When was Paul called to evangelize?
Paul's conversion takes place in Acts 9. In the same chapter we are taught that Paul spoke freely in the Name of the Lord, he testified to his meeting and tried to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. So he simply testified of his meeting, of what he saw and heard, and during that time he was in dedication and was getting stronger. Then we are vaguely told about Paul in chapter 11 and we find him in chapter 13 with brothers and sisters to fast, in the consecration, and it is there that the Lord will call Paul and Barnabas to enter into the work, to evangelize. From there Paul is filled with the Power of God, he is a new man, and he begins to truly work in Christ.
Paul himself teaches us at the end of Galatians 1 that when he returns for the first time to Jerusalem he already has 3 years of conversion; and we find this moment at the end of the very chapter of his conversion. He teaches us in Galatians 2 that the second time he was in Jerusalem was 14 years after the first time, and we find this moment in Acts 15. So we know that in Acts 15 Paul has 17 years of conversion, which means that when he was called to enter the work in Acts 13 he already had several years of conversion, although I have no details except between 3 and 17 years.
So if you want to evangelize without being ready, without God having clearly told you to do it, not only by discernment, but then the Lord must be clear, then you will fall, you will not be ready and if you go too far you will not get over it. Stop wanting to do, seek to be first. And if you see someone doing that, tell him, and if he refuses to listen to you run away quickly and pray for him.
Those who will go to the end are those who do not neglect the desert of preparation, sanctification before anything. Why be of base use, when one can be a USEFUL vessel of honor in the hands of the Lord after having been sanctified from everything? Why be a resonating timpani? a truth without Love has little power, faith itself operates through charity, and charity is formed in us at the same time as Christ because he is charity, so let us renounce ourselves totally until that Christ be formed in us and then you will see the Power of God, you will see the difference between those who serve him and those who don't really serve him.
This website has been automatically translated from the French version (original version). It is likely that some sentences have been mistranslated and have lost their original meaning.
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