PODCAST · religion
The Empowered Word with Hal Hester
by Hal Hester
Message series from the Vineyard Christian Church in Brooksville, FL
Episodes
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Dear Theophilus: From Persecutor to Brother
Acts 9.1-31 18 October 2026 What happens when Jesus transforms someone we never thought could change? In Acts 9.1–31, Saul goes from persecuting the followers of Jesus to proclaiming him as the risen Messiah. But his transformation also challenges the church: will we welcome the people Jesus is...
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Dear Theophilus: Wherever the Spirit Sends Us
Acts 8.26-40 11 October 2026 In Acts 8.26–40, Philip is sent by the Holy Spirit to a desert road where he encounters an Ethiopian eunuch who has traveled to Jerusalem to worship and is reading Isaiah 53. What follows is a beautiful picture of the gospel crossing boundaries, fulfilling the…
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Dear Theophilus: Wherever God Says Go, He Goes Before Us
Acts 8.4-25 4 October 2026 In Acts 8.4–25, Philip takes the gospel into Samaria and discovers that God is already at work there. What began with persecution and scattering becomes a movement of salvation, healing, the Holy Spirit, and great joy. Following Jesus sometimes means stepping beyond our...
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Dear Theophilus: What Are We Becoming?
Acts 7.1-8.3 27 September 2026 In Acts 7, Luke gives us a remarkable picture of Stephen—not simply as a faithful believer, but as a disciple who has become like Jesus. In his teaching, his courage, his response to opposition, and even his death, Stephen reflects the character of Jesus. But...
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Dear Theophilus: Don’t Let the Blessing Become the Barrier.
Acts 6.1-15 20 September 2026 In Acts 6, the early church discovers that even a Spirit-filled community can face conflict, inconvenience, and difficult problems. The question is not simply, “Am I right?” but “Who am I becoming?” Don't let God's blessings become barriers to following Jesus and...
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Dear Theophilus: The Power of Being Powerless
Acts 5.17-42 13 September 2026 What happens when the church has no political power, no cultural influence, and no ability to control the world around it? Acts 5 gives us an answer. The Apostles were arrested, imprisoned, threatened, and beaten. Yet they refused to stop proclaiming Jesus. They...
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Dear Theophilus: The Presence and the Power
6 September 2026 Acts 4.32–5.16 What happens when the presence of God becomes real among His people? Acts 5 gives us the sobering story of Ananias and Sapphira and reminds us that the presence and power of the Holy Spirit are not something to take lightly. God doesn’t simply want to empower us—He...
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Dear Theophilus: We Can’t Help but Speak
Acts 4:5-31 30 August 2026Peter and John were ordinary men, but they had been with Jesus. Now, standing before the same religious powers that rejected their Lord, they find themselves empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak with remarkable boldness. Their confidence wasn’t rooted in education,...
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Dear Theophilus: Signs of the Kingdom
23 August 2026 Acts 3.1-4.4 In Acts 3, Peter and John encounter a man who has been unable to walk since birth. His healing becomes more than a miracle—it becomes a sign of the kingdom of God, pointing to Jesus, the resurrection, and God's promise to restore all things. As the kingdom breaks in,...
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Dear Theophilus: The Front Door of the Kingdom
Acts 2.42–47 16 August 2026 What happens when the Kingdom of God begins to take root in ordinary people? In Acts 2.42–47, Luke gives us a picture of the early church living out a radically different way of being human—devoted to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, shared meals, and prayer. The...
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Dear Theophilus: The King, the Covenant, and the Call
Acts 2.14-41 9 August 2026 What makes Christianity different from every other religion? In Peter's first sermon after Pentecost, he doesn't begin with rules or religious rituals. He tells the story of God's faithfulness—from the prophets, to King David, to the resurrection of Jesus—and shows how...
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Dear Theophilus: Reversing Babel
Acts 2.1-21 2 August 2026 Acts 2 is far more than the story of speaking in tongues. At Pentecost, God pours out His Spirit to make His people His new temple, to begin healing the divisions of Babel, and to empower the Church for its mission to the nations. Join us as we discover how the Spirit's...
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Dear Theophilus: From Jerusalem to the Ends of the Earth
Acts 1.1-26 26 July 2026 The Gospel of Luke tells us what Jesus began to do and teach. The book of Acts reveals what He continues to do through His Spirit-filled Church. In this introduction to Acts, we explore the significance of Jesus' bodily resurrection and ascension, the coming of the Holy...
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Dear Theophilus: The Revolution of the Cross
Luke 22.47-71 19 July 2026 Before the cross, everyone expected Jesus to start a revolution. Judas, Peter, the religious leaders, and Rome all assumed the Kingdom would come through power, force, or political victory. Instead, Jesus chose surrender over violence, love over vengeance, and the cross...
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Dear Theophilus: Where is Your Trust?
Luke 22.24-46 12 July 2026 At the Last Supper, the disciples argue over status, Peter insists he will never fail, the disciples misunderstand Jesus' mission, and later they fall asleep when He asks them to pray. At first these seem like unrelated moments, but Luke is weaving them together around...
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Dear Theophilus: Have a seat at the table
Luke 22:1-23 At the table where Jesus institutes Communion, betrayal is already in motion. Yet rather than focusing on condemnation, Jesus offers redemption, forgiveness, and the promise of His coming Kingdom. While the plans of man and the enemy can be exercised, the fulfillment of God’s plans…
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Dear Theophilus: The Kingdom That Remains
Luke 21:5-38 This section of Scripture, Luke chapter 21:5-38, serves to pull together the “string of pearls” that we’ve been working through the last month or so, since getting into Luke 19… Issuing warnings about the kinds of things the Church is going to have to see, endure, and wrestle in the...
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Dear Theophilus: Optics and Authenticity
Luke 20.41-21.4 21 June 2026 In the final week before His crucifixion, Jesus exposes the difference between religious appearance and genuine devotion. The scribes loved recognition, honor, and public displays of spirituality, but Jesus saw through the optics. Then He pointed to a poor widow whose...
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Born again, for new life in Christ
Romans 6:1-14“When we read scripture and choose to follow Christ, we’re made a totally new creation. This then allows us to walk out the will of God for our lives, in order to spread the gospel to those around us. In order to do that live the life Jesus intends for us, we must first be born…
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Dear Theophilus: Ours is a Gospel of Life
7 June 2026 In Luke 20.27-40, Jesus confronts the Sadducees — religious elites who denied the resurrection and reduced faith to philosophy and social respectability. But Jesus declares that our God is “not the God of the dead, but of the living.” This message explores why resurrection matters…
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Dear Theophilus: Whose Image Do You Bear?
Luke 20.1-26 31 May 2026 The religious leaders demanded to know by whose authority Jesus acted, but their challenge exposed a deeper problem: misplaced loyalty. In Luke 20.1-26, Jesus confronts corrupt leadership, reveals the true source of His authority, and challenges His followers to consider...
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Dear Theophilus: A Broken Heart for a Broken People
Dear Theophilus: A Broken Heart for a Broken People Luke 19.28-48 24 May 2026 Jesus enters Jerusalem to the sound of worship, Messianic expectation, and cries of “Blessed is the King!” But while the crowds celebrate, Jesus weeps. In Luke 19.28-48, we see a King confronting the hard-heartedness of...
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Dear Theophilus: What will the King find when he comes to his people?
Luke 19.11-2717 May 2026As Jesus approaches Jerusalem in Luke 19, he tells a parable about a returning king, faithful servants, and coming judgment. But this passage is about far more than the end times. In this message from our Dear Theophilus series, we explore how Jesus reveals himself as…
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Dear Theophilus: What Kind of King Stops?
Luke 18.31-19.10 10 May 2026 What kind of King stops for a blind beggar… and invites Himself to the house of a corrupt tax collector? In this message from Luke 18.31–19.10, we follow Jesus on his final journey to Jerusalem and discover something surprising: the cross isn’t just the destination—it...
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Dear Theophilus: The Kingdom Belongs to the Dependent
Luke 18.15-30 3 May 2026 What do infants and a rich young ruler have in common? In Luke 18, Jesus reveals that the kingdom of God is not entered through success, strength, or self-sufficiency—but through humble dependence. This message will challenge what you trust in and invite you to surrender
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Dear Theophilus: When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?
Luke 18.1-14 26 April 2026 In Luke 18.1–14, Jesus reveals what real discipleship looks like. Persistent prayer. Humble repentance. Deep trust in the Father. While some trust in their own goodness, others come empty-handed and receive mercy. Jesus is still asking the question: Will He find faith…
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Dear Theophilus: The Kingdom of God Is In The Midst of You
[Dear Theophilus: The Kingdom of God Is In The Midst of You ] 19 April 2026 Luke 17:20-37 In Luke 17, Jesus tells people who were looking for the Kingdom that they were missing it completely.They wanted signs, power, and control—but the King was already in their midst. This message unpacks Jesus’...
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Dear Theophilus: You Don’t Lack Faith – You Lack Humility
12 April 2026 Luke 17.1-19 Most people want faith. Almost no one pursues humility. In Luke 17, Jesus shows that repentance, forgiveness, and gratitude all flow from one place—and without it, you can miss the kingdom while standing right in front of it. If you would like to support us in our...
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Dear Theophilus: The Resurrection Opened the Tomb, Their Minds, and Their Hearts
05 April 2026 Luke 24.1-53 When the tomb opened, it wasn’t the only thing that changed. In Luke 24, we see confused followers become convinced witnesses as the risen Jesus opens the Scriptures, their minds, and their hearts. The resurrection isn’t just something to believe—it’s something that...
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Dear Theophilus: The Cruciform Life
29 March 2026 Luke 23.26-56 At the cross, everyone has something to say about Jesus—but not everyone sees him clearly. In Gospel of Luke 23.26–56, a worshipper named Simon finds that real worship leads to the Cross. Likewise, two dying men hang beside him. One mocks. One trusts. And in that…
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Dear Theophilus: Two kingdoms. Two guys named Jesus. One choice.
22 March 2026 Luke 23.1-25 In Luke 23, the crowd is given a shocking choice: two men named Jesus—one guilty, one innocent. One represents the way of power, violence, and control; the other, a kingdom built on surrender, sacrifice, and redemption. In this message, we step into the tension of that...
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Dear Theophilus: Called be God’s Good Steward.
15 March 2026 Luke 16.1-31 What does our relationship with money reveal about our relationship with God? In Luke 16, Jesus tells two challenging stories—the shrewd steward and the rich man and Lazarus—to expose where our true allegiance lies. In this message from the Dear Theophilus series, we...
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Dear Theophilus: Loss and the Father’s Heart
08 March 2026 Luke 15.1-32 In Luke 15, Jesus reveals the beating heart of God. While religious leaders grumble, heaven celebrates. Through the stories of a lost sheep, a lost coin, and two lost sons, we see a Father who searches, waits, runs, and rejoices. This message confronts our tendency…
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Dear Theophilus: Counting the Cost of Following Jesus
01 March 2026 Luke 14.25-35 Jesus never bait-and-switches anyone. In Luke 14.25–35, he turns to the crowds and tells them the truth: following him will cost everything. Family, comfort, control—even our own lives—must bow to allegiance to the King and his kingdom. This message confronts a cheap,...
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The Cycle Feeds Itself
22 February 2026 Luke 14.1-24, Micah 6.8 In Luke 14.1–24, Jesus exposes the danger of religious comfort and passive resistance to God. Through a Sabbath healing, a parable about pride, and a story of rejected invitations, Jesus confronts a deeper question: do we want the Kingdom of God—or just…
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Dear Theophilus: A Seat at the Table
15 February 2026 Luke 14.1–24 In Luke 14.1–24, Jesus exposes the danger of religious comfort and passive resistance to God. Through a Sabbath healing, a parable about pride, and a story of rejected invitations, Jesus confronts a deeper question: do we want the Kingdom of God—or just the benefits…
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Dear Theophilus: When What Was Meant for Good Is Weaponized
08 February 2026 Luke 13.18-36 Dear Theophilus: The Narrow Way Without a Narrow Mind In Luke 13.18–35, Jesus teaches that the way to life is narrow—but he also warns against confusing a narrow way with a narrow mind. Speaking to people confident in their religious identity yet at risk of missing...
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Dear Theophilus: When What Was Meant for Good Is Weaponized
01 February 2026 Luke 13.10-17 God’s Law was meant to bring life, freedom, and joy. In Luke 13.10–17, Jesus confronts what happens when what was meant for good is weaponized by religion—and calls his followers back to compassion, humility, and the heart of the Kingdom. If you would like to…
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Dear Theophilus: Ready, Set, Go
25 January 2026 Luke 13.19 In Luke 13.1–9, Jesus confronts our habit of explaining tragedy in ways that let us feel safe and superior. Instead of explaining away tragedy he issues a gracious but urgent call to repentance. Through the parable of the fig tree, Jesus warns against misplaced…
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Dear Theophilus: Ready, Set, Go
17 January 2026 Luke 12.35-59 In Luke 12.35–59, Jesus calls his followers to stay awake and remain faithful in a world marked by upheaval and competing loyalties. This message explores what readiness really means—not anxious speculation about the future, but steadfast allegiance to Jesus in the...
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Dear Theophilus: Where Your Treasure is, your heart will be
11 January 2026 Luke 12.13-34, Deuteronomy 18.15 When life feels uncertain, where do we instinctively place our trust? In Luke 12.13–34, Jesus confronts our tendency to seek security in possessions, planning, and self-sufficiency, and invites us instead into a deeper dependence on God. This is…
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Dear Theophilus: Beware the Leaven
04 January 2026 Luke 12.1-12 Jesus warns his disciples about a faith shaped by approval rather than allegiance. In Luke 12.1–12, we are invited to examine the subtle influences — fear, tribalism, and performative religion — that quietly reshape our hearts. This is a call beyond echo chambers and...
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Dear Theophilus: The Weightier Matters of the Law
28 December 2025 Luke 11.42-54 In Luke 11.42–54, Jesus confronts a form of faith that is meticulous in practice yet empty of justice, love, and humility. This message invites us to examine whether our devotion produces Kingdom life or merely religious performance—and to hear Jesus’ hard words as…
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Bringer of Good News
21 December 2025 Isaiah 61.1-11 Jesus fulfills God’s promise to bring freedom, restoration, and joy. He comes to proclaim liberty for the captives and hope for the weary. Join us this week to celebrate the Bringer of Good News—God’s rescue has arrived. If you would like to support us in our...
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His Name Shall Be Called… Lamb of God
14 December 2025 Isaiah 53.1-12 The promised child isn’t just a baby—He is the Lamb of God who takes on our sin and suffering. His love is costly, his sacrifice real, and through him salvation is made possible. Celebrate the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. If you would like to...
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He Shall Be Called… Wonderful Counselor
07 December 2025 Isaiah 9.1-21 In the darkest places of our world, God has promised a child—a Wonderful Counselor. From a humble manger, Jesus comes to guide, comfort, and bring hope to our hearts. Come see the light that has come for you this Christmas. If you would like to support us in our...
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Child Dedications
30 November 2025 Dalmacio Elias Boaz Garcia, was born July 21, 2025 Pslam 101.6 Uzziah Abner Cantrell was born May 27, 2025 Matthew 5.14-16 William Matthew Hanff was born Apr 4, 2023 Romans 8.37-39 Charlotte Elizabeth Hanff was born on Jan 10, 2025 Micah 6.8 If you would like to support us in our...
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Dear Theophilus: The Light Before You
23 November 2025 Luke 11. 29-41 Jesus stands before us, offering his light, yet too often we ignore it, focusing on outward appearances instead of the heart. In this message, we explore the warning to Israel’s leaders, the example of the Queen of the South and Nineveh, and what it means for us...
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Dear Theophilus: Learning to Pray like Jesus
9 November 2025 Luke 10:38-42 In Dear Theophilus: Learning to Pray Like Jesus, we step into the moment when one disciple dares to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus’ response is more than a model of words — it’s an invitation into relationship. In this message, we discover prayer not as ritual...
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Dear Theophilus: The One Who is Stronger Has Come
9 November 2025 Luke 11.14-28 In a clash between the powerless religion of man and the authority of the Kingdom, Jesus reveals what true deliverance looks like. It’s not ritual or struggle—it’s freedom spoken with divine authority. When Christ drives out darkness “by the finger of God,” the…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Message series from the Vineyard Christian Church in Brooksville, FL
HOSTED BY
Hal Hester
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The Empowered Word with Hal Hester currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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Message series from the Vineyard Christian Church in Brooksville, FL
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The Empowered Word with Hal Hester has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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The Empowered Word with Hal Hester is created and hosted by Hal Hester.
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