Why do you believe what you believe? Many Christians can tell you what they believe but struggle to explain why. In Lesson 11, "The Fire Spreads Through Stephen and Philip," Rob Pine and Bible teacher Cynthia Michael look at two of the seven men chosen in Acts 6. They were picked because they were known to be "full of the Spirit and wisdom," and both did far more than wait on tables.

Stephen's sermon before the Sanhedrin (Acts 7) walks through Israel's history from Abraham to the Messiah. It ends with his vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God, which Rob describes as a heavenly "standing ovation." Rob and Cynthia show how this fulfilled Jesus' promise in Luke 21:15 to give His followers words and wisdom. They also talk about our call in 1 Peter 3:15 to give a reason for our hope with gentleness and respect.

After Stephen is stoned, persecution scatters the church. Philip carries the gospel to Samaria, a people many Jews avoided, and then to an Ethiopian official reading Isaiah 53 (Acts 8). Cynthia points out that Philip listened and asked questions before he taught. Rob shares how Terry Rush patiently walked with him for months before he came to faith at age 28. The episode closes with a prayer that all believers would be full of God's Spirit, wisdom, faith, grace and power.

This episode is a companion to Fire Up!, a 24-lesson study guide on the Holy Spirit by Mark Schupbach from LifeMark Ministries.