What did Jesus mean when he told his disciples they would do "greater works" than he did? In this episode, Rob Pine and Cynthia Michael dig into Lesson 5 of the Fire Up! study guide, unpacking Jesus' astonishing promise in John 14:12. They trace how the Holy Spirit's coming (John 16:7) transformed the scope of ministry — from Jesus' physical, geographically-limited three-and-a-half-year ministry to a movement that would explode across Asia, Europe, and Africa through the Spirit's power. Rob and Cynthia walk through the story of Philip and the Ethiopian official in Acts 8 as a model of Spirit-empowered obedience, then explore John 14:20's picture of believers bound up in the very heart of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Along the way, Cynthia offers a striking comparison between the tiny geography of Jesus' earthly ministry and the size of Texas, and Rob shares how he challenges young families to see discipling their own children as their first "disciple project." The conversation closes with a fresh way of thinking about an old, familiar prayer — inviting listeners to ask not for Jesus to come into their hearts, but for their hearts to be transformed into his.

This episode is a companion to Lesson 5 of the Fire Up! study guide by Mark Schubach and Jennifer Hicks, available at lifemarkministry.org.

If lightning always brings thunder, does God always keep His promises? Rob Pine and Cynthia Michael dig into Lesson 4 of Fire Up! to explore how the Holy Spirit worked through two very unlikely heroes of faith — Samson and David. They trace Samson's Nazirite calling from birth through his failures and his stunning final act of strength, then turn to David's costly census, his God-given promise of an eternal throne, and the striking contrast between David's repentant heart and King Saul's hardened one. Along the way, Rob and Cynthia reflect honestly on what it means to sin and still be used by God — and why a repentant heart, not a perfect record, is what keeps the Spirit near.

Scripture referenced: Hebrews 11:28, 1 Chronicles 21:1, 2 Samuel 24, 2 Samuel 23:1–4.

This episode is a companion to Lesson 4 of the Fire Up! study guide from Lifemark Ministries. Follow along at lifemarkministries.org.

Does the Holy Spirit work through people who don't even acknowledge God? In this episode of the Fire Up! podcast, hosts Rob Pine and Cynthia Michael dig into Lesson 3 of the study guide, "Unlikely Candidates," and meet three unexpected figures the Holy Spirit worked through in the Old Testament. There's Balaam, the pagan sorcerer-for-hire whose donkey talked more sense than he did, and who found he couldn't curse Israel no matter how much he was paid. There's Cyrus, the Persian king named by God through Isaiah more than a century before his birth, who freed the Israelites without ever truly acknowledging the God he served. And there's King Saul, whose story turns from promise to tragedy — anointed with a new heart by the Spirit, only to watch that Spirit depart as jealousy, disobedience, and a desperate visit to a medium at Endor unraveled his reign. Rob and Cynthia connect these ancient accounts to Jesus' words in John 16:8-11 about the Spirit's ongoing work of conviction in the world today, and Rob shares his own testimony of being convicted long before he ever called himself a Christian. A companion conversation to Lesson 3 of the Fire Up! study guide and video series.

Who really wrote the Bible? In this episode of the Fire Up! podcast, hosts Rob Pine and Cynthia Michael dig into one of Scripture's most fascinating questions: how one Book, written by roughly 40 different people over more than 1,500 years, in three languages and across three continents, still speaks with a single, unified voice. The answer, they discover, is the Holy Spirit himself — the same Spirit who gave Bezalel the skill to build the tabernacle now gave the biblical writers the words to build God's Word. From Moses and the prophets to Haggai's call to rebuild the temple to Peter's reminder that prophets "spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit," this episode traces the Spirit's hand across the Old and New Testaments. Rob and Cynthia also share personal stories of stepping into ministry roles they didn't feel qualified for — and trusting the Holy Spirit to supply the words. A companion conversation to Lesson 2 of the Fire Up! study guide and video series.

Welcome to the Fire Up! podcast series — a companion to Lifemark Ministries' 24-lesson study guide on the Holy Spirit, written by Mark Schubach and Jennifer Hicks. In this first episode, hosts Rob Pine and Cynthia Michael explore the striking oneness of Jesus and the Holy Spirit across the major events of God's plan of redemption.

They trace this thread from Jesus's conception in Luke 1:35 — where the Holy Spirit, the Most High, and the Son are all named in a single verse — through His baptism, where the Spirit descends "like a dove" and anoints Him for ministry. From there, the conversation turns to the Spirit leading Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted, His resurrection by the power of the Spirit (Romans 8), and the moment Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on His disciples after rising from the dead. The episode closes with a look at 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and the manifestation of spiritual gifts "for the common good."

Whether you're working through the Fire Up! study guide alongside this series or just listening in, this episode offers a rich, conversational look at how intimately the Holy Spirit has been involved in Jesus's life and ministry from the very beginning.

Get the full study guide and video series at LifeMarkMinistries.org, or find the podcast on your favorite streaming platform by searching "Life Journey."

Six prophecies. Five hundred years before they happened. Every single one fulfilled. In this episode of The Word of the Lord Came, Rob Pine explores "The Messiah Reigns" — Zechariah chapters 9-14 — and walks through six specific prophecies about Jesus written centuries before his birth: riding into Jerusalem on a donkey (9:9, fulfilled Matthew 21:1-5), redeeming his people through his death (10:8, fulfilled Mark 10:45), being betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (11:12, fulfilled Matthew 26:14-16), being pierced (12:10, fulfilled John 19:34), his disciples scattering when he was struck (13:7, fulfilled Matthew 26:56), and his second coming on the Mount of Olives (14:4, still to come).

Rob connects these fulfilled prophecies to the reliability of Scripture as a whole — over 300 Old Testament prophecies about Jesus' first coming, all fulfilled in detail — and asks what that means for our confidence in the prophecies of his return. Along the way, he touches on premillennialism and amillennialism, the two predominant views on the end times, promising a dedicated episode on that topic later.

Join Rob for the final lesson in the series next time, in the book of Malachi, for a discussion on the nature of God as revealed throughout the Minor Prophets.

For the companion study guide and video lessons, visit lifemarkministries.org/programs.

Six prophecies. Five hundred years before they happened. Every single one fulfilled. In this episode of The Word of the Lord Came, Rob Pine explores "The Messiah Reigns" — Zechariah chapters 9-14 — and walks through six specific prophecies about Jesus written centuries before his birth: riding into Jerusalem on a donkey (9:9, fulfilled Matthew 21:1-5), redeeming his people through his death (10:8, fulfilled Mark 10:45), being betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (11:12, fulfilled Matthew 26:14-16), being pierced (12:10, fulfilled John 19:34), his disciples scattering when he was struck (13:7, fulfilled Matthew 26:56), and his second coming on the Mount of Olives (14:4, still to come).

Rob connects these fulfilled prophecies to the reliability of Scripture as a whole — over 300 Old Testament prophecies about Jesus' first coming, all fulfilled in detail — and asks what that means for our confidence in the prophecies of his return. Along the way, he touches on premillennialism and amillennialism, the two predominant views on the end times, promising a dedicated episode on that topic later.

Join Rob for the final lesson in the series next time, in the book of Malachi, for a discussion on the nature of God as revealed throughout the Minor Prophets.

For the companion study guide and video lessons, visit lifemarkministries.org/programs.