Topeka Bible Church EXTRA

How should a follower of Jesus exercise authority and also submit to it? And why does it matter? Pastor Connor tackles these questions as we continue our series in Ephesians with a look at Paul’s instructions to children, fathers, slaves, and masters. Our relationship with our early father is one of the first places we learn what it means to respect and obey authority. It prepares us to love and follow our perfect Father in Heaven....

Our culture’s ideas about marriage are often broken or corrupted, with stereotypes of bitter wives and cruel or unfaithful husbands. So how should a Christian marriage be different? This week, Pastor Connor continues our series in Ephesians with a look at chapter 5. God intends for marriage to reflect the mysterious relationship between Christ and the church, so He calls husbands to love their wives sacrificially, like Christ loved...

When we belong to Jesus, God calls us to take off our old way of life like we would remove a filthy old set of clothes. But it doesn’t stop there. We are also called to put on a new way of living, one that replaces darkness with light. This week, Pastor Connor continues our series in Ephesians with a look at taking off our former manner of life and putting on a life that pleases God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are abl...

What does it mean to walk in a manner worthy of our calling? This week, Pastor Connor looks at that question as we continue our series in Ephesians. Paul emphasizes the need to preserve the unity that we have in Christ, to use our gifts for building up the church, and to press on in maturity toward the fullness of Christ. We are no longer children, following our own whims and desires. Instead, each of us is a necessary part of Chri...

When you pray for others, how should you do it? This week, Pastor Jim continues our sermon series in Ephesians with a look at one of Paul's prayers that we can use as an example. When we pray, we join in God's building project (people) right now. We should ask for God to give those people strength to endure trials, faith to believe in Christ's life within them, a grasp of Calvary love, knowledge of God's mysteri...

Our best-laid plans have a way of going sideways, leaving us disappointed and defeated. God’s plan, on the other hand, can never be defeated. Even better, He invites us to be part of it! This week, Pastor Connor continues our sermon series in Ephesians with a look at God’s undefeated plan that calls us not to worry, but to worship. In light of God’s plan, we ought to be bold, humble, and fearless, remembering that we shine brightes...

When division threatens to tear the church apart, what holds us together? This message from Ephesians 2:11-22 explores how Jesus creates unity among believers, why we all desperately need grace, and practical steps you can take to build peace in a church community today.

This week, our hosts continue their discussion on the book of Ephesians, some of the talking points were, how to interact, discuss, and show love to other Christ fo...

Are you alive? Pastor Connor continues our series in Ephesians with a look at chapter 2, where Paul writes that we all start out dead in our sins. Before Christ, we are stuck in slavery to Satan, the world, and our own desires, spiritually dead and headed for wrath. That’s the bad news. The good news is that God’s merciful love made a way for us to be raised from spiritual death and transferred to His kingdom of light and life! Pas...

Jesus arose from the dead and has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. But what does that mean for the church today? This week, Pastor Connor continues our sermon series in Ephesians with a look at this question. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we don't fear physical death. We also have no need to pursue worldly power. God's power shines the brightest in our weakness, and He uses the small things of this wor...

How should we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ? In this week’s sermon, Pastor Jim continues our series in Ephesians with a look at how the Apostle Paul prayed. We can take lessons from Paul by praying constantly, thankfully, and telling people we’re praying for them. We should also pray that God will help them to know Him deeply and be able to see their burstingly full bank account in the heavenlies.

This week, our hosts ...

What does it mean to be “in Christ”? This week, Pastor Connor begins our new sermon series in Ephesians with a look at that question. Among other things, being in Christ means that we have access to many spiritual blessings. God the Father planned our journey with Christ before the beginning of the world, Jesus laid down His life to redeem us, and the Holy Spirit seals us as a down payment on the glory that we will inherit in etern...

For followers of Jesus, this world is not our home. We’re looking for a city not built with human hands, where Jesus has already prepared a place for us. In this week’s installment of our Onward series, Pastor Connor talks about our true heavenly home and what it looks like to live with our eyes set on things above instead of on earth. Because Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, we go into his presence when we die, and we...

Every successful space mission requires planning, people, and lots of preparation… but it won’t even get off the ground unless it has exactly the right kind of fuel. This week, Pastor Jason continues our Onward sermon series with a look at the importance of abiding in Christ. A close relationship to Jesus is the fuel we need accomplish the mission God has for us. We learn about bad fuel, which distracts us from our mission, and how...

God’s kingdom isn’t grown by a small handful of elite Christians. Instead, it’s a team effort, empowered by the Holy Spirit’s gifts to each member of the church. This week, Pastor Connor continues our Onward sermon series with a look at the Apollo 11 moon landing. It couldn’t have happened without hard work from hundreds of thousands of people. Likewise, the Body of Christ has many members, and all of our gifts are needed in the wo...

When we work together, we’re able to go farther, faster, and deeper than we can alone. This week, Pastor Connor continues our “Onward” sermon series with a comparison between the International Space Station (ISS) and the local church. Like the builders of the ISS, we must be committed to cooperation, dedicate ourselves to the same mission, and desire to serve others with the work we do. Unlike the ISS, we require the power of the H...

How do we recover when our faith encounters a severe crisis? Pastor Jim continues our Onward sermon series this week with “Houston, we have a problem.” He talks about what it looks like to have a mid-faith crisis and draws lessons from The life of Joseph for how we can keep moving through them. Like Joseph, we can seize opportunities to live out our faith, hang on despite mistreatment, and expect God to reward our endurance.

This we...

Feeling lost after accepting Christ? You're like an astronaut in a new world. Discover what it means that you're dead to sin and alive to God. Learn how your past no longer defines you and explore the beautiful mission God has prepared specifically for you in this new life.

This week, our hosts continue their discussion on the series Onward, Spencer goes over his physical representation of being born again, what he left ou...

What does it look like to move closer to God, one step at a time? Pastor Connor will explore that question in our new sermon series, “Onward.” This week’s message looks at the beginning of our journey, the launchpad we take off from. Like a 5,000-ton rocket under gravity’s pull, we are weighed down by the immense burden of our sin. We cannot overcome this weight on our own; we need the rocket booster of Christ’s power to overcome i...

Where is God when the circumstances around us seem impossibly grim? King David addresses this question in Psalm 16. Even though deadly danger surrounds him, the Psalmist rests in God’s faithfulness, both in life and beyond the grave. In this final installment of this year’s Summer in the Psalms, Pastor Connor talks about running to God, letting Him define what is good, and anchoring our lives in resurrection hope.

This week, our hos...