These Signs Shall Follow Them That Believe

September Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas and greetings in Jesus’ precious name! Christ came into this world “in the fullness of time” to redeem mankind from sin and to reconcile us to the Heavenly Father (Galatians 4:4,5). And what a great salvation it was and is that God wrought for us in Christ (see Hebrews 2:3-18)! Denise and I and our family wish you a warm and wonderful Christmas season and the best new year of your life in 2022.

Today I want to talk to you about opportunities and adversaries, but first I want to say thank you for being such a faithful partner with our ministry. As I told you in my letter last month, our ministry is bursting at the seams, and I am so humbled that God would use Denise and me, our family, and our team to minister to the many people who are reaching out to us every day.

Every soul is precious, and it is our heartfelt desire to convey that truth to every person God brings to us — that they are precious to Him and to us. And your gifts are so vital to our ability to touch every one of these treasured souls! So today I want to say a special thank you for all you do with us to take the trusted teaching of the Word of God to people in Russia and all over the world. From the depths of our hearts, Denise and I THANK YOU!

This month is the last month of the year — and I know you are probably preparing for Christmas and many different kinds of gatherings. But in addition to Christmas, it’s also almost 2022. As we come to the end of this year and to the beginning of a brand-new year, the Holy Spirit keeps telling me to “stay on track” with the assignments He has given us. I hear Him saying that even if we hit bumps along the way, everything will be all right if we’ll just stay on track and maintain our God-assigned territory — the many opportunities and assignments He has given us to inspire, strengthen, and equip believers with the sound teaching of the Bible.

But I’ve learned over the years that opportunities and adversaries usually go together — and today I want to encourage you to undergird yourself so that you can stay on track with what God has asked you to do this month and in the coming year.

Over the course of our ministry, we’ve had many great, effectual doors open to us to do the work of the Gospel. I’ll never forget when I received an opportunity to minister on television in the former Soviet Union. It was as if a great door had suddenly swung open to an entire vast territory — a door that had never before been opened for anyone else — and I knew I was experiencing something miraculous. By faith, Denise and I stepped through that door and began to preach the Word of God on television in this spiritually starved corner of the world.

Given the former socialist-communist campaigns against the Gospel in this particular region, this opportunity was as miraculous as the Jordan River dividing for Joshua and the children of Israel. But with this great open door also came a slew of adversaries, specifically dispatched by Satan to instill fear and doubt into my heart. The devil desperately wanted to prevent me from touching the lives of spiritually oppressed people, so he positioned evil people with insidious plans to try to block my view of what God had in store for our ministry.

I’m telling you that it was like the children of Israel looking at the Promised Land from the far side of the Jordan River. From that perspective, they saw only the fruitful land of blessing that lay before them. But once they entered the Promised Land, they had to fight giants of every kind before they could possess that land and enjoy the blessing. In much the same way, if Denise and I had taken our eyes off the Lord during that tumultuous period — or if we had focused only on the problems and forgotten about the fruit we were pursuing for God’s Kingdom — I’m sure we would have backpedaled to get out of the situation!

But we knew this was a God-given opportunity and worth the fight, so we fixed our gaze squarely on the Lord. Girded with the armor of God and the power of the Spirit, we pushed through every obstacle and possessed the ground that God called us to take. As a result, millions of souls began to hear the Gospel for the first time. We knew that only God could have opened this door!

In First Corinthians 16:9, the apostle Paul wrote about the strategic doors of opportunity that open for the Gospel and the adversaries that usually accompany them. He said, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” Notice that Paul used the words “great,” “door,” “effectual,” and “is opened” to describe the opportunity that had been set before him.

The word “great” in this verse is translated from the Greek word megale, which means gigantic. The word “door” is the Greek word thura, which typically refers to a door, but in this context, denotes a rare opportunity. The word “effectual” is the Greek word energes, and it depicts something that is powerful and ready to be set into motion. Finally, the phrase “is opened” is the Greek word anoigo, which describes something standing wide open. In other words, the door in question couldn’t be any more open! Thus, an alternate translation of Paul’s words in First Corinthians 16:9 could be rendered, “A gigantic, powerful opportunity is already set in motion and standing wide open….”

Paul continued by saying, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me….” You see, Paul knew that the particular door he was referring to had never been opened to anyone else, and he stood in awe of the unprecedented opportunity. Walking through these kinds of doors is impossible without divine assistance, and Paul was fully aware of God’s role in the matter. That is why he specified that this door had been opened “unto me.”

Paul’s prayer request in First Corinthians 16:9 was not for a door to open because it had already opened. His prayer request was to receive God’s wisdom to deal with the numerous adversaries who were trying to come against him. Paul used the Greek word antikeimenoi to describe the vast number of “adversaries” that were sent to attack him. This Greek word describes something that was piled high and lying all around him. In other words, he was dealing with more than a few minor opponents. On the contrary, it felt like opposition was stacked high on every side!

I’ve learned that the enemy will try his best to keep you from stepping through the gigantic doors of opportunity God desires to open for you. Satan is afraid of what will happen when “his” territory is invaded by someone fully equipped with a full arsenal of spiritual weapons. So know this: God will open doors for you — but He needs you to make a determined decision that you will walk through them, no matter the opposition, with the help of His Spirit.

By opening the door, God has already done His part, which would have been impossible without His assistance. Now He beckons you to come, dressed in the whole armor of God and in the power of His Word — and proceed through that effectual door into new territory. It may look like enemies are everywhere, but it is simply a fact that the devil and his forces flee and collapse when they are subjected to a show of strong faith!

As I mentioned earlier, many great and effectual doors have been opened to us over the years to do the work of the Gospel. In each case, we knew these doors were unique to us and had never before been opened for anyone else. And just as Paul experienced opposition, there were plenty of enemies that came against us with each opportunity. But because we obeyed God, the devil was forced to move out of the way, and we walked right into the virgin territory that God had opened for our ministry.

Even if you think your situation looks threatening right now, I want to tell you that God is with you. He wants to supernaturally open new doors for you — doors that have never before been opened for you. He is not beckoning you to walk through these doors so you can fail. He is with you every step of the way, and He will empower you to defeat every foe and bring Him glory in that new territory that is yours to possess in Jesus’ name!

Your open door may be an opportunity to shine the light of God’s Word and God’s love to your family or friends during this holiday season. It may be a door that will open to you in the new year. Regardless of when it is or what it is, the same God who opens doors will empower you to walk through them — and then He’ll be right with you to give you the wisdom and strength needed to overcome any giant that tries to meet you on the other side.

I know this is not a typical December, “Christmas-style” letter, but this is what was on my heart to share with you today. I want you to always know that if we can join you in prayer, we would be delighted to do so. To be honest, we are praying for you anyway, but when we are alerted to know exactly “how” to pray, it increases our effectiveness as we pray for you. So if you have a special need, please either call or write to let us know how we can get in agreement with you for God to show Himself mighty to you according to Jeremiah 33:3, which says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

And please pray for us as we continue marching forward by faith to push back darkness, to shine the light of God’s Word, and to take territory for the Kingdom of God. Together — as partners — we can make a difference in the lives of throngs of people who are crying out to God for help. They are waiting for God to respond to their prayers, and God wants to use us — you and us together — to bring them the answers they desperately need.

But before I close, I want to say we are specifically asking God to do something special for you this month and before the end of the year. I don’t know what it is, but that is what we are praying. We are asking God to do something special that will bless your life! And please, please pray for us as we continue pushing ahead to build our studio in Moscow, to finalize the purchase of our new headquarters in Tulsa, and to continue to minister effectually to every precious soul Jesus brings to us!

Merry Christmas!

We love you and thank God for you!

We are your brother and sister, friends, and partners in Jesus Christ,

Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel and their families|Dear Friends,

I am so excited about what I am going to share with you in my letter this month!

But first, Denise and I want to express our heartfelt thanks to God for all you are doing as a friend and partner with our ministry. Right now, we are giving our best to fulfill the many assignments God has given us, and that includes teaching the Word of God on various media platforms around the world, ministering seriously to the needs of our partners, providing tons of relief to displaced people in our part of the world, and finishing Phase 3 of our Ministry Expansion Project.

We could never do all this alone, but when partners obey what the Holy Spirit asks them to do, a miracle occurs, and the job gets done. For your part in our God-called team, Denise and I are so grateful. Your heart really is in the Kingdom of God, and we sincerely thank you for joining hands with us to do what God has commissioned us to do! Together, we are a God-called team!

I am SO excited to tell you that beginning September 1, you can preorder my new book Christmas — The Rest of the Story! Featuring full-color, original hand-drawn illustrations, this beautiful hard-cover book is sure to leave you spellbound by the wonderful account of our Savior’s birth. From the angel’s pronouncement to Mary to her marriage to Joseph to the angels’ glorious heralding of Jesus’ arrival as a newborn in the cave in Bethlehem, you will see the incredible journey of Christ’s coming to earth — and His purpose for coming — in a way you’ve probably never heard it before. This book is packed with biblical truth and history, and I believe it will be a blessing to you as you read it, as well as a treasure in your family for generations! You can preorder your copy at a discounted price today at renner.org.

Now let me get to what is on my heart to share with you today.

Just moments before Jesus ascended to the Father, He told the disciples, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17,18).

In this amazing passage, Jesus said that “signs” will follow those who believe. That word “signs” is from a Greek word that refers to a signature or seal that was applied to a document to guarantee its authenticity. It was the proof that showed the document was the real deal.
                              
Jesus was sending His disciples into the world to preach the Gospel, and as He sent them forth, He said, in essence, that God’s supernatural signature would be on their ministry. These “signs” were to be God’s official declaration that His people were sent by Heaven and that the Gospel message was true. Signs following the preaching of the Gospel were to authenticate the message and make clear that this was no manmade message — but one that came straight from God Himself.

The specific signs that Jesus mentioned are as follows:

The Lord said these signs would “follow” those who believe. It’s important that Jesus said in Mark 16:17, “…These signs shall follow them that believe….” The word “follow” is translated from a word that means to follow or to go somewhere with a person, as in accompanying him on a trip. As it is used in this verse, the word “follow” means to tirelessly accompany someone, to constantly be at the side of an individual, or to always be in close proximity with a person, like a faithful companion who is always at one’s side.

This tells us that signs and wonders are to faithfully follow us and the Gospel message everywhere we go. Signs and wonders are to be so in step with us and the message we preach that to live without these signs should seem very strange to us. God intended for these signs to follow us everywhere we go, like our nonstop companions and as God’s signature that the message we speak is true.

Every time you preach or share the Gospel — whether at church, at work, on the mission field, in a bus, on the subway, or at the grocery store — you should expect these supernatural signs to be present with you. These signs should accompany you everywhere you go because they are a part of your spiritual equipment as a faithful partner of the Gospel message!

SO…why don’t we see more of these signs following Christians?

The answer to this question is actually found in Jesus’ words in Mark 16:17. It says, “And these signs shall follow them that believe….” But the tense used in this verse means it would be more accurately translated, “These signs shall follow those who have engaged their faith and are believing….”

That means these signs don’t come automatically just because you are a Christian. Actually, Jesus never said these signs would simply follow Christians. He said they would follow those who are believing for them. If a Christian isn’t believing for these signs to be manifested or expecting supernatural signs to follow him, they probably won’t. Like everything else — signs and wonders are activated by faith.

Throughout our ministry, Denise and I have observed that people who regularly experience the miraculous are those who regularly expect to see it. Rather than being passive — they are aggressive about pushing forward to see the miraculous in their lives or ministries. Those who press forward and release their faith to see the supernatural demonstrated are the ones who often experience these divine demonstrations in their lives.

So the number of signs and wonders that follow you will be determined by how intensely you are constantly believing for them to be in manifestation. If you want signs and wonders to faithfully follow you, you must be constantly believing for them to happen!

Remember that these signs always follow those who are believing for them to occur. This is Jesus’ promise! He absolutely promised His supernatural signature would be with anyone who preaches the Gospel and opens the way for the supernatural to come to pass by believing.

In Mark 16:17 and 18, Jesus said those who believe will:

What do these signs really mean — and what do they mean to you? I don’t have space in this letter to answer these questions, but it’s important for you to know the answers. I just finished teaching a new series called THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE, and in this brand-new series, I fully explain what all of this means for you. You can order it by calling our ministry or by going online to renner.org.

But certainly, Mark 16:17 says, “And these signs shall follow them that believe….” Again, it would be more accurately translated, “These signs shall follow those who have engaged their faith and are believing….” So if you want to see these supernatural signs accompanying you in all your paths of life, you have to release your faith and believe for them to be manifested!

My purpose in writing you this letter today is to encourage you to engage your faith and begin believing for these signs to be your partners in life and ministry. If you’ll believe and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit, these supernatural signs will be God’s signature that goes with you everywhere you go!

This is what I felt led to share with you this month, and I pray it has encouraged you to listen to the Spirit, to believe, and to obey whatever He instructs you to do.

Before I close, I want to remind you to please let us know how to pray with you for whatever it is that you are facing or dealing with in your life right now. We are very serious about hearing your prayer needs, either by phone, by email, or by letter. As soon as you let us know how to pray for you, we will release our faith with you for Jesus to supernaturally empower you right where you are!

We are your brother and sister, friends, and partners in Jesus Christ,

Rick and Denise Renner

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