ministries.  Also, Craig brings to our attention the path modern day syncretism has traveled to invade today's Evangelical church.   You may be surprised to know how this has happened.  Finally, Craig introduces the presuppositions the leaders of the Redeeming of Culture movement have maintained that has led them to develop their philosophy of ministry, which, when shown under the scrutiny of the Scriptures, cannot be supported by those Scriptures.  Crucial teaching for us all as we seek to build a biblically strong and lasting Indigenous Faith.

In today's second part of a three part series Craig's titled, The Authority of Scripture, Craig delves into the fallacy of Universalism which denies Christ own words where He said, I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the father except through me.   He also introduces us to the process called Hermeneutics which is the process of interpreting the Scriptures which is so important to a right understanding of what God intended us as receivers to know and to take away from what the Scriptures are saying.  While many other denominations and church groups have rejected a High view of Scripture, Craig contends that modern evangelicalism is one of the last to hold on to the Authority of Scripture.  In this session he unpackages what both a high and low view of Scripture is, contrasting one from the other.  He ends this session with a quote from Dr. A.W. Tozer on the dangers for those who hold to a high view of Scripture on what he calls mere Textualism, which he defines as an intellectual affirmation of biblical truth but without the enlightenment of God's Holy Spirit bringing the truth out of the text in a way God truly meant it to mean.  This session, as you will see, is jam packed with a lot of things to consider and pray about for our own lives.  All important truths for living out a biblically healthy Indigenous Faith.

In today's episode, Craig Smith takes us into the second session in his six-part Indigenous Faith teaching series.  Today, Craig begins to present his important session on the Authority of Scripture.  In it, he introduces the process of discovering what the original intent of God's Word was when the Lord moved upon the forty some human scribes who were moved by the Spirit of God to write what they were told to write.  That process is called hermeneutics.  He helps the listener understand there are a variety of ways to interpret the Word of God but there really is one way to uncover what God's original intent was in each passage He inspired the writers to write.  This process is critical in properly aligning ourselves to the universal truth of the Word.  False teaching has always employed other kind of hermeneutics to come to their conclusions and misaligned understandings, thus allowing the Word of God to say whatever they want it to say.  Included in that misled process is using a cultural hermeneutic, which basically lets all cultures determine what God's Word is saying to them and not necessarily anyone else.  The ultimate end of that trail leads to relative truth, denying the reality that God's Word is absolute, universal truth that has primacy over every human culture and worldview.  All this is important foundational teaching  helps us understand how false teaching can flourish alongside biblical truth.  Craig and LaDonna pray that the teaching you are receiving in this Indigenous Faith teaching series will help you know how to detect truth from error and how to stand strong on the Authority of Scripture.  All necessary to help build a biblically healthy Indigenous Faith.

Dr. Vern Charette comes once again to unpackages for us God's Word on the Authority of the Scriptures.  In today's episode, brother Vern contrasts the doctrine of Special Revelation vs. the doctrine of General or Natural Revelation.  In a message not soon forgotten,  the importance of this crucial doctrine is laid out for all to hear, leaving us with an important understanding that salvation of God comes only through His Special Revelation.  Knowing there is a God by being amazed at creation is not sufficient to save.  But understanding that Jesus is the only way, truth, and life as laid out in the Scriptures is sufficient to lead us to an everlasting and saving faith.  All this leads us to acknowledge the authority of God's Word in our life, which is crucial to building a solid IndigenousFaith.  Please come prepared to be fed well spiritually by these wonderful biblical truths.   

In this, the final episode in Craig's first session titled, Contending for the Faith, Pastor Smith unpackages for us this timely message from the heart of Jude to the church on the importance of preaching sound doctrine and protecting the congregation from false teaching.  To contend for the faith, Jude says, means not indifference, but action.  A pushing back on false teaching whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head is how the New Testament writers profile some of the most important roles of the leaders of Christ's Church.  Lack of action on the part of church leaders to confront false teaching is one of the church's biggest areas of weakness, however, which gives false teaching time to grow and nurture and spring up into a much larger issue that can take so many believers down the road to compromise.  That's why this Indigenous Faith series, according to Craig and LaDonna, has been so heavy on their heart and something they just could not turn a blind eye to.  Why?  As Craig puts it, quoting the great reformer, Martin Luther, My conscience is captive to the Word of God!