Galatians 1:17-24
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.
'We have not given ourselves a chance'. This is how we ended the previous Note. It is only too true that the Church's leaders have all too often tended to press and push young believers into service for Christ for which they have been in no real way prepared. It is little to be wondered at that they frequently come to grief, and fall away when the first emotional impetus has waned. It is very plausible to say that every convert must forthwith become a soul-winner - and doubtless there is a certain appeal and attractiveness in such an attitude - but we can only reply that this is not how the Bible says it ought to be. The fact is, if young people are driven prematurely into service before they have had time to think things through and become established in the faith, they may well become spent forces after a year or two, drained dry of spiritual reserve before their life's work is ever begun. This, surely, is a major tragedy. The Church of God is strewn with middle-aged and older Christians today who are spiritually nowhere, who 'used to be' keen and ardent in earlier years, but are now lapsed into a chilling mediocrity of spiritual experience, or even into shipwreck of faith. Why? Because 'service' - activity in gospel work - became a substitute for hard, solid thinking about the Faith, so that the past was never really unlearned, and the new life never really allowed to develop in its fullness. The foundation for a lifetime of faithfulness in service had never been laid. It was very different with the Apostle Paul!