Vinelife Podcast

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 are inevitable. Even while actively conspiring against Jesus, Judas is offered the same thing everybody...

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 last days. From deceptions to natural disasters, God uses this time to both warn them about what’s to c...

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 tiny offering revealed a heart of authentic faith. In a world obsessed with image, status, and bei...

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 again; by water and by the Spirit. Considering all that we once were, dead and gone, and being alive in Chri...

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, why eternal life begins now, and how the Kingdom of God offers more than escapism or religious performanc...

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 where their ultimate allegiance belongs. When the kingdoms of this world compete for our devotion, whos...

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 his own people, grieving over Jerusalem, cleansing the Temple, and calling God’s people back to their...

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 Yahweh returning to reign among his people, calling them to faithful stewardship, fruitfulness, and wholehe...

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 shapes everything he does along the way. From Bartimaeus receiving his sight to Zacchaeus experienc...

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

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 on the earth?  This message calls us to become people formed by prayer, humility, and wholehearted a...

[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’ warning about judgment, the fall of Jerusalem, and the danger of being religious while resisti...

   12 April 202 6 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 ministry you can do so here: vinelife.church/give       The post Dear Theophilu...

   05 April 202 6 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 transforms and sends us. This Easter message invites you to encounter the living Christ and...

   29 March 202 6 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 moment, we see the only two responses that still exist today. This message invites you to ste...

   22 March 202 6 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 moment and discover that the choice hasn’t gone away. Every one of us must decide which k...

   15 March 202 6 Luke 16.1-3 1 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 explore how faithfulness with everyday resources reveals the condition of the heart and...

   08 March 202 6 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 toward safe, insulated religion and invites us to share the Father’s ache for the missing and...

   01 March 202 6 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, consumer version of faith and calls us instead to real discipleship—counting the cost,...

   22 February 202 6 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 the benefits of being near it?   Hal Hester, D.Min hhester@vinelife.church   -Dying to myself that ot...

   15 February 202 6 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 of being near it?   Hal Hester, D.Min hhester@vinelife.church   -Dying to myself that oth...

   08 February 202 6 Luke 1 3.18-36 Dear Theophilus: T he 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 what God was doing, Jesus redirected their confidence toward true allegiance to God’s...

   01 February 202 6 Luke 1 3.10-17 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 support us in our ministry you can do so here: vinelife.church/give       The p...

   25 January 202 6 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 loyalties, violent visions of the kingdom, and fruitless faith—while holding out mercy for thos...

   17 January 202 6 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 present. The question is not whether the world is shaking, but whether we will be found...