Understanding ISIS

January - February 

In mid-2014, ISIS was rampaging through parts of Syria and Iraq, leaving in its wake beheadings, rapes, and murders, all under a black and white flag bearing the words in Arabic script, "There is no deity except Allah and Muhammad is his messenger." A panicked Saudi Arabia reissued a call of desperation to the West for help in slaying the beast. It was too little too late, and as the saying goes, "The rest is history." This article looks at the problem from the strategic sectarian viewpoint of Sunni Islam versus Shia Islam.

Latin America  and Islam

March - April

Cubans in Waiting. M. and Y. are young church planters in Cuba. In the fall of 2013 God used a local prayer for the nations event to call them beyond their community to share Jesus with the Muslim world. Their new passion has since driven their prayer lives and has become the focus of their plans for future and mission. There is irony in their passion. The spiritual burning that wakes them up in the morning and seals their prayers in the evening is a call to mission that would seem foolish outside the dynamic of the Holy Spirit's leading. In spite of the fact that travel bans and economic hindrances currently impound Cuba's global outreach, the national church's fledgling world missions program proactively anticipates the day when Cuba's closed doors will give way to God's will for the nations through them.

The Local Church Reaching Muslims

May-June

Sometimes a church or individual comes to what seems to be a “closed door” and there seems to be no way through. If we can see with spiritual eyes; change can present itself as the entrance to the closed door. Are we willing to press through the difficulties or distractions that keep us stymied? Are we willing to “press on” in order to find the entrance to the future by embracing “change?” If so, God will give us the “keys” to be a church that touches the nations.

Ramadan: A Time to Ponder
and Pray

July-August

It was the month of Ramadan and the time of Tarabiii prayers,” says Rafiqueiii. “I had been fasting for more than three weeks and tonight was the special night called Lailatul-Qadriv, the night of a thousand nights to seek the special blessings of Allah. I was sitting lined up and ready to begin my prayers. I looked to see the imam who was going to lead the prayers that night, but found that none was in front. While I was in a trance-like state of consciousness, I wondered in my mind, ‘We are all ready for prayers, but where is the imam who will lead us?’”

Hospitality's Key Role in
Reaching Muslims

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2)

The response to my question, “What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Muslim” or “Islam”, rarely elicits the answer “hospitality.” Yet, the practice of hospitality is an integral and endearing part of Muslim culture that Christians and Muslims can share. It is adopted from ancient practices that predate Islam.

Welcome, MBBs, to the
Kingdom of God

November-December

This is what we have been interceding for. Slowly but surely, they are coming. Men, women, and children are leaving behind Islam for the Lord Jesus Christ and His eternal kingdom. At Global Initiative, we believe God is positioning the Church to receive a great harvest of Muslim souls.