The Kingdom Is For Everyone

We are deep into our series  The Gospel We Missed , and today we’re going to zoom  way out  — beyond personal sin, beyond heaven and hell, beyond individual salvation — and look at the Gospel the way the early church and the apostles preached it. Because here’s the truth: If your Gospel is only about your personal afterlife, then it’s not  the Gospel of Jesus Christ . The early church didn’t just...

Because let’s be honest: Most of us inherited a version of the Gospel shaped more by  Western legalism ,  medieval fear , and  Reformation-era debates  than by the faith of the early church. So what  did  the earliest followers of Jesus — those closest to the source — actually proclaim? The answer might surprise you. It might even liberate you. Let’s dive in. Hester Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

For a lot of us, repentance was  a transaction . A religious bargaining tool. We were told: “You sinned. God’s angry. Say sorry — and mean it — and maybe He’ll forgive you.” Repentance was framed as an  emotional negotiation  with a short-tempered God. But what if repentance was never about appeasing God — but about  awakening to God ? Let’s dig in. Hester Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pr...

Most of us were given a “deal-based” gospel: God is holy and angry. You are sinful and guilty. Jesus pays your bill. If you accept the deal, you’re safe. That’s a transaction. That’s an exchange. That’s a conditional agreement between two parties. But the Gospel — the one Paul preached, the early church protected, and Jesus embodied —  was never a transaction. Hester Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

For many of us, the Gospel we were handed sounds like this: “You’re a sinner. God is holy and angry. Jesus takes your punishment. If you believe the right things, you get to go to heaven when you die.” That sounds familiar. But here’s the real question: Is that the Gospel the early church preached? Because the Gospel didn’t begin in the 1500s with Martin Luther. It didn’t begin with penal substitu...

How do we live with hope when the headlines scream death, violence, assassination, and cancel culture? 🤯 This message dives into the tension we all feel: the chaos of the world vs. the confidence of the gospel. We’ll explore why the good news of Jesus still outshines every outrage, every culture war, and every “urgent” debate—and why  keeping Christ at the center  is the most radical thing we can...

Most of us were taught to live  for  God — striving, performing, trying to please a distant deity. But what if the gospel invites us to live  from  God — from within the eternal dance of Father, Son, and Spirit? In this episode, we explore what it means to live from the divine communion that already includes us. The Trinity isn’t a doctrine to memorize; it’s the atmosphere of our existence. This i...

Join us, the Hester's, as we share a completely unscripted (two part) conversation with our dear friends Pastors Johnny & Rachel Ova. We take time to have a conversation around candid questions like: What was the major turning point in your marriage? How have you navigated the journey of keeping intimacy—emotional and physical—alive in your marriage? And much more! Hester Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Join us, the Hester's, as we share a completely unscripted conversation with our dear friends Pastors Johnny & Rachel Ova. We take time to have a conversation around candid questions like: What was the silliest argument you ever had as a couple? How do you balance public ministry with private family boundaries and much more! Hester Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Present Truth Academy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Let’s be honest — even if we  believe  we’re in Christ, sometimes we still  fear  we can fall out. So today’s episode is your reminder — and maybe even your permission slip — to rest in this: Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Let’s dive into the heart of that good news. Hester Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Present Truth Academy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rorschach God⁠⁠

This episode picks up where the last two left off. In Episode 146, we said:  Union is the starting line  — you don’t begin separated from God. In Episode 147, we said:  Christ is in you  — not as a metaphor, but as your lived reality. So today we ask the next question: If that’s true… how do we grow? How do we change? Here’s the answer: You don’t grow into union — you grow in awareness of it. You’...

Uf you joined us last episode —  Union Is the Starting Line  — we unpacked the radical truth that you don’t start separate from God and work your way into closeness. You start in union. Today we take that one step deeper. Because union isn’t just about proximity — it’s about  indwelling. Paul didn’t just say,  “You are in Christ.” He also said,  “Christ is in you.” And that isn’t poetic language....

If you’ve ever felt like you’re chasing God, working your way toward Him, or struggling to earn your place in His presence — this episode is for you. Because here’s the truth: You’re not running toward union. You’re running from it, or waking up to it. But you never lost it. ⁠⁠Hester Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Present Truth Academy ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rorschach God⁠

We often think of the Incarnation as something that happened  once —a singular, miraculous moment 2,000 years ago. God put on flesh, walked among us, died, rose, ascended... and now, He’s “somewhere else” until further notice. But what if the Incarnation wasn’t meant to be an exception… …but the unveiling of what’s always been true? What if God didn’t just become human  once — but  revealed  throu...

What if the Gospel isn’t just a way  out  — but a way  in ? What if it’s not merely about  going to heaven … …but about heaven coming  here ? What if it’s not an exclusive escape plan… …but an all-inclusive restoration project? Yeah. That’s what we’re diving into today. ⁠Hester Ministries⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Present Truth Academy ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠The Rorschach God

Over these last episodes, we’ve been exploring what it means to say that  all ground is holy ground . That there is no sacred-secular divide. That heaven and earth are not distant realms but overlapping realities. That creation itself is saturated with the presence of God. And today, we’re going to reflect on how we carry this awareness forward — how we live  as if  Holy Ground is truly everywhere...

Join Dr. Hester and special guest Bishop Jamie Englehart as they conclude a two-part conversation about discovering the presence of God in the most unexpected voices and places. ⁠Hester Ministries ⁠Present Truth Academy ⁠ ⁠The Rorschach God

Join Dr. Hester and special guest Bishop Jamie Englehart as they have a two-part conversation about discovering the presence of God in the most unexpected voices and places. Hester Ministeries Present Truth Academy The Rorschach God

We live in a distracted world. Algorithms fight for our eyeballs, and notifications keep our minds skipping like stones across the surface of everything—but rarely sinking into the depths of anything. And yet Weil says:  The practice of deep attention —of focused, reverent presence—is not just helpful. It’s sacred. It’s prayer. Hester Ministries Present Truth Academy The Rorschach God

Sir Isaac Newton once said, "In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence.” And Newton’s point is this: you don’t need a telescope to see God. Sometimes all it takes is the willingness to  pay attention . God has stitched His creativity not just into galaxies—but into  us . Into your thumb. Into your nervous system. Into your breath. That means Holy...

In this episode of  The Kingdom Is For Everyone , Matthew Hester reflects on a surprising quote from physicist Stephen Hawking and explores the harmony between faith and science. What if the mysteries of the universe are not contradictions to our faith but invitations into deeper wonder? Discover how the cosmos can be a cathedral and why Holy Ground truly is everywhere—even in the language of scie...

“I don’t make songs for free, I make ’em for freedom. Don’t believe in kings, believe in the Kingdom.” —  Chance the Rapper Chance isn’t talking about monetary cost — he’s talking about  purpose . His art isn’t for applause, or even payment, but for something deeper: liberation. This is the sound of someone who recognizes that the gifts we’ve been given — whether it’s music, writing, or leadership...

God  is  mystery. Holy, other, ungraspable. And as Barry Taylor suggests, we often try to give shape to that mystery. We wrap it in theology. In doctrines. In denominations. In our best guesses and worst fears. And to be fair—sometimes that’s necessary. We’re wired for meaning. We’re storytellers. But the problem isn’t  that  we shape our understanding of God—it’s  how  and  why  we do it. Do we s...

Boundaries aren’t about control — they’re about protection. Like guardrails on a mountain road. They don’t rob your freedom; they keep you alive to actually reach your destination. If we don't have any theological guardrails, then  "truth" becomes whatever I feel at the moment  — and that's not a road to God. That’s a road to confusion. Hester Ministries Present Truth Academy The Rorschach God (Bo...

If Jesus showed up today in your church, your city, your feed… would we recognize Him? Or would we be too busy trying to judge what He’s doing and who He’s doing it with? Let’s talk about it. Hester Ministries The Rorschach God Present Truth Academy