Sermon Transcript: “Disciples Are Not Born, They’re Made” by Missionary Theresa Fowler

Speaker: Missionary Theresa Fowler
Sunday, November 13, 2016 @ 4 p.m. at New Beginning Church of God

I was always an optimistic person. I do like to work hard. I want to thank God for two of the things in life that I found that I really love. I love doing hair and I love the word of God, and I can do them hand in hand and. I thank God how he is equipping me with his word, and how he’s teaching me and how the Holy Spirit takes hold. Tonight I want to talk about we have work to do and we don’t have much time. I just made 50 last Friday, so I realize that I have less time ahead of me than behind me. We have a purpose, and we have a destiny and God is going to equip all of us. We all have to find out what our purpose is, what he’s equipping us with and work with just that. My topic tonight is “Disciples are not born, they are made.” I’m coming from chapter 10 of Luke starting at verse 1.

1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
² Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
³ Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
⁴ Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
⁵ And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.
⁶ And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.

Being a disciple for God, first of all, is a privilege. We were in our sin and we were already dead. We were already doomed. We were already going to hell and we didn’t have a chance until someone began to witness to us. An individual I used to run to the clubs with witnessed to me at a time at a season that was ripe for me. I had just broken my leg and my daughter had just come out of a car accident. I looked at her when she witnessed because we had always done everything together and I had not seen her for a while. But when she saw me, I was on the train and I was walking with a crutch. I had two crutches because l was always determined to do whatever I wanted to do. And when she saw me, she told me she gave her life to the Lord. I noticed that she was different. She was a feisty individual but it was a different feistiness. I noticed she was calm…she was peaceful and she said, “I don’t hang out no more Teresa.” She looked me over and said what happened to you? I said, Oh well, you know I broke my leg and my daughter got into a car accident. She said, well, I want you to know that I’m saved now and I go to New Beginning Church. Normally when we would go out she would never pick anybody up. We always had to meet at her house. But she said to me I’ll pick you up. So I thought, “what, she’s going to pick me up?” So she left something with me because she knew the value of salvation. Jesus gave his son, his only begotten son because he loved us so much that he cared and I was in a state of doom and despair. And she spoke into my heart where I was able to receive it and come to the New Beginning Church. But I still had problems when I got there because coming from a background that I was, I was raised a Muslim. But I always knew of God because we went to church and we went to the Muslim school. So we were a little mixed up. So sometimes doctrines can get you confused. But I’m glad today to understand what Jesus came to do. He did not promise us wealth. He did not promise us long life. But he promised that he died for our sins that we may live again and that we’re going to go to a paradise, heaven as we learn about the New Jerusalem today. And I’m looking forward to that. And I look back at the goals that we need to set… we need to be speaking to each person. I don’t care. We can’t prejudge and say this person won’t listen to me…go back into your past…those who you know are not saved, and speak out to them and invite them to church.

I’m getting so bold I’m speaking to anyone and everyone I know. I kept saying Teresa, God has given you the gift to talk to people so bring them in the house. We have to get busy. I’ve been blessed here, I’ve been blessed so many times. The Lord began to tell me you have to go out and be a disciple and the harvest is very great today. So every opportunity that we have, even children. My daughter and I said last year that we were going to work together. I told my daughter to tell her friends and I’m going to tell my friends and we’re going to try to bring some of us into the house of the Lord because God’s going to judge us for not only being faithful to him but also by the works that we do, and we want to be blessed for the works that we do. I get joy about being in the Lord because when I was lost I was in deep sin. I was miserable. I was angry. I was confused. I didn’t know what doctrine to believe. I was told Allah was this and I was told God was this and my father said to question everything. And I thank him for what he instilled in me because you should question. You want to get to know God. So now I can go to the Holy Spirit and say God teach me now. I need you to teach me how to speak to people. I need you to fill me up with love. I need you to fill me up with your Holy Spirit. Teach me to treat people like I want to be treated. Let me have a concern. Because see when I was lost in sin we didn’t care about how we did things. We didn’t care about the consequences. But I knew God used to keep me. He wouldn’t let me go so far. Some people are not here today. I found out a cousin had passed away just this week and I have to go to a funeral on Saturday. I saw him a month ago and he was dying of cancer. I said please go seek the Lord. I found out this Saturday when I went to the shop that someone came and said your cousin passed. I didn’t know. But I’m glad that the last conversation I had with the individual was to seek ye the Lord. Every chance we get…if you say nothing more…Seek the Lord.

You don’t have to come to my church, but you are going to be doomed in hell if you do not seek God’s face. And God has shown me in ministry that I have to learn how to minister to my own children? So he’s drawing me back. He said, you start with your children and then you seek out further. Because we know if you don’t go, we will not see paradise. People are hurt. People are miserable. So we have to use God’s wisdom. How are they going to come into the house of the Lord? It’s not about us. It’s not about showing how big a church is. God is even teaching me through prayer that it’s not even about how you sound and the words you say. Even if you get mixed up, the glory is to go unto God. And when we’re praising him, hallelujah should be rolling off our tongues because of what he has done for you. He brought me out of a world of sin. He brought me out of abuse. He’s brought me out of even losing a job. I had lost everything, but God gave me a remnant to hold onto. And he’s rebuilding me now, but I refuse to build the wrong way. I’m going to build the right way. I’m going to come into the house of the Lord, seek his face and learn of him because he is just that great. He wants us to prosper too. But it’s not all about prosperity, it’s about the soul. Where are you going to live your eternal life? Do you plan to live it in hell or heaven? We’ve got a choice to make. He said I set before you life or death. What do you choose today? I’ve given you a will, but what is your will. Will you do my will or are you going to do the world’s will. We cannot be people pleasers. 

I said the other day, God, I don’t know what you’re doing with me. It feels good, but at the same time, I gotta get a little bolder. It’s going to take more courage. It’s going to take a longer walk. So I put my faith in him because I’m seeking that New Jerusalem. I’m seeking that great city that God is talking about. I want him to call my name and say, thou servant, thou has done well. I just want to hear that. I just want to be in God’s presence. I try to imagine what the city would be like. There’s joy. I got work to do because the scriptures are being fulfilled.

Lord, you’re making us leaders. Leaders are here to serve the people, telling them about Jesus Christ who is the head of our life, who’s keeping us. And if we stay in God’s hand, he’s going to continue to send forth his Holy Spirit to teach us by his wisdom, not our wisdom. So I just want to thank him because he says here, he’s going to send us out two by two and we need to get together and brainstorm. Disciples are not born, they’re made. I always had a mind to learn. I try to go out each day. What can I learn new today? He has taken my mind away from this world. I said but God, you put us in this world…he said don’t be of the world. But then he said, I gave you the Holy Spirit. I gave you a comforter. So now I said Holy Spirit teach me. What do I need to do today?  

He’s teaching me to hear his voice. We come to church for instructions and to give him praise because he’s worthy of the praise. He saved my soul one day that I could tell somebody how he delivered me from many trials. This world is going to be full of trials and tribulations. Job 14:1 says “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.” So we have to get it out of our mind that life is going to be easy and a bed of roses. I survived many things and I said, whatever is to come I’m trusting in the Lord. I’m 50 now. I’ve got to grow up. It’s time to grow up saints. We got a job to do. Just like we go to a regular job, we’re working for the Lord. He is our CEO and he’s checking. We have to set goals. We need to do a month-to-month thing. Who did you bring today or who did you witness to? Let’s get accountability. When I was unemployed we had to report what job did we seek out? Even if you didn’t talk to anybody, technology has now allowed us to send a text. We have no excuse. We’ve got to get out here and work. We have to be bold. We can’t be scared. I don’t like fear. I don’t like to walk around thinking something is going to come and get me. I do not like fear and I told God I refuse to live in fear. I refuse, I refuse to live in fear. I said Lord I’m going to take you at your word. Just like two and two makes four, he said I’m going to live and not die, but declare the works of the Lord. So I’m going to live. So as we’re witnessing, we gotta tell somebody there’s a better side. But if I have a battle, trial or tribulation, I got God and I got the Holy Spirit. I got my angels and I got my army. And then we’re going to learn the devices of the enemy. Don’t get set in the traps. Be warned. What is your focus? You’re here to get saved. You’re here to praise God. You’re here to worship. You’re here to bring souls. We are in the soul-saving business. This is a house of prayer. We should be throwing up our hands, running down the aisle, giving God praise. We don’t care who is looking at us. We don’t care about anything but God. He is the center of my life. What are you thinking about? What is your mind on? He said don’t worry about food or shelter or clothing. So what are we worried about?  

I still believe in signs, wonders and miracles. When he changed my heart and brought me in from the world, that was a miracle. When he allowed me to escape death three times, that was a miracle. I escaped death…that’s when I realized…I woke up. It’s not that I hadn’t been warned. But I said, Lord, please take that stubbornness away from me. Create in me a clean heart. Renew the right spirit in me. Work on the inside Lord. Get out whatever you got to get out Lord. Break me down. Break down my walls. What am I speaking? What am I listening to? Thank you. Thank you. Hallelujah, thank you father, hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. We should thank God for how he’s molding and shaping us. And let’s not forget what God has done for us. Sometimes we need to remind a sister or a brother. Look how far God has brought you. Look how he turned you around. Look how he brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Jesus said you said yes to me. Don’t turn around now. Don’t go back. Keep your hands to the plow. In the name of Jesus.

Remember disciples are not born, they’re made.