In Part One we established that Christianity in Africa has acquired superpower status. ‘Acquired’ is probably not the right choice of word for none did anything to deserve it. It’s all by God’s grace.
Attained is a more accurate description. The Church is the bride of Christ. The Gospel of Matthew records in verse 18 of chapter 16 the following statement, “thus art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church” (KJV) The Church belong to Jesus Christ, and He is the master builder. We are co-workers in His project. Hence, only Jesus Christ deserves the glory for the growth of the Church in Africa.
We will return to this crucial point in future posts because there’s a big misunderstanding of positions and roles in various ministries. My aim here is to take the conversation a step farther. To do this, I pivot to my Podcast on God’s promises to the Church (not only in Africa, but worldwide) aired in June 2023 to provide the context of what we characterize here as the Prophetic Moment. Of course, the focus is on the Church in Africa.
In Psalms 87, a Psalm for the sons of Korah (Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph), it says “…The Highest Himself shall establish her” (v. 5c, KJV). This proof that it is the hand of God at work in establishing His Church. So, whether you live in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya or Zimbabwe, wherever there is a Church know you and you are not just a statistic. “The LORD shall count, when He writes upon the people, that this man was born there” (v. 6, KJV). It might also be helpful to remember that “…glorious things are spoken of thee” (Psalm 87: 3, KJV). Which are these glorious things the Korahites speak about?
To be sure, although many of God’s promises to His glorious Church are recorded in the Psalms, they can also be found throughout the Old and New Testament Scriptures, as the following references, among others, aptly reveal.
Isaiah, 49:15b “…I will not forget thee.”
Isaiah, 54:1: “Sing, O barren woman, thou that didst not beat; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.”
Jeremiah, 31:9 “They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.”
Ezekiel, 34:15, 31. “I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.” “And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.”.
Haggai 2:5 “According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.”
Matthew 16: 18-19: “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
Revelation 14b-15: “…These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.”
Since we know that God is faithful, and His promises are yes and amen, the Church is dutybound to appropriate His promises altogether and not be selective about it, as some prosperity preachers have tended to emphasize. When God says, ‘be holy because I AM HOLY’, that is essentially what He means.
As the redeemed of the LORD, the Church ought to say so. This is essentially what Isaiah means when He says, “And they shall call them, the holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, sought out, A city not forsaken” (Isaiah 62:12, KJV). Let the Church go forth in power of the Holy Spirit. As Apostle Paul reminds us, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9, KJV).