Faith's Transformative Journey with Don Carpenter

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.

Chapters

• 0:06 Importance of Gathering and Spiritual Growth
• 6:59 Building Spiritual House Through Jesus

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

God had a plan, like he has a plan for your life, and sometimes things happen to us and we're saying why did that happen? I can't understand what's going on here. You will understand very quickly because God is preparing you for something. God was going to break out of the Jewish religion, he was going to touch the Gentiles and it was going to happen through a man called Cornelius. People are moving by the Spirit and God is speaking to them and showing them things. And the angel is telling Cornelius go and sin. For a man called Peter, he's going to tell you what you need to hear. And God still does it that way today. He still uses humans. God told him where he was staying and he said we're all present before God to hear all that you commanded us.

Speaker 1: 1:02

Do we have to go to church? It's not about you going to church. It's about you being built. It's about you being prepared. It's about you and I being molded and made into what God wants us to make. Going to church is what religious people do. They go to church and they go through the routine and do everything.

Speaker 1: 1:34

But when you are a believer, you gather. And the reason you gather? Well, there's many reasons. You encourage one another, you will strengthen one another. You're a witness to what God has done in your life and God will build you. He'll make you strong and that's why we gather. We gather to be made strong and that is why you have to deposit into the building of one another. You might be I don't know what your function is but whatever function it is, god uses that to make you, help you and to make it possible for you to build a spiritual house. Now, god wants a spiritual house because he wants to live in us, he wants to have his way in our lives, he wants to speak through us, and anywhere that God goes, the Holy Ghost goes. Okay, anywhere that God goes, jesus is making the way, because that's what Jesus does he makes the way. And when you're a hornigine believer, hallelujah, it's so wonderful because you have this hunger inside of you and you realize that there's something yet needing. If you're struggling with anything, what do you do with that? You bring that to the Lord and you say Lord, here's an area that is weak.

Speaker 1: 3:14

I was talking to my friend yesterday and he was telling me that he's been doing some work on the other side of his house and he took off a window that looked to be pretty good because he was taking off some siding. He's residing and he noticed that the edge of the window on some of the wood, he touched it and it was all rotten. So now he has to remove the window because he's got to see what's going on and when he looks in there it's really bad, so he has to rebuild it. So it's like us when we're a house and God is building us and working on us. Sometimes renovations are necessary. Sometimes it's brand new. Renovations are necessary when maybe we've backed off and strayed. We got to come back and there's some damage done, has to be redone, and so that's what it's like Now. We could go on and leave it there, we could leave the damage there, but the problem is when you put that new on, it's not going to last very long either. It's going to fall apart and things are going to start to crumble.

Speaker 1: 4:41

So what we do is we make Lord will show us, or we will see it areas that we need to be strengthened in, and so when we gather with people, the Holy Spirit knows this, and the Holy Spirit, you will hear words that will minister exactly where you need it. So remember, god is bringing his people into his presence his way, not our way. Well, I think this, no, no. We must know what God wants. God leads us and we have to do it Lots of times in our lives. In the natural, there are things that we may think is not necessary. We might say I can't see any purpose in that. But when the Holy Spirit says this is the purpose, this is what needs to be done, this is the 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 of them, are filled with the Holy Spirit. None of them Baptized in the Holy Spirit, none of them.

Speaker 1: 6:01

It's in Acts, chapter 11, verse 17. There are good people who believe that they have the Holy Spirit when they get saved. I am talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit walking in power. And some say well, I got that when I got saved. Let me just. There are many scriptures. There are scriptures, but let me read you this one. I'm reading out of the New American Standard Acts, chapter 11, verse 17. And Peter is given the report afterwards, back in Jerusalem. He says, therefore, if God gave to them the same gift, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as he gave us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. So I'm a great believer in believing that we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit Now.

Speaker 1: 6:59

In Hebrews, chapter 3, verse 6, I'm talking about you are the house you are, but Christ as his son over his own house. Whose house are we? In other words, christ as the son over his own house? Whose house are we? In other words, christ as a son over his own house? Whose house are we? We are the house, we are the believers, the we here are the ones that have asked Jesus to come into their hearts, forgive them of their sins and they take him on as Savior and Lord. If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end, we will get that house completed. That's what this is saying.

Speaker 1: 7:53

And then in 1 Peter, chapter 2 and verse 5, ye also, as lively stones are built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. You see, to have a spiritual encounter is what all men on the face of the earth seek the shamans and heathen societies, the witch doctors. They want to see into another world. There's a spiritual drawing in every living human being, drawing in every living human being, and people who don't know where to seek will grab the first thing that goes floating by. And it's up to us, as believers, to reach as many human beings, fellow human beings, to reach them and tell them what you are searching for is Jesus Christ, and not be hesitant for a moment about that and not be hesitant for a moment about that.

Speaker 1: 9:19

I was. I have preached in societies. I have preached in communities that are strong Hindus. I have preached in communities and towns and cities where they are strong Buddhists, and each one of these places. And I have preached in countries where lots of communists are around. I've been in meetings where spies have come and I'm going to tell you I lift up Jesus and I'm not ashamed to tell them that Jesus Christ is who you are searching 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're going to go to heaven and they're going to spend eternity with Jesus. And what they fail to understand is God wants to make them into something. God wants to build them, and in order for the construction to take place to the depth that God wants to do, believers Christian believers need to have the baptism of the Holy Spirit and they need to be filled.