Why Egypt Matters

Early yesterday I heard Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina talk about the dangerous and frightening situation in Egypt.

We don’t know what the future will hold but at this moment the situation in Egypt is spiraling downward and seems out of control.

Should this affect us? After all, Egypt is half way around the world. You very possibly don’t know anyone who lives in Egypt.

What is it that makes Egypt important to us?

First, Egypt is prominent in the Bible. We all know the story of the Hebrew people and the pharaohs, but the Bible contains many other references about Egypt.

Jesus spent His early days in Egypt escaping the wrath of Herod the Great. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus lived among a large contingent of Jews living in Egypt, particularly in the Alexandria area. Christians can never forget that “Out of Egypt I called my Son” (Matthew 2:12-23).

Second, Egypt is the largest Arab country with over 90 million people. What happens in Egypt affects everything that happens in the middle east. Egypt shares a border with Israel and until recently lived at peace with Israel. Whatever affects Egypt will affect Israel.

Third, Egypt is 10 percent Coptic Christians. The Copts are an ancient group of believers (primarily in Egypt) who separated with the Eastern Orthodox Church over the nature of Christ after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 BC. According to their beliefs the Coptic Church was established by Saint Mark about 42 BC.

Egypt is also home to a number of evangelical believers as well. I can never think about Egypt without thinking of my former seminary classmate who spent most of his adult life as a missionary to Egypt. I know he must be grieving what is happening in Egypt.

Since the latest round of violence began, many believers have been killed. One of saddest stories was of a ten year old girl gunned down in the street as she returned from a Bible study class. Over 40 churches have been burned or vandalized and Christian homes have been sprayed with red paint in order to identify them to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Finally, Egypt matters because these are God’s people who need God’s favor. This nation and region need so much more of the gospel message, not less. Let us pray for peace and safety. Let us pray for protection of believers, and let us pray for God’s peace in the lives of the people of Egypt.

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4 Responses

  1. I heard a pastor on the radio yesterday make reference to the red paint marking the christian churches and homes in Egypt. He made reference to how odd this was and how he has such a horrible feeling. It made him think of the directions given to the Jews by God in ancient Egypt in the time before being released from captivity with the marking of the lambs blood over the doors of their homes to save the first born sons from the death angel. It is really a sad time there now.

  2. I know this must be a test of some kind. The dates should be AD not BC.

    This following is the conclusion of a newsletter. The author and content are self-explanatory. If you wish to have the entire text I will email it to you.

    “Can there be anything positive for the church out of all that? The answer has always been yes. We can see many positive things:
    1- The people of Egypt have experienced the exposed negative side of religious government that many thought would last for tens of years. If the religious regime had continued, the future of the Christians in Egypt would have been threatened more seriously.2- All Christians can see God’s hand behind the events. According to all speculations and previous projection a few months ago, nobody expected such a quick exposure of fundamentalists. We are thankful for God’s miracle in our nation. He is in control.
    3- The Egyptian Christians have started to restore their correct theology of the church. Church buildings have always been of great importance to Egyptians. It is good to hear now the believers are encouraging each other that the church is not a brick and sand building but a spiritual building of believers.
    4- God has used the response of the Christian that called for forgiveness for the attackers as a witness for our neighbors. Non Christians are impressed and talk and write about the uniqueness of the Christian spirit.
    At First Baptist Church of Cairo the Lord has blessed us and led us to meet in the morning instead of the evening as we cannot because of the curfew. Prayer time on Friday and Sunday was an encouragement for all who could make it to church. As we shared the cup on Sunday’s communion we asked the Lord for the sake of the Blood of Jesus to stop the bloodshed in our country.
    Please Join Us in prayer..a- that the nightmare of blood shedding might stop.
    b- for God’s protection on his people especially in Southern cities of Egypt where the
    conflicts and attacks have been severe.
    c- for the mourning families who lost people regardless of their backgrounds.
    d- for Christians of all churches to get over their fear and receive God’s assurance of peace
    and joy on their lives.
    e- that the Lord may provide for those who lost their businesses to start over.
    f- for the church to see this time as a time to share with the neighbors the only sure source
    of security.
    g- for pastors and leaders to be able to take the right decisions concerning church schedule,
    programs and activities.
    h- for the political leaders of the country that are working under severe pressure.
    In His Service
    Mounir Sobhy Yacoub Malaty
    Pastor, First Baptist Church of Cairo”

  3. Sometimes I fall behind on these,( glad they get emailed to me ) so missed it on my FB page to share…I have an iPad so can’t copy/ paste on here ( if you know how please share) and I was wondering how I can share this on my FB page so ppl can see the words. Meaning not just a link that they may not take the time to click on…

    1. I just checked this and it worked for me.
      Press on the post you want to copy and share.
      select all and guide the part you want to share.
      then press copy.
      Go to FB and press again.
      Press paste.
      As an alternate I can walk you through this with a phone call. Let me know how it works.

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