The Year Before Paul’s Journey of Bringing Jesus Christ to the World

Acts 13:1-3

After Saul saw the Light of Jesus Christ, it was over a year before he started out on his travels to bring the testimony of Jesus Christ to the world. What was he doing during that time? Being filled with the Holy Spirit and having the fiery tongue to show for it, the answer seems fairly obvious. He was glorifying the name of Jesus Christ and sharing about the death and resurrection of his Savior. Specifically, what was he doing? He debated with the Hellenistic Jews, those who left the traditional Hebrew culture to live by the Greek culture. After Saul try to convince them that Jesus is the Messiah spoken about in the Old Testament, they tried to kill him. A group of Believers carried Saul away to a city called Tarsus where he stayed until Barnabas come for him. Then Saul and Barnabas went together to Antioch to share the Good News, where they stayed for a year. It was after that year when Saul and Barnabas began their missionary journey.

I believe any Holy Spirit filled Believer can relate to the life of Saul before he began the ministry that God had for him to do. He sat around for three days being blind and hungry, like a new Christian who has a hunger for reading the Bible before the eyes really begin to open. When he finally did begin to share the Gospel, people gave him the cold shoulder, didn’t believe him, and his bad reputation was a thorn in his flesh. That describes my experience trying to tell people about Salvation through Jesus Christ.

Nowadays, the thing that has power over physiology and is able to form thoughts, emotions, and feelings doesn’t even allow me to get the name Jesus off of my tongue. It hinders the Gospel Message because it is the mark of the beast. When Saul did begin to assert himself with the fiery tongue of the Holy Spirit, they tried to kill him. That is definitely true today, trying to have a discussion about Salvation in Jesus Christ is filled with conflict, arguments, and is flat out hostile. Eventually, Barnabas brought Saul to a city where he could preach and teach, and I feel that is where I am with blogging.

Today, those who govern by the mark of the beast has confined the Christian ministry to the place where the Billy Grahm era is over. Where are all of the evangelists when there are over 166,000 migrants at the US/Mexico border every month? Yet, we continue on as the few and faithful who hold to the testimony of Jesus Christ during days that are filled with hostility towards Jesus. We yearn for the return of Jesus, and He will be returning soon.

“Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: 
Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, 
Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 
So, after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”
Acts 13:1-3

---

“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11