Page 65 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

The Gospel Comes to Africa

The Triumph of the Message

Thus, Christianity spread to Asia Minor, Europe, and Africa. Fortified by
the prayers of the community, missionaries were sent everywhere—even
when it meant suffering and death. Acts is not so much a record of heroes
as it is a record of the triumph of
the message and proclamation of
the gospel to the world. Ordinary
people did extraordinary exploits Fortified by the prayers
by the power of the Holy Spirit. of the community,
Jesus had predicted: “In this
world you will have trouble. But missionaries were
take heart! I have overcome the sent everywhere—
world” (John 16:33).
even when it meant
There is much written in the suffering and death.
book of Acts about the church
facing trouble from within and
persecution from without. Christ
had suffered (1 Peter 2:21) and His followers would also suffer. Wrestling
with internal and external challenges was no simple matter. Ananias and
Sapphira betrayed their faith, the Apostles were beaten and put in jail,
and Stephen was stoned to death. Luke recorded: “On that day a great
persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem” (Acts 8:1). Paul listed
some of the challenges he faced as a missionary in 2 Corinthians 11:23–33.

Obviously, we are not dealing with trivial matters when we study
about the spreading of Christianity. Christ had suffered for the whole
world, and He expected His servants to follow His example. Peter put
it this way: “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you,
leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21),
and obviously Peter’s readers knew about suffering.

History records that Christians suffered great persecution under Emperor
Nero in A.D. 64. Many martyrs freely gave their lives for the sake of the
gospel. According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside down on a cross
in Rome and Paul was beheaded. As the writer to the Hebrews notes:

Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they
might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging,

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