The church of Jesus Christ owes a great spiritual debt to Africa. From the First Century to the Twenty-First Century, Africa has been strategic in the plans of God. The baby Jesus would not have survived King Herod’s massacre of the baby boys in Bethlehem if the angel of the Lordwould not have instructed Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt until after Herod’s death. This was in fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy that said: “Out of Egypt I called My son” (Hosea 11:1; Matt. 2:15). Simon of Cyrene, a Black man from Northern Africa, helped carry the cross to Calvary for Christ. Two of the church elders at Antioch who laid their hands on Paul and Barnabas and commissioned them for the first missionary journey of the Christian church were Lucius from Cyrene in Africa, and Simeon, who is called “Niger” or “the black.” It was through the preaching of the Ethiopian eunuch that the Gospel first went to the African continent before the end of the First Century—long before it ever came to what is now Europe and America. So, Christianity can never rightly be spoken of as the “white man’s religion.” Our faith was born in the Middle East and went to Africa long before it ever traveled west to Europe and America.
Left: I taught each day from my book, Biblical Pictures of the Church, emphasizing the 8 relational pictures as the New Testament norm rather than the organizational model we emphasize so much in America. Right: My dear friend and partner of over 3 decades, Evangelist Yaw Asante, taught daily as well. We hold this annual Leadership Conference at the center we have been developing with him over the years.
Some of the greatest church fathers of the Second Century were also from North Africa—patriarchs like Augustine (the Bishop of Hippo) and Tertullian, one of the greatest thinkers and apologists for the faith. Both were from North Africa. So Africa was one of the earliest cradles of Christianity. In addition, a great spiritual revival has been taking place across sub-Saharan Africa for over 100 years. Today in America, entire Anglican Confessions are pulling out from their liberal, leftist-leaning denominations and putting themselves under African Bishops! From the First Century to the Twenty-First Century, Africa has been central in the global plan of God. Therefore, Africa is not the “Dark Continent!” If anything, she is the “Enlightened Continent” and America is increasingly the “Dark Continent” as we slide more and more into humanism, secularism and neo-paganism—as Europe has already done. Even though Europe was the birth place of the Protestant Reformation, the Wesley Revivals and the Great Awakening, she is now considered to be in the post-Christian Era—and Islam is increasingly dominant numerically and spiritually. So for all of these obvious reasons, many of us believe that the Twenty-First Century will be the “African Century.”
Left: Pastor Ahmad is one of the greatest Islamic scholars I know of and has written several books on the subject. I will be bringing him to the States in 2011 for a week long seminar on Islam and ministry to Muslims. Middle: This is the “Straightway Chapel” or “House of Abraham” founded by Pastor Ahmad—which by design looks more like a mosque than a traditional church. It is built across the street from one of the major islamic sections of the city of Kumasi. Right: Each year our partner, Ahmad Agyei, teaches several sessions on Islam as a converted Muslim.
Africa is still one of the most vast continents on the globe. She is rich in natural resources beyond comprehension. Africa has some of the world’s largest deposits of gold, silver, diamonds, platinum, copper—to say nothing of oil and natural gas. And Africa has some of the greatest rivers, forests and farm lands on earth. The very things that made her a favorite destination for the first wave of colonialists, continue to make her the magnet for neo-colonialists—especially the Chinese. And because Africa continues to experience one of the greatest and longest-lasting spiritual revivals in history, she is a primary target for militant Islam—who has the church there in its jihaddist cross-hairs! For centuries, Islam has dominated North Africa—the early cradle of Christianity. But sub-Saharan Africa has been largely Christian. The rallying cry of Islam is this: “From Cairo to Cape Town, we are going to sweep the African Continent!” Because of generations of Christian missions and church growth, Ghana and Kenya are especially on the Islamic radar screen. They well know that they cannot take the African continent without first taking Ghana in West Africa and Kenya in East Africa—two priority countries for us for over 3 decades.
Left: Through partnership with my son, Joseph, and NDI, we gave away 5 bicycles to men who were ministering in remote villages where they have to walk many miles each day to minister to people. Each bicycle cost $60. Middle: This dear brother was so blessed by the unexpected gift of a bicycle that he bowed down in thanksgiving to the Lord. Right: Each of these 5 pastors and evangelists are ministering in remote villages dominated either by Islam or traditional religions, with all of their idolatry, superstition and witchcraft.
But, in spite of the great spiritual growth of Christianity in Africa, she continues to struggle with bad governance, corruption, demagoguery, tribalism and genocide. As a result, much of Africa staggers under relentless poverty, hunger, ignorance, joblessness, HIV-Aids and a legion of other man-made diseases. As one African leader told me years ago: “Africa is more hungry for good leadership than for good food!” That’s why leadership development in the church has always been one of our top priorities. And that’s why I continue to travel to Africa several times a year to do all I can to strengthen the African church through strengthening the pastors, leaders, evangelists, church planters and business entrepreneurs. Also, all of our long-term partnerships and projects there are holistic in nature. We have always believed that the “whole Gospel must go to the whole world by the whole church for the whole man.” So we seek to minister to the “whole man”—spirit, soul and body, through the liberating Gospel and practical compassion of the Lord Jesus.
Left: Pastor Ransford Obeng also taught several sessions as the co-sponsor of the Conference. He pastors the Calvary Charismatic Centre (CCC), one of the largest churches in the country. Right: Earlier this year, CCC hosted the “60th Birthday” celebration of the Ashanti King, which shows the influence of Pastor Obeng and his church.
Left: Here are two great partners and friends, Evangelist Yaw Asante (left) and Pastor Ransford Obeng (right), two great men of God who are strategic leaders of the church in Ghana. Middle: Some of this year’s attendees at the Conference. By design we invite a number of pastors ministering in the Muslim-dominated northern regions of Ghana. Right: We give out certificates at the end of each conference. But this year, it was my privilege to give our certificates on behalf of the Carolina Evangelical Divinity School (CEDS), where I am a Professor-at-Large.
The dear couple are real “trophies of grace” from last year’s Conference on the “Biblical Perspective of Work” came to the conference deeply in debt, despondent, depressed, and suicidal. But went home with a new vision to become a bi-vocational pastor. God honored his vision and hard work with both spiritual and financial success to the degree that he came to the Conference with the money to bless several rural pastors with motor scooters!
Since our partnership in Ghana with Yaw Asante is holistic, we also have a wonderful garden orchard we have planted. Here Albert Abrefa, director of the farm, stands with some of the “first fruit” from the maturing orchard.
Here Albert hooks up a new drip irrigation system for one of the demonstration gardens at the Conference Center.
A demonstration “Bucket Drip Irrigation Garden” at the Conference Center to show rural pastors how they can grow better vegetables to eat and sell.
Since I was in Africa for over 3 weeks, I have too much to share in one report—which would over-load your mind and computer! So there will be 3 reports to cover the 3 weeks and 3 countries in which I traveled and ministered. Each report will be largely pictorial in nature with brief captions.
Thanks for taking a few moments to read “Part 1” on Ghana in this series of reports on Africa. In a couple of days, you will receive “Part 2” which will focus on Kenya. Until then, know how MUCH I count on your continued prayers and partnership!
In His Love for the world,
I am primarily an evangelist and teacher who travels around the world in apostolic ministry as God leads and enables me. In addition to preaching and teaching the Bible, I mentor our key partners to be more strategic and impactful for the Gospel in their countries and cultures, just as they continue to mentor me. I am relationally focused rather than program or project focused in ministry relationships and partnerships. 
