Episodes

  • Undivided Devotion // 1 Cor. 7:25-40
    Feb 15 2026

    What if the most important alarm in your life isn't the one warning of physical danger, but the one calling you to reset your spiritual priorities? Pastor Evan explores Paul's message in 1 Corinthians 7:25-40, where he sounds an urgent wake-up call to the church about making temporal things ultimate. Drawing from a personal story about his friend's house fire, Pastor Evan illustrates how pressure reveals what truly matters - not our possessions or status, but our devotion to Christ. He unpacks Paul's three-fold call: to stay steady in pressured seasons, to hold loosely to temporal things because time is short, and to live single-mindedly for the Lord whether married or single. He challenges both married and single believers to pursue "undivided devotion" to Christ, warning against making good gifts like marriage into gods. The sermon concludes with a compelling invitation to examine what we've crowned as ultimate in our lives and to recenter everything on Christ, who alone deserves our supreme allegiance.

    Thanks for listening to this sermon from Bethel Baptist Church. If the message encouraged you, we would love to meet you in person this Sunday. You can find service times, directions, and more information at www.betheltopeka.org. And if you would like to support the ministry of Bethel, you can give securely online at www.betheltopeka.org/give. God bless, and we hope to see you soon.

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    56 mins
  • Let Them Remain So // 1 Cor. 7:10-24
    Feb 8 2026

    What does faithfulness look like when everything in our culture screams "upgrade"? Pastor Evan tackles this timely question through Paul's counter-cultural message to the Corinthians. We learn that true Christian faithfulness means remaining steady, in our marriages, mixed-faith relationships, and life circumstances, not chasing endless upgrades. Pastor Evan shows how ordinary faithfulness becomes extraordinary when we remain with God right where we are. Ready to discover what steady faith looks like in your life? Don't miss this transformative message.

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    50 mins
  • Sex & Marriage // 1 Cor. 7:1-9
    Feb 1 2026

    What happens when the church swings between extremes on sexuality, from rigid purity culture to complete permissiveness? In this message, Pastor Evan tackles this challenging topic head-on, offering a balanced biblical perspective that celebrates sex as God's good gift while maintaining its sacred place within marriage. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 7:1-9, he presents eight biblical "P" lenses - including purity, promise, partnering, pleasure, and protection, passion, picture & pardon, to help us understand God's design for sexual intimacy. Using the vivid metaphor of fire in a fireplace, Pastor Evan illustrates how sexual passion isn't shameful but must be properly channeled to bring warmth and light rather than destruction. He emphasizes that marital intimacy isn't about power or entitlement, but mutual self-giving love that reflects Christ's covenant with His church. Most powerfully, he concludes with a message of hope and healing for those carrying sexual shame or past wounds, reminding us that in Christ we are washed clean and empowered to live in sexual wholeness. The sermon calls the church to be a voice of healing in a sexually confused culture, offering God's better way of covenant love and faithful stewardship of our sexuality.

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    59 mins
  • You Are Not Your Own // 1 Cor. 6:12-20
    Jan 19 2026

    What does it mean to truly honor God with our bodies? Pastor Evan tackles the challenging topic of sexual purity through the lens of 1 Corinthians 6, revealing how our physical bodies are intricately connected to our spiritual lives. He illuminates how Christian freedom isn't a license for indulgence, but rather the power to live wholly for Christ. Pastor Evan emphasizes that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, purchased at the price of Christ's blood. He challenges the cultural narrative that separates physical actions from spiritual consequences, instead pointing to a higher calling: using our bodies to glorify God. The message culminates in a urgent dual call to both flee from sexual immorality and actively pursue worship through our bodies, reminding us that true freedom comes not from following our desires, but from belonging completely to Christ.

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    50 mins
  • The Cost of Being Right // 1 Cor. 6:1-11
    Jan 11 2026

    Have you ever wondered what happens when our desire to be right collides with our call to reflect Christ? Pastor Evan tackles this tension in 1 Corinthians 6:1-11, he reveals how the Corinthian church's habit of taking believers to secular courts exposed a deeper spiritual crisis. Pastor Evan challenges the common instinct to seek vindication through worldly means, reminding us that as believers, we're called to pursue spiritual solutions and reconciliation over retribution. His unique perspective emphasizes that our response to being wronged isn't just about conflict resolution, it's a declaration of which kingdom we truly belong to. The message resonates deeply with today's culture of litigation and cancel culture, calling believers to remember their transformed identity in Christ. Pastor Evan concludes with a powerful challenge: while secular courts can settle disputes, only the cross can transform hearts. Will you choose to live as someone who belongs to Christ rather than the world?

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    45 mins
  • Discovering Joy in Christ // Romans 5:1-5
    Jan 4 2026

    What if the most profound joy isn't found in avoiding pressure, but in discovering its divine purpose? In Pastor Evan's message, he draws a compelling parallel between physical pressure—from pressure cookers to diamond formation—and the spiritual pressure God uses to shape our character. Through Romans 5:1-5, he reveals that authentic Christian joy isn't rooted in circumstantial happiness, but in the unshakeable peace we have with God through Christ. Pastor Evan illustrates how pressure, when properly understood, produces endurance, character, and hope. He challenges the common misconception that suffering indicates God's absence, instead showing how it often reveals His active presence in shaping our faith. The message culminates in a beautiful picture of God's love being continuously poured into believers' hearts through the Holy Spirit—like an endless mountain spring that flows regardless of external conditions. Pastor Evan calls his congregation to stop merely enduring or escaping suffering, but to ask God, "Show me what you're producing in me through this pressure," trusting that even in life's hardest moments, joy grows deeper through the presence of grace.

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    42 mins
  • To Know and Understand God // Jeremiah 9:1-6; 23-24
    Dec 28 2025

    In a powerful exploration of knowing and understanding God, guest preacher Josh Harris draws us into the compelling narrative of Jeremiah 9, where the stark contrast between living with and without divine knowledge unfolds. Through the lens of David's life—particularly his response to personal tragedy following the Bathsheba incident—Josh illuminates how true understanding of God's character transforms our response to life's challenges. He masterfully weaves together David's unwavering faith, even in the face of losing his child, with the profound truth that God practices "steadfast love, justice, and righteousness." The sermon's heart-stirring message reveals that genuine knowledge of God isn't merely intellectual, but deeply personal and transformative, demonstrated through David's remarkable declaration that God's love is "better than life." Josh concludes with an urgent appeal to move beyond surface-level spirituality, challenging listeners to fully invite God into every aspect of their lives and commit to regular Scripture reading—not just as a ritual, but as the pathway to experiencing the profound love that surpasses all earthly understanding.

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    37 mins
  • The Reigning King // Advent
    Dec 22 2025

    In a challenge to conventional Advent narratives, Pastor Evan invites us to lift our gaze from the manger to the throne, drawing from the striking imagery of Revelation 19. Through the portrait of Jesus as the rider on a white horse, faithful and true, and crowned with many diadems, he confronts our tendency to domesticate Christmas into mere sentiment. Pastor Evan weaves together Christ's first coming in humility with His present reign and future return in glory, emphasizing that the baby in Bethlehem is also the King of Kings who judges in righteousness and speaks with unrivaled authority. He calls believers to move beyond comfortable familiarity to renewed reverence, asking the penetrating question: "Do you live like He reigns?" His message transforms Advent from a season of passive nostalgia into an active posture of allegiance, challenging us to submit every aspect of our lives, decisions, resources, relationships, to Christ's sovereign authority. Pastor Evan concludes with a stirring call to approach Advent with awe rather than sentimentality, anchoring our hope in Christ's eternal reign rather than our circumstances.

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    45 mins