Advancing Word Podcast

In Psalm 84, stanza six, the author mentions “the Valley of Baca”.  The Hebrew word translated “Baca” occurs only here in the Bible and means “weeping or sorrow.”  Whether an actual place or a symbol of the struggles of the spiritual life, this valley is unavoidable.  God uses our experiences there to advance us in His perfect plan.  It is not a detour but part of our destiny as children of God.   

In Chapter 55, verses 1 - 3 of his prophecy, Isaiah shares one of the most compelling invitations in the Bible with the Jewish nation in exile.  At the heart of God’s everlasting covenant was a priceless provision for all people that was comprehensive and Christ-centered.  It is still today’s best value at yesterday’s low price.  

In a message during chapel at Missouri Baptist University, St. Louis in March 2022, Dr. Stubblefield reminds faculty, staff and students that we are “originals and not copies.”  Using Psalm 8 as the biblical focus, he emphasizes our duty, dignity and destiny as God’s children through creation and redemption. 

Authentic and life changing worship is costly!  The real issue is not how much you will get or gain but what are you willing to give to experience wonderful worship.  In 2 Samuel 24:18-25, King David shows us how.  His worship was compelling because it was not convenient or casual but costly.  

A woman who could quality as a poster child for “bad luck magazine” is driven into Jesus's presence because of a personal crisis.  Her faith will not allow her to settle for crumbs from the Lord's table because she believes she can have the crust.   

In Part 3 of the series, “The Economics of Grace,” Dr. Stubblefield returns to 2 Corinthians 8:9.  The last movement of this verse reveals how Jesus’s voluntary and willful sacrifice and His undeserved shame and suffering for a broken and sinful world is the basis of an unfathomable provision that offers to every child of God, new possibilities, new potential and new perspective.  

In the second message of the three-part series, “The Economics of Grace,” in 2 Corinthians 8:9, the Apostle Paul, to encourage the stewardship of the church at Corinth, offers Jesus as the supreme model of sacrificial giving.  Jesus experienced poverty so we might enjoy the riches of salvation that is in Him!  

In the first message of a three-part series based on 2 Corinthians 8:9, this message addresses the production, distribution and consumption of spiritual wealth.  Jesus became poor so we can experience the riches of His person.  He is rich in position, power and possessions.  We can never exhaust His provision.  

Our lives often resemble a roller coaster ride with peaks and valleys, highs and lows and sharp turns.  Whatever our struggle, this message based on the promise of 1 John 3:1-3 is a compelling reminder that the essence of the Christian faith is the hope that the best is yet to come. 

On Palm Sunday according to Luke Chapter 19, verses 36 – 40, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey amidst the applause and acclaim of the crowds that had gathered.  When His enemies criticized the crowd’s response, Jesus said, “If they hold their peace the stones will cry out!”   This message explores what a stone would tell us about the Savior?  What is the story in the stones?