NEW SERIES

I'VE REALLY BEEN THINKING, MEDITATING AND PRAYING ABOUT A SERIES I WANT TO DO WITH YOU. WE'LL BEGIN IT THIS SUNDAY AND IT WILL PROBABLY RUN 4 OR 5 SUNDAY'S. IT'LL BE CALLED "THE NEXT STEP". I'M PRAYING IT WILL BE SOMETHING GOD WILL USE AS WE TAKE THAT NEXT STEP THAT GOD HAS FOR US AS A GROUP TOGETHER.

I'M PROMPTED TO BEGIN TO STUDY DEEPER INTO ISLAM LATELY. IT MAY BE BECAUSE GOD WILL HAVE US DOING WORK AMONG THE ISLAMIC PEOPLE AND I NEED TO KNOW MORE. I KNOW VERY LITTLE IN CONTRAST TO HOW MUCH I THINK I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR FAITH. AS I HAVE BEEN STUDYING, I AM SEEING JUST HOW BLINDLY THE MUSLIM PEOPLE FOLLOW. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE SECOND PART OF THE EPICENTER VIDEO TONIGHT. I'M DESIROUS THAT WE ALL BE EDUCATED ON ONE OF THE GREATEST ENEMIES TO CHRIST AND HIS CAUSE ON EARTH TODAY.

BERTRAND RUSSELL, A PHILOSOPHER NOT A THEOLOGIAN, SAID THIS OF ISLAM: "OVER A BILLION PEOPLE BELIEVE IN ALLAH WITHOUT TRULY KNOWING WHAT ALLAH SUPPOSEDLY STANDS FOR OR WHAT HE REALLY DEMANDS OF THEM. AND THE MINORITY THAT DO UNDERSTAND CONTINUE TO BE MUSLIMS BECAUSE THEY HAVE REDEFINED THEIR MORALITY AND ETHICS TO FIT WITHIN THE TEACHINGS OF ISLAM, WHICH ARE FLORIDLY LACKING IN MORALITY. THEY THEREFORE REDEFINE WHAT IS GOOD AND EVIL IN ORDER TO FIT THEIR LIVES INTO WHAT IS PREACHED BY ISLAM, INSTEAD OF EXAMINING ISLAM TO SEE IF IT FITS WITHIN THE GOOD LIFE. BACKWARDS THINKING, IMPOSED BY A BACKWARD RELIGION."

THE MUSLIM PEOPLE IN THE MAIKOP AREA OF SOUTHERN RUSSIA ARE A NON MILITANT GROUP. SOFTER TOWARD CHRISTIANITY. WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO BE ABLE TO REACH SOME OF THEM FOR CHRIST AND TEACH THEM TO GO INTO OTHER MUSLIM GROUPS. THEY COULD DO THAT MUCH BETTER THAN WE CAN. IT'S AN INCREDIBLE DREAM. IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN.

LOVE YA'LL. YA'LL LOVE EACH OTHER.