Faith's Transformative Journey with Don Carpenter

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What if the journey of faith is more about the transformation along the way rather than reaching a final destination? Join us for an enlightening exploration of how God's plans unfold through unexpected paths, as illustrated by the story of Cornelius and Peter. We promise you'll gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic role the Holy Spirit plays in guiding believers, with insights into how gathering with others can fortify faith and build a nurturing spiritual community. Within this sacred space, we encourage openness to spiritual growth, likening it to the renovation of a home, where divine empowerment through the baptism of the Holy Spirit can elevate believers to new heights.

As we continue our journey, we step into the spiritual house of Christ, drawing inspiration from the teachings in Hebrews and Peter. Join us as we discover the calling for believers to be lively stones, constructing a spiritual abode and embracing a holy priesthood through Jesus Christ. Through my own experiences preaching across the globe, from Hindu to Buddhist to communist communities, we address the universal longing for spiritual fulfillment and how Jesus Christ stands as the ultimate answer. We dismantle the misconception of finding Jesus as a final goal, revealing instead a transformative journey that invites believers to grow into something far greater. Reflect with us on your path, and discover the profound renovation that awaits.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
God had a plan, like he has a plan for your life, and
sometimes things happen to usand we're saying why did that
happen?
I can't understand what's goingon here.
You will understand veryquickly because God is preparing
you for something.
God was going to break out ofthe Jewish religion, he was

(00:27):
going to touch the Gentiles andit was going to happen through a
man called Cornelius.
People are moving by the Spiritand God is speaking to them and
showing them things.
And the angel is tellingCornelius go and sin.
For a man called Peter, he'sgoing to tell you what you need

(00:47):
to hear.
And God still does it that waytoday.
He still uses humans.
God told him where he wasstaying and he said we're all
present before God to hear allthat you commanded us.
Do we have to go to church?
It's not about you going tochurch.

(01:08):
It's about you being built.
It's about you being prepared.
It's about you and I beingmolded and made into what God
wants us to make.
Going to church is whatreligious people do.
They go to church and they gothrough the routine and do

(01:32):
everything.
But when you are a believer, yougather.
And the reason you gather?
Well, there's many reasons.
You encourage one another, youwill strengthen one another.
You're a witness to what Godhas done in your life and God

(01:53):
will build you.
He'll make you strong andthat's why we gather.
We gather to be made strong andthat is why you have to deposit
into the building of oneanother.
You might be I don't know whatyour function is but whatever
function it is, god uses that tomake you, help you and to make

(02:19):
it possible for you to build aspiritual house.
Now, god wants a spiritualhouse because he wants to live
in us, he wants to have his wayin our lives, he wants to speak
through us, and anywhere thatGod goes, the Holy Ghost goes.

(02:41):
Okay, anywhere that God goes,jesus is making the way, because
that's what Jesus does he makesthe way.
And when you're a horniginebeliever, hallelujah, it's so
wonderful because you have thishunger inside of you and you
realize that there's somethingyet needing.

(03:02):
If you're struggling withanything, what do you do with
that?
You bring that to the Lord andyou say Lord, here's an area
that is weak.
I was talking to my friendyesterday and he was telling me

(03:23):
that he's been doing some workon the other side of his house
and he took off a window thatlooked to be pretty good because
he was taking off some siding.
He's residing and he noticedthat the edge of the window on
some of the wood, he touched itand it was all rotten.

(03:45):
So now he has to remove thewindow because he's got to see
what's going on and when helooks in there it's really bad,
so he has to rebuild it.
So it's like us when we're ahouse and God is building us and
working on us.
Sometimes renovations arenecessary.

(04:07):
Sometimes it's brand new.
Renovations are necessary whenmaybe we've backed off and
strayed.
We got to come back and there'ssome damage done, has to be
redone, and so that's what it'slike Now.
We could go on and leave itthere, we could leave the damage

(04:28):
there, but the problem is whenyou put that new on, it's not
going to last very long either.
It's going to fall apart andthings are going to start to
crumble.
So what we do is we make Lordwill show us, or we will see it
areas that we need to bestrengthened in, and so when we

(04:51):
gather with people, the HolySpirit knows this, and the Holy
Spirit, you will hear words thatwill minister exactly where you
need it.
So remember, god is bringinghis people into his presence his
way, not our way.

(05:12):
Well, I think this, no, no.
We must know what God wants.
God leads us and we have to doit Lots of times in our lives.
In the natural, there arethings that we may think is not
necessary.
We might say I can't see anypurpose in that.
But when the Holy Spirit saysthis is the purpose, this is

(05:38):
what needs to be done, this isthe purpose, this is what needs
to be done Now.
Bear in mind that these people,under this godly man called
Cornelius, none of them, none ofthem, are filled with the Holy
Spirit.
None of them Baptized in theHoly Spirit, none of them.

(06:01):
It's in Acts, chapter 11, verse17.
There are good people whobelieve that they have the Holy
Spirit when they get saved.
I am talking about the baptismof the Holy Spirit walking in
power.
And some say well, I got thatwhen I got saved.
Let me just.

(06:22):
There are many scriptures.
There are scriptures, but letme read you this one.
I'm reading out of the NewAmerican Standard Acts, chapter
11, verse 17.
And Peter is given the reportafterwards, back in Jerusalem.
He says, therefore, if God gaveto them the same gift, which is

(06:43):
the baptism of the Holy Spirit,as he gave us also after
believing in the Lord JesusChrist.
So I'm a great believer inbelieving that we need to be
filled with the Holy Spirit.
We need to be filled with theHoly Spirit Now.
In Hebrews, chapter 3, verse 6,I'm talking about you are the

(07:06):
house you are, but Christ as hisson over his own house.
Whose house are we?
In other words, christ as theson over his own house?
Whose house are we?
In other words, christ as a sonover his own house?
Whose house are we?
We are the house, we are thebelievers, the we here are the

(07:32):
ones that have asked Jesus tocome into their hearts, forgive
them of their sins and they takehim on as Savior and Lord.
If we hold fast the confidenceand the rejoicing of the hope
firm unto the end, we will getthat house completed.
That's what this is saying.

(07:53):
And then in 1 Peter, chapter 2and verse 5, ye also, as lively
stones are built up, a spiritualhouse, a holy priesthood to
offer spiritual sacrificesacceptable to God by Jesus
Christ.
You see, to have a spiritualencounter is what all men on the

(08:21):
face of the earth seek theshamans and heathen societies,
the witch doctors.
They want to see into anotherworld.
There's a spiritual drawing inevery living human being,
drawing in every living humanbeing, and people who don't know

(08:42):
where to seek will grab thefirst thing that goes floating
by.
And it's up to us, as believers, to reach as many human beings,
fellow human beings, to reachthem and tell them what you are

(09:05):
searching for is Jesus Christ,and not be hesitant for a moment
about that and not be hesitantfor a moment about that.
I was.
I have preached in societies.
I have preached in communitiesthat are strong Hindus.
I have preached in communitiesand towns and cities where they

(09:31):
are strong Buddhists, and eachone of these places.
And I have preached incountries where lots of
communists are around.
I've been in meetings wherespies have come and I'm going to
tell you I lift up Jesus andI'm not ashamed to tell them

(09:54):
that Jesus Christ is who you aresearching for.
And when you find Jesus now,some people, some people they
think that when they find Jesus,that's going to be good enough.
Now, when they die, they'regoing to go to heaven and
they're going to spend eternitywith Jesus.
And what they fail tounderstand is God wants to make

(10:20):
them into something.
God wants to build them, and inorder for the construction to
take place to the depth that Godwants to do, believers
Christian believers need to havethe baptism of the Holy Spirit
and they need to be filled.