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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. What's going on, family? You are leaning in with me and my brother, Philip Anthony Mitchell, for the Street Preachers Podcast. I'm your host, Tim Timberlake.
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And I'm your boy, Philip Anthony Mitchell.
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And what an honor and a privilege it is to go on this journey with you as we unpack scripture, as we talk about the kingdom of God, as we talk about the church in the west and culture, what's happening around the world, culture. And we're just so grateful that you're on this journey with us for the Street Preachers Podcast. And we have what me and Phil consider to be an incredible topic today as we continue to go through the Book of Jude.
C
Yeah.
A
So, like right now, as we sitting here recording this episode in New York, a major story just broke on national television. It's not a secret about a minister who I think we've both seen on television and the Internet for many years, who the feds just raided all of his properties around the country. And what was a. A coordinated effort or sting. We want to address this because, you know, one of the things we want to do on this podcast, we want to talk about faith and culture.
C
Yeah.
A
And we want the scriptures to meet culture where it is right. And we know that there are people right now who are watching this story unfold and are losing confidence in priests and pastors and leaders. It is stories like this that cause a lot of hurt for people who are now coming into the faith, people who have trust issues with men and women of God and leaders. And we don't want to shy away from what's happening right now. We want to talk about it because we do feel like it fits the narrative that what Judah's talking about.
C
Right. And.
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And so many of you have been watching, if you're not familiar, there was a minister in Tim. State of Florida and who has been found to been embezzling large sums of money, millions of dollars, over the course of a number of years, extremely lavish lifestyle, multiple homes. And it's just been heartbreaking as we've been watching this and this is happening in your state. And so, you know, I want you to just. Just tell us how you feel before we kind of connect Jude to this circum. This is happening in your home state right now, Florida. What's the atmosphere like down at Florida? What are people saying? How did this affect you when you saw this thing happen.
B
Yeah, I. I think, you know, it affects all of us.
C
Yeah.
B
In a sense that it brings into question the credibility of pastors, because culture and society, they generalize pastor, they generalize apostles, they generalize the church. And so it impacts us whether we know who the individual is or not, because it provides another hurdle for us to have to take people over to develop that trust. One of the things that for me is disappointing is, you know, we don't know the heart of how this individual started.
A
Yeah, we don't.
B
But we know how this narrative ends.
C
Yes.
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And so one thing that we see is false prophets, false teachers, false shepherds, they always fatten the sheep for slaughter.
A
Unpack that. Always unpack that a little bit.
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They'll feed half truths to entertain, to garner a following. And we talked about this in. I believe it's episode three. But a following does not equate to fruit.
A
Yeah, we talked about this.
C
Yeah.
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And so, you know, it. It impacts us and not just, you know, pastors and leaders, but it impacts people in a great way.
A
I think. I think Tim, is also important for us to insert this right now, in this moment is that we're not. We're not talking about this because we're trying to prop ourselves up above anyone else. I'm the first to admit that, that I have struggles. We are still in a process of sanctification. So by no means are we broaching this topic right now because we're trying to exalt ourselves above this particular brother or anybody else. But I do think it's important for us to say that we are broaching this topic because what we are acknowledging right now in this particular episode, we do believe is one of the greatest threats to the church in the west and was one of the greatest threats to the church in the first century A.D. and that is the infiltration generation of God's people by false prophets.
C
Okay.
A
I think there is a lot of finger pointing at the devil.
C
Right.
A
And we see this a lot in Christian.
B
Absolutely.
A
100, where we as believers have a tendency to try to blame the devil for everything that's happening in the church. I think it's important for us to remember that Jesus said from his own mouth after Peter acknowledges him as Christ. Matthew, chapter 16. Christ said, on this rock, I will build my church. On the revelation that I am the Son of God. And with Peter as this first pastor, I will build my church. And the gates of hell would not prevail. And so Jesus has declared firmly that heaven will never be overthrown. By the power of hell. The church will not be overthrown by the power of hell. However, as we read the New Testament. And this is why we encourage people to read the scriptures for themselves.
C
Right.
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Don't just get all of your theology from podcasts and from sermons, but read the scriptures for yourself. That's brothers and sisters. Please hear me read the scriptures for yourself. Check behind Tim. Check behind me. Check behind everybody you're listening to. Do not get all of your theology from podcasts and sermons. Yeah, but as we read the New Testament, Tim, we see this constant echo in the hearts of the apostles and the writers. What was their major concern? They will say things like, we know.
B
That's right.
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As soon as we leave.
B
That's right.
A
Ravenous wolves. That's going to come in behind us and they will not spare the flock. And so their major warning to churches in the first century was to watch out for false prophets.
B
Not the devil.
A
Not the devil. Wolves in sheep's clothing empowered by Satan.
B
That's right.
A
But their biggest warning was not point the fingers at the devil. Their biggest warning to the church in the first century was watch out for false prophets. Be vigilant, be discerning, pay attention. And that was their biggest concern because they know the greatest threat to the church was false teaching. False teaching is so damaging, so destructive to the body of Christ. This was the constant warning of the apostles when watch out for false teachings. This is why we're broaching this subject in this particular episode, not only for this story that just broke nationally. I think it was last week when this story broke nationally. It's all over the news.
C
Right.
A
You can go look it up for yourself. But this story reminds us of the great danger that the apostles was warning us about through God's word is that we have to look out for false prophets and false teachings. And there is a difference between a pastor making a mistake in the pulpit.
C
Right.
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Because we are human.
B
Right.
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The difference between a misstep and a poop in terms of you may have quoted something wrong or said something wrong. That does not make someone a false prophet or false teacher. But there are people who have been inspired by the enemy.
C
That's right.
A
Inspired by their flesh, inspired by self aggrandizement and personal gain to destroy God's people with heresies, spoken eloquently with false teachings and false doctrines, and they have to padding their own pockets and they will ravish and pilfer the sheep for the sake of their own personal gain. And that's what's happened here in circumstance.
C
Right?
A
So let's unpack this. Right, Tim? Let's unpack this. Because this is a great danger in the body of Christ. I think we're seeing a rise of false prophets in the body of Christ. There's a part of me that believes the rise of false prophets is also a type of judgment on America. You know, I think people forget that sometimes God doesn't only punish us by bringing us pain, but sometimes God punishes us by giving us what we want. That's for him.
B
Stay there for a second. Because that's powerful, right?
A
I think people need to hear that. If you're watching me right now, I want you to hear what I'm saying. That sometimes God's punishment on a person is not bringing the gavel of pain, but giving you all of what you want more than him. He'll just turn you over to what you want. And I think right now, since we.
C
Love.
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Prophets and men almost more than God himself, I think God is just giving America all of what she wants. That's what I think is happening right now.
B
You said something so powerful.
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What we want.
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When you think about this.
C
Yeah.
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The only time we fail, the only time we stumble, the only time we sin, the only time we drop the ball.
A
Come on.
B
Is when we get what we actually.
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Want more than we want from God.
C
That's it. Yeah.
B
That's why I believe David says, the Lord is my shepherd. I have no want.
C
Right.
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Come. Come on.
B
I have no one.
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I'm going old school King James on that. I shall not want. I'm going old school King Jimmy on that. I shall. That's the way I like.
C
I shall not want.
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I shall not want.
B
You know what I'm saying?
C
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
B
But if the Lord is our shepherd.
C
Yeah.
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And he's leading us.
C
Yeah.
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Then he supplies our needs.
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Supplies our needs.
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And we are in this climate, we're in this culture, we're in this. This time that we're in with a generation and a people that desire not to hear from God.
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Bro, I got to. I got to. I got to stop you, right?
C
Yeah.
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Because something is boiling up in my spirit. When you talk about a people who desire.
C
Yeah.
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Things is not from God. Is a passage that wells up in my spirit.
C
Right.
A
You remember when the apostle Paul wrote his protege Timothy?
C
Yeah.
A
When he said to Timothy, he said to Timothy, he said, in the last days, right. Men will be lovers themselves. Lovers of money.
B
Yeah.
A
And then he goes down this list, right? And when he gets to the bottom List. He says something very important about what you said is why we need to stay right here when you said. He says they will heap up for themselves teachers.
B
Yep.
C
Right.
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Because of their itching ears.
C
Right.
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Who essentially. Let's paraphrase the text will tell them what they want to hear. Let's watch the text. To suit their own passions. And so it is our misguided passions that creates a marketplace.
B
Come on, bro.
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For the false prophet taught the tough soil. If in my passions I want something more than Christ.
B
Come on.
A
I want the words of men more than the words of scripture. I want platforms more than process. I want stages more than altars. It is our own passions that create the marketplace for the false prophet to thrive.
C
Right.
A
And so they are thriving right now because of our passions. There's an increase in people who are teaching us itching ear sermons. Because of our passions, because of our desire. So much for self help speech and TED talks. Because we want that more than doctrine.
B
Absolutely.
A
Dang.
B
I'm about to go after it.
A
Look, I gotta get me mad because I. I feel you just gotta stop.
B
No, no, go.
C
Go for it.
B
Let me go for it.
A
Because. Because. Because we love self help speeches more than doctrine. Because we love stages more than altars. Because we love the affirmation of men more than the affirmation of God in the prayer room. Because of that, we are creating a market in our hearts and in social media for these false prophets to run rampant. They are running rampant because of our own passions and our itching ears. Is that's giving them a market right now?
B
Absolutely. I think to emphasize on.
A
I gotta digress. Because if I don't digress.
B
No, no, let's. Hey, all gas, no break. Listen, man, we don't hold our tongue.
C
Yeah. This is.
B
This is the truth in love. But I think we have a generation that wants stages and they want people on stages.
C
Yeah.
B
Stages are given to performers.
C
Yes.
B
Platforms are given to people with influence.
C
Yeah.
B
God has given us the responsibility to steward influence. Well, this influence is not ours.
A
Yes. We steward it for God's glory.
B
For his glory. Glory does not belong to us. Victory does. Glory does not. And so when we. When we see people like what happened last week, we know that God has given them an opportunity to turn. And then you were talking about this. I know for a fact God gave him an opportunity to turn probably more than once. More than once. We know other pastors who have walked down a similar road. God gave them an opportunity to turn. And you have to make an intentional decision to not turn, not repent, and continue to head in the wrong direction. And I think, you know, one of the greatest weapons the enemy uses is want.
A
Want. Let's unpack that too. Right. But in soul unpacking, want. For someone who's watching and they're not familiar what happened because this happened in your state, give them a little bit more context what took place over a period of years. So the Fed's fine. Like, give them some context. And then let's come back to one.
B
Yeah. So they. They rated five properties that belong to this particular past, of this particular pastor, rated homes, churches, churches, businesses. And they are discovering falsified information.
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Yeah. Money laundering. Money laundering.
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Holding people against their will for call.
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Centers like modern day slaves.
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Modern day slaves propping the church up to run other businesses behind as a front. As a front.
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Spiritual abuse.
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And so they're still unfolding, you know, unpacking.
A
And some of that was cultish too, Tim.
B
I think the great majority of it was cultish because it was not rooted in the word of God. It was rooted in selfish ambition, selfish gain, greed. And time and time again, this individual had an opportunity to turn. He's been on TV and he knew that there were people coming against him with the word of God. And he didn't defend his stance with the word of God. He defended his stance with selfish ambition. You're doubling down on greed, doubling down on these things. And so when we think about want, I believe that one of the greatest tools and weapons the enemy uses is that want and giving us what it is that we want. So we miss what it is that we need. And one of the things that God has really been stirring in my heart, bro. This is the difference between God and the enemy in this context. God never places what he has for us in our hands. He always places it in our reach. The enemy always tries to put what he desires for you to have in your hands, but he can't force you. Right. So the enemy doesn't bust down our door. We open the door. We let him in.
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Facts.
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One bad decision at a time.
A
Facts.
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And so when we think about that one, it is a powerful weapon. It is a powerful tool that the enemy uses to get us into a position where we are distracted.
C
Yep.
B
From what God desires to do.
A
And it is that want that is synonymous with the text that I reference. Because of our own passions, we create an opportunity for false teachers to emerge. And so even when we think about this brother and some of the things that I've heard him say across television for Many, many years. He's really playing on the fleshly desires and people, you know, easy outs from pain. If you sow this amount of money, you'll get this special prayer salute pillowcase. We send you this special water, whatever these things. And what people are looking for was easy fixes to problems, pseudo miracles, little idols of sorts. And we really gotta pray, right? I think if those of you who are familiar with this particular story, it is unfortunate, right? And I think one of the things we have to do is pray, right? Pray for the people who have been taken advantage of in the circumstance. Pray for people who have been abused in the circumstance. There are people who have been traumatized by this whole thing. We need to pray and we need to pray for the body of Christ, Christ too. Because when things like this happen, people lose faith. And pastors, like you said earlier, they lump us all in general together. They generalize and people lose confidence in the church when these things happen. And I think it's important, and I want to say this right, there's somebody watching right now. Somebody will watch this. They will be tempted to walk away from the church because this, they will say, see, this is why I can't go to church.
C
Yeah.
A
This is why I can't be faithful serving at a church. This is why I can't support a church financially. And I just want to remind that person, I want to remind somebody watching. In every industry known to men, there are people who are moral and people who are moral.
C
Yes.
A
So true. Whether it's in politics, it's in sports, it's in education, business, in whatever case it may be, medicine, medical, everything. You have good doctors and immoral doctors. You have good lawyers. Lawyers and immoral lawyers and think the case. And the church is no different. The church is a conglomerate of sinful people and some fake Christians.
B
Yeah.
A
And as a result of that, there are people who are doing things in the name of God who do not belong to God. And this is what Jude is getting to, right, that we about to unpack in verse four, that there are people who are among us who are not really a part of us, but they take the name Christian upon them. And as a result of that, that title allows them, whether it's Christian or apostle or prophet or teacher, evangelist, they take these titles upon and they creep into the church of Jesus Christ. And then they lead unsuspecting sheep astray. And so I do want to say it's important for those who are following the story that we are praying for people who have been abused and Taken advantage of. This is a very serious circumstance that is breaking right now in culture.
C
And.
A
And Jew kind of addresses that. Listen, I think we should, like.
B
Let's dive into that a little bit.
C
Right.
A
And point. So, because this is very important in Jew, chapter four. Jew, chapter one and verse four. Well, it's only one chapter, but two, verse four, he says. And this. This verse reminds me of what we're dealing with right now in culture when Jew says, for certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation. Now watch what Jude says. Ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only master and Lord Jesus Christ. This is very, very profound.
C
Absolutely.
A
There's a couple things here that Jude says that I want us to kind of walk through together. Tim. He says certain people, not all people.
B
That's right.
A
So he makes the distinction between that they are good shepherds and they are shepherds who are false prophets. Let's unpack that a little bit. Let's talk about how do we discern between shepherds that God has sent and shepherds who the enemy have sent. Shepherds who have the character of Christ and shepherds who have the character of flesh. How do we distinguish between the two?
B
I think by fruit. And what I mean by that is counterfeits always look the part but carry no authority.
C
Yeah, and.
A
And no anointing.
B
No anointing, no power. And they may be popular, but there's a difference between popularity and powerful facts. I think one of the greatest ways that we can decipher and discern the difference between a true prophet, pastor of God and a false prophet or pastor of God is by the fruit that they carry. I also look at who people keep around them. A very practical, very, you know, simple gauge for me who are the people that this individual keeps around them. If they got, you know, people that have been proven to be false in their circle, if they have people that are questionable in their circle. My father used to always say he can determine where I will go by the people I keep closest to me.
C
Yeah.
A
And I think that's powerful, too, because in conjunction with the people we keep close to us, every time we broach this topic, whether like you and I, in private, in conversations, or even in this moment of podcast, I think about this tree in front of my house.
C
Yeah, right.
A
And I've told you about this. I got a fig tree in front of my house.
C
All right.
A
And if you pull up on my house and you're at the driveway at the Street. And you see that fig tree in the distance. It's lush with leaves, but you can't see no fruit on it from a distance. But the closer you get to that fig tree.
C
Right.
A
You can start to see the fruit on that fig tree or the lack thereof on that fig tree. But you really can't tell what's going on with that tree, Tim, until you get close to that train. I got a long driveway.
C
Yeah.
A
So. So from a distance. It may look fruitful from a distance, but you got to really get up on it to determine. And I think this, the same thing is why I say all the time I want to encourage people who are listening to be more impressed with character than their talent.
B
Absolutely.
A
Be more impressed with character than with gifting.
C
Right.
A
Gifting is something that's going to come without repentance.
C
Right.
A
The Father, the Son, the Spirit of God. God gives men gifts and then men will take those gifts and either use them for God's glory or use them for their own personal glory and self anger and. But character is something different. Character is something that has to be molded.
C
That's right.
A
Through this word.
C
Yeah.
A
Through proper biblical community. That's through the people we're hanging with like you and I. Keep each other accountable.
C
Right.
A
We talk about things that's going on in our heart.
B
Challenge each other. Challenge me.
C
I challenge you.
A
Challenge me. So there is a personal development and character.
C
Right.
A
And this is why I want people who are watching to be more impressed with the character of a man or woman than just a gift with a man or woman. Like, gifting could put you on a stage, but it's character that will keep you in an office. Yeah, right, yeah. Gifting can open a door, but character will keep you in that door. Gifting could beguile and manipulate people, but it's character that really changes lives.
B
Right.
A
And so I want to encourage people, man, as you're trying to discern real prophets from false prophets, what is this person's character there?
C
Right?
A
Watch. Who are they trying to glorify?
B
Right?
A
What is coming out of their mouth? Listen carefully to what they're saying? Are they exalting Christ or are they exalting themselves? Are they exalting scripture? Are they exalting man made doctrine?
C
Right.
A
Are they moving the kingdom forward or moving their own agendas forward? What do we see about how they treat their family, their children? What do people who are closest to them say about them?
C
Right.
A
What does their staff say about them? What do their spouses say about them? What do we See, in this person's life over a period of time. That part.
C
Right.
A
Over a period of time. We think about your dad. Your father was a legend in the body of Christ. But we've seen a man who had godly character over a period of time.
C
Right.
A
Started well, finished well. Doesn't mean he was a perfect man. But we've seen character over a period of time. And I think if more of us would be more impressed with character than with talent, we won't be led astray by just platforms and large Instagram followings and things that are showy and things that are bright and things that are loud. We're watching for people's fruit over a period of time.
B
Let's touch on this a little bit. Because when you said fruit, something jumped in my spirit. Because not only should we look at their fruit.
C
Yeah.
B
But we should determine what their fruit does to us.
A
What? How it affects us. How it affects us when we're hearing them. What do I feel?
B
How does it impact us?
A
Yeah.
B
In. In the grocery store right now, there are two different types of vegetables and fruits.
A
Work this right here.
B
10 two different types.
A
Your work this. Come on.
B
Because grocery stores started discovering.
A
Come on.
B
Farmers wanted to manufacture more vegetables and fruit.
C
Yeah.
B
So they started to spray different things on these vegetables and fruit to grow them faster. Because faster growth means more money.
A
But you need chemicals.
B
You need chemicals to do that.
C
Yeah.
B
And so what it was producing in the consumer was cancer. And so what happened was they started to create a different sector fruit called organic. Come on. Right now. Organic has been marketed and a lot of things that are labeled organic or not organic or.
A
But.
B
But the emphasis is we want to grow this differently.
A
Come on.
B
Because we have found that over time, what we have produced quickly has health damages to the body that should not be there.
A
And as it is in the natural.
B
Come on. It is in the soul.
A
It is in the spirit. And that if we are consuming bad fruit.
C
Come on.
A
From poor character. We are intoxicating ourselves with toxic, cancerous doctrine that's going to eat out our soul and it's going to destroy us on the inside. We're going to look up a year from now, five years from now, ten years from now. Realize I've been listening to this person for all this time. Time. And my life has not been transformed. My life has not been changed. I have not been confronted. I have not been challenged. I feel no conviction.
B
That's right.
A
They're not moving me closer to the image of Christ. I personally believe where there is Sound biblical proclamation, teaching. And where there's a man or woman of character proclaiming, if you listen to that person over time, you will see yourself being conformed to the image of Christ.
C
Right.
A
That's why I love. When the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Colossians, he says in Colossians chapter one, him we proclaim.
C
Right.
A
Warning everyone, teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone.
B
That's right.
A
Watch this word mature before Christ. Come on.
C
Right.
A
And so if I'm listening to biblical proclamation, biblical teaching from a man or woman of God, a true vessel of God, over time, that proclamation is going to help me grow more and more into the image of Christ. And that does not happen by only rubbing me on my back. That happens sometimes by kicking me in my back. Like, I will feel. I will feel challenged. I will feel confronted. I would have this desire to move away from the things of the world and journey towards holiness and purity and humility. I will look up in the mirror five years from now, ten years from now, and look more like my savior than I did when I started this journey. Absolutely. And that's what biblical proclamation does. That's the difference between the organic fruit.
B
That's right.
A
Come on, Tim.
C
Yeah.
A
And the fruit that's laced with toxins. Every.
B
Every voice that we listen to is a seed into our spirit. Work that right there. It produces something.
C
Yeah.
B
If it's the wrong voice, it produces the wrong fruit.
A
Come on.
B
If it's the right voice.
A
Come on.
B
It produces the right fruit.
A
Come on.
B
And I think we need to understand that the. The gospel of Jesus Christ, the word of God, it should do two things. When I hear you preach, I'm looking for two things. I'm looking for the text to bless me, and I'm looking for the text to blister me. Every single Sunday, I hear you preach. Every single week, I hear you preach. And when I listen to great men and women of God walk through the text, I want to be both blessed and I want to be blistered. Because if I'm not blistered, I'm. I'm leaning too much into comfort and convenience. But if it's too much blistering, then I don't see the love of God in the scripture.
A
Come on.
B
So scripture without love is abuse.
A
Come on. Come on.
B
Scripture with love is shepherding.
A
Come on.
B
And we have a generation of people that lean too heavily into love. So we accept everything that's good.
C
Good.
B
Or we lean too heavy into blistering.
A
That's good.
B
And so we think everything is legalism or wrong or immoral when there has to be this priority of both blessing and blistering. And so as we're on this topic, and also it's truth and grace.
A
That's what Jesus came. He came preaching in truth and grace.
B
And there's truth in grace and there's truth in love. I say this with love because I know there's some people listening to this, and I know that some people that have been following the journey of what has been unfolding, not just with this pastor, but many pastors who have fallen, who have fallen by the wayside and have been hurt by people in church. And we utilize language and lingo like, the church hurt me. The church hurt me. Family. The church did not hurt you. People in the church hurt you.
C
Yeah.
B
Best way for me to explain it is like this.
C
We.
B
We do a lot with a lot of different athletes. God has blessed both me and Phil to Pastor shepherd, people of influence. I go to Jacksonville Jaguars games. Every home game. I'm there. I'm behind the bench. The stadium is full of people with jerseys on. And there are people in that stadium that get arrested every single week wearing a jersey.
A
Wearing a jersey, but are not on the team.
B
They're not on the team. Not once do I say, man, the Jaguars hurt me this week.
A
Right.
B
Because somebody in a jersey did something foolish or something stupid or got arrested or threw up or got drunk and belligerent. Not once do I say, say, this organization hurt me.
C
Yeah.
B
I walk away and say, man, that person was a fool.
C
Yeah. Yeah.
B
And I think if we start looking at people.
A
Yes.
B
Like that and stop generalizing and blaming the church, we get an opportunity to see God do something so unique, so special through the brokenness of humanity that we won't see if we blame the church for everything instead of the brokenness of humanity.
A
And that's why one of the things I say often is that I say to people at 2019, I say that the church is a glorious mess somewhere.
C
Right.
A
It is a mosaic of broken pieces. And that if we. If we stay the course, where God has planted us, now, there are some places people need to get out of. Absolutely. We're about to talk about it. But where God has planted you, if God has planted you there, he's putting you on a journey of sanctification. And it's hard to be sanctified if you're not rubbed a little bit.
C
Right.
A
And so this thing is a glorious mess. And I was sharing with a group of people the Other day, knowing I'm teaching. This is a journey of sanctification. There are two things I know sanctifies more than anything thing, and that is marriage and community.
C
Yeah, right.
A
Being married to another sinner.
B
That's right.
A
And being in community with other sinners and feeling that rub, that heat sometimes I offend you, but we apologize. You offend me, but I apologize. I said this wrong, but I own that. And it's this, this ongoing dance of us doing life together, hurting one another, practicing Matthew 18, coming out on the other side, that over time we learn how to deal with conflict, come out on the side, shoulder each other's burdens, all these things in which we're sanctified over a period of time, Right? But then even going back to this situation with, with this particular thing that we. We broach this conversation with, there's something very important that Jude said. He said that these men crept in unnoticed, talking about false prophets, that they crept in unnoticed. And I think this is very important because I think sometimes when people think about the enemy and his ploys, they think pitchfork, right? They think horns on the head, right? They think something's going to show up in red and it's going to scare you.
C
Right? Right.
A
But the scripture says that the enemy masquerades like an angel of death. That's right.
B
That's right.
A
And so if we took every single preacher in America and put them in an arena, right? If we took every single preacher in America and put them in arena, right. In that arena are false prophets and.
B
Real prophets and real prophets, men and.
A
Women who God has called and men and women who the devil has planted outside that arena sometimes, or even that arena, it's hard to tell them apart. Because, see, Jude said these people crept in unnoticed.
B
Unnoticed, right?
A
But in that room are people that God has appointed and the devil has appointed. And so I think it's important for people to understand that sometimes these people who the enemy has raised up to beguile the church, sometimes it's hard to notice. They creep in unnoticed, right? They'll come with Christian lingo all, and they'll quote scriptures, they'll preach sermons, start whole ministries, lead Bible studies. They have podcasts. They have podcasts, they have churches.
B
That's right.
C
Right.
A
They have platforms, right? But if we don't have enough, watch this word discernment, y that is built by spending time with God and time in his word, it'll be very hard for us to detect these false prophets. That's why discernment is, is very, very Important for the believer. I want to talk about that for just a second there.
C
All right.
A
There are a lot of Christians who get hurt because they don't have discernment. They don't spend time in God's presence. And I think the more we spend time with God and the more we grow in His Word, the more we will grow in discernment. We'll hear things and automatically know that's inconsistent with God's Word.
C
Yeah.
A
You'll be sitting in a room and hear something, and it feel like static in your soul. You'll be listening to a podcast and you hear something. A podcast said that. But if you're not full with truth, then you can't tell a lie.
B
That's right.
A
And the more truth we know, the easier it is to discern a lie. The more time we spend in God's presence, the more sensitive we are to his voice and his spirit. The more we walk into atmospheres and feel like something is wrong. Like, I knew something was off with this dude for years.
C
Years. Yeah. Yeah.
B
Like, I can feel it.
A
Every time I saw him on tv, I could feel it. Even though I couldn't put my finger on it, I knew in my spirit something off with this dude. So I think if we grow in the Word and if we grow in prayer and if we grow in intimacy, our spirit man becomes sensitive to false teachers, false doctrine, false environments.
C
Right.
A
Where we. Not just. We're not just blaming the church for everything, but we got to know that these people are creeping in unnoticed and.
B
And don't even entertain them. Like, what we entertain and what we allowed to entertain us will eventually disciple us.
A
Come on.
C
Want.
B
Right? So to. To shut the mouths of wolves. Stop entertaining them.
A
Stop in it.
B
Stop engaging them. Stop supporting them.
A
Stop listening to their podcast. Stop listening to going to their gatherings.
B
100%.
A
Stop sending them money.
B
Stop going to their conferences.
A
Stop going to their conferences.
C
Yep. Yeah.
B
Stop entertaining them and. And really highlight in your life, above everything else, the word of God. We live in such a biblically illiterate society and culture. That is the problem that we believe that what we read is based on us.
C
Yes.
B
And this scripture revolves around us.
C
Right.
B
And this passage is supposed to make us feel like this. And if it doesn't make us feel like this, it must be wrong.
A
Can I say one thing about.
B
Absolutely.
A
And you remember about this one thing you're talking about, and I want you to stay right there. When Jesus said to the Pharisees, he said, thou search the scriptures for in them. You think you find life absolutely not knowing. But it is they that testify of me. So if Christ is not being exalted in the proclamation in the Scriptures, then what are we searching these scriptures for?
C
Right.
A
We're trying to find ourselves in every text.
B
That's right.
C
Right.
A
We want to find a blessing in every text that's man centered. That's what my man recap. Great. Shout out to my brother recap. Great.
B
Pastor of New Creation Fellowship down in.
A
Orlando, Florida, one of our partner churches. He says all the time, he calls this melogy. Yeah, where, where you, you like to consume preaching that puts you at the center of every text, which is secular humanistic nature.
B
Right.
A
And it robs the text of the glory, of the exaltation of Christ and doing the work it has to do in you. So stay right there.
B
Yeah, about that.
A
But we try to see ourselves in the center of every text.
B
There is no middle ground.
A
There is no middle. It's black and white.
B
So either it's pulling you closer to Jesus.
C
Yes.
B
Or it's pulling you away from him.
A
Facts.
B
And you always know what's pulling you away from him. If it makes you more comfortable being you.
A
Instead of transforming. Instead of transforming and pulling you towards.
B
The person who's talking 100% we got.
A
To talk about absolute because this is, this is one of the clear distinctions of a false prophet and cults. You listen to them talk, you listen to them speak. They are drawing you to themselves 100% more. They're drawing you to Christ. Just listen. Family, listen. Just listen. Listen carefully to the people. You listen to the people you call prophets, pastors, apostles and teachers. Listen carefully. Are they drawing you to themselves or are they drawing you to Christ? If over time you're learning to glorify that person more than you glorify Christ, that is one of the signs of somebody who may be a false prophet. Because they are, they are going to look what the Scripture says. Pervert the grace of God. They pervert scriptures. They twist scriptures. They pervert it. They twist it. They build it into sensuality. Just like there was a brother I didn't even know not that long ago, trying to encourage people towards, you know, premarital sex and fornication, all these things. They pervert and said it was biblical. They said it was biblical. They pervert the scriptures.
C
Right.
A
And so we see in false prophets and we want to help people discern false prophets. When you hear people perverting the scriptures, that is a telltale sign of someone who may be a false prophet. When you see Person exalting themselves more than they exalt Christ. That is another telltale sign of a person who might be a false prophet.
C
Absolutely right.
A
And they are motivated by their own greed.
C
Right.
A
They eclipse Christ in their proclamation. They exalt themselves above Christ. That's what we're talking about 100, right?
B
So one of the things, when I read this passage, bro, I'm reminded influence is never neutral. It's either shaping us to become more like Christ or is selling us to compromise.
A
And. But you see, when it says here, when Jude says, when we listen to this false prophet, they deny our only master. They deny, is he the influence on us towards Christ. Like what you're saying, in or away from Christ.
B
It says here also that they crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation. For this condemnation.
C
Yeah.
B
Set aside.
C
Yeah.
B
For this condemnation.
A
Can we talk about this?
C
Yes, that's.
A
Remember last. You remember. Remember when we was at the restaurant. We was at that restaurant last night, and you was talking about how your man was running up the bill at the last.
B
Yes, absolutely.
C
Yeah, yeah.
A
Like, yo, let me get the steak, let me get the Mac and cheese. I'm gonna take the greens. You'll bring me this right here.
B
Waitress, waitress. Ask him what kind of buddy you are. He said, give me the word, give me the words.
A
Run up the bill. And I was talking about how I was at stk. Run up bill for everybody. Yeah, I got everybody at the table. You get a steak, you get a steak. You get a steak, you get chicken.
B
Bring me the Brussels sprouts, bring me.
A
Two orders of Mac and cheese, the mashed potatoes. That bill, you run. And. But that. But I was saying at the table last night that bill, you can run it up for now. But that bill is coming at the end, bro.
C
Right?
A
Like that bill. I remember the first time I did that. Like, yeah. I got this person that came, that $800 bill. But the same thing's gonna happen in life. Like, people gonna run it up. They're gonna run up. They're gonna run up a bag of sin, they're gonna run up a bag of rebellion. They're going to run up a bag of witchcraft, they're going to run up a bag of deceit. They're going to run up a bag of false preaching and fleece and day. And.
C
And.
A
And nobody's going to get away with that, Tim.
C
Right.
A
Because. Because. Because in the end, that bill is coming.
C
Yeah, right.
A
Like you and I are going to die. We're going to stand before the Lord, every false prophet is going to die, and they're going to stand before the Lord. Y and when we die, and die we shall. Y that Bill is coming. A day is coming when God is going to. He's going to reconcile everybody's account, right? What.
B
What we fail to realize, bro.
A
He's going to reconcile everyone's account to him. Nobody's going to get away. He's going to reconcile our accounts, and we're going to have to pay the bill. And on that day, many men will say, lord, Lord, did I not do all these things in your name, bro? We're going to hear the most dreadful words a human being will ever hear who thought they were in the faith. Depart from me, you work of iniquity. I never knew you. And Bill is coming to. Absolutely.
B
Let's touch on this for a little bit, because I think we assume there's only one seat when we get to the father.
C
Yeah.
B
But the Bible talks about, too, the throne of judgment.
C
Yeah.
B
The throne of judgment is the seat that we go to where the Father looks at the line item receipt for that bill.
C
Yeah.
B
And we have to give an account.
C
Yeah, man. Yeah.
A
I could feel like I'm about to cry right now just thinking about.
C
Huh?
A
I just think about how many people who d. Look, I just think about how many people, man, are sitting in church gatherings every Sunday. How many false prophets are mounting the platform every Sunday, toying with God, toying with his words, toying with his people. Because we think, like, we think this is going to last forever.
C
Right?
A
And what we doing right now, podcasts and all this, we think all of this is going to last forever. No, man.
B
Peter told us all of this all resolved, leading, fading.
A
This podcast is going to come to an end. This street preacher is going to come to an end. We hear in New York right now, all of this, thousands of people walking outside in the street, like everybody be playing church or ignoring God. All of this is going to come to an end. And on that day, there will be rewards and there will be judgment.
C
Right.
A
But nobody's going to escape, Tim.
C
Yeah. And.
A
And I. It just. It just breaks my heart to think how many people don't realize while they running it up right now, man, that Bill is coming and they going to have to pay for their rejection of Christ, him. For their love of iniquity. Both the person in the pew and the person on the platform that day is coming is not going to escape. And that's why I think that we need to think more about eternity when you think about when Paul says we should set our affections on things above.
C
Yeah. Right.
A
Like, yes, we want to. We want to be faithful now and enjoying the things that God has given us now. But we cannot do the Christian walk and not think about eternity. And God help the man and woman who slips into eternity without the safety of Christ.
C
Right.
A
And God helps the false prophet man who has spent their lifetime beguiling people. They're going to have a hefty bill to pay.
C
Right.
A
And so I think we should land the plane right here.
C
Right.
A
Because I feel the spirit of God. And let's. I think we should pray to him like I think we should.
C
And.
A
Encourage as many people as possible to be mindful of what they're eating, to know, is this real fruit or false fruit? To be mindful of who they're listening to in this hour.
C
Right.
A
What podcasts are they listening to? What preachers are they listening to? What are they reading? Is the content you're consuming moving you closer towards Christ and his character? Or is the content you're listening to building up a monument for a man or woman or pushing you down the road of personal gain, self aggrandizement or unbridled ambition? Is it leading you towards the kingdom or leading you away from the kingdom? Or like Tim was talking about early in the podcast, is it leading you closer to Christ? Away from Christ? My brother and my sister. Hear me, man, time is going to run out on us. It's going to run out on you.
C
And.
A
And I would, I would come through this camera if I could and just grab you and shake you.
B
Yeah.
A
And tell you you need to start paying attention to who you're listening to. Please don't get caught up in platforms. Please don't get caught up in the scale of someone's ministry. Please don't get caught up in the approval of men. Please take inventory of who you allowing through the gates of your eyes and your ears, who you're given access to in your soul. And I just want to remind as many of you as possible, listen, that Bill is coming.
C
Yeah, man.
A
Like we all going to give an account for how we have lived in this life and how we have stewarded the things that God has entrusted to us. There are false prophets in America. They're on tik tok, they're on Instagram, they're on Facebook. They're preaching on Sunday morning. They're doing conferences, they're writing books, they got podcasts.
C
Yeah. And.
A
We pray that God would increase you in. In. In discernment. And in wisdom, lest you be led astray by the adversary and his plans and soul. Eternal God and ever wise. Father. Yes, Lord. Tim and I just. We just come together in agreement.
C
And.
A
We pray for our brothers and our sisters. That you would pour out, Lord, on this nation, on the body of Christ in America and even around the world, you'll pour out a spirit of discernment on the body of Christ. We want to pray that you would pour out a spirit of hunger for the Scriptures and for prayer and for intimacy with you. We want to pray, God, that you would break the shackles and chains of those who have been bound by false preachers and false teaching and bad doctrine. And we want to pray that you would open up prison doors and set people free. We want to pray, God, that you will continue to expose those who have come to do your children harm. That you will pull up the skirt on them. That you will shut down churches that you have not.
C
Yes, Lord.
A
That you will shut down ministries that are not planted. That you will shut down organizations that you have not planted. We pray, God, Lord, that there would be a. An exposure of the wolves in sheep's clothing that are destroying the sheep and leading them astray. And, Father, we want to pray for unsuspecting sheep who have been led astray. We want to pray that you would go after them, Spirit of the living God, and bring them back to the fold.
C
Yes, Father.
A
We pray that you would leave the 99 and go after the one who have been led astray by false teaching. That you would go after them and that you would bring them back. And, Father, we want to pray not only for street preachers. We want to pray not only for 2819 and Celebration Church. We want to pray for every single ministry in America that you have ordained. We want to pray for every true shepherd and every true prophet that you have ordained. Every true man and woman of God that you have ordained. Strengthen them in their ministry. Keep them in their ministry. Order their footsteps. Provide every single need. Help them to keep their eyes fixed upon you. Help them to keep their eyes fixed on eternity. We pray for the increase of church plants and the strengthening of the hands of missionaries who are on the front line of battle. We pray in these last days. God, Lord, there'll be an outpouring. God. Yes, Lord of your spirit. An awakening of the body of Christ.
C
Yes.
A
Help us to discern those who are real from those who are false. Protect your sheep. Protect your sheep. Father, we pray this over these, our brothers and our sisters. And we Pray God for the body of Christ, your bride. Globally. We ask these things, Lord, in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Amen and amen.
C
Amen.
A
Hey, thank you so much for watching this episode of the Street Preachers podcast. My brothers brother book dropped just last week. The bumpy road to better unlocking the hidden power and hard things. Please make sure you get a copy of this book. You can find it on Amazon. I promise you it's going to be a blessing to you. It will be life changing. And as we announced last week, Tim and I are coming to a few cities near you just for impartation.
C
Yeah.
A
And to love on you. You can find the tour dates and cities and all of those things on our website, shreepreaches tv. Until our next episode, we want you to know we love you. You like subscribe, share all those good things.
B
Also, we want to pray together at Access.
A
Access, man.
B
No, no, we got to talk about it because I think that for what we are discussing and what God is doing to get the brothers and sisters in a room in Atlanta, Georgia. State Farm Arena.
C
Yeah.
B
Coming up, I think is going to be. Be supernatural.
C
Yeah, we'll.
A
We'll unpack it.
C
Yeah.
B
So I'm excited. We need the street team to show up. Great numbers. You know, we're looking to have over 20,000 people in one room lifting up the name of Jesus, praying, consecrating ourselves before the Lord, believing that this would be a remnant, a seed in the ground for a supernatural harvest that we're going to see. So, you know, be there. It's going to be a supernatural evening.
A
It's happening October 12th or 12th this year. October 12th at State Farm arena in Atlanta. Channel if you need more information, access2819.com and we'll unpack that a little bit in our next episode. We love y'.
C
All.
A
Thank you so much for watching. We see you in the next episode of Street Preachers Podcast.
B
We pray you were 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: When Scripture Meets Culture
Hosts: Phillip Anthony Mitchell & Tim Timberlake
Date: September 9, 2025
In this powerfully honest and unfiltered episode, Philip Anthony Mitchell and Tim Timberlake confront the timely intersection of Scripture and Western culture, specifically addressing the breaking news of a high-profile minister's arrest for financial crimes and abuse. Anchored in the Book of Jude, the hosts explore false prophets, church hurt, the dangers of platform culture, and the urgent need for discernment among believers. With personal anecdotes, biblical exposition, and a call to holiness, the conversation challenges listeners to value character above charisma, discern truth from falsehood, and keep Christ—rather than personalities—at the center of the faith.
[00:51–03:43]
“It brings into question the credibility of pastors… it provides another hurdle for us… to develop that trust.” (Tim, 03:07)
[04:01–08:55]
“Their biggest warning to the church in the first century was watch out for false prophets. Be vigilant, be discerning, pay attention.” (07:08)
[08:55–14:54]
“God's punishment… is not bringing the gavel of pain, but giving you all of what you want more than him… God is just giving America all of what she wants.” (Philip, 09:26 & 09:47)
[11:05]
[14:58–20:00]
[20:05–24:23]
“For certain people have crept in unnoticed… ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our… Lord Jesus Christ.”
[22:43]
[25:50–29:03]
[30:28–32:05]
“The church did not hurt you. People in the church hurt you.” (Tim, 30:58)
[33:43–36:41]
[37:19–40:13]
[40:22–46:07]
“On that day, [many] will say, ‘Lord, Lord, did I not do all these things in your name?’ … Most dreadful words… ‘Depart from me… I never knew you.’” (42:48–43:19)
[46:07–51:59]
“Please don’t get caught up in platforms… in the scale of someone’s ministry. Please take inventory of who you’re allowing through the gates of your eyes and your ears…” (Philip, 47:42)
“One thing that we see is false prophets, false teachers, false shepherds, they always fatten the sheep for slaughter.”
– Tim Timberlake [03:47]
“A following does not equate to fruit.”
– Tim Timberlake [04:16]
“Sometimes God punishes us by giving us what we want.”
– Philip Anthony Mitchell [09:26]
“Stages are given to performers… God has given us the responsibility to steward influence well.”
– Tim Timberlake [13:41]
“Gifting can get you on a stage, but character keeps you there.”
– Philip Anthony Mitchell [24:01]
“Every voice that we listen to is a seed into our spirit… it produces something—if it’s the wrong voice, it produces the wrong fruit.”
– Tim Timberlake [29:06]
“If we don’t have discernment… we’ll be led astray by people who creep in unnoticed.”
– Philip Anthony Mitchell [34:47]
“People are going to run up a bag of sin… but in the end, that bill is coming.”
– Philip Anthony Mitchell [41:49]
Raw, heartfelt, urgent, and deeply rooted in biblical truth. Both hosts speak plainly, addressing not only the current crisis but the ongoing need for spiritual maturity, vigilance, and authenticity in the faith community. The atmosphere alternates between passionate exhortation, brotherly banter, and heavy moments of reverence and prayer.
This episode offers a convicting roadmap for believers to navigate a scandal-saturated culture by returning to discernment, prioritizing character over charisma, and keeping Jesus—not any celebrity or platform—at the center. Listeners are left with a sober challenge: examine the fruit in your own life, and in your leaders, before the “bill comes due.” The hosts urge the Church to pray for a fresh outpouring of discernment and for restoration among those hurt by spiritual abuse.