Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive

Is "good enough" really good enough? Discover why Israel's 80-year deliverance under Ehud couldn't break the cycle, the danger of valuing results over faithfulness, and how to avoid settling for temporary relief. You'll learn three critical lessons about God's mercy versus approval and what true transformation requires.

Falling into sin often doesn’t look like one single event. Instead, it’s likely to be a cycle of failure, suffering, regret, and efforts to do better, followed by more failure. This week, as we continue our series on Judges, Pastor Connor discusses the way the Israelites fell into that cycle, as well as what it takes to break out of it. In times of victory, we need to recognize God publicly, remember we are stewards, not owners, and become experts in gratitude. In times of struggle, we need to examine our lives carefully, look for the lesson, and trust God’s timing.

At long last, the Israelites have made it to the promised land of Canaan! But they still have a lot of work to do. And sadly, they will fail in accomplishing that work. This week, Pastor Connor launches our series in Judges with a look at how the Israelites set themselves up for failure. They stopped short of obedience, coexisted with the enemies of God, and allowed idol worship to remain in the land. We can fall into the very same pitfalls. To follow God well, we need to tear down strongholds we've normalized, focus on true repentance instead of mere emotions, and respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction now, before the cycle deepens and things get worse.

Last week, Pastor Connor started our 2-week sermon series, “Streak,” with a look at spiritual disciplines and how they can help us to grow in our relationship with Christ. This week, Pastor Jason concludes the series by talking about ways we can continue our streak of small daily steps toward greater maturity. Consistency in our goals is more effective than intensity, so choosing one or two spiritual disciplines and faithfully following them is a good strategy for growth. And while last week’s message discussed individual spiritual disciplines, this week we look at ways to practice corporate disciplines, such as worship, fellowship, serving, evangelism, financial gifts, and celebration.

Have you felt like you want to grow closer to God, but you're not sure how? This week, Pastor Connor begins our mini-series, "Streak," with a look at some practical techniques for drawing near to God. He discusses several spiritual disciplines, including Bible reading, prayer, confession, silence, rest, and fasting. These practices have been used throughout the centuries by the Church with the goal of loving Christ more and allowing the Holy Spirit to make us more like Him. To get started, Pastor Connor gives some practical advice: choose one or two of these practices, start small, stack them together with other habits, and celebrate the growth God provides through them.

God has called each one of us to do battle in a vast war that our eyes can't see. This week, Pastor Connor concludes our series in Ephesians with a look at our struggle against the evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. Christ equips us to resist the devil and his kingdom of darkness by putting on the full armor of God: The belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes ready for the gospel of peace, shield of faith, and sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. To prepare for combat, we need to wake up to the real world of spiritual struggle, keep our eyes open for subtle attacks, intentionally put on our spiritual armor, and stay alert in prayer. Christ has already won the battle against Satan's kingdom of darkness, but until Jesus returns, we are called to keep resisting the evil one and his schemes. 

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. That’s why it’s so important for parents, and especially fathers, to lead their families kindly and firmly, always aiming for their children’s good. Similarly, employers are called to create workplaces where their employees can thrive, always valuing people more than profits. On the flip side, children are called to obey and honor their parents in a way that shows they love God. Employees are called to do their very best to bring glory to God in their workplace.

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 the church and even laid down His life for us. Similarly, wives are to submit to their husbands’ leadership in the family, just as Christ submitted to His Father and the church ought to submit to Christ. For both husbands and wives, the goal is to follow Christ and become more like Him.