Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 303
March 4, 2018
WE’RE COUNTING ON YOU
You are an important piece of My plan. When My body is working together, I can accomplish so much more. Acts 2:1 says, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” I need you in the Church. Your gifts and calling are yours alone.
WE’RE COUNTING ON YOU
Following Jesus is a two part commitment. You are called to love Him and join His body of worshippers – the church. I call that “relationship” with God and “fellowship” with the church, and it’s a wonderful thing, except for when it’s not.
It is the relationship with other Christians that isn’t always wonderful.
Now, I have good friends that are kingdom-minded Christians and they maintain healthy Christian relationships without going to church very often. They stay connected to the body through service or ministries. These few people are the exception to the rule.
Most Christians need to attend church even if they don’t believe they do!
The New Testament never divides Christians into church members and non-church members. All the way through, it assumes that everybody participates in the local assembly. It gives no examples of Christians who belong to the “universal church,” but have no link to the local church.
Any idea of enjoying salvation and being a Christian in isolation is just plain foreign to the New Testament. Christians met regularly. Any time Paul made new converts, he immediately organized them into a little church. The next thing he did was ordain pastors not only to feed and lead those congregations, but put them in order.
For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you. – Titus 1:5
The reason for this is because the church must work together to carry out God’s purposes. It’s not a hard thing to understand, but so many Christians miss this! They fool themselves into thinking that salvation is the end of things, when it’s the beginning!
Renew your passion for fellowship. Know that we need you in the Body of Christ. You have a purpose I don’t. Come fulfill it! We’re counting on you.
From my sermon series JESUS UNVEILED
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March 3, 2018
FEED MY SHEEP
If you stumble, get back up and move forward again. Those who fail only do so because they choose not to get back up and fight. You are being strengthened in your inner man because I Am in you and will never leave you.
FEED MY SHEEP
I’m not one to eavesdrop, but I love the end of the book of John. It’s here we get to listen in on this very personal conversation between the resurrected Jesus and Peter, the recently restored hero of the fledgling church.
Jesus asks Peter three times, “Peter do you love me?” Peter begins to wonder what he should know that only the Lord Himself knows.
… and Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things. You know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” – John 21:17
Now everybody preaches on the beauty of that message, and they forget what comes next. All of a sudden, Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Let me tell you something else I know…” This conversation quickly becomes outright glorious.
Most assuredly I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow me.” – John 21:18-19
Did you catch it? Jesus turns to Peter and says, “You are going to finish really well.”
Famous for denying Christ three times, Peter had a history of cussing like the sailor he was and being unpredictable when overwhelmed. Knowing this, Jesus personally encouraged him by letting him know how his big finish would go.
“…Peter, you are going to go places you never would have gone before. I know how you are going to finish and it’s all going to glorify me.” – Pastor Troy Version
I bet if you listen closely, you will hear Jesus tell you the same. I bet if you would walk close to Jesus, you would hear something like, “Oh, listen. I’ve seen how you finish and it’s just plain glorious!” Want a glorious finish? It’s up to you. Choose you this day whom you will serve.
From my sermon series I LOVE MY TRIBE
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March 2, 2018
PERFECT VISION
I have opened the eyes of your heart to find your purpose – to love Me and to love others. As you pursue Me, I will unleash the prophetic gifts I have for you. Expect Me to do great things in and through you.
PERFECT VISION
If you have perfect vision, it’s described as 20/20. Before that was ever discovered by modern science, the Bible knew it to be true. How? Count the number of dreams and the number of visions in the Word of God.
There are 20 dreams and 20 visions in the Bible – 20/20. A visionary number, 20/20 is like saying, “I see this is going to happen and I believe God is going to do it.” That’s what expectancy is all about.
And if that’s not enough, term “milk and honey” is in the Bible exactly 20 times.
‘Hence I have said to you, “You are to possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey ” I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples.’ – Leviticus 20:24
Did you notice this verse is 20/20+4? God’s trying to make a point about expectancy and how to move to the next level.
What does that mean to live in a land flowing with milk and honey? It means this: when you live in the Promised Land and you have true Promised Land living in your life, a huge part of the milk and honey experience is God is whispering things to you. There is a continual flow of prophetic declaration in your life.
With milk and honey, you always have a dream. You always have a vision. You’re always expecting God to do something better. It is a culture of hope. It is a culture of seeing the goodness of God.
It is also a culture of seeing past the curtain of how the world sees. If you are living in the Promised Land, you have an “eye to see and an ear to hear” that the world does not have – notice He has “separated you from the peoples.”
Are you living in the Promised Land? Is your life flowing with milk and honey? If not, GO AFTER JESUS! More of Him is the way into better!
From my sermon series MILK AND HONEY
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March 1, 2018
DESTINY IS GREATER…
I Am calling you to higher levels of wisdom and deeper levels of intimacy. It is vital you not only know about Me historically, but know ME…know Who I Am, My heart, and how I operate in love so it will be easy to recognize where I Am at work and where I’m not.
DESTINY IS GREATER…
The goodness of God is not just seen in the past, but is calling from the future. People who fight for what can be, understand that God says their destiny is much greater than their history.
Fear of the future and a fascination with the past are the enemies of upgrade. It was the same way in Jesus’ day. He turned to the religious folks of His generation and called it like Babe Ruth pointing to the sky behind left field before hitting it out of the ballpark.
“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” – John 5:38-39
In other words, Jesus said they were willing to know the scriptures or things written long ago, but were not willing to know Him, right then in the present. They knew the Word, but wouldn’t move forward to relationship with Him. Is that you?
If it is, you have settled or history and given up on experience. You have settled for revelation without accepting the invitation to personally encounter the One the Word is talking about. You won’t move forward.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day did not recognize Him because He was not in the same place working the same method as they were. They wouldn’t move forward and it cost them everything.
But that’s not you! Your destiny is greater than your history and you’re not afraid to go for it!
From my sermon series LORD OF THE HARVEST
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February 28, 2018
RUN TO HIM!
God is speaking courage into you. To move into your Promised Land you will have giants who try to keep you from advancing. No matter how loud it roars, know God is bigger. Trust in God’s promises as you advance into the place He has for you.
RUN TO JESUS
If you’re like me, you get tempted to run away from God. If you are going to get your upgrade and go to the next level, you cannot rebel in your wilderness experience – which is easy to do as the wilderness is hard!
Instead, you must run to Him!
The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. – Proverbs 18:10
How you act in the wilderness determines if you spend 40 days like Jesus did, or 40 years, like Moses. It is really up to you!
It is so important we learn to live and be happy in God’s presence, because in the wilderness, the battle is about survival. In the Promised Land, it is about advancing.
The enemy of dreaming, of creativity and forward, is survival. God wants you to get through your wilderness so you can get past surviving and get on with thriving. To do this, the enemy must be displaced from the places God has given you as an inheritance.
Know this: that place of inheritance is in God’s amazing presence in the wilderness. It’s where He changes you from a helpless slave to an overcoming warrior.
Instead of learning how to protect yourself, God wants to teach you how to fight. To battle for His promises, His goodness, hearing His voice and for territory in which to glorify Him. He wants to make you dangerous to the enemy and willing to fight for more of Him.
Do you want to be a warrior? Learn to fight through prayer and by searching for the heart of the King of Kings. Run to Him!
From my sermon series EXODUS
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February 27, 2018
GET TO IT!
Though you may not believe it, you are fearless. Just like Gideon was unaware he was a mighty warrior, you are unaware of your power to help the widow, orphan, downtrodden and sojourner. Awaken, oh sleeper! Bring the lost and hurting to Me!
GET TO IT!
One of the four faces of Jesus is the face of a man. Why? Because He was not only 100 percent God, He was also 100 percent man – the second Adam only Jesus didn’t fall for the enemy’s schemes.
Ezekiel is a prophetic book about the person of Jesus – the face of a man. In Ezekiel 22:29, it says God is looking for a man to stand in the gap – to make up the hedge. He’s looking for a man who will stand up and say, “Hey man. Not on my watch!” God’s literally looking for somebody who will get actively involved.
I think one reason the Church has been so aloof to hurting people is because so many Christians don’t actually believe Jesus is actively involved in every part of their life, so why should they be actively involved in anybody else’s life?
The truth is, when you see God personally involved in your life – the face of a man – you will be willing to be involved in other people’s lives. When you really, truly believe Jesus jumps head first into all of your mess, you’ll finally be willing to jump into somebody else’s mess.
That ongoing revelation of Jesus being involved in the good and the bad parts of your life, makes you selfless, just like Jesus is selfless.
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” – James 1:27
He’s like, “You will find people who are afflicted and you will jump into the midst of their affliction. You will not avoid it. You’ll jump in it.” That comes from the revelation of Jesus as the face of a man.
Know this: He’s personally involved in your life. So, take that grace to be personally involved in someone else’s life and get to it!
From my sermon series JESUS UNVEILED
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February 26, 2018
ALWAYS THE RIGHT BATTLEFIELD
You are My treasured child. I love it when I see My resemblance in your kindness, your generosity and your love for the lost and hurting. Continue to show what the King looks like despite opposition. You will bring many to repentance!
ALWAYS THE RIGHT BATTLEFIELD
Fighting on the right battlefield is tough for me, especially in this generation where God, and good in general, is portrayed as evil by the media and culture in general.
I’ve had a hard time with this though the Bible is clear on this subject.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. – Isaiah 5:20
Woe indeed! Despite knowing those times are truly here, this has been more difficult than I’d thought, because I have a tremendous burden to show people the heart of Jesus and demonstrate the Lord’s goodness.
I hate it when people think I’m the bad guy. I want people to think I’m the good guy – that I’m the guy that represents Jesus and Jesus is a good guy. So I ought to be a good guy. It’s really that simple.
It’s the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. It’s not the meanness of the Church that leads men to repentance. Yes, I have personally experienced several churches who think like this: “The meaner you are, the more holy you’ll be.” What!?
No. That is not the way that it is.
It’s important for us to be full of the goodness of God. I wrote a book called “Good Overcomes Evil” because this is one of the life messages God has given me. The truth of the universe is that it only takes a little goodness to overcome a whole lot of evil. It just doesn’t.
Because we live in a day where there is sympathy for the devil and hatred for Jesus, good guys are going to be presented as bad guys, and bad guys are going to be presented as good guys. And Jesus says to you, “In these last days, my friends, do not be deceived.”
Also, and this is really important. If you are called evil for doing good, DO GOOD ANYWAY! That is always the right battlefield!
From my sermon series I LOVE MY TRIBE
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February 25, 2018
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, as is self control. I have given you a measure of both, but how you grown and expand those is up to you. Learn to wait for Me. Expect Me to speak to you, and act on your behalf as I always have done.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
“Milk and honey” might not mean much to us today, but back in ancient Israel it really resonated with the people who God gave the promise to.
The term ‘expectancy’ has to do with expecting God to do amazing things.
It is one of the ways you and I partner with the Holy Spirit prophetically. You cannot operate prophetically if you’re not expecting God Almighty to speak to you.
It’s a mindset that says, “I may not know the hand of God, but I know exactly what His heart is all about. And you watch, God’s going to do something awesome.” Okay, that kind of prophetic declaration of faith is called expectancy.
The term ‘milk and honey’ is found in the Bible exactly 20 times. Twenty is the number for expectancy.
Israel waited 20 years for deliverance, expecting to get it through Samson (Judges 15).
The Ark of the Covenant was in Kirjath Jearim for 20 years (1 Samuel 7).
Solomon waited for the completion of the temple and his house for 20 years (1 Kings 6).
Twenty years Jerusalem waited between its capture and its destruction.
Jeremiah prophesied for 20 years concerning Israel.
Expectancy is waiting for God to do amazing things, with the emphasis on “waiting.”
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31
Waiting expectantly has a great reward, no matter how long it takes. God’s timing is always perfect. Expect good things!
From my sermon series MILK AND HONEY
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February 24, 2018
BY THE WAYSIDE
You can talk to Me about anything. No concern is too great, no problem too small. When you keep secrets from Me – hurts, habits, hangups – it pains Me to see your lack of trust. I Am for you, not against you! Let me bring fruit in those areas. I Am the vine.
BY THE WAYSIDE
Let me tell you what your harvest is going to do. It’s going to spring up. It’s going to increase, and it’s going to produce. What is the harvest? The thing God is doing within your life – whatever that is. The seed is the Word of God.
This is what Jesus is saying in the Parable of the Sower: “This is what happens when the Word of God comes into your life and it produces a harvest. God gets His way within your life.”
But a harvest doesn’t always happen and the problem is not the seed. The problem is the condition of the person the seed is sown into.
“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. – Mark 4:3-4
“Fell by the wayside” means the seed didn’t go into the right places. It fell where the ground wasn’t plowed up and prepared. In other words, you need to let Jesus into the places in your life you’ve never allowed Him before.
The Word of God says to break up the fallow ground. That means take a plow and be prepared for God Almighty to bring the Word of God to places in your life that you’ve never allowed Him in. You’ve never seen a harvest because you don’t let God talk to you about that.
What are you holding back from God? Your marriage, your kids, your job, your thought life or finances? How about the internet sites you visit or the movies you watch? Are your relationships, your addictions, your anger or your past taboo subjects between you and God? They shouldn’t be. Plow them up!
Even when you’re unfaithful, God is going to be faithful to speak into that part of your life, and because you didn’t prepare, the Word comes to change your world and the devil carries it off.
And the worst part is, the seed doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to Him and you let the devil take it. Guard that seed! Have a value for the Word and plow up the hard, rocky places in your life so Jesus can turn that place into a fruitful place.
From my sermon series LORD OF THE HARVEST
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February 23, 2018
TROPHIES OF REDEMPTION
I am a just God. I see what the enemy has stolen from you. He takes your prosperity, your worth and your promise. But He cannot snatch you from My hand. I am the God of redemption. I will return what was stolen and demand restitution from the thief.
TROPHIES OF REDEMPTION
God is really into redemption, and not just since Jesus redeemed us from sin and death. He’s always been a redemption junkie. Just ask Moses’ mother, Jacobed.
When Pharaoh is going to throw her baby boy to the crocodiles, she beats him to the punch. She builds a basket of reeds and pitch, then floats it in the Nile River – right under the noses of both the hungry crocodiles and the bloodthirsty Pharaoh.
The gamble pays off as Pharaoh’s own daughter rescues baby Moses.
“And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So, she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” – Exodus 2:5-7
What? Doesn’t the princess know this is a Hebrew child and that her father has decreed them to be crocodile chow? Oh, she knows. But compassion – and God’s plan – will not be denied.
So, the maiden went and called the child’s mother. Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So, the woman took the child and nursed him.” – Exodus 2:8-9
Fascinating! The book of Exodus is all about redemption. Redemption says, “Where you were getting ripped off, now you’re getting paid.” You find this theme all through the book of Exodus.
Where you use to be shamed, now you’re going to be honored. Where it use to be illegal, now it’s going to be official. Where you use to be enslaved, the masters who enslaved you will now pay you. That’s the story of redemption.
If you’re born again, you should constantly be looking for those trophies of redemption. Believe me, they’re there. When you recognize one, don’t forget to make a big deal out of the blood of the Lamb.
From my sermon series EXODUS
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