Banner Kidd
Teaching Notes
Guest Interview with Banner Kidd – A Story of Grace, A Message of Freedom
In this interview, we hear the powerful testimony of Banner Kidd. Banner’s story is one of brokenness turned into freedom—not because he worked his way out of his brokenness, but because God met him exactly where he was.
Banner grew up in rural poverty, marked by trauma, abuse, and shame. From a young age, his identity was shaped by pain and fear. Like many of us, he tried to cover it up—through performance, through people-pleasing, through creating a version of himself that could be accepted. But inside, he was lost. His early adult life was filled with chaos, including a broken marriage and inner torment. He believed in Jesus, but didn’t yet know the freeing love of Christ.
That all changed one day when the grace of God broke through. After years of trying to earn forgiveness, Banner encountered the real gospel—not a gospel of rules or religion, but of rescue. As he put it, “When you’re born again, there’s no mistake. You know it.” The door to his old life closed, and Jesus began a new work.
But the journey didn’t end there.
Like many sincere believers, Banner’s pursuit of holiness eventually led him down a dangerous path—a legalistic version of faith known as the Hebrew Roots movement. For nearly 20 years, he and his family were caught in a system that subtly (and then overtly) shifted focus from Christ to the Law. Slowly, he was led to believe that God’s approval was tied to things like Sabbath-keeping, dietary laws, Jewish feast days, and strict leadership submission. At first, it felt like passion for God. But over time, it became spiritual bondage.
Banner openly admits his role in leading others into that system. But God, in His mercy, began to awaken his heart again. Through painful events—including the heartbreaking loss of his daughter—God used suffering to open his eyes. He began to see the pride, division, fear, and confusion that legalism brought, and he came back to the core truth: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Today, Banner is a man set free. He speaks with humility and boldness about the difference between religion and relationship, law and grace, bondage and freedom. He reminds us that God doesn’t save us so we can follow a rulebook—He saves us into a relationship. A relationship where our identity is secure, our failures are covered, and our love for God is fueled not by fear, but by His great love for us.
The gospel isn’t about what we do, but what Jesus has done.
God’s grace isn’t a license to sin—it’s the power to live in freedom.
Legalism kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Your past doesn’t disqualify you; it’s the very place God begins His work.
If you’re tired of striving, if you’ve been wounded by religion, or if you’re just searching for something real—Banners powerful testimony will be of comfort to you. We don’t have all the answers, but we know the One who does. His name is Jesus. And grace really does change everything.
