Advancing Word Podcast

The Book of Job—widely regarded as one of the Bible’s oldest books—tells the story of a man who loses everything yet clings to faith.  It confronts one of humanity’s oldest questions: why suffering exists in a world governed by an all-powerful, all-good God.  For thirty-seven chapters, Job’s anguish unfolds through grief, debate, and unanswered questions.  Then, in chapters 38–41, God responds wit...

During the 2026 Super Sunday Night Worship Celebration at the historic First Baptist Church of Wright City, Missouri, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield reflects on Mark 8:34 and the feeding of the multitudes.  He teaches that our relationship with Jesus Christ, and His presence in our lives through the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit, shapes how we see others.  Like Jesus, we too can be “moved with co...

In this message, we turn to Jeremiah 8:17–22, where the prophet stands in the shadow of national crisis and grieves the unraveling of his people.  With a burdened heart and tear-filled eyes, Jeremiah longs for healing, yet no immediate remedy is in sight.  Still, within his sorrow, a deeper hope begins to emerge—a hope grounded in the unwavering love of the God who called him to preach and called...

In 2 Samuel 11, David’s rise to power and ascendancy to the throne of Israel are both marked and marred by a devastating moral failure.  The chapter opens with a popular and victorious king resting in his palace, but it closes with that same king stained by sin after committing adultery with the wife of one of his loyal soldiers.  In 2 Samuel 12, however, the sad saga begins to shift as God adds f...

In Matthew 9:35–38, Jesus is not celebrating the labor movement.  Rather, He is making a sobering declaration about the scarcity and inadequacy of qualified workers in the Kingdom His presence had ushered in.  The rule and reign of God were not merely imminent; they were immediate, because the Son of God was present among us.  The eternal Word of God had become flesh and was dwelling with His peop...

In 2 Corinthians, Chapter 3, verses 17-18 and Chapter 4, verse 1, the Apostle Paul identifies the basis of his motivation and confidence in ministry.  What was it that fanned the flames of his confidence and gave him the courage to continue even when he faced daunting and almost unsurmountable odds?  He shares the secret with us in a letter to a church he founded but that was full of naysayers who...

In 1 Timothy, Chapter 1, verses 7 - 12, the Apostle Paul shares with Timothy as the lengthening shadow of imminent execution and martyrdom for the faith edged closer to the horizon.  Faced with his own mortality, the appeal and exhortation he makes to his beloved son in the ministry in this letter, is distilled through a filter of clarity and urgency.  There are some things that Timothy needs to k...

Psalm 23 describes the Great Shepherd’s wisdom, compassion, and devotion.  In stanza 5, the metaphor shifts: David sees himself not only as a sheep under the Shepherd’s care but also as a guest at the Shepherd’s banquet table.  This message explores how the metaphor holds meaning for past, present, and future, and offers principles that have lasting relevance to believers today.

Nestled in the interior of the prophecy of Ezekiel, in Chapter 46, verses 9 – 10 is an ascription or addendum about worship.  Here, like the patterns, procedures and prescriptions in the Book of Leviticus, the worship of the people of God in the house of God was not left to chance.  In this passage, Ezekiel envisions the return of the glory of God to the Temple during the millennial period and pro...

In Luke 7:11–15, we find a powerful narrative of transformation and compassion.  As Jesus and his disciples approach the gates of a town, they encounter a funeral procession—a widowed mother grieving the loss of her only son.  What unfolds is a journey from heartbreak and despair to renewed hope and joy, as Jesus’s intervention turns sorrow into possibility.  This timeless account speaks deeply to...

In the final message of the “Staying Connected” series, Dr. Stubblefield focuses on our relationship to the local church.  Leveraging a passage from the first eight verses of the Third Epistle of John, the primary character Gaius demonstrates three characteristics that every church member should model.  If we followed his example, it would transform our churches into spiritual communities where we...

In Part 2 of the sermon series, “Staying Connected”, the focus moves to Psalm 128. It addresses the elements of life, love and legacy that are essential components of the family connection.  According to the Word of God, the family is neither an optional or ala carte item on the menu of human life, but an essential component in God’s plan and purposes for this world.  In fact, the family is older...

In this segment, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield introduces a series of sermons around the theme of “Staying Connected."  This first sermon in the series rooted in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 12, verses 28 - 34, will focus on the most primary, pivotal and pressing connection of all, our relationship to God.  To use a baseball metaphor, in this series we will circle the bases on our way to home plate a...

One Family Church, one of the St. Louis region’s fastest-growing congregations, is committed to “bringing people and God together in love.” Once again, during their Leadership Chapel, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield delivers an inspiring and challenging message.  He seamlessly weaves together the timeless truths and permanent principles recorded in Acts 4:13. His message encouraged the church’s key leaders...

More space is devoted to Jesus’s trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate in the Gospel of John than any of the other three Gospels.  While tragic and disturbing, what happened reveals the heart of the Savior who, while an innocent man was condemned to death by a guilty verdict.  Three times Pilate declared Jesus innocent (18:38; 19:4; 6), yet for the sake of political expediency and religi...

Revelation 14:13 is a text that looks at the “other side of death.”  What a powerful reminder of God’s promises as we move toward the celebration of Resurrection Sunday.  Disease, death and the grave may be earth’s final words but not Heaven’s.  The Apostle John, locked in but not locked out, flipped death on its other side and provided a perspective that should embolden and encourage us today.  U...

Psalm 115 is an apologetic or defense of the faith.  The Jews responded to their pagan neighbors and contrasted their faith in the living God of Israel with the false, fickle and foolish infatuation they had with false deities.  Israel’s history in the Old Testament is a tragic record of their inability to resist idolatry.  It was not just their problem but ours too!  We face similar challenges. ...

In 2 Corinthians, Chapter 3, while engaging in an apologetic or defense of his ministry, the Apostle Paul affirms something that is true of every child of God.  Our spiritual, intellectual, relational, emotional and material resources are insufficient to handle the challenges we face.  Sooner or later, life will send us a bill that is too large to pay and, if we try to write a check to cover it, t...

According to Acts, Chapter 9, Saul, who would later become the Apostle Paul obsessed with hatred and disdain for the followers of Jesus, had requested arrests warrants from the Sanhedrin to travel to Damascus, and bring Christians back to Jerusalem for trial.  But on the Damascus Road, the Risen Lord appeared to him.  Blinded and taken to a house on Straight Street in Damasus, he met Ananias who G...

King David, wrote the Twenty-Third Psalm, a classic and enduring affirmation of his confidence in the LORD during a very straitened and stressful time in his own life.  While consisting of only six stanzas and one hundred fifteen words, the reach and relevance of the Twenty Third psalm spans generations of believers who have been encouraged by this profound pastoral portrait.  In stanza five, Davi...

In Exodus 3, verses 1 -6, God speaks to Moses from a bush that burned but did not burn up!  Moses is one of the most remarkable characters in the Bible.  His life can be divided into periods of forty years each.  The first forty years were characterized by favor; the second by failure and the third by fulfillment.  Like us, Moses made mistakes and missed the mark more than once but, when we look a...

In Exodus, Chapter 39, four centuries before God leads Moses and the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, God manifested His presence in the life of a young Hebrew boy named Joseph who was sold into slavery, estranged from his family and had “to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land”.   While Joseph’s geographical placement was not of his own choosing, God was with him.  God's presenc...

Though they have different last names - Tyus, Middleton, Reed, Simmons, Jarrett, Turner, Vasquez, Foster, Holloway, and Stewart, they are one family.  Scattered in communities across this nation, this family has gathered every Saturday since October 2012 for a prayer teleconference—a true testament to the power of shared faith.  For twelve years, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield has uplifted them each Janua...

The dictionary defines “blast” as a “gust of wind” or “strong rush of air.”  Other definitions include “an explosion” or a “launch or takeoff with explosive force.”  A blast is something that shakes and rattles us and those around us.  Spiritually, this is the focus and the force of Psalm 150.  When we worship on blast, sometimes our worship is like the stroke of a gentle breeze or the trickle of...

From both the Old and New Testaments, we find affirmation that the church is called to be a community of worship.  This calling extends to every person who is born again.  Yet there are moments when it feels as though our worship has been muted and our voices lose their joyful sound.  In Part 2 of the series “Wired for Worship,” based on Psalm 96, stanzas 1- 2, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield explores the...