Street Preachers Podcast: "Did God Say That?" (Re-Upload)

Hosts: Phillip Anthony Mitchell & Tim Timberlake
Date: September 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this raw and candid episode of Street Preachers, Phillip Anthony Mitchell and Tim Timberlake tackle questions of spiritual authority, ministry accountability, and what it truly means to be faithful to God’s calling. Sparked by a listener’s question about pursuing expository preaching, the hosts open up about their personal journeys, the dangers of “false teachers” in the digital age, and Tim Timberlake’s much-discussed leadership transition at Celebration Church. The episode is a mix of practical advice, scriptural exploration, and hard-earned wisdom about enduring criticism and staying true to one’s calling.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Foundation for Ministry: Beyond Seminaries

• Starting Point:
  • The first step for aspiring preachers or teachers isn’t formal training, but an intimate relationship with Jesus.
  • “Before we talk about school or seminary...let’s start with an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.” – Phillip (02:43)
• Heart Motive Matters:
  • Examine your motive—do you seek affirmation, platforms, or genuinely desire to honor God and serve the body?
  • Fidelity to the text (“Do you honor God’s Word as holy, as authoritative?”) is essential before ever seeking a pulpit or position.
  • Importance of community: surround yourself with others who value the Word highly.

2. Training & The Role of Higher Education

• Self-Study First:
  • Deep study in context, wrestling with scripture, and personal devotion are more foundational than any formal degree.
  • Only after developing depth should one consider higher education or seminary—and there’s no one perfect place for everyone.
• No Shortcuts:
  • True exegesis requires understanding context, author intent, historical setting, and bridging ancient text to modern life. (06:41)

3. The Dangers of ‘Rogue Ministry’ and Lack of Accountability

• Social Media’s Impact:

  • Tim identifies a rise of “rogue ministers” empowered by social media, lacking roots or real-world submission.
  • “We got a lot of gifted rogue individuals out there.” – Tim (07:49)
  • “Just because you’re gifted doesn’t mean you’re anointed.” – Tim (08:31)

• The Difference Between Giftedness and Anointing:

  • Anointing is a grace for a specific assignment; passion, without purpose and accountability, often leads to self-serving ministry.

• Authority and Accountability:

  • Unaccountable leaders become “weapons without safety,” doing more harm than good (10:19).
  • The biblical role of accountability is illustrated in Jude 8: false teachers “reject authority” and lack submission.

4. False Teachers, Slander, and Social Media Critique

• Triggered by Criticism:

  • The hosts address accusations (e.g., Tim being labeled a “church stealer” and both being called false teachers) that circulate online.
  • Both confess those attacks are difficult and draining but emphasize the importance of not retaliating.

• Discerning False Teachers:

  • A true false teacher is divisive, self-serving, and has fruit that doesn’t match the Spirit (Galatians 5).
  • “If ever our dream outweighs God’s word, we are not moved by vision, we are moved by delusion.” – Tim (13:12)
  • Divisiveness, lack of peace, and failure to display spiritual fruit are marks of false ministers, not honest mistakes in teaching. (30:20)

5. Tim Timberlake’s Leadership at Celebration Church: Setting the Record Straight

• The Accusation:

  • Some claimed Tim “stole” Celebration Church, a story that persisted online and in local media for years.

• The Reality:

  • Tim explains, in detail and transparency, the transition was above board: board approval, public ordination, and legal process (17:09-18:00).
  • Litigations ensued, he was constrained from speaking, and the church suffered—but he maintained public silence, prayed for his accusers, and experienced God’s faithfulness through the trial.
  • “To say someone stole a church... you cannot do it from a spiritual and practical perspective.” – Tim (17:09)

• Vindication:

  • All lawsuits against him and the church were dismissed; Tim is now “completely vindicated” (23:06).
  • The church, once empty and embattled, now thrives—“people are waiting in line, highways backed up” (15:34-15:44).

6. Responding to Persecution: Lessons on Character & Endurance

• Enduring Opposition:

  • Both hosts share their journeys of being publicly criticized and emphasize the call to pray for enemies, show grace, and let God vindicate.

• Spiritual Fruit over Reputation:

  • Tim recounts the transformation God did in him: “One of the greatest indications for me...is that it did not take me back to who I used to be.” (44:00)

• Advice for Listeners Facing Trials:

  • Pray rather than retaliate; focus on faithfulness, not fighting false accusations (46:08).
  • Sometimes suffering is “granted” by God—not to destroy, but to perfect faith and put character on display (37:17-38:47).

• Test of Division:

  • Mitchell reads Galatians 5, outlining that those who stir up division, strife, and rage are acting in the flesh, and such leaders should not be followed (29:21-31:08).

7. Accountability, Community, and Course Correction

• Mutual Accountability:

  • Phillips and Tim emphasize the value of correcting each other and owning mistakes as a sign of healthy leadership and spiritual safety (33:09-34:20).

• Vindication Comes from God:

  • “If we trust God, we have to trust his word to work and we have to trust the Spirit to work in time and not feel as if we have to take every offense into our own hands.” – Phillip (24:03)
  • Encouragement that God uses hardship “to bring beauty out of ashes” (40:26), and that private intimacy with Jesus will reflect in public trials (43:12-44:00).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We should not talk about platforms before we talk about altars.” – Phillip (03:13)
• “A weapon without restraint, a weapon without safety can do a lot of harm to a lot of people.” – Tim (10:31)
• “If ever our dream outweighs God’s word, we are not moved by a vision. We are moved by delusion.” – Tim (13:12)
• “To say someone stole a church... you cannot do it from a spiritual and practical perspective.” – Tim (17:09)
• “God encouraged me to do something: He says, you respond like me, but I want you to react like me, too.” – Tim (26:34)
• “Someone that is trying to divide the body of Christ... that is a false teacher.” – Tim (27:27)
• “We are more attracted with the future than we are faithfulness, man.” – Tim (32:26)
• “One of the greatest indications for me from the last season that God has done a redemptive work in my soul, is that it did not take me back to who I used to be.” – Tim (43:59)
• “If we are more concerned about how we are viewed by people than we are received by our Father, we miss an opportunity to put on display the redemptive work that Jesus has done for us.” – Tim (44:56)
• “Sometimes God allows us... some sufferings as granted from God, almost like a gift.” – Phillip (37:17)
• “Sometimes the prayer is not always a prayer of deliverance, but a prayer of being kept in it.” – Phillip (49:06)

Key Timestamps

• 01:25 – Question from listener about proper training for expository preaching
• 02:53 – The requirement of intimacy with Jesus before ministry
• 07:47 – The rise of gifted but unaccountable rogue ministers
• 11:18 – Jude’s warning against false teachers who “reject authority”
• 13:12 – The danger of dreams and feelings trumping scripture
• 15:22-23:10 – Tim recounts the accusations about Celebration Church and explains the legal and spiritual processes
• 24:00 – Responding to slander and not retaliating
• 30:22 – Galatians 5: divisiveness and the works of the flesh in leaders
• 34:00-34:20 – Models of healthy pastoral accountability and correction
• 35:16 – The exhausting nature of public attacks and the call to endurance
• 37:17-38:47 – God sometimes grants suffering to refine character
• 43:12-44:00 – The fruit of private work with Jesus made visible in public trials
• 46:08 – Focus on faithfulness, not fighting enemies
• 49:06 – The call to “be kept in” trials rather than just delivered from them
• 51:25 – Closing prayer for listeners dealing with difficulty, betrayal, and persecution

Conclusion

This episode offers a robust, heartfelt exploration of calling, character, criticism, and Christian endurance. Whether you’re in ministry or navigating life and spiritual challenges, Tim and Phillip’s vulnerability, biblical grounding, and practical advice deliver not just encouragement but a convicting call: pursue an intimate relationship with Christ, honor the Word, stay accountable, and trust God to vindicate whatever opposition may come.

For further encouragement or clarification, listen to the full episode to hear how the hosts' personalities and pastoral heart shine through their honest conversation.