Advancing Word Podcast

Genesis 12:1–3 has been called “foundational to the missionary vision of the whole Bible and the people of God through all ages.”  In this pivotal passage, Abram—later known as Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation—is called out of his familiar pagan surroundings so that God might bless him and make him a blessing to “all families of the earth.”  What happens when being uprooted becomes the doorway to divine purpose?  In this message, discover how God can turn displacement into destiny and blessing into mission.

In Exodus 3, verses 1 -6, God shows up on the backside of a desert and calls Moses, formerly a prince of Egypt but now a shepherd to a new purpose and mission.  Years earlier, as a member of the royal family, Moses committed murder and failed miserably while attempting to liberate the people of his birth from the bondage of Egyptian slavery.  Deserts are not just geographical but experiential as well.  God still shows up in the most unlikely of places.  

In Psalm 27, stanzas 4-6, his life threatened, his kingdom in turmoil, David sought God's presence.  In his distress, he wanted to "dwell in the house of the Lord".  In this place, he experienced a perfect getaway.  We can too!

The second Chapter of the prophecy of Daniel records what King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of the most powerful kingdom in the world experienced after he "woke up from a bad dream."  In the Old Testament, dreams were used as carriers, conductors, conduits and channels to communicate and convey God’s will.  A bad dream is a metaphor for the trials and tribulations we experience in life.  This message explores what we can learn from Nebuchadnezzar's experience.

During the 2026 Summer Speaker Series at the One Family Church in University City, MO, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield shares this riveting and reassuring reminder based on The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 4, verses 35-41 that there is “a story in the storm”.  Storms are inevitable in nature and in life.  We aren’t exempt or preempted from them because we are children of God.  Beyond the mystery of the storm, we can experience its ministry and the mastery of the One who places an expiration date on every storm we face.  

In many of its modern expressions, the church no longer resembles the biblical picture of the church we see in Scripture.  Too often, there is too much of the world in the church and too little of the church in the world.  In Acts 2, we are given a vivid portrait—a “baby picture”—of a church alive with the power, unity, devotion, and growth that marked the Lord’s church from the beginning.  In this segment, we explore four defining characteristics of that kind of church and consider what every local congregation can become when it truly reflects Christ’s design.

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 with seventy-seven questions that are responsive, revealing, and redeeming.  Job wants an explanation for his suffering; God gives him a demonstration of His sufficiency.  This message reminds us that we can experience this blessing too!  

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 compassion.”  This message is especially timely on the eve of our nation’s 250th birthday, reminding the church of the urgent need, despite our divisions and disagreements, to “see others as Jesus sees them.”

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 the people into covenant.  Through the Spirit, Jeremiah points us toward the true cure for what ails us, a cure that remains available today.

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 footnotes to a father’s failure, reminding us that failure is not final.  Dr. T. D. Stubblefield believes this truth is encouraging and vital for every father who can acknowledge, “I have not been perfect.  I have not always made the right decisions or choices.”  Yet God has remained faithful, footnoting every failure with His grace and mercy".