“And there was an Ethiopian, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasures…and beginning with this Scripture, Philip told him the good news about Jesus…and the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing!” Acts 8

When the Good News leaked out of Jerusalem, the first area in which it was proclaimed was among the totally disdained outcast Samaritans. But the SECOND place the Spirit cast the seeds of the gospel was into the soul of a high-ranking cabinet member from an African nation. The narrative of the spread of the message is hidden from us in the text of Scripture, but the fruit of it is abundantly clear.

The first missionary sending the church, the center for world evangelism, was NOT in Jerusalem though the Church was first formed there. Rather, the launching pad for the gospel to the world was in the spiritually dark and decadent sin-center of a foreign city. In the Antioch church its leadership was an amazing blending of the nations. “Now there were in the church at Antioch (Syria) prophets and teachers…Simeon from Nigeria, Lucius from Cyrene (Libya), and Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch (Rome, Italy)…” Acts 13 The seeds of the gospel, spread by the winds of the Spirit to remote corners of the world, had born eternal fruit. One from Cyprus, another from Tarsus, one from Italy and TWO from Africa!

This Sunday morning the Faith Family will be blessed to hear from Martin Simiyu as he preaches to us “The Silence That Is Getting Louder” from Romans 1. Here is a brief introduction to prepare our hearts for welcoming our brother’s ministry of the Word:

While growing up Martin and his family members struggled to get the basics of life including food, good shelter, clothing, and access to education. They also lacked good churches for their spiritual nourishment. Out of this difficult upbringing God still provided an opportunity for Martin and his family members to acquire an education and improve their standard of living—a blessing not common to many who grow up in similar communities.

By God’s grace Martin excelled in his studies in Kenya, and God opened a door for him to move from his poor village to the capital city of Nairobi and later to the USA for further studies. Martin’s passion to serve his people led to a mission trip organized by Moody Graduate School where Martin brought a team of students and staff to minister to his country including his village. It was during the mission trip that Martin shared his deepest desire to see Africans take responsibility of transforming their own communities. With the encouragement and involvement of the mission team, Possibilities Africa was born to help bring to fruition Martin’s vision.

Martin holds a BA in Theology from Kenya and two masters’ degrees from Moody Graduate School and Biola University. He lives in Kenya where he is leading efforts to grow this ministry, which already has had great impact on many families, churches, and communities in Kenya. Martin’s vision is to see holistic and cultural transformation founded in the truth of God’s word take place across the rural communities of Africa. His prayer is that others like him, blessed of God with many talents and treasures, will invest their time to make a difference in Africa.

See you Sunday, Church!
Pastor Tom