In the final week of our Be the Church series, Pastor Evan opens Matthew 28:18-20 to ask one of the most pressing questions a local church can ask: what does it actually mean for us at Bethel to make disciples of Jesus Christ in Topeka, Kansas, in 2026? In this message, we walk through four movements: The authority behind our mission. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the risen King. We go as ambassadors, not on our own credentials. The heart of our mission. "Go" is a participle. The only command in the Great Commission is make disciples. As you are going through your ordinary life, in your neighborhood, your workplace, your kid's ballgames, this is where the mission lives. The method of our mission. Baptizing and teaching. Patient, lifelong formation that produces obedience, not just information. We walk close enough to people that the dust of Jesus, kicked up by the Word and the Spirit, lands on them through us. The promise that sustains our mission. Matthew opens with Emmanuel, "God with us," and closes with the risen Christ saying, "I am with you always." The gospel is bookended by His presence. Along the way we look honestly at the 70 to 80,000 unbelievers in our city, the wound that Westboro Baptist has left on the name of Christ in Topeka, the story of a 100-person church in the United Kingdom that began planting churches and is now planting 27 in a single year, and the ancient Jewish proverb that a disciple should walk so closely behind his rabbi that the dust kicked up would land on his face. The challenge this week is simple. Ask the Lord to give you one name. One person in Topeka who needs Jesus. Pray for them every day. Ask for one step of obedience, whether it is a conversation, an invitation, or a question. Edward Kimball never knew what God would do with one awkward conversation. You may never know either. The call is just to be faithful. Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:18-20, Daniel 7:13-14, Matthew 1:23 Bethel Baptist Church is a gospel-centered church in Topeka, Kansas, committed to helping people love God, love people, and make disciples of Jesus Christ. Join us for biblical preaching, Christ-centered worship, authentic community, and opportunities for the whole family to grow in faith. Plan Your Visit: www.betheltopeka.org/visit Give and Support the Ministry: www.betheltopeka.org/give Website: www.betheltopeka.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethelTopeka Instagram: @BethelTopeka TikTok: @BethelTopekaKS If you are looking for a church in Topeka, KS, we would love to welcome you to Bethel Baptist Church. 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.

This morning, the Apostle Paul walks the church in Corinth (and us) into a fight about food. Underneath the question, though, is something far more important. He is teaching the church how to set the table for one another. In this week's message from our Church Recalibrated series through 1 Corinthians, Pastor Evan opens chapter 8 to address one of the most quietly dangerous patterns in any local church: the way we can be theologically correct and still devastating to the people Jesus bled for. The sermon moves through three points: The peril of knowledge that does not love (vv. 1-3). Knowledge inflates like a balloon. Love builds like a house. The mature Christian is not the one with the strongest opinion on the most issues. The mature Christian is the one whose knowledge has cost him something, driven him to his knees, and made him gentle. The Lord sets us free (vv. 4-6). In the middle of an ethics question about meat, Paul reaches for the Shema and does something stunning. He splits it. One God the Father. One Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, the Jewish monotheist who would have died before committing idolatry, places Jesus inside the divine identity. Liberty is not the trophy of the strong. Liberty is the inheritance of every child of the King. Love lays down its liberty (vv. 7-13). Paul refuses to let sound theology be weaponized. He calls the strong to look out for the genuinely vulnerable: the new convert, the recently rescued, the brother whose pre conversion shadows still fall on him. The most mature use of Christian liberty is the joyful surrender of it for a brother that Jesus actually bled for. Along the way, this message draws a careful line between a wounded conscience and a weaponized one, between the brother who is hurting and the brother who is offended. We walk patiently with the wounded. We tell the truth to the offended. Both with love. Both very differently. You will also hear a clear word for the believer whose instinct is to fence off liberty altogether, because the New Testament does not treat Christian freedom as a problem to be managed. It treats it as a gift to be stewarded for love. The gospel that holds it all together is the Son of God who had every right to stay in heaven, every right to refuse the cross, every right to call legions of angels and walk away. He laid every one of them down. Christian liberty is not a trophy. Christian liberty is a training ground. Every time you set down your right for a brother that Jesus loves, you are practicing the gospel in miniature, saying with your life what Jesus said with his death: liberty laid down for love. Bethel Baptist Church is a gospel-centered church in Topeka, Kansas, committed to helping people love God, love people, and make disciples of Jesus Christ. Join us for biblical preaching, Christ-centered worship, authentic community, and opportunities for the whole family to grow in faith. Plan Your Visit: www.betheltopeka.org/visit Give and Support the Ministry: www.betheltopeka.org/give Website: www.betheltopeka.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethelTopeka Instagram: @BethelTopeka TikTok: @BethelTopekaKS If you are looking for a church in Topeka, KS, we would love to welcome you to Bethel Baptist Church. 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.

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.

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.

Living in biblical community is essential for Christians. It is also commanded by God, we are commanded to love "one another" and we love each other through being in relationship with one another. Pastor Evan Bialk gives a message that emphasizes that we are created for community and we are called to live in community.

In this insightful sermon, we delve into Mark 13, exploring Jesus' teachings on the end times and what they mean for us today. Are you curious about eschatology and the signs of the end times? Join us as we uncover the true purpose of Jesus' message in Mark 13—not to predict the future, but to inspire hope, discernment, and faithfulness in our daily lives. 🔍 Key Topics Covered: The human obsession with the end times Jesus' prophecy about the destruction of the temple The significance of birth pains and what they symbolize How to remain faithful amidst persecution The role of the Holy Spirit in guiding believers The importance of staying vigilant and on mission Scripture References: Mark 13:1-37 2 Peter 3 Revelation Join Our Community: Subscribe for more sermons and teachings that inspire and challenge your faith journey. Don't forget to like, comment, and share this video with others who are seeking hope and understanding in these times. Stay Connected: Follow us on social media for updates and more content. #EndTimes #Mark13 #Eschatology #ChristianFaith #HopeInChrist #BibleStudy #SermonSeries

Pastor Evan Bialk continues our series through Titus: A Gospel Centered Church.

Conflict is an inevitable part of life. Pastor Evan Bialk gives a message on conflict in believers lives and how we handle conflict in our lives reflects our witness to the world. As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to forgive as God forgives us, but also to navigate conflict in a way that brings God glory.

Pastor Evan Bialk continues our HEbrews: Overcoming the daily grind series.