Page 67 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

The Gospel Comes to Africa

The focus of the early Christians was on Christ, His mission, and His
second coming. For them, the return of Christ was imminent, that is,
it could occur at any time, and, therefore no earthly sacrifice was too
great. This focus has not changed. If we keep our minds on heaven and
are busy about the work of God’s Kingdom, we may live and work in the
security of His love and grace. Christ has promised: “Surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Early Christianity in Egypt

The White Nile begins in the Great Lakes of East Africa, and the Blue Nile
has its source in the highlands of Ethiopia. The two converge at Khartoum
and move through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. Burton describes the
Nile for us:

The journey of the Nile from Lake Victoria—its furthest source—to
the Mediterranean Sea—its depository—covers 6,500 kilometers,
and features a total of six impassable areas comprised of
waterfalls and rapids, known as cataracts. The steady water
source enabled the inhabitants of Egypt to find stability and
nurtured the creative and entrepreneurial spirits of a people who
probably found life relatively easier than those who lived in more
barren areas of the world. When the writer of Genesis describes
Egypt, he compares it to “the garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10).
(Burton, 41)

As noted earlier, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of
Pentecost may be compared to the beginning of a river. The glory of
God was to flow from Jerusalem to the nations as a mighty river, which
included Africa. In this book, we will watch this river as it flows through
Egypt, North Africa, the Nile Corridor, and sub-Saharan Africa.

Let us look briefly at the background of the coming of Christianity
to Africa. While space in this brief history does not permit me to trace
the multiple dynasties that ruled Egypt, I will address the material
from this period that is crucial to our study. It is amazing for students
of African history to learn that archaeologists have proven that African
Pharaohs from Upper Nubia (Sudan) ruled Egypt from 770 B.C. to 656
B.C. Draper notes:

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