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](http://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
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