In this episode, Carey connects the “fire series” to a bigger question: what does it mean for God’s holy presence to be “distributed” through the Church—and even into the world—often in spite of us?
From Genesis to Pentecost to Paul’s “corporate temple” language, we explore how God’s glory spreads through a holy people, and why the refiner’s fire is not just about individual sin—but about community formation, church worldliness, and shared discipleship.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- Glory filling the earth as a creation purpose (Genesis 1; Habakkuk 2:14)
- Pentecost as Sinai-going-public: Spirit fire, covenant presence, and commissioning
- Why the Church isn’t a bunch of private temples: one Spirit, one holy dwelling
- Refiner’s fire as compatibility with holiness: exposure + purging, not mere “punishment”
- Malachi 3 and the “prosperity gospel” misunderstanding: corporate justice and care for the poor
- “Milk vs. solid food” as a formation diagnosis, not only an education level
- Why the “marketplace of ideas” is never neutral: it forms desires, attention, identity, and instincts
- Practical implications: treat community life as sacred space, pursue unity, justice, integrity—without moral superiority
Scriptures referenced
Genesis 1:26–28; Habakkuk 2:14; Acts 2; 1 Corinthians 3; Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:9–10; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; Malachi 3; Hebrews 5:11–14 (and additional allusions to Acts 17; Jeremiah 29; “salt and light”).
On This Rock Biblical Theology Community: https://on-this-rock.com/
Website: genesismarksthespot.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot
Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan
Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/
Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan
Chapters
- (00:00:00) - The Big Question: God’s Holy Fire “Distributed”
- (00:02:29) - Beyond Individualism: Identity, Community, and Tribalism
- (00:10:17) - Refiner’s Fire as Communal Formation
- (00:12:48) - The Church Was Always the Point: Setting the Biblical Arc
- (00:14:55) - Pentecost as Sinai Going Public
- (00:17:01) - One Spirit, One Temple: The Corporate Dwelling
- (00:22:46) - What Gets Burned Up: Fire Reveals and Purges
- (00:29:45) - What Fire Exposes: Idols, Factions, Falsehood, Straw
- (00:34:55) - Present Refining vs “The Day”: Vindication and Judgment
- (00:38:32) - Milk vs Meat: A Formation Diagnosis (Not Just “Education”)
- (00:47:37) - No Neutral Space: Formation in the Marketplace of Ideas
