What does it look like when the Holy Spirit sends people out, and how can they still be full of joy when the world turns against them? In Lesson 13 of Fire Up!, "Advancements and Adversity Intertwined," Rob Pine and Cynthia follow the gospel from Antioch in Syria to Antioch in Pisidia as Paul's first missionary journey begins.

They start in Acts 11, where believers scattered by persecution plant the church at Antioch and Barnabas brings Saul in to help teach. In Acts 13:1–5, the Holy Spirit tells the church, while it is worshiping and fasting, to set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work He has called them to, with John Mark along to help. Rob and Cynthia also cover the false teacher in Cyprus, the governor who comes to faith there, and Paul's first full sermon in Pisidian Antioch. That leads into Romans 8:12–17 and what it means to be adopted children of God and co-heirs with Christ. Philippians 1:21 and James 1:2–3 help explain how the disciples could be joyful even after being persecuted and driven out.

Cynthia shares why accountability groups matter for leaders (Acts 20:28–31). She also talks through the myths and sayings she grew up with (1 Timothy 4), from black-cat bad luck to "God just wants you to be happy," and the time she answered that last one with a simple truth: God wants His people to be holy.

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

What does it take for you to see someone, or something, in a completely new way? Sometimes it's a conversion. Sometimes it's a transformation.

In this episode, Rob Pine and Bible teacher Cynthia Michael explore how the Holy Spirit worked in two very different men. In Acts 9, Saul, a leading persecutor of the church who had watched the stoning of Stephen, is confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus, struck blind, and spends three days praying and fasting before Ananias lays hands on him so he can see and receive the Holy Spirit. Before long, the hunter becomes the hunted as Saul boldly proves in the synagogues that Jesus is the Christ. Then in Acts 10, Peter's rooftop vision in Joppa prepares him for a radical shift in thinking, leading him into the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, where the Holy Spirit is poured out on Gentiles for the first time, a moment Rob calls the "Gentile Pentecost."

Rob reflects on his own teaching about the Jewish, Samaritan, and Gentile Pentecosts and why we can't put God in a box, while Cynthia shares how both Saul and Peter had to humble themselves and let go of previous beliefs. Together they consider why God works through the whole body of believers, and why a life of continual transformation requires humility.

This episode is a companion to Lesson 12 of the Fire Up! study guide from LifeMark Ministries. Find the study guide, podcast, and video series at lifemarkministries.org.

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.

What happens when the Holy Spirit's power is on public display? In this episode, Rob Pine and Cynthia Michael look at Acts 5, where the Spirit lights up Jerusalem like a bonfire. Signs and wonders confirm the apostles' message (Mark 16:20), and multitudes of men and women come to the Lord (Acts 5:14). That's the convicting ministry Jesus promised the Spirit would carry out in John 16:8. As Cynthia puts it, Jesus' work is now multiplied through the hands of His followers, and the book of Acts isn't really over yet.

Rob and Cynthia then turn to the backlash. The Sadducees, driven by jealousy (Acts 5:17), arrest the apostles, but an angel opens the prison doors and sends them back to preach in the temple courts. Brought before the council, the apostles say that they and the Holy Spirit are witnesses to what happened (Acts 5:32), a charge that enrages the leaders. The respected rabbi Gamaliel warns the council that if this movement is from God, they will find themselves fighting against God. After being flogged, the apostles leave rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name.

Rob connects their joy to Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:10–12), which the Spirit brought back to their memory. Cynthia reflects on how the Spirit turned men who had once fled from Jesus into witnesses ready to stand firm. Together they ask whether our God is big enough to sustain us when we face persecution today.

This episode is a companion to Fire Up!, a 24-lesson study on the Holy Spirit by Mark Schupbach of LifeMark Ministries. Watch the video and find the study guide at LifeMarkMinistries.org under Resources > Study Guides.

What does a church look like when the Holy Spirit is truly at work in it? In this episode, Rob Pine and Cynthia Michael walk through Acts 4 and 5, where Peter and John, released after being threatened by the religious authorities, return to their community. Instead of praying for protection, the believers pray for boldness, and God shakes the place where they are gathered and fills them with the Holy Spirit. Rob and Cynthia explore the marks of a Spirit-filled church: bold proclamation, unity of purpose, powerful prayer, and radical generosity, seen in Barnabas, the "son of encouragement," and sharply contrasted with the deception of Ananias and Sapphira.

From there, the conversation turns to the spiritual battle every believer faces (1 Peter 5:6–9; Ephesians 6:10–18) and the difference between grieving the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and quenching the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Cynthia shares how Ephesians 4:24 reshaped her view of the new self, not only as a long journey, but as something already made that we put on, and how giving thanks in all circumstances, praying continually, and rejoicing always keep the Spirit's fire burning within us.

This episode is a companion to Fire Up!, a 24-lesson study on the Holy Spirit by Mark Schupbach of LifeMark Ministries. Watch the video and find the study guide at LifeMarkMinistries.org under Resources > Study Guides.

What happens when a man who asks for a few coins receives far more than he ever imagined? In Lesson 8, "Shock and Awe," Rob Pine and Cynthia Michael explore Acts 3 and 4, where Peter and John meet a lame beggar at the temple gate. With no silver or gold to give, Peter offers something greater: healing in the name of Jesus Christ. The miracle stirs the crowd to amazement and puts the apostles on a collision course with the high priest, the Sadducees, and the same leaders who orchestrated Jesus' crucifixion.

Rob and Cynthia trace Peter's bold sermon in Acts 3:12–16, where he credits Jesus, the "author of life," for the healing, and they marvel at the transformation of a fisherman who once denied Christ three times but now stands fearlessly before the religious authorities. The religious leaders see ordinary, unschooled men from Galilee, yet recognize that they had been with Jesus. The conversation also draws on Paul's prayer for spiritual strength in Ephesians 3:14–21, Jesus' promise of the Spirit in John 14:15–21, and His prayer for sanctification in John 17:14–19.

Along the way, Cynthia shares why she has prayed the Ephesians 3 prayer over people for years and offers a picture of believers as ambassadors whose true citizenship is in heaven. Both hosts challenge listeners to live so that others recognize they have been with Jesus, not just on Sunday but all week long.

This episode is a companion to the Fire Up! study guide from LifeMark Ministries.

Have you ever been fired up to see the church born? In this episode, Rob Pine and Cynthia Michael walk through Acts chapter 2, exploring the day of Pentecost — when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 gathered disciples with sound and fire, and Peter's sermon led thousands to repentance and baptism. They dig into the significance of being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit as the mark of the New Covenant, and how Paul's encounter with disciples in Ephesus (Acts 19) illustrates that same transformation. Along the way, Rob and Cynthia reflect on the tension between the "vertical" (God-to-man) and "horizontal" (man-to-man) commandments, and what it looks like for the Holy Spirit to move a believer from being merely a disciple to becoming an active witness. This episode is a companion to Lesson 7 of the Fire Up! Bible study guide from LifeMark Ministries.

Have you ever served as a witness? In this episode, Rob Pine and Cynthia Michael walk through Acts chapter 1, where the risen Jesus gathers His disciples on the Mount of Olives and promises they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them — then ascends before their eyes. Rob and Cynthia unpack the difference between a disciple and a witness, why the Holy Spirit's power is essential to understanding Scripture and living boldly for Christ, and what it looks like to wait well through prayer and fellowship. They also dig into Peter's example of seeking Scripture, community, and submission to the Holy Spirit's direction when the disciples chose Judas's replacement by casting lots. This episode is a companion to Lesson 6 of the Fire Up! Bible study guide from LifeMark Ministries.