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You're listening to the Street Preachers Podcast with Tim Timberlake and Philip Anthony Mitchell.
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We pray you're blessed by the content you're about to receive. Want to welcome everybody to the Street Preachers Podcast. And I wonder, is my DC DMV street team in the house tonight? Come on, make some noise. What an honor and a privilege it is to be in our nation's capital with some of our family and going through the word of God, talking about something that both me and my brother Phil think is important for the season and the time that we are in. Our nation is in turmoil. Our country is in chaos. There is a pressure and a tension that we are seeing and experiencing right now that needs a move of God. And so tonight, what we want to do is look at scripture and go through scripture and see how it applies to our lives, our nation, and the world right now. And so we're going to have a conversation tonight and talk about suffering and talk about joy and talk about suffering. Well, and so, Phil.
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Yeah. And one of the things you were saying to me earlier is that even as we flew in tonight, one nation's capital, we know that there is a.
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Government shutdown right now.
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We know that there are workers who are not receiving pay right now. There are people right now who are suffering. And you was talking to me about that in the back. It was really heavy on your heart. Unpack that for us just a little bit.
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Yeah. Just where we are. In three days, if something does not change, there will be a shortage of governmental funding for those who need food from the government. Millions of people will be impacted. And with that comes hopelessness. With that comes great physical need, but also a great emotional and mental turmoil. And so what we want to do is utilize moments like this, nights like this, in the presence of God, and go through scripture to see what the word of God says about these moments in time. Because he doesn't leave us without his word. Amen. He doesn't leave us without his promises. He doesn't leave us without his presence. And so we have to look and search scripture to see what God desires for us to see in seasons like this. And so, Phil, I know you have some personal suffering going on right now, and we're going to speak to that. And I'll let you unpack that. Then we'll get into the word of God.
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Yeah. I want to be fully transparent in this room tonight. I think one of the things that Tim was saying to me and our tour manager was saying to us, shout out to Dinora, our Tour manager is that we felt like tonight this was a safe place.
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Right.
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And want to make this room tonight just a place for confession and for healing. And I'm not ashamed to do that. Personally, I am in probably one of the greatest ministry seasons of my life. I've been pastoring a church for 12 years, been walking with Jesus for 21 years, and in the last 18 months, I have experienced a favor and a kindness from God that is unexplainable by human needs. There is no way to explain human ingenuity, what God is doing in my life right now and in my ministry from the growth of our church to the growth of our following.
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And.
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And I'm probably living a life right now that many men would envy and they would want my seat. And. But there is always a backside to blessing. And. And one of the things that I'm learning right now in this season, Tim, is that we oftentimes see the kingdom of God as mountaintops and valleys.
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Right?
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And I think in some sense that is true. There are times in our Christian walk where we are absolutely standing on a mountaintop and all is well for a moment, and then we're in a valley, and then we're going through seasons of difficulty. But I've learned that there is also another picture that describes the Christian life, because I'm experiencing that right now, because at the same time, I'm experiencing the greatest ministry season of my life. I'm also experiencing probably the greatest pain in my life in about 20 years. This is one of the most painful and difficult seasons that I've ever endured from visceral attacks around my name on social media, people sending death threats to my DMs, people speaking evil of my wife and my kids, and people showing up at our location armed. We've taken down gunmen and knife men trying to show up, looking for me, demons agitated by truth, increased tension in my family for my safety and things of this nature. And.
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And even right now, as I'm talking.
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To you, my family's mourning because, you know, we have a family pet and that we love, and he's like a child to us. And he suffered a spinal injury this week, and right now he's paralyzed and he's in emergency surgery, and we are praying for a miracle for him. I left my children this morning on a plane in tears and worried about him. And I haven't heard from my wife today. And I told Tim before I came out here, I just hope that when I get back to the hotel room, they're not going to give me bad news that he didn't make it. And. And this revelation is. Is burning in my spirit, right. That the Christian life is not only mountaintops and valleys, but for a lot of you in here, you can testify to. What I'm about to say is that the Christian life is joys and sorrows at the same time. Right? And that in one hand, we hold things that bring us joy and we celebrate, and in the other hand, we.
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Hold sorrow at the same time.
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And if we could take a survey.
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In this room, there are probably people in this room saying, in one hand, there are things you can thank God.
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For and you can celebrate for right now, any. Any. Anybody can testify, right?
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There are things happening right now in your life that bring you joy. But there are people in this room you could testify at the same time.
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There are things happening in life that's.
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Bringing you sorrow and that we're holding both at the same time.
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Right?
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And this is the Christian life.
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Yeah.
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It is joys and sorrow sometimes at the same time. And. And in all of the fanfare of everything happening around Tim and I, the Lord reminded me that he would never create a life for you that makes him unnecessary.
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Come on, say it again, Phil. Right.
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The Lord will never create for you and I a life that makes him unnecessary. So you could be on your way up a mountain and still fighting battles at the same time.
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Right?
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That he will always leave a little bit of suffering somewhere in your life, on the life of someone you love. And in our Western culture, what we try to do is circumvent suffering. If we can choose, we would rip it out of the pages of our story. If we can choose, we would ask God to get us out of everything that we're going through. And sometimes the prayer is not, God, get me out. Sometimes, God, the prayer is, work on me while I am in. And what are you doing in me while I am in? Because in our Western culture, we have an escape mentality that every time we go through something, our first default is out. And I'm guilty of that. But I've been praying for God to.
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Change this season on the backside for 10 months, and he has not answered that prayer. He has not changed my season, but.
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He has changed me.
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Come on.
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During the season.
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Does that resonate with anybody in the room? And it takes. It takes maturity to say to God in the middle of what you're going.
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Through, God, show me what I'm supposed to learn in the middle of this. Come on. Can I go deeper? Go deeper, Lord.
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Perfect.
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My character in the middle of this.
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Yeah.
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Lord, strengthen my faith in the middle of this.
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And.
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And here is one we shy away from in America. Lord, take out of me what does.
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Not belong in there in the middle of this.
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Sometimes he's using that fire to burn.
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Things out of you that cannot stay.
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In you, lest you ruin something he.
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Plans to do for you in another season.
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Some of you are praying for things that God will give you, but he has to do something with your character first.
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Come on.
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So that you don't ruin it.
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If he gave it to you right.
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Now, does that make sense to anybody else?
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You know, what you're saying reminds me of Paul and Philippians, chapter 1, verse 12. It says, I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.
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Come with that so that it has.
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Become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest of the imprisonment that this is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. And as I read this, I'm reminded that the chains of Paul don't negate his calling. And he has a call on his life, he has an assignment on his life, he has an anointing on his life, he has a grace on his life, but he's also physically confined. And many will look at this and say, he's restricted. And Paul looks at this and says, this is my platform. As many would look at this and say, I cannot do. Paul looks at this and says, I still have something left to do. And many would wait to get free. Many would wait to have the chains broken. Many would wait to get out of the handcuffs. And Paul is saying, with what I have left, with the free hand that I have, I'm going to pen this letter because it is filled with faith, hope and joy for those that may be going through suffering as I am. And if I'm going through this and it serves to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ, let it be so to help other people connect with Jesus Christ.
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And I want to say something to you that is contextual, because I love the fact that you went to Paul and Philippians. We're going to work Philippians for just a second. Absolutely. Philippians is in our spirit for tonight.
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It is.
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It's a very important.
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When you're listening to preaching, you want.
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To understand biblical text in proper context.
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Absolutely right.
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You want to be careful with people that isogy scriptures, they lift it off a page outside of its Context and then lead you into false doctrine. And then you create a Jesus in.
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Your mind that does not exist.
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Y. I want to tell you contextually. Right. That Paul always had a desire to travel to the city of Rome.
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Yes.
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Paul did not found the church at Rome. So when you open the letter of Romans, there was a church in Rome that Paul did not found.
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Yeah.
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He had not started that church himself, but always desired to go to Rome. Now, listen to me carefully. This is very important. Paul had a burning desire to go to the capital city of Rome. It was one of his dreams. And I would imagine I'm gonna make an assumption of the text that he always prayed and asked God to bring him to Rome. So he's asking God to bring him to Rome to it is the imperial city. And he knows if he can get to Rome, he will make it to an urban center where the Gospel will spread and explode. So his desire is to go to Rome. Now Paul thinks he's going to go there on two legs as a free man and stand on a street corner and preach. But, my brothers and sisters, Paul went there as a prisoner.
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Yeah.
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So God answered his prayer, but not the way that he thought it would be answered.
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Come on, Phil.
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Because sometimes God will answer your prayer, but it will not look like the way that you asked for. And watch Paul arrives in Rome as a prisoner. He's chained to a guard 24 hours a day.
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Yeah.
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Seven days a week. But not just any guard. The imperial guard.
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Yeah.
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Now watch the sovereignty of God because it's going to make sense for your life. Paul is shackled to Imperial Guards 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And the men he's in shackle to, they have access to the people at the top of Rome. Watch men who Paul would not have access to.
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If he was not imprisoned and shackled to them.
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If he was not imprisoned. If Paul goes to Rome a free man, he's preaching on the street to common people. But God answers his prayer, but sends him there as a prisoner so that the gospel now is being heard by men who have access to people at the top is why he says now it has become apparent to the entire imperial guard.
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Yes.
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That I am in chains for Christ. So now through his suffering, God accomplished more. Through his pain, God accomplished more for the spread of the gospel in Rome through Paul's chains than he did if he would have answered the prayer the way his flesh desired.
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Come on.
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And I don't even know who this is for, but this is a reminder for some of Us that maybe the suffering you are going through right now, maybe the pain you are enduring right now, maybe God is using that for a greater weight of glory, to produce something greater for you right now that he otherwise could not have done without that trial that you're going through right now. There is something beautiful that God does.
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Through suffering.
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That he cannot accomplish or will not accomplish. Let me say, through everything being peaceful, Paul reached the upper echelons of Rome through his chains. I wonder what God is trying to do in you through your suffering, your.
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Pain that you are experiencing tonight.
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Does that make sense to what I'm saying? Do you understand that?
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Let's break it down a little bit more. I want to know this. Because Rome saw imprisonment as an instrument of shame. Paul saw imprisonment as suffering for sanctity. How do you suffer?
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Well, so one of the things I share with our church, and this is one of my mantras, and I want.
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You to hear me.
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I think when we mature in the faith, we learn to live well and suffer well. We learn to thank God for the things that bring us joy and thank him for the things that bring us pain. Right.
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I just want to remind you, some of you, Right. Theologically, that if you are in the.
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Will of God and suffering pain, it did not catch God by surprise.
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Yeah.
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You.
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You do know that the devil is on a leash.
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Come on. And. And there are. There was.
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There is some affliction that you and I go through that God allows.
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Yeah.
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Have you considered my servant put in your name?
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Yes. Right.
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And. And the way you suffer well. Is three things. One, where your eyes are fixed while you are suffering.
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Come on. Come on.
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On Christ.
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Your attitude while you are suffering. It's an attitude of faith and trust. Right. And then your confidence while you're suffering. I will come out.
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Watch this.
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Come on.
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In this life.
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Yes.
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Or the next.
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Yes. Right.
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So let me help you change your perspective about suffering.
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We in Philippians.
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Right.
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We're in Philippians chapter one.
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You and I didn't even plan to open Philippians.
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No. We don't have many plans, but we.
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Let's.
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We come out here. Let the Holy Spirit have his way.
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I want to. I want to. I want to go a little bit further in chapter one.
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So Tim.
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Tim opened up chapter one. I want to read to you something that you skip over in Philippians. He's writing this from a prison.
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Yeah.
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16 times. He mentions joy or rejoice.
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Yes.
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But I want to show you something very powerful.
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Verse 27 of chapter 1. He speaks to them about Christian.
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Character. But look at what happens when you.
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Get to verses 29. I want to throw this Bible and.
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Shout only verse 27.
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Let your man of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.
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Now watch so that whether I come.
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And see you or I am absent, I may hear of you. That you are standing firm in one spirit.
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Now watch with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation. That from God. Now watch the bombshell in verse 29. For it has been. Watch this word. Granted. Granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also.
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Suffer for his suffer.
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Hold on. For his sake. Pause. Is that in the text?
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Yeah.
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Is it in the text? So we see from the word of God that there are some things going on in your life tonight, in this season, granted, that God gave to you.
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Gosh. Watch this word as a gift. How's that for American theology, right?
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All your little podcasts and your little. Your little whack emotive devotionals, your little fake prophets that prophyla blessing in every season and no pain. All that creates for you a western version of Christianity disconnected from orthodox scriptures. I just read to you in the scriptures that some of your suffering was given to you as a gift. Cuz right here we see in this text there are two things God gives you as a gift. Faith and suffering.
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Come on.
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That. That maybe for someone tonight. The tears you've shed and what you're going through. The tears you've been shedding at night in private.
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The tears that I've been shedding for 10 months. You, my brother, Tim, you was with me at the beginning of the greenbrier. You know what I've been through. The Lord has not changed this season. And I'm starting to believe he gave it to me as a gift. Granted. Granted.
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You know what? You know this daughter I had the other day, Tim, I didn't tell you this.
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I was sitting in my room the other day on the floor in tears, like, why is the persecution against my name so fierce? You know my heart and you hear my prayers. You know my character. Why is it so fierce? And then the Lord, like, put this in my spirit. I thought to myself, he reminded me like, of his own suffering. Like, he was perfect and they persecuted his name, right? What made me think that I'm gonna. I'm gonna escape this life without persecution when he was. He was perfect, Tim. He didn't escape. And. And this thought came to my mind, and I'm praying for God to give me the strength to say this with sincerity.
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Right.
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I said this in tears, and I don't know if I meant it, but I hope I did. Yeah, but the next time I say it, I want to mean it. I said, lord, thank you. Dang, I'm about to cry that you counted me worthy.
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That's right.
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I said, lord, thank you. And I don't know if I meant.
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It, but the next time I say it, I'm going to meet it. Lord, thank you that you have counted me worthy to suffer the way that you suffered. That you are filling up in my flesh the pain of what you endured. Now I understand what it was for God to have Pharisees following him around and calling him out his name and.
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Doing everything they can to discredit his ministry. Oh, I've read this for many years, but did not know what this felt like. Now, God, you've counted me worthy. You've been through the same thing the last two years.
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I don't. I don't want to put your business in the street. I don't know you. I know you got legal stuff around. I don't know if you can talk about. I mean, you've talked about this. But you and I, we can say, lord, thank you. That you've counted us worthy. Yeah. To suffer the way that you suffer. Now you are filled up in our flesh the pain that you felt. Now we can identify with your pain.
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So that we don't only identify with.
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The blessings of Christ.
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Come on, man.
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But now, Lord, we can identify with your suffering.
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And it's in his blessing. We say thank you and we forget him. But in his suffering.
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Yeah.
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Gosh, man.
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Yeah.
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Like, like. Like in his blessings, we say thank you and we run out the room.
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Yeah.
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But it's in his suffering. He keeps us right there on our knees at his feet. Some of you, your prayers got stronger in your suffering.
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Come on. Come on.
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No, no. You were shedding tears, but praying at the same time.
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In suffering. You.
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You was hurting, but praying at the same time.
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In suffering.
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You were suffering. But pray, some of you gonna come out of the season and realize what God did was deepen your intimacy with him through your suffering. He said, I want more of you. I want more of him and more of her. I can't get the attention. Oh, let me break you with this for a little while. And you will cry while you are in it.
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Yeah.
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And you will. You will beg me to get out. But I will leave you there long enough to produce in you and I a deeper intimacy that you did not know. And that when you come out on the other side and come out, you shall.
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Tank.
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Tim, you know, we don't often talk about.
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You'll be more intimate with him when you come out on the other side.
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We don't often talk about the back half of Hebrews chapter 11 come with that, you know, the front half, the hall of the hall of faith. But the back half of that, it says they died in faith. That doesn't. It doesn't create messages for us to shout in church over unpack that they died in faith. They died in faith. Which means they did not see everything they believe. Everything they believe. For in this life and for us that are walking through seasons of suffering and pain, one of the greatest things that we can do is understand.
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That.
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When God trusts you, he doesn't just trust you with blessings. The reason Job suffered is because God trusted that he would not turn his back on him in the suffering. Which teaches me that God doesn't just trust me with blessings, he also trusts me with breaking.
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Say that one more time.
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When God trusts me, he does not.
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Only he doesn't just trust me with.
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Blessings, he trusts me with breakings. Because it's something to be said about a believer who has gone through hell and high water and it still has not shaken their belief.
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The enemy is not after your stuff. He's not after your car. He's not after your house. He's not after your. He's after your belief. And if he can touch those things, if he can touch the possessions, if he can touch your kids, if he can touch your marriage, then he knows it will shake your belief. But there's something to be said about a person who goes through persecution and it still does not shake their belief.
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Family, did you hear what my brother just said? I. I want to reiterate what he just said because we be trying to guard the wrong things.
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Come on, man.
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The devil does not need your vehicle. Come on. He does not drive.
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He does not.
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He does not need your marriage. He's not going to marry your spouse. Come on. He's not going to work for your job.
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It does not need your money. He just attacks the things your heart is attached to. Preach, though, because what he's. What he's searching for is your faith. Yes, your faith. And.
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And this is why. Now hear me.
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It takes maturity to absorb what I'm about to say. Listen, I'mma tell you somebody Who's. Who's unstoppable. Who the devil would take his best blow? And they're going to keep bouncing back. Listen to me. And this is not American. And it's not sexy.
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It's not what I'm about to tell you. Not going to shout. Nobody's not going to throw a towel.
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At me and say, preach, Philip. Right? Nobody's going to throw a dollar on the stage. No offering. But listen to me. I want to help you with something. You are weak when your heart is overly tethered to the things of this life.
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Come on.
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Listen to me.
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And this is why I try to teach my church. And I'm teaching you right now tonight.
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With my brother Tim.
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Your highest reward cannot be anything you.
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Can touch in this life.
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Come on, Phil.
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If your. If your greatest reward are the things you can touch, the enemy will have ground to sift you every single time.
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You will.
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You will put your hand on what you desired, and he will come after it. If your greatest reward will be.
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Hear me. The crown.
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That you lay down at the feet of your savior.
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Come on, Phil.
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If some way, somehow, I could convince you in this moment to make that your highest reward.
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More than a following, more than a.
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Certain socioeconomic status, more than a big.
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Ministry, more than a platform. If in your heart, your highest reward is in a place the devil can't touch, the crown you're gonna lay down at the feet of your savior. If you set your gaze on that. Watch what Tim talked about. A hope that goes beyond this life. You will have a new stamina to endure anything that you have to endure in this life.
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And no matter what the devil touch.
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No matter what you lose, I'm telling.
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You, you may be. Listen, man. It may bend you, but it will not break you.
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It may put you on the floor, but you'll get back up. You'll be shedding tears and saying to yourself, listen. You'll be in the middle of tears, in pain, and talk to yourself like, this is gangster talk. I'll be in the middle of pain.
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And tears, and gangsters talk to themselves like this. The sufferings of this present.
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Come on, Phil. Come on.
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I want to throw this microphone. You'll be in the middle of pain and be like.
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The suffering of this present time.
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Is not worthy.
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That's right.
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To be compared.
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Come on, Phil.
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Watch where the text goes. To the glory that.
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Yeah, man. Come on.
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Shall be revealed. Not here. It's bad preaching there.
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Yeah.
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This is why you always have to remember what Jesus says. I've Gone to prepare a place for you. A place for you. And that you have to stop trying to build utopia here. You will never build utopia here in this life. You will have suffering and tribulation and trial. Said, man, Philip, Tim, how could y' all talk to us like this? Y' all gonna be strong when you.
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Leave this room tonight.
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Come on.
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Listen, I'm telling you, I know what you want because it's America. You want Tim and I to prophylie and saying God is gonna.
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He's gonna.
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He's gonna remove all the suffering that from this room. Everybody that came to street preachers tonight, the God is going to remove all your suffering and we will prophylie to you. No, I'm going to tell you, some.
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Of your suffering will not be removed.
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But you will be stronger when you leave this room tonight because your biblical perspective has changed. And I'm telling you right now, it's something when you could look hell in the face with the devil laughing at you right there. Your last laugh for the suffering of this present time. See, you got to talk to yourself like that.
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I'm just quoting the word to you.
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Come on.
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I had to say that to myself the other day. I was like, lord, this ten months. I've been in this for ten months. Ten months of pain on the backside. Stuff I don't even want to talk about on the platform. 10 months. I can't even do access without warfare. I can't even have a prayer gathering without warfare.
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Oh, Lord, thank you for what you.
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Gave me as a gift. You granted it to me. And, Lord, I say the suffering of this present time, like, you got to.
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Talk to yourself like that. It's not worthy.
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Tim, think about this to be compared.
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Do y' all understand what we saying to you?
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Think about this.
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Can we.
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Before you say that, can we just.
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Take a quick pulse in the room?
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Do it so we know we not hitting the head. Like, I want to know where the spirit is leading.
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We know we not in here by ourselves.
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Just honesty for just a moment. If you're going through something right now.
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In this season of your life, can.
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I just see your hand?
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And if you're driving, keep your hands on the stairs.
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Just every. If. If you're going through something that has brought tears to your life in this season, just lift your hands high so I can see.
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Okay?
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So if your hand is not up.
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You pray for us.
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Come on.
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Who are going through right now. Okay, so the spirit of God is all right.
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Absolutely. Think about this. God himself in the flesh. Did not avoid suffering. He could have and he did not. He could have positioned someone else to do it, could have called out angels. He could have created someone else to suffer. But God himself suffered so that we understand how to suffer. Well, look at what Jesus says in Scripture. Jesus says, I only say what my Father tells me to say. And I only do what my Father tells me to do. So you mean to tell me that the Father told him to suffer.
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Not only did the Father tell him to suffer, but peep his language, but for the joy set before you, like, think.
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Think about this for and in his suffering.
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Because I want us to understand this. Not once does it say he cried because he suffered. Scripture doesn't say that Jesus wept when he was whipped. Scripture doesn't say when they place a crown of thorns on his head, he wept. Scripture does not say when he had.
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His side pierced, he wept.
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Scripture does not say when nails were put in his hand, he wept. It does not say when his feet.
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Were pierced, he wept. You know when Scripture says that Jesus.
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Wept when the Father turned his back.
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So the suffering for Jesus wasn't just physical. The true suffering for him was separation. And he cried out, God, my God, why have you forsaken me, taken me. So hear me, family. Suffering is not just physical. When we are presented with suffering, the temptation to suffer is to separate us from the Father and to bring us to the conclusion that the Father has forsaken us because we are suffering. When in fact the Father is purifying us. He is bringing to the surface who it is that he is refining through the suffering. Not through the gifting, not through the talent, not through the abilities, not through the resources, through the suffering. He's bringing to the surface who he desires for us to be.
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Because Scripture teaches us that he never.
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Leaves us, nor will he forsake us. But the enemy would have you believe because you suffer, you're separated.
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And that is not the truth.
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I also feel a lot of us endure unnecessary suffering. I don't want to. Like, we can't land a plane without talking about that.
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Self inflicted suffering.
A
Some of us endure unnecessary suffering for reasons I want to throw out, that we could try to avoid them. Can we talk about this for a second? I want to throw out some words that bring unnecessary suffering. Because my thing is this. Let me say, before I say this, let me preface this. You say this life is a conveyor belt of challenges and disappointment and hardships. You're not going to escape that.
B
Yeah.
A
So you're going to suffer in this life. Regardless, we will go through hardship and pain. But if we're going to suffer, we should suffer for Christ's sake, and we should suffer for righteousness sake so that.
C
You should not be suffering for things that are unnecessary.
A
And there are some things that create unnecessary suffering. Can I just throw out some words for you? You ready? Y' all ready in the balcony? Disobedience. Come on.
B
Preach.
A
And there is suffering that we endure through. Through disobedience. And there are a lot of us who are often praying for God to deliver us from things that we are creating for ourselves.
C
And I want to help some of you. Some of you, your season will change.
A
With just your next act of obedience. Say it again.
C
For some of you, your season will change with your next act of obedience.
A
Disobedience creates unnecessary suffering. Okay. Rebellion creates unnecessary suffering. Rebellion. It's like you know what God has said, and you just refuse to surrender in that area. Like, lord, answer this prayer. Obey this last command first. Amen.
C
Does this hurt you that I'm talking to like this?
A
Can I throw out something else that creates. And I'm helping you. Bad decision making. And Tim and I ain't got no notes. We're just freestyling. So this is the spirit of God. Bad decision making creates unnecessary.
C
At some point in time, you got to stop.
A
Like, you know the scripture says in proverbs, like, a dog returns to his vomit. Yeah. So a fool returns to his father.
C
Like, how many times you're going to.
A
Keep dating the same person in a different body?
B
Come on, Phil.
C
This is my type.
A
I know.
C
I know it's my type.
B
I know.
C
That's my speed.
A
I know.
C
But where has it gotten you?
B
Nowhere. Right?
C
Some of you can eliminate unnecessary suffering.
A
With better decision making.
B
Come on.
C
Okay.
A
Are you listening to me? Two more. I can't because we only got 15 minutes.
C
You listen to me. What's your name?
A
Robin. Nice to meet you, Robin.
C
So you've heard me talk like this before. They be people. They just want to get the Golden Corral. But we got that bread with the oil on it, though.
B
Bread of life.
C
Like what?
D
What food y' all want? What we talking about?
B
Bread of life.
D
What food y' all want?
A
Y' all want?
D
Y' all want Texas Roadhouse? Or we want this bread with the oil on it.
C
Right, Robin? Y' all paying attention? Robin, what was the last thing I said? Bad decision making decisions. Yeah. I only got two more. I'm not. Because I could be exhausted. But I don't want to do that. I've just thrown out the ones at the top. Bad company.
A
Come on.
C
Bad company.
A
That's why your community matters. Like, I made a. I have suffered a lot because. Let me. Well, let me not.
B
Let me not. Let me.
A
Let me rephrase this.
C
I made. I made a personal decision not to have any intimate relationships with any men.
A
Who have poor character.
C
And before you clap for me like I'm wise. Wisdom did not teach me that.
B
Come on.
C
Pain taught me that. Right? So me, Philip Anthony Mitchell, you see me with Tim, A man of character. I. I tell you, that's a man of virtue, character, integrity, purity. He's a better man off the platform than on the. If you see me. If not. Not in a picture, on Instagram, if you see me intimate with a man. I. I made a covenant with God. I would not be intimate with a man that has poor character. He has to have. He has to love Christ with all of his heart. He has to love his wife and his children. He has to be pursuing purity of heart. He has to hate sin. He has to hate. And he has to have an eternal perspective. If they. Not on that level, like, we could be. We could be acquaintances, but I'm talking about, like, in a circle now. I keep that circle tight.
B
Yeah.
C
Less than 5.
B
Touch on this for a second.
C
Because I didn't get him the last one.
B
Hold on. But it's on this one.
C
On Community. On Community.
A
Okay.
C
About.
B
About. About covenant, about brotherhood. Because people think when they see us, we don't have challenges and we don't have conflict. How do we deal with conflict?
A
Yo, Tim and I, 1. The word is our authority. So when Tim and I are talking.
C
We'Re working through conflict around us, or.
A
We have to settle something that we.
C
We're looking at differently. The word is our authority. Our authority is not our opinion.
B
All right?
A
Amen. Amen.
C
Amen. My authority is not my flesh.
A
If.
C
If, If. If Tim tells me something's in the word of God, I got to submit, bro. You right? And vice versa.
B
Vice versa.
A
Right.
C
And so the. The word of God is our authority.
B
Right?
C
And this got to have enough power over you for you to know. To say, you know what? You're right.
A
I'm sorry.
C
You got to be able to show contrition. This can save a marriage.
A
Tonight I feel the spirit right here.
C
You know, husbands love to say, wives submit, but we should be mutually submissive.
B
Come on, Phil.
A
Right?
C
Tonight, a marriage can be saved if you learn how to be submitted to God's word.
B
Yeah, I think that deserves A better applause than that.
C
Like when. When the scripture teaches me not to be harsh with my wife. I gotta go and repent when I'm harsh.
B
Yeah.
C
And I don't have to wait for a counselor to tell me that if the Word has taught me that.
A
Right.
C
So. So the word got to be our authority. And then. And here not as wisdom and the word and we can resolve tension that way. Y' all understand what I'm saying to you?
A
And.
B
And we refuse to be offended.
C
So.
B
So hear me.
E
If iron sharpens iron, that means there's friction. It never says that the iron gets sharpened and goes their separate ways. We make a conscious and intentional decision to sharpen each other and refuse to be offended.
A
Amen. Can I get him a real example of this?
B
Absolutely.
A
I have. I have five teenagers at home. I have four teenagers that my wife and I gave birth to and a 19 year old that we adopted who's our daughter now. She just turned 20 yesterday. So we have five teenagers at home, two in college.
B
Right.
A
Tim has a son who's very. Who's young.
C
My.
A
My kids feel the pain of my absence. Like Tim's son is with us tonight. My children are not here. Tim's wife is with us tonight. My homegirl, Jen. My wife is not here. My kids are in school. They can't travel with me as much. And when I left, they had tears in their eyes. Where are you going now? Because I travel a lot.
C
I'm gone, like every other week.
A
I'm somewhere in the country, somewhere.
C
And right now that my travel is taking a toll on my family.
A
There's real tension in my home right now and I'm having to work through that. You know?
C
And I said in January, I'm gonna.
A
Have to slow down my travel and.
C
Not go everywhere, but only take the.
A
Assignments that are absolutely necessary because my.
C
Family'S feeling the effects. And my daughter wrote me a letter.
A
A text, letting me know they're feeling my absence.
C
And I came to Tim about this.
A
A couple weeks ago and I said, I don't know if we're gonna be able to finish this tour because I'm feeling tension. Right. And Tim pulled me to the side.
C
And now we have a moment where he wants to finish and I don't.
A
Can I just be.
B
Absolutely.
A
He puts his arm around me and he prays for me. And he reminds me of the faces.
C
That have already purchased their tickets and.
A
What God is already doing. And he reminds me of my dual responsibility to Christ and to my family and how I should be Talking to them at home, preparing them for this last leg of my travels for the end of the year.
C
And he did not let me quit. I'm only in this room tonight because of him. Isn't a true story. My tour manager, she right over there. She'll tell you.
D
This is.
C
I was after last week. I said, guys, I don't even know if we could finish. But he wouldn't let me do that, and he had to. And this is me being mutually submissive, like, okay, I got you, bro. And I'm attending my family a little bit better at home. And when the tour's done, I'm not doing no traveling for a little while. And he and I working that out together. And if we're not mutually submitted and submitted to the Word and loving on each other, we can't have those kind of dialogues without a fight. So even in real time, right now, I'm sacrificing to be out here for y' all off the strength of my brother's encouragement and holding my kids down to say, give me.
A
Give me four more tour stops.
C
We got what?
A
Five more. Five.
C
Five. Yeah. I told. I said, give me five more. And y' all got all. Y' all got all of me for December. I'm not gonna. I'm gonna. I'm gonna take a break from the poop in December. You got all of me in December. We're gonna go out of town. We're gonna travel all month. We're gonna. We're gonna do Christmas out of town. We got all of me in December. Because I want to. I want to tell parents this. Every parent in the room. Kids don't spell love. G, I, F, T. Yeah, kids spell love. T, I, M, E. Yes. They want you more than a toy. And Tim and I worked that out. But let me. I mean, is that too much information for them?
B
No, man.
A
Are you sure? I'll be. Podcast. It's our podcast.
B
Ours. We not guests.
A
Okay, we're not guests. So.
C
This.
A
This last one that causes unnecessary suffering, this one is big in America, cuz they're telling us we got five minutes. We just saw minutes. Soft. Just soft and gentle.
C
Have y' all enjoyed this time? Yeah.
A
This last thing that creates suffering is something I despise and is doing damage in the room, in the church. Is doing damage. And when I say it, you're going to think, really, Philip? Really? Yes, really. You know what else is causing suffering in America? False teaching. Your love affair with bad doctrine.
B
Come on, Phil.
C
Your biblical.
A
Our biblical illiteracy. Because you love sermons more than reading.
C
And if you get all your theology.
A
From a podcast and if you get.
C
All your theology from a sermon, but you never sit in the book for yourself, come on. You will hear heresy preached eloquently. Don't think because somebody got an accent or they got good cadence on a platform or they got three degrees behind their name or they got a big Instagram following you, you automatically give them. You give them approval like they're a man or woman of God. You think a platform affirms a man or woman of God? You got people with platforms with no altars and they got preaching with no prayer life. They got 4am Revelations with no scripture and their authority is their opinions. That's why you got to get to a place where you hate false doctrine.
D
And you fill yourself up so much.
C
With this word that every time you hear something that is not in God's word, it feels like static in your soul.
A
Come on.
D
There are a lot of Christians that.
C
Are suffering right now. Spiritually abused under bad shepherds, wolves in.
D
Sheep'S clothings, men who are enriching themselves.
C
Off of the back of unsuspecting cheap. Got 25 giving lines on a Sunday morning.
D
You preach to me for 45 minutes to give a offering. You preach to me heresies and don't open the word. You manipulate, you scheme, you prophesy with authority be and you call yourself a prophet because we know people are afraid of that title.
B
Come on.
D
You say things like, you are my spiritual son and daughter and you groom people for manipulation.
C
And because they got a following, you ascribe them a man, a woman of God. You know why? Because you like lights more than fruit.
B
Come on.
D
I'm not impressed with nobody platform.
C
Not.
D
The size of nobody church. We ain't impressed with that. You know what impressed me? Character.
B
Yeah.
D
You know what impressed him and I? Fruit.
B
Yeah.
D
You'll be worried about some dude on a stage with a big following a mic. He can't pray a demon out of a room.
C
But there's an old lady, come on.
D
That social media don't know her name but she's sitting in the back of the room and she got a real prayer life. And when she kneeled to pray, demons know her name. They say, Jesus we know and Paul we know and that little lady in the back, we know her name. When she kneel, things shake. I'm talking to you Tonight we bout.
A
To minister.
D
Man tonight, man we want something to break off of you. They could talk trash all they want. Hell know My name.
B
Come on.
D
Hell know his name. Jesus. They know. And Paul. They know I put my life on it. Fill up. They know. And Tim. They know. You think this is a show? No. We paying a price for this. In private.
C
My apple watch is going off. Watch this.
A
Like this.
D
Alarm going off my phone. We need an alarm to go off.
C
Tonight in this room.
D
We need an alarm to go off tonight in this room. We need something to go off in our souls and in our hearts. We need an alarm to go on tonight in this room. We need to be delivered from false doctrine and false teaching and lies. We need to live well and suffer well. We need to be faithful on mountaintops and in valleys. We need to love this word more than the words of men. Go up.
C
We about to come down.
D
You go up. So we come down.
C
I feel the spirit of God, an anointing right now for strength.
D
I feel a supernatural anointing right now for strength. And not a fake strength. A divine strength from heaven born in the truth of God's word. Who am I talking to? Jesus, I feel. Who am I talking to? I want to pray over you. An anointing for strength. Strength. I want to pray over an anointing for strength. An anointing for strength. Supernatural. Who am I talking to? The devil is a liar. Who am I talking to? I want to pray an anointing over you. Thy divine, supernatural. Supernatural strength. One that endures, one that looks hell in the face and bounce back from anything. Who am I talking to? Wave your hand at me if I'm talking to you. If I'm talking to you. Turn your palms up towards heaven. Up like you want to receive. Hallelujah. Father, in the name of Yeshua, on the testimony of your word.
E
And the.
D
Anointing of the Spirit in this moment, I pray a release of supernatural strength fall on your son and daughters tonight. Right now. God. A grace to endure suffering well. A grace to discern false doctrine and lies of the devil. A grace, God, Lord, to stare death in the face, hell in the face, and not wait for a faith and a tenacity to walk through fire and come out on the other side. And we will live well and suffer well for the glory of the Son and Father. We will grow in maturity to not only thank you for the things that bring us joy, but to thank you for the things that you have allowed that you are working in us. A greater weight of glory are making.
E
Us, molding us, changing us, transforming us into the sons and the daughters you desire for us to be. So even with tears streaming down our face, we say thank you.
B
Even with.
E
Pain in our body. We say thank you even in chaos and confusion. God, we say thank you not for the things, but because you are good in spite of. So we give you all the glory.
B
We give you all the praise.
E
Jesus name, we pray.
D
Amen.
A
Come on.
E
If you're grateful, put those hands together.
A
Oh, come on.
E
We can do better than that. I said if you're grateful, do me a favor, take your seat for a few minutes.
B
You guys are within driving distance. I know because you drove here tonight.
E
Who flew Nebraska? Y' all flew from Nebraska?
B
Where?
E
Houston? Atlanta?
B
Oh, my gosh.
E
Well, listen, listen, listen. Boston.
B
It's crazy. New York.
A
Somebody said New York.
C
What part of New York? From where? Staten Island? Australia.
A
Australia?
C
Who came from Australia?
E
You didn't fly from Australia for tonight.
A
Did.
B
Listen, thank you, all of you. Thank you for making the sacrifices to be here. We love you. We love you and we're grateful.
A
Listen, family, all of our street team, this is Tim Timberlake and Philip Anthony Mitchell coming to you live from our nation's capital.
C
We want to thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Street Preachers podcast.
A
If this has been a blessing to you, you can do us a favor. We're not asking for any money. Just, like, subscribe, share, tell somebody about this podcast and we're going to see you next week for the next episode of Street Preachers Podcast.
B
We pray you are blessed by this content in this episode, we want to thank our street team for following us on this journey when I ask that you continue to share like, subscribe as we endeavor to continue to bring you the word of God.
Episode: Street Preachers Podcast Tour | Philip Anthony Mitchell and Tim Timberlake
Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: Philip Anthony Mitchell & Tim Timberlake
In this powerful episode recorded live in Washington DC, Philip Anthony Mitchell and Tim Timberlake address a gathering during a season of nationwide uncertainty and hardship. Against the backdrop of a government shutdown and widespread societal tension, they dive into one of the deepest themes in the Christian walk: the coexistence of suffering and joy. Through raw transparency about their personal struggles and a deep dive into Philippians, the hosts challenge Western views of suffering, encourage mature spiritual endurance, and warn against self-inflicted pain and false doctrine.
Tim Timberlake opens by acknowledging the turmoil in the country—including a government shutdown affecting millions—and frames the episode as a search for biblical truth to guide listeners through times of uncertainty and suffering.
"Our nation is in turmoil. Our country is in chaos. There is a pressure and a tension that we are seeing and experiencing right now that needs a move of God." (Tim, 00:10)
Philip shares candidly about experiencing great success in ministry and profound pain: attacks on his character and safety, family stress, and a beloved pet’s severe injury.
He introduces the concept of “juggling joys and sorrows,” rejecting the simplistic “mountaintop and valley” narrative.
"The Christian life is joys and sorrows at the same time... In one hand, we hold things that bring us joy... and in the other hand, we hold sorrow at the same time." (Philip, 06:49)
"The Lord will never create for you and I a life that makes him unnecessary." (Philip, 07:35)
Suffering can coexist with blessing; God often leaves some pain or struggle to shape character and faith, not as punishment but as formation.
The American “escape mentality” is contrasted with biblical endurance.
"Sometimes the prayer is not, God, get me out. Sometimes, God, the prayer is, work on me while I am in." (Philip, 08:04)
"He has not changed my season, but he has changed me during the season." (Philip, 08:49)
Tim draws parallels to Paul’s imprisonment in Philippians, showing how God used Paul’s suffering to spread the gospel to places and people he couldn’t have reached otherwise.
"Paul looks at this and says, this is my platform. As many would look at this and say, I cannot do. Paul looks at this and says, I still have something left to do." (Tim, 10:18)
"God answered his prayer, but not the way that he thought it would be answered." (Philip, 13:22)
They break down practical pillars of suffering well:
"I think when we mature in the faith, we learn to live well and suffer well. We learn to thank God for the things that bring us joy and thank him for the things that bring us pain." (Philip, 16:25)
Drawing from Philippians 1:29, the hosts teach that faith and suffering are both “granted” to believers—not all suffering is accidental, but sometimes gifted to develop deeper intimacy and maturity.
"Some of your suffering was given to you as a gift... Faith and suffering." (Philip, 20:41)
Both hosts share personal stories of persecution, family pain, and rejection. They stress that suffering strengthens prayer lives and intimacy with God.
The goal: that our greatest reward and hope isn't in earthly things, but in the eternal reward—"the crown you lay down at the feet of your Savior" (Philip, 29:20).
"If your greatest reward are the things you can touch, the enemy will have ground to sift you every single time." (Philip, 28:56)
"The suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed." (Philip, 30:56)
They warn against forms of suffering that are self-inflicted: disobedience, rebellion, poor decisions, and bad company.
"For some of you, your season will change with your next act of obedience." (Philip, 38:56)
“I made a personal decision not to have any intimate relationships with any men who have poor character... Wisdom did not teach me that. Pain taught me that.” (Philip, 42:06)
The importance of biblical authority and mutual submission in friendships, marriages, and leadership.
Real-life example: Tim supporting Philip through family tension about travel, illustrating “iron sharpens iron” dynamics.
"The word of God is our authority... and we refuse to be offended." (Philip & Tim, 43:50–44:48)
"Kids don't spell love GIFT, they spell love TIME." (Philip, 48:47)
A sharp rebuke against the rise of “false doctrine,” shallow internet Christianity, and manipulation by unbiblical leaders.
The call: be biblically literate, discerning, and seek character over charisma or platform.
"Your love affair with bad doctrine... Our biblical illiteracy. Because you love sermons more than reading." (Philip, 49:58)
"You got people with platforms with no altars and they got preaching with no prayer life." (Philip, 50:15)
On Suffering & Maturity
On Paul’s Imprisonment
On Perspective in Suffering
On Persevering Faith
On False Teaching
On Eternal Hope
This episode calls believers to a depth of faith that thrives not in the absence of suffering but in its midst. Mitchell and Timberlake urge listeners to:
Memorable final charge:
"We need to be delivered from false doctrine and false teaching and lies. We need to live well and suffer well. We need to be faithful on mountaintops and in valleys. We need to love this word more than the words of men." (Philip, 54:10)
Recommended for anyone navigating hardship, wrestling with purpose in pain, or seeking a deeper, more resilient faith.