Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

August Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

Dear Friend,

I have been thinking and praying to the Lord about what to write to you in my letter this month. I know that the right words — written or spoken — have the potential to be like honey for your soul (see Proverbs 16:24). And I believe everyone needs such a word from time to time, as I know I do! It’s my prayer  that this letter brings refreshment to your soul and fills you with the sweet truths of God’s Word, preparing you for any opportunities the new month might bring!

I want to take a moment to say thank you for spending this time with me each month and for caring so much about RENNER Ministries and its many outreaches. You have been a significant part of our journey as a ministry — and you continue to be! I am truly grateful for your dedication to help us fulfill our vision of spreading the Gospel message across the globe. Your support does not go unnoticed!

What Does It Mean To Wait on the Lord?

I was reading my Bible recently, and as I kept coming back to Psalm 27:14, it got me thinking about the years following the grand opening of the Moscow Good News Church back in December 2014. For many years, Rick and I and our leadership team looked and looked for land or a building where we could establish a permanent home for the Moscow church. There was so much going on in our lives during that time, and at times, we felt discouraged. But for some reason, the Holy Spirit kept reminding me of the meetings I’d been holding with the women in the church, during which we would get together to hear from God through His Word, fellowship together, and encourage each other in the Lord. As I recently read Psalm 27:14 and reflected on these meetings, I began to remember one meeting in particular. During that meeting, I remember asking the question, “What does it mean to wait on the Lord?”

These women were so generous with their answers. I received many different insights from their honest responses. Some of the women were candid enough to say, “Waiting on the Lord is a little hard for me because when I have a desire for something, I want it when I want it!” Others expressed that to wait on the Lord means to have a continual attitude of prayer that we should maintain at all times.

When I reflect on these answers, I am so proud of these women for sharing their thoughts with such openness.

Waiting on the Lord can mean different things to different people. Ask yourself, What do I think it means to wait on the Lord? You may know right away what you think it means to wait on Him — or maybe nothing comes to mind! And that’s okay. In this letter, I will share with you what I have learned over the years about what it means to wait on the Lord.

Let’s begin by reading Psalm 27:14:

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!

Each time I read this verse, I immediately sense its power in my body and soul. It’s as if someone is saying, “Okay, shoulders, you can relax now. You don’t have to be so tense and overworked! Stop trying to solve all your problems by yourself.”

This verse also serves as a bit of a “reality check.” When I read it, it quickens my realization of the abiding presence of the Lord. He made me, He knows me, and He loves me. And whether I’m dealing with a stressful situation or season of life, or just the everyday responsibilities of ministry, it reminds me that I need to place my attention on Him instead of putting so much focus on the circumstances or even on myself.

Turning Your Eyes Upon Jesus

For me personally, to wait on the Lord means to put everything else — distractions, to-do lists, the nonstop culture embedded into our society — “on hold” and to solely look at Jesus. It reminds me of the wonderful old hymn, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” It reads:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Perhaps you’ve noticed your shoulders beginning to relax a little after reading Psalm 27:14 or the words to that beautiful hymn. As you intentionally turn your sole attention toward the Lord, His peace will begin to flood your soul and relax your body.

I believe it’s important to take special time that’s devoted to waiting on the Lord, but I also believe this is something that you can do continually throughout your day — in your everyday life. When you begin to wait on the Lord, you will first experience the fullness of His divine peace. Not only that, but you’ll begin to supernaturally draw strength from a source not your own — a source with greater power and greater possibility than those available to you in the natural before you determined to specifically focus on the Lord.

When you truly master waiting on the Lord, this supernatural peace and strength may take place in a matter of seconds! However, when you start renewing your mind and purposefully directing your focus on Him, you may have to remind yourself several times throughout the day to take your eyes off your weaknesses — and even off your own abilities — in order to completely turn to Him. But when you do this — when you wait on the Lord — you’re opening your heart to the things Heaven has in store for you instead of limiting yourself to the things you can accomplish with your own mental and emotional abilities.

Learning To Lean Not on Your Own Understanding

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

— Proverbs 3:5,6

Notice it says in verse 5, “…Lean not on your own understanding….” Now I’m sure you have heard this verse many times before, and the reason it’s such a frequently quoted verse is that it’s an important truth you must understand. It’s so easy to get caught up in your struggles and try to fix everything yourself, but when you start relying on your own strength and ability, it limits what the Lord can do for you and your situation.

The Bible doesn’t tell you to not lean on your own understanding so you can just throw your brains out the window! It says this because when faced with a problem, we oftentimes take more upon ourselves than we can or should handle in terms of using our natural thinking to figure out the answers we need.

When you try to rely just on your natural ability, you inevitably come up short of the wisdom needed to succeed — which leads to feelings of worry, anxiety, stress, and even obsession over the problem. Next thing you know, you’re meditating on your problem instead of on the things of God and His Word! And when you don’t wait on the Lord, it makes it difficult, if not impossible, to hear what He says about your situation.

Let’s go back to where verse 5 says, “…Lean not on your own understanding….” When you think of the word “leaning,” you might picture someone leaning up against something for support, such as a wall. If you’re leaning against a wall, you’re trusting that wall to hold you up — to keep you from falling down and getting hurt. In Proverbs 3:5, and in many other places in the Bible, the Lord is imploring us not to trust our own understanding to hold us up and protect us from harm in life!

In other words, just as you might lean on a flimsy wall in the natural realm, it’s possible for us to lean on our understanding in life. But God is telling us that our understanding can be imperfect — it won’t always stand and support us during times of difficulty. In fact, if we trust in understanding alone, it will most likely “collapse,” causing us even greater difficulty and pain.

I don’t say this to say anyone is unintelligent — you’re probably very smart! But no one is smarter or wiser than God. So when a problem pops up in your life, you need to ask the Lord for help. Tell Him something like this: “Father, I don’t know what to do. I’m already losing sleep over this problem in my life. I have been impatient and irritable toward my loved ones because I can’t solve this problem myself. I have been worrying and giving all my attention to this problem, yet I can’t find any clear answers. I need Your wisdom and strength to guide me and show me what to do.”

Have you ever had to admit something like this to the Father? I certainly have. But every time I go to Him about a problem, I always find the relief and answers I need! When you choose to put a stop to all the anxious thoughts and focus your attention on the Lord — when you wait on Him — you will find the peace and power you desperately needed all along!

But you have to wait on the Lord — you must be honest with Him and seek His help. The Holy Spirit won’t chase you down and say, “Pay attention to Me!” No. He waits for you to turn your attention to Him.

Maybe you’re experiencing trouble in your life right now and need to be in that special place of waiting on the Lord. Or perhaps you can just sense Him drawing you nearer. If you find yourself continuously looking to Him for peace, grace, and wisdom, do not stop! Don’t allow yourself to become “weary in well-doing” by turning your attention away from Him, even for one moment. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Keep humbling yourself before the Lord, filling your heart with His Word, and being obedient to trust it. You will hear from Heaven!

Before I close my letter, I invite you to join me for my program TIME With Denise Renner! This weekly program is such a special time for encouragement, inspiration, and spiritual quickening together. I’m so encouraged by the reception my program has received so far, and your kind words and comments are truly a blessing. To watch TIME With Denise Renner, join me on Facebook or YouTube each Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. to hear what the Lord has placed on my heart to share with you. I love this time together, and I hope to see you there soon!

The following are just a few of the many testimonies we receive daily from our wonderful friends and partners:

Denise had a word of knowledge about someone needing healing in a finger a few weeks ago during her Monday morning program. I had just cut my finger and required stitches. The worst part was that a tendon was cut, and I was told that only surgery would restore the use of my finger. I said, “Oh no, I receive my healing!” And then Denise shared a word about a finger being restored. It’s been almost four weeks, and I am able to use my finger more and more each day. I have nearly full mobility. Hallelujah!

— C.

I was healed from chronic back pain on Sunday, May 12 — Mother’s Day. Sister Denise was ministering at Eagle Mountain International Church and giving her testimony. I felt a warmth on my lower back and the pain disappeared. I can bend and move freely now — praise God!

— N.

I hope these words have encouraged you to wait on the Lord and trust Him in everything. I promise that if you don’t give up seeking His face, you will win!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

More Signs of the End — ‘As the Days of Noah’

August Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Jesus’ wonderful name! Oh, how I love that name and thank God for His precious blood that changed my life. I know you feel the same!

I want to remind you that soon we will be releasing my new book Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood. Not only is this book filled with insights, it’s loaded with more than 300 various graphs, illustrations, and art to illustrate every point. I really believe you will DEVOUR this book. I can just hear you saying, “Wow… Amazing… I never knew that!”

Our long-time friend Joni Lamb said: “In Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood, my good friend Rick Renner presents a compelling and refreshing perspective on the story of Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood. Through his thorough research, captivating storytelling, and biblical teaching, he brings to light evidence that supports the inerrancy and eternal truth of the Bible. This book not only sheds new light on biblical events, but also offers insightful connections to our current world and our role as Christians in it. I am grateful to Rick for sharing his unique insights and reminding us of the relevance of God’s Word in our ever-changing world.”

My dear friend Bob Yandian said: “It is my pleasure to endorse the newest book from my friend and ministry companion Rick Renner. Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood compares the times we’re living in and moving into to the days of the flood of Noah. This is different from any book Rick has written, and he has written many. The strange discoveries and events we are witnessing today are not as new as we may think. Scientists, archaeologists, and the military are discovering objects in the skies and bones of animals in the earth that we have always thought were myths or science fiction. Are they? Or are they only telling us of the world at the time of Noah and why God had to destroy it? What was seen in Noah’s day are instructions for believers today as we move into the closing moments of the Church age before the unveiling of God’s judgment on a Christ-rejecting world. In this book, Rick does a marvelous job of explaining a difficult subject.”

There are many other endorsements in this book, and each of them has blessed my heart. If you have not ordered your copy yet, please go to renner.org to receive a special pre-release discount. I am absolutely sure this is a book you will not only read, but you will want to share with others. And that is why for a limited time, we are making it possible to purchase multiple copies (six or more) at an even greater discount.

We are able to do everything we do — whether we are holding physical meetings around the world, establishing churches, making programs for media, writing books, or providing lavish care for our partners — because of partners LIKE YOU who regularly give to this ministry. Honestly, there is not a day that passes in which I do not stop to pray for you.

This is what Paul felt about the Philippians who were partners with his ministry:

Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

— Philippians 1:7

Likewise, our partners are in OUR HEARTS — for you are helping us with “the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.” You are truly partakers of our grace. For this, I thank God, and I thank you. I realize giving is a choice, and I am grateful that you regularly make the eternal choice to invest in bringing the trusted teaching of God’s Word to people around the world. You mean so much to me, Denise, our family, our team, and the people who are reaping the wonderful eternal consequences of your giving.

Today I want to talk to you about the words Jesus spoke to His disciples about the end times in Matthew 24. He was answering their questions about what specifically would take place toward the end of the age, before the Rapture and His Second Coming (which will be two separate events). Jesus’ entire discourse of events that will occur at the end of the age can be found in Matthew 24:3-41. I encourage you to read the entire passage.

But I want to focus on one statement Jesus made to His disciples in verse 37 — a verse that was recorded for us, the Church, today.

But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  

—Matthew 24:37                                                                         

Jesus gave us a special glimpse into our future, so before we begin, I want to explain to you why He did this. Jesus shared these words with us so that we would be forewarned and forearmed to face a morally declining society. But the glorious news is that for those of us who have made Jesus the Savior and Lord of our life, all these disturbing parallels between the world before the Flood and our world today are simply an indication that Jesus is coming soon. So don’t live in fear; lift up your head, for your redemption draweth nigh! (see Luke 21:28.)

According to Jesus, whatever was happening before the Flood will be replicated in the world at the end of the age. Since we’re living in the end of the age, we need to know what that is. So I compiled a list of six pre-Flood events that are already being replicated in our time.

In last month’s letter, I covered the first two events that occurred before the Flood and are being repeated today: 1) an unprecedented population explosion, and 2) gross sexual perversion. You don’t have to be a scholar to see these things are accelerating all around us.

In this month’s letter, I want to show you two more events that happened before the Flood that Jesus warned would be replicated at the end of the age.

#3: Increased Demonic Activity
(Genesis 6:2)

 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”

In addition to revealing gross sexual perversion as the fallen angels comingled with women, the evil that ensued shows us that in the time before the Flood, there was an increase in demonic activity, which included humans inclusively worshiping a pantheon of various gods and interfacing with evil spirits on a wide scale. As fallen angels were entering the earth’s atmosphere and interacting with mankind, the pre-Flood population was introduced to many forms of religion and became absorbed in dark activities that became widespread in society.

Again, Jesus said, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37). There was an increase in demonic activity before the Flood in the days of Noah, and Jesus said it would happen again at the end of the age.

Therefore, we must ask:
Is the world today experiencing increased demonic activity
as it occurred in the days before the Flood?

In the world before the Flood, the word “inclusion” would have perfectly described the way people were welcoming and embracing a vast array of beliefs. Likewise, in our own time, society is returning to an inclusive and pluralistic mindset, which is deeply indicative of a past system of paganism. By definition, “paganism” is idolatry or heathenism; the worship of false gods or idols; and the rejection of Christianity and of Christ as THE way to God, who is Lord over all.

There are several examples to demonstrate how today’s culture, and even many in the Church, are now departing from timeless truth to become more “inclusive” of beliefs and behaviors that are clearly against the teaching of Scripture. Indeed, seducing spirits of deception are bombarding the moral framework of society to modify it by using media, education, government, and other societal institutions.

Rather than stay with the scriptural truths that are foundational to a godly society, the culture today is adapting to a new mindset in the name of tolerance and open-mindedness. In an accelerated fashion, modern society is doing away with the Word of God — His unalterable will — in order to create a world free of the Bible’s authoritative voice.

Unfortunately, many believers are in this number, gravitating toward more pluralistic, inclusive positions. In fact, the trend toward such thinking is increasing so rapidly among young people in churches that many are wavering on the very basic tenets of the Christian faith. Foundational beliefs — such as the virgin birth, the sinlessness of Christ, the need to repent, the reality of Satan, and the existence of a literal Heaven and hell — are all beliefs that are often “up for grabs” with the younger generation, especially those who have been affected by godless voices and influences in several of our universities.

Recent statistical analyses also show that the belief in absolute truth has already declined to such a point that younger generations generally see no need to witness to and convert to Christ those of a different faith. Instead of sharing the life-saving message of the Gospel, many young people find ways to rationalize their decision to remain silent, thinking things such as:

This seductive trend toward inclusivism (which is simply paganism with a modern twist) is growing so rapidly that many believers are now hesitant to publicly affirm what they believe for fear of the backlash of being labeled as intolerant. Those who remain faithful to the standards of God’s Word must be prepared to be ostracized as members of a fringe group of non-conforming outcasts. Although we love everyone, if we adhere to the teaching of the Bible, we will not condone others’ immoral life choices, and we must face that our being labeled as “hateful” and “bigoted” as a result is a near certainty.

If today’s Church and its leadership don’t stand up for the faith — regardless of the price required to proclaim it in its purest form — it will only be a matter of time until Christianity is reduced to nothing more than another lifeless religion or philosophy among a cast of many others.

The onslaught of pagan-minded inclusiveness and demonic activity in the world today, which is coming from every direction in sophisticated ways, is unprecedented in human history — except for in the time frame that preceded the Flood.

When we compare the events and state of the world before the Flood with those of the world today, it is plain to see we are living in the very last days. But Jesus said He would be with us until the end of the age (see Matthew 28:20 NIV), so as Christians, we have nothing to fear. God is not in the business of scaring us. He wants to alert us of these events so we can safeguard ourselves and those we love. If we know this is going to happen, we must be diligent to fill our hearts, minds, and eyes with the Word of God — and influence our young ones in such a way that they will not allow this evil to ever become a part of their lives.

I want to remind you that if you have family or friends who have already been influenced by the “tolerant” and “open-minded” culture of today’s society, God’s power can turn it around. It is not too late for those who are close to your heart. If you want us to pray with you, please reach out to us, and we’ll release a torrent of prayer for God to touch that person you love.

#4: Transhumanism
(Genesis 6:4)

The word “transhumanism” may be new to you, but it’s a word you need to understand because this is another pre-Flood evil that in many ways is being repeated today.

Genesis 6:4 says, “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”

This verse specifically shows us that certain angels insanely rebelled against God’s authority and descended into the earth’s atmosphere to cohabit with women. And from these unnatural sexual unions, hybrid creatures — something beyond human — were produced. Some ancient pagan religions referred to these half-angel, half-human entities as demigods. (You can find a more detailed explanation of this occurrence in my new book Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood.)

Again, Jesus said, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37).

Therefore, we must ask:
Is the world today experiencing a form of transhumanism
as it occurred in the days before the Flood?

Today the emergence of a new kind of human and a new type of animal is becoming an unthinkable reality because of genetic engineering and the ramped-up efforts of transhumanists. For the first time in human history, we have the ability to combine the DNA of more than two people, insert it into a human embryo, and create a child. Likewise, we have the capability to combine human DNA with animal DNA to unthinkably create human-animal hybrids.

The fact is, human-animal hybrids are being grown in laboratories right now all over the world and have been for many years. Scientists have developed pigs with human blood, mice growing human ears, and sheep growing human hearts.

 In fact, multiple types of human organs are being grown in pigs and sheep to be harvested and implanted in human patients who need them. The mixing of human seed and animal seed is happening right now and is one type of hybridization transhumanists are working to develop.

In simplest terms, “transhuman” means beyond human, which is what transhumanists today are vigorously working to achieve. Producing a new kind of human being that is over and beyond what any human has ever been before is their very forthright goal and intention.

The foundational belief of transhumanism is that human beings are weak and poor, both physically and morally. Therefore, to improve the human experience — which includes overcoming aging, disability, disease, and mental limitations — there must be a convergence between humans and technology to create transhumans that will be stronger and have greater abilities.

The drive of transhumanists to see humans and technology merged has already been achieved in some respects. For example, after interfacing with computers and other forms of technology, some disabled people have regained certain physical features and functions that were once lost, which is a positive development. But that is not the endgame; it is only the beginning.

In addition to the ongoing efforts to merge man and machine, scientists in various nations around the world are also avidly experimenting with splicing human DNA with animal DNA to create superhuman beings. The result of this would be a new species of human-animal hybrid having cells and genetic materials of both humans and animals. This veers from God’s design and will lead to monstrous developments if it is successful.

Even more disturbing is the statement made by one highly influential, high-profile transhumanist who said, “We don’t need to wait for Jesus Christ to come back to Earth in order to overcome death. A couple of geeks in the laboratory can do it.” The ultimate ambition behind the transhumanist movement seems much darker than most people realize. In their own words, they believe they have the technological capabilities to become like gods.

Sound familiar? Thinking we can become like God is the same deceptive and depraved lie the serpent sold to Eve in the Garden of Eden — the same temptation she and Adam gave in to that brought death and destruction into the human race and the world (see Genesis 3). There is only one God, and we are not Him!

As a Bible teacher, author, and pastor, Jimmy Evans so powerfully put it: “The human seed is sacred and creates humans made in God’s image. Man has no right to manipulate or try to improve on what God has done. I’m not talking about good people using medical technology to help people or cure them. I’m talking about arrogant men taking the place of God and trying to improve and immortalize ourselves, so we become our own gods…. What God has done cannot be improved upon, and we should leave the human seed alone except for helping people.”

Altogether, the current level of genetic tampering with God’s design for human beings and animals is unprecedented in human history — except for in the time frame that preceded the Flood. But remember, God is not in the business of scaring us — rather, His intention is to prepare us for what lies ahead. I keep coming back to this statement because it is easy to allow fear into our mind if we don’t choose to see things through the lens of the Bible and remind ourselves that fear does not come from God (see 2 Timothy 1:7). He warns us so we can safeguard ourselves and those we love.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have family or friends who are drifting in a wrong direction; it’s not too late for them. Our team is standing by, ready to pray in faith on behalf of your lost loved ones.

But it’s time for me to wrap up today’s letter before it becomes a book!

In next month’s letter, I will share the final two points on this list of pre-Flood events that are being replicated in our time. For example, I will explain how there was continuous evil in the heart of man, and how evil is proliferating at an accelerated pace today. I will also explain how there was widespread violence before the Flood, and how we are seeing a replication of it now as violence is spinning out of control on nearly every front. What Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:37 about pre-Flood events being repeated before His return is becoming clearer every day.

Thanks for taking the time to read my letter. Be sure to look for the next one in September!

As always, before I close, I want to remind you that if you have a prayer request of any kind — and you would like us to agree with you for that need to be met — give us a call or send us an email. I really believe Jeremiah 33:3, which promises that God will hear you, answer you, and do something mighty and spectacular for you. If you’d like us to pray with you, it would be our honor. Simply call us at 1-800-742-5593 or send an email to prayer@renner.org.

Denise and I, our family, and our team love you and thank God for you!

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

Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel Renner and our entire ministry team

P.S. Click here to view the new interactive Ministry Update page or click here to download the printable pdf flyer.

Allowing The Holy Spirit to Glorify Jesus in Your Life

July Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

Dear Friend,

I pray this letter finds you well. As you read this, I want to encourage you to keep the Holy Spirit at the forefront of your mind as you prepare for a new month. When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He didn’t leave us on our own without a guide! Jesus promised another Helper to abide in you — the Holy Spirit. When you have the Holy Spirit living on the inside and are sensitive to His voice, your life will be forever changed!

The Holy Spirit is many things to a believer — He is just like Jesus — He is the Spirit of Truth, our Teacher, our Revealer, the One who glorifies God, and so much more!

But today I want to focus on how the Holy Spirit glorifies God. You will come to discover that everything the Holy Spirit does, He does in order to bring glory to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit — The Declarer of Jesus

Let’s begin by reading John 16:14, which says:

He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it unto you.

So how does the Holy Spirit glorify Jesus? He takes what belongs to Jesus, and He declares it unto you. The Holy Spirit is a Declarer, an Announcer, a Testifier, and a Proclaimer. For example, if Jesus has healing revelation or divine wisdom to impart to you, who is going to get you what Jesus wants to give? The Holy Spirit! He wants to take what Jesus has and give it to you. Isn’t that marvelous?

If you need healing in your body, the Holy Spirit wants to give you healing. If you need a revelation, He wants to give you a revelation. And if you need peace, He wants to give you peace! By delivering what the Lord has for us, the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus.

You may be wondering, But how does the Holy Spirit deliver these things to me? For one thing, the Holy Spirit is speaking to you through the Word of God. Through every verse, chapter, and book, He is declaring what Jesus has for you! That is just one of the many reasons why it is so important to read the Word consistently. It is such a powerful tool in the life of the believer! Through it, the Holy Spirit reveals and imparts things to you, and it glorifies Jesus.

I want to tell you about an example of the Holy Spirit glorifying Jesus in a huge way during a Kathryn Kuhlman meeting many years ago. Kathryn Kuhlman made such a way for the Holy Spirit to move in her meetings. She knew that the Holy Spirit would glorify Jesus by bringing His healing, miracle-working power to those who were in her service! That miracle-working power was working through her, and glory was being given to Jesus as everyone in her meetings watched numerous people be healed in miraculous ways.

In this particular meeting years ago, there was one healing that really stood out to me. There was a man named Billy Burke, who is now an evangelist in the United States, but who was just five years old when he attended this service. He had a brain tumor that caused him so much pain that in order to get any relief or freedom from the pain, he had to put his entire head in a bucket of ice. His eyes were also severely cross-eyed because of the tumor. He was in great pain and suffered from embarrassment because of his crossed eyes. He was just a little boy who wanted to live a normal life, except his life wasn’t normal at all.

But his grandmother took five-year-old Billy Burke to that Kathryn Kuhlman meeting. And Kathryn supernaturally called him out to come down to the pulpit for healing. The boy felt embarrassed and didn’t want to come down from his seat on the balcony, so his grandmother and the ushers helped encourage him to go down. And when he had made his way to the front, Kathryn touched him, the Holy Spirit brought the full power of Jesus, and that little boy’s eyes that so severely crossed became absolutely straight! At that moment, Jesus was glorified and this little boy was completely healed of that tumor! Praise the Lord!

Through the miracles the Holy Spirit brought into manifestation in that meeting, He was making a declaration of what Jesus wanted to bring to the meeting — healing. The Holy Spirit is always going to glorify Jesus, and in the Spirit’s manifest presence, His glory changes things.

Allowing the Spirit of God To Move Yields Powerful Results

Just recently, I was in our church in Moscow, Russia, and the Holy Spirit gave me a word of knowledge to speak against cancer and proclaim healing over people dealing with cancer. He specifically instructed me to curse every single cell of cancer. I didn’t know exactly who this word was for, but I obeyed the word the Holy Spirit gave me and proceeded to proclaim healing against every single cell of cancer in the auditorium!

Then just last week, a woman from our church came up to me after the service and told me she had been diagnosed with cancer, and the doctors had told her that she had a very small chance of survival. But after the service when I shared the Holy Spirit’s instruction to curse every cancerous cell in that room, the woman went back to the doctor. After examining her, the doctor told her that every single cell of cancer in her body was gone!

Can you see what the Holy Spirit was doing? He was glorifying Jesus by bringing His ministry — what Jesus wanted to do and what He wanted to give — to that service. And when that healing came, Jesus was glorified! Oh, how powerful!

What about Peter? The apostle Peter was incredibly sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit. Acts 5:14-16 says:

And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Did you catch that? Believers would place the sick on the ground around Peter’s path so that when he walked by, they would have the chance to be touched by his shadow, and they would receive their healing. Can you imagine it? Peter was so filled with the Holy Spirit that his shadow actually healed people! That’s the job of the Holy Spirit — to take what Jesus had and to give it to you to bring glory to Him!

Allowing the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do opens the door for Jesus to bring what He wants to bring into your life. You have to get the Word of God in your heart and get into agreement with it. Once you’re in agreement with the Spirit of God and His Word, it enables the Holy Spirit to impart the things Jesus wants to give you. And Jesus has everything — He has your healing, your deliverance, your peace, your joy — Jesus has absolutely everything you need, and the Holy Spirit wants to give it to you!

I want to give you one more example from the Bible. This passage talks about when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw out some now, and take it to the master of the feast.”

And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

— John 2:6-10

Water in the Bible often represents the Word of God. Just like Jesus turned that water at the wedding into good wine, He is doing the very same thing in your heart with the Holy Spirit! I’ll explain it this way: The wine of the Holy Spirit is powerful, and we need to be filled with the Word of God so He can turn that “water” into wine. In other words, when we are filled with God’s Word, we can receive from Jesus through the Holy Spirit. And when we receive from Jesus in this way, it glorifies Him!

Only the Holy Spirit can declare to you what Jesus wants to give you. And when we receive it, it brings glory to His name! That is the manifest power of the Holy Spirit showing us firsthand the ministry and miracle-working healing power of Jesus.

As you go about your month, I encourage you to fill your heart with the Word of God. Dedicate time to spend in the Word and to quiet your heart and mind to become sensitive to the Spirit of God. Listen for Him to declare what Jesus has for you, and receive it knowing that you’re glorifying Him.

As I close my letter, I want to remind you that our prayer team is just a phone call or email away! Whether you have a prayer request or want someone to rejoice over a praise report with you, our prayer team is full of faith and ready to lift your needs up to the Lord in prayer. Just call 1.844.478.6637 or email prayer@deniserenner.org. And if you haven’t tuned in for my weekly program yet, I invite you to watch TIME With Denise Renner on my Facebook page or YouTube channel every Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. CT!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

As the Days of Noah

July Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Greetings in Jesus’ precious and powerful name!

We have so much happening at RENNER Ministries right now, and I’m eager to share it all with you. This month, we are celebrating “CHRISTMAS IN JULY”! We will be offering a 25-percent discount on all Renner products in our online store, so if there are any resources you’ve been wanting to order, July 8-31 will be a great time to do it. Visit renner.org/store to celebrate CHRISTMAS IN JULY with us this year.

I am also excited to tell you we are getting closer to the release date of my new book Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood. My editorial team and I worked very hard on this book with the goal of unlocking unanswered, hidden mysteries from the past — and we are thrilled with the outcome. I believe you will be too!

My friend, Jimmy Evans, said: Rick Renner’s Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood is a breathtaking journey through the pages of Scripture and the records of history. His meticulous research and profound spiritual insights bring the ancient world to life, revealing the startling parallels between the days of Noah and our own time. This book is a wake-up call for the Church, urging us to be vigilant and prepared for the Lord’s return. Rick Renner’s work is a deposit of wisdom and revelation, offering hope and encouragement to believers as we navigate the challenges of the last days.

I am humbled by his kind words of endorsement and his vote of confidence; we worked very hard, and I’m very pleased with the way this book turned out. But Jesus’ endorsement means more to me than anyone else’s, and in my heart, I feel the Lord is pleased with this book!

If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, go to renner.org to take advantage of the special, limited-time pre-release discount. We are also offering an additional discount to anyone purchasing six or more copies because I really believe you’ll want to share this book with others!

Denise and I and our whole team are honored that you support and give to this ministry. Early this morning, before I ever lifted my head from my pillow, I stopped to pray for our partners. This is what I do every morning. In fact, I pray for our partners multiple times every day. Every time I sit in front of a camera in our studio; every time I sit down to write a book; and every time I stand to teach the Bible, I stop to thank God for our partners, whose giving is so vital for all of it to happen. I really pray for our partners.

You are with us all the time — and you are truly helping us fulfill our mandate to bring the trusted teaching of God’s Word to people around the world. For this, I want to say THANK YOU!

Today I want to turn to the words Jesus spoke to His disciples about the end times in Matthew 24. In that discourse, Jesus made a very significant statement:

But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

— Matthew 24:37

Jesus was telling us that just before He returns, the earth will experience some type of bizarre replication of many of the events that were occurring in the days preceding the Flood. But before we dive in, I want to encourage you with this: No matter how bad things get in the world around us, as we cling to Christ, we will see the same God who rescued Noah and his righteous family come to the aid and defense of the Body of Christ today! Jesus gave us a glimpse into the future not so we would live in fear of the god of this world — the devil (see 2 Corinthians 4:4) — but so that when we see these things come to pass, we will lift up our heads, for our redemption draweth nigh! (See Luke 21:28.)

In this month’s letter — and in August’s and September’s letters — I want to present to you a list of six major events that occurred before the Flood to consider how they compare to what is happening in the world today.

6 MAJOR OCCURRENCES IN THE DAYS OF NOAH
THAT ARE OUTLINED IN GENESIS 6

#1: An Exploding Population
(Genesis 6:1)

Genesis 6:1 specifically states that in the days that preceded the Flood, “…men began to multiply on the face of the earth….” Historians who have studied the world’s population believe the human population was exponentially exploding on the earth in the time frame before the Flood. It is likely that by the time of Noah, there were already several million people on the earth.

Remember that Jesus said, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37).

Therefore, we must ask:  
    Is the world today experiencing a population explosion
as occurred in the days before the Flood?

I decided to study what has happened in the world population since the time of Jesus’ birth 2,000 years ago to see if we are experiencing a population explosion as occurred before the Flood. I am showing you the following information to help you understand that there has been massive population growth from the time of Jesus’ birth to the present — and the only other time such a population explosion ever occurred was in the time frame before the Flood. Let’s look at these interesting facts…

To be sure, this present, booming period of growth is unprecedented in human history — except for in the time frame that preceded the Flood.

#2: Gross Sexual Perversion
(Genesis 6:2,11,12)

Genesis 6:2 states, “…The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”

The phrase “sons of God” in this verse refers to fallen, mutinous angels who abandoned their God-assigned positions during the time of Jared, Adam’s great-great-great-grandson. And as these beings came down to earth and sexually mingled with mortal women, the sexual depravity and perversity raged, reaching an intensity in the days before the Flood that would be impossible to overstate. Peter and Jude write vividly about these nefarious events (see 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).

The Bible goes on to say that in the days before the Flood, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth” (Genesis 6:11,12).

The word “corrupt” or a form of the word is used three times in this verse, and each time it is a translation of an original word that depicts something that has been blemished, marred, or ruined. This word is used throughout the Old Testament and seems to be inseparably linked with sexual sin and perversity. Thus, this blemishing and marring that was occurring was initiated and accelerated by the fallen angels engaging in forbidden sexual relations with earthly women. It became so pervasive that eventually, “all flesh” — even the animals — with the exception of those who eventually boarded the Ark with Noah became contaminated through rampant sexual perversity.

We can glean from Genesis 6 and the writings of early Christian leaders that the fallen angels unthinkably taught sexual “passions” to cause humans to veer from God’s original design for sex. These passions included fornication, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, and every evil act of sexual deviance imaginable. And again, Jesus said, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37).

Therefore, we must ask:  
  Is the world today experiencing gross sexual perversion
as it occurred in the days before the Flood?

Without question, sexual perversity in society today is unparalleled, as sexual taboos are being thrown to the wind, and what was once considered blasphemous, degenerate, and deviant is now accepted and celebrated. It is unthinkable, but the sex-trafficking and porn industries combined generate nearly $250 billion annually and continue to exponentially grow.

Moral and sexual confusion have reached such an apex that many are confused about whether they are male or female. In fact, there are multitudes that are so mixed up they actually embrace the nonsense that there are dozens of genders from which to choose. Confusion is so pandemic that there are even growing numbers of people who believe they are of a different age or race than what is biologically true of them. Moreover, there is an increasing number of individuals who allege that they are animals, a delusion that has the capacity to ultimately lead to bestiality and to people marrying animals, which we may see happen in the not-so-distant future. All of this is indicative of a deeply delusional societal state or condition.

It wasn’t so long ago that such kinds of thinking and behaving would have been associated with mental illness. But now these behaviors and lifestyles are progressively being legalized and normalized. Rather than treat these deviancies as the insanity they are, courts, educational institutions, fields of medicine, and science are unthinkably endorsing and promoting them, often prosecuting and punishing those who stick to God’s prescribed moral values and refuse to bend to the spirit of the age.

This delusional thinking is so prevalent that now, to be admitted to universities, many incoming students are required to sign a document of agreement with new policies of diversity and inclusion as a prerequisite for acceptance. Imagine, to be accepted into many universities, young Christian believers are being required to either compromise what they believe, modify themselves to fit in with the new moral agenda, or forego higher education. At this point, it must be stated that while we are called to be compassionate and loving toward everyone, we are not called to bend to such delusion in our own beliefs and values.

It is important to recognize that only seducing spirits interacting with human beings could convince intelligent people to embrace such absurdity. The moral compass has been skewed so far that now outrageously dressed, cosmetic-riddled men are regularly invited to perform at events for children and to participate in book-reading events for them in public libraries. This is a demonic attempt to desensitize the youngest generation to what is morally right and wrong and to cause children to tolerate and embrace alternate lifestyles that the Bible condemns as abominations. This is the social condition in which we’re living.

The fact is that we are living in a time when minds are being inundated with false information, and there is an almost across-the-board celebration of immorality. This last-days attack is occurring as seducing spirits, that are bent on modifying the collective mind of society, interact with humans and work to create a way of thinking that is free from moral restraint. This modification process has spread its tentacles into every sector of society so that now even many who grew up in church are becoming affected and are slowly changing what they believe about issues that should be set in stone.

This insidious shift in sexual morals has evolved over several decades and has occurred so gradually — and has been so well-disguised as “progressive thinking” — it has become more and more palatable to the masses. This progressive shift has also successfully intimidated many who see that moral values, and society with them, are running amuck — but they are so stigmatized by the new narrative as being hateful and bigoted toward those caught up in the moral haze that they remain quiet about their faith and about the Word and the power of God that could set those captives free.

Indeed, Satan’s agenda of deception and intimidation has stepped up in scope and momentum in this end-time season. But to anyone with a sound mind and spiritual eyes to see, it is clear that dark demonic forces are working full-force to numb society and lead our youngest members down a treacherous immoral path.

This level of sexual perversion we are experiencing worldwide is unprecedented in human history — except for in the time frame that preceded the Flood.

The enemy will always try to push you into a state of fear over the disconcerting state of our world. But if you have made Jesus your Savior and Lord, you have not been given the spirit of fear — you have been given the power and presence of God to accompany you in every circumstance you will ever encounter (see Romans 8:9,11; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 2 Timothy 1:7). You have the Great Deliverer living inside you, and He will never leave you. (See Joshua 1:9; Deuteronomy 31:8; John 14:18; and Hebrews 13:5.) You are safe in Him!

God is not in the business of scaring us, but He is in the business of preparing us so we can safeguard ourselves and those we love. If we know this is going to happen, then we must be diligent to fill our hearts, minds, and eyes with the Word of God — and to influence our young ones in such a way that they will not allow this evil to ever become a part of their lives.

If you have family or friends who have already been affected, it’s not too late for them. God’s power can turn it around. If you want us to pray with you, please reach out to us and we’ll release a torrent of prayer for God to touch that person you love!

In next month’s letter, I will share two more amazing points to show that what was happening before the Flood is already starting to be replicated in our time. For example, there was horrible demonic activity before the Flood, and I will show you how demonic activity is increasing today. I will also show you how the emergence of transhumanism is a replication of events that caused God to send the Flood in the days of Noah. I have so much more to share!

Before I close, I want to remind you that if you have a prayer request of any kind — and you would like us to prayerfully and scripturally agree with you for God to meet that need — give us a call or send us an email. I realize you can pray by yourself, but it would be our honor to pray with and encourage you — and we’ll keep it confidential. Simply call us at 1-800-742-5593 or send an email to prayer@renner.org.

The moment we hear from you, we will begin to pray forcefully and with faith, and according to Jeremiah 33:3, God will hear us, answer us, and do something mighty for you. I believe there is a miraculous answer with your name on it waiting for you right now!

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Be sure to look for the next one in August!

Denise and I, our family, and our team love you and thank God for you!

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

Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel Renner and our entire ministry team

P.S. Click here to view the new interactive Ministry Update page or click here to download the printable pdf flyer.

Remaining Steadfast

June Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Wow! It’s almost summer, but surprisingly, we just woke up in Moscow to a fresh blanket of snow. When I see it, I think of how the blood of Jesus — like snow — washes away and covers all the sin and blemishes in one’s life. Oh, I am so thankful for the precious blood of Jesus! Aren’t you?

Before I get into today’s letter, I want to remind you that my book Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood is available on our website for a significant, pre-publication discount. Amazingly, I have a second new book available right now, Renner A to Z, and it covers my comments and quotes on more than 400 Bible topics. I’m excited about both of these books, so please go to our website at RENNER.org to find out more information about these two new releases and order your copies today!

I also want to thank you for being such a faithful friend and partner with our ministry. In last month’s letter, I encouraged you to keep sowing your precious seed for the sake of eternity. The sowing of our finances into churches and ministries is essential, because it puts fuel in the tank so the Gospel and the teaching of God’s Word can get to people who need it. And every time you give to a life-giving church or ministry, you are literally becoming a significant partner in providing help to people who really need it. God thanks you, and I personally thank you for being such a mighty tool in the hands of God. Because of your willingness and obedience, lives are being touched and changed!

I call you a “partner” because you really have an eternal part in what is being accomplished through this ministry. The Lord, Denise and I, our family, and our whole team are thankful for every seed you have sown and will continue to sow into this soil of God’s Kingdom. Together we are making a difference in lives all over the world that are crying out for teaching they can trust. Wow! It is a blessing that God uses all of us together as a team!
 
But today I am thinking of people who have sown their seed into the soil of their churches and good ministries, and now they are waiting for a return or a harvest on what they have sown. Sometimes people get discouraged during the time of waiting between the seed sown and the harvest reaped. I want to encourage you not to quit before you’ve received what you’ve been expecting. You can rest assured that if you don’t give up, God certainly won’t fail to perform His Word for you!

Galatians 6:9 promises: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” This verse has been a strong encouragement to me personally over many years, so today I want to look at seven key words in this verse that I believe are going to encourage you. Let’s take a closer look at the following words: 1) weary; 2) well; 3) doing; 4) in due season; 5) shall reap; 6) if; and 7) faint.

  1. The word “weary” is the word egkakeo, a compound of the Greek words en and kakos. The word en in this case means to give in, and the word kakeo is a form of kakos, a word fre- quently used to denote something that is evil, destructive, or even unjust. But when these words are compounded, the new word depicts one who is tempted to give up because he feels accosted by an evil, destructive, or unjust person or circumstance. This means God commands you and me not to surrender to the temptation to become weary and give up. He is the One who tells us, “Let us not be weary in well doing.”
  2. The word “well” is the Greek word kalos, which means good, but it would be better trans- lated here as useful. The word “good” itself is too broad a term and leaves one wondering what is included. But when it is more accurately translated as the word “useful,” it gives clarity that a “good” work is a “useful” work. This of course suggests that in addition to useful works, there are also works that are “unuseful,” meaning a lot of energy and time expended on things that have no benefit to anyone. But Paul’s use of the word kalos tells us that we must focus on works that are “useful” with some type of measurable results. This tells us that what is sown is not only financial seeds, but also good deeds. Giving to the Kingdom of God is one of those good deeds that God deems so valuable!
  3. The word “doing” is from the Greek word poieo and refers to any type of activity. It can even carry the idea of creatively doing something when the action doesn’t come easily or naturally. In other words, if we can’t easily see a way to do something that is beneficial, it’s time for us to get creative! But it must be noted that this word, as used here, is also a participle, which means it depicts ongoing, uninterrupted action. In other words, the type of “well doing” that the apostle Paul described here is not a one-time event, but an ongoing action. It is a lifestyle of sowing seeds and deeds.
  4. God promises that “in due season,” we shall reap a harvest for our efforts. The words “due season” are idios and kairos. The word idios means its own, and the word kairos refers to a set season. Thus, each seed has its own set season — a specific, individual time when it will produce a harvest. Even if multiple seeds of different kinds are all planted at one time, each has its own season to be reaped, depending on the nature of the seed. One seed produces during one set season, while another seed is reaped during a different season. Thus, it is a mistake to judge our seed and its particular time of harvest by the harvest time of other seeds, because each seed has its unique set season to mature. We just need to remember God’s promise that if we are consistent — if we steadfastly keep sowing our seed into the ground and refuse to allow weariness to derail us — a time will come when we shall reap.
  5. The words “shall reap” are from the word therismos, a Greek word that describes the reap- ing or harvesting of crops. What is important to note is that the tense describes a future, fixed event. Hence, the harvest is in the future, but it is fixed and guaranteed to happen — if we will do our part and stay on course. This is why Paul continued by saying, “…if we faint not.”
  6. The word “if” tells us that our actions have the power to disrupt a harvest. Paul added the word “if” to help us understand that our consistency and refusal to surrender for any reason is vital in reaching the set season of our seed. If we “faint” at any point along the way, we can jeopardize the long-term harvest of what we have sown.
  7. The word “faint” is the Greek word ekluo, a compound of the words ek and luo. The word ek means out, and the word luo means to loosen or to relax. When compounded, the new word means to loosen out. It is a relaxed mental state that results in loss. It pictures a person who has become so weary that he gives up and forfeits what he had long awaited and was so close to reaping. As a result, the person loses the desired outcome that was so near. Pressures applied against this person have unraveled him, causing his grip to slacken until the answer he was holding on to slips from his hands. The result is loss. In the case of Galatians 6:9, he has lost a harvest. The most common factor that causes us to loosen our grip is when we become “weary.” Thus, Paul urges us not to give in and quit in times of spiritual, physical, or mental exhaustion.

It’s exciting to plant seeds of faith, and it’s really exciting when the harvest finally comes. But to reach that point, you must hold tight to what God has told you and remember that your seed — whether it’s financial seed or seeds of uninterrupted, useful deeds toward others — has a set season when it will produce, if you do not disrupt the process. As long as you stay the course, it is guaranteed that you will reap a harvests from what you have planted.

Often people are tempted to give up and quit because they become tired. Although they are try- ing to be obedient, they may feel unappreciated. Perhaps circumstances out of their control are coming against them, or someone is treating them unjustly. Maybe you have experienced the temptation to give up. But Galatians 6:9 urges you and me not to loosen our grip on our future, fixed harvest!

You see, if you will remain steadfast, the time of waiting will eventually end and your harvests will come! They may not come at the time you were hoping they would — but regardless, don’t give up on your seed too early. The seeds you have sown have a set season, and God promises they will produce — if you don’t do something to disrupt the process!

I don’t know what you’re trusting God for in this present season of your life. Most of us are believing for something, and we are sowing seeds toward it. Perhaps no one knows what you are believing for because you’ve kept it between you and the Lord. Maybe it’s a financial harvest, a break- through in a relationship, a physical healing, or a restoration in some other area. Maybe this harvest is taking longer than you had anticipated.

I want to reassure you that God’s Word and His promises are eternal, and if you just won’t quit, it’s only a matter of time until your long-awaited blessing arrives. God’s Word is absolutely true, so I encourage you to remain steadfast and keep thanking Him for the harvest He has in store that’s been tailor-made just for you!

I appreciate you praying for Denise, me, our whole family, and our team as we do what God has commissioned us to do. The assignment is enormous, and we are giving our best to do what He has assigned to us. But your prayers and finances are a big part, so we ask for your prayers and thank you for your amazing support. Every day when I wake up and every night when I go to bed — and multiple times during each day — I am praying for God to respond to you with His very best!

And if you have a specific prayer request, please let us know so we can pray for you. I think you know by now that we are a ministry that really prays for our partners. It would be our honor to pray specifically for whatever is in your heart or about whatever you are facing. We fully understand the need to have people who will come into agreement with us and pray with us, so we want to pray with you with full faith for God to move mightily on your behalf. You can reach out to us by calling 1-800-742-5593 or by emailing us at prayer@renner.org.

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

signature
Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel Renner and our entire ministry team

P.S. Click here to view the new interactive Ministry Update page or click here to download the printable pdf flyer.

You Are RICH! God’s Riches for You — in This Life and the One To Come!

June Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

Hello, Friend!

Today as I prepare this teaching letter for you, my heart is filled with excitement about the truths we are about to discover together. Every month when I sit down to pen these letters, I ask the Lord to reveal exactly what you need to hear to thrive in your current season of life. It is my prayer that as you read June’s letter, these truths will sink deep into your heart and take root!
 
I’m speaking to you today from the book of Esther. I’m sure you have read Esther before, and maybe you’ve even gone to great lengths to study the contents of this amazing book.
 
I was recently studying in the book of Esther, and I couldn’t get past the first chapter! I was absolutely captivated by the lively description of the wealth of King Ahasuerus. Esther 1:4-7 says:

When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all. And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.
 
There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king.

 
As I was reading this, I kept thinking, What kind of wealth do you have to have to be able to show it off for 180 days? That’s six months of celebration! Then I thought about Esther, a young virgin girl who came from a Jewish home. She had never in her life experienced such opulence as was on display in King Ahasuerus’ palace. Yet it was the plan of God for her to live in this palace and, eventually, become the queen!
 
It’s human nature to be impressed and taken with the things we can see with our eyes in the natural. In Russia, where I live, I have had the great privilege of visiting several beautiful palaces. In Saint Petersburg, the palaces are filled with gold, precious artifacts, silver, jewels, art, and opulence on a measure that is difficult to describe, much less imagine.
 
But try to picture what King Ahasuerus’ magnificent palace and garden looked like — or his feast of 180 days. King Ahasuerus reigned over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. His was a lifestyle that I imagine was very overwhelming for young Esther.
 
I would love to be able to show you around the amazing places I’ve been blessed to see and to share with you the rich Russian history of Saint Petersburg — the magnificent staircases, world-renowned sculptures and paintings, gold and silver-covered walls and statues, marvelous tapestries, and ancient furnishings. This all sounds amazing, yes?
 
Unfortunately, I can’t take you to St. Petersburg, but I can bring your attention to a kind of wealth that exceeds beyond anything in that beautiful city or anything King Ahasuerus had in his lavish empire. What I want you to pay attention to is your own future wealth. Revelation 21:10-14;18-21 says:

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
 
Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
 
The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
 
The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

 
Oh, friend, I just described your future home! Sometimes it’s easy to let yourself become focused on the wealth and riches you can see in this world, but the Bible says that you have unimaginable wealth waiting for you in eternity! There is so much more available to you that is past the limitations of this earth, and God wants your mind to be renewed in His immense power, magnificence, grandeur, wealth, perfection, and intelligence.
 
The only way you can open your mind to see the full measure of His greatness and refocus on your eternal wealth is by taking in the Word of God. Ephesians 1:19 says:
 

And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.

 
The word “exceeding” comes from the Greek word huperballo which here means to overshoot. Let’s say you have a target, and in the middle of that target is the bullseye. In the context of huperballo, meaning to overshoot, the bullseye is our expectation of God. According to Ephesians 1:19, God’s ability to provide — to save, deliver, heal, prosper, protect, and bring peace or joy — exceeds our target or our expectation. In other words, God’s provision in our lives “shoots right over the top” of the target and exceeds our expectations — that is the “exceeding greatness” of the power of God extended to you and me!
 
God’s Word says that we have joy unspeakable and are full of glory (see 1 Peter 1:8,9). That means exceeding, over-the-top, beyond what you need God provision!
 
We see the word “exceeding” again in Ephesians 2:7!
 

That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

 
In this verse, it tells of “…the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness….” Friend, the kindness God has for you is exceeding — it’s “off the charts” — bigger than you could ever imagine!
 
We’ve talked about the enormous wealth of King Ahasuerus and the riches that fill the palaces in Saint Petersburg. But what we need to look at is the wealth and riches we can’t see with our eyes — the “exceeding” provision of God — in this life and the next!
 
The Bible says that the things you can see in the natural are temporary, but the spiritual things that are unseen are eternal. Imagining what you can see doesn’t take any imagination at all! But imagining what you can’t see just yet — the blessings God has for you in this life and the powerful, magnificent, grand, rich, perfect provision waiting for you in Heaven — takes serious faith to think about and meditate on these eternal truths. But friend, I promise you that no matter what you’re going through, what you can’t see with your eyes right now is far greater and more real than what you can see.
 
Let’s look at Ephesians 3:20, where the word “exceeding” is used again to describe the Lord’s provision. It says:
 

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

 
Here again we see the Holy Spirit expressing through the apostle Paul that God wants to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or even think! It is so important that we open our hearts and minds to look past what’s in front of us and spend time imagining how great our God is! We must take Him out of the small box we may have confined Him to and expect Him to work in us and in our situation to bring about His “exceeding” provision that completely overshoots the target of our highest expectations!
 
Friend, Scripture makes it clear that God has put no limits on Himself. He didn’t even spare His own Son! But instead, He gave Him up for us all (see Romans 8:32). God has put no limits on what He can do for us or show us about Himself. It’s our own small thinking putting limits on our magnificent, all-powerful God! We have limited Him by being overly captivated by our personal problems and what’s in front of our faces — so much so that we can’t see the One who has every answer to every one of those problems. He has “exceedingly abundantly” supplied us with more than any of us could need, want, or even dream of.
 
I want to close with a Scripture passage from Second Corinthians 4:7.
 

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

 
Your spirit is a treasure chest! Many times we see people in movies searching for hidden treasure or for the ‘X’ that marks the spot. They search high and low and go on death-defying journeys to obtain the treasure chest filled with jewels — precious stones, silver, gold — and other riches. But did you know that you don’t need to look further than inside? Your spirit is decked out with more riches, more wealth, more jewels, more gold, more power, and more splendor than any hidden treasure! The treasure on this earth is perishable, but what you have on the inside is unperishable!
 
I encourage you to spend some time this week thinking and meditating on the riches that are inside you. If you are born again and the Holy Spirit lives within you, it doesn’t matter if you were born into natural wealth or not. More than your status or station in this life, it matters that you are the Holy Spirit’s vessel — His treasure chest — into which He has deposited all the riches of God’s grace and blessing that you will ever need.
 
Dear friend, we are rich! Think about this during the week: I am rich with God! His riches, intelligence, wisdom, power, and perfection are living inside me.
 
I want to say thank you to those who watch my weekly program TIME With Denise Renner. I really value the time we get to spend encouraging each other in the truth of the Word of God and discussing ways to live a godly life. If you haven’t seen TIME With Denise Renner yet, I encourage you to tune in! You can watch TIME each Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. CT on my Facebook, YouTube channel, deniserenner.org, or by checking your local listings for my broadcast schedule. I hope to see you there next week!

Please let us know how we can pray for you. If you have a special prayer request, one of our prayer partners is just a phone call or email away. Call 1.844.473.6637 or send us an email at prayer@deniserenner.org. We look forward to joining our faith with yours for the answer you need!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

You Can Redeem the Time!

May Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

Hello, Friend!

I absolutely love sitting down to write my monthly teaching letters! It brings me so much joy to share the precious Word of God with you. My heart’s desire is for each of these letters to encourage your faith and uplift your spirit with the infallible truths of His Word. What an amazing gift the Bible is!

Before I get into my letter to you this month, I want to wish all mothers a very happy and wonderful Mother’s Day! Motherhood isn’t always easy, but it’s such an incredible blessing and a huge part of so many women’s lives. Being a mother is one of the most joyous, amazing roles you can have in life, and it should never go unnoticed or unappreciated! So don’t forget to hug your mother — and grandmothers if you still have them with you — this Mother’s Day and celebrate her with gratitude and love! And if you’re a mother yourself, if no one else says it to you — I love and appreciate you, and I celebrate what you are doing to take care of your children every day and to influence those young lives for Christ!

This month I am continuing my teaching on walking in God’s will and redeeming the time. In my last letter, you learned how important it is that as Christians, we endeavor in everything we do to adhere to the will of God and redeem the time. In these end times, you need to redeem the time just as it says in Ephesians 5. You also learned what it means to redeem lost time, and we saw that you can lose time in several ways, such as by living in unforgiveness or by living with offense in your heart.  

We also covered ways the Bible tells us we can ensure we are walking in the will of God. You learned about the power of knowing who you really are in Christ and of living with a forgiving attitude in your heart. 

This month I will discuss three more ways you can know you’re walking in the will of God. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:15-17, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” 

By taking steps to know and align yourself with the perfect will of God — and by opening yourself to His power to help you do it — He can start helping you redeem any time you might have lost throughout your spiritual walk!

Taking Hold of Your Opportunities

The Lord gives each one of us so many incredible opportunities throughout our lifetime! What we often don’t realize is that every opportunity is a powerful blessing from God, and it’s so important that we not let them pass us by — but that we see the value in them and take hold of them!

The Bible reveals a great example of missing opportunities in the story of the prodigal son. In Luke 15:11-31, Jesus tells the well-known story of the younger, prodigal son who foolishly asked for his inheritance from his father instead of honoring him by waiting until he passed to collect it. By doing this, the younger son was being incredibly disrespectful toward his father. It was just something you didn’t do.  

Luke 15:13 says, “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” Can you picture this young man? He was traveling with pockets full of money, and he probably thought he ruled the world! But then he spent all his inheritance on prodigal, or wasteful living. 

A famine soon plagued the country the young son had traveled to, and he went from thinking he had everything to starving — his life leaving his body like the final flickers of a burning candle. So the younger son came up with a plan. He decided he had no choice but to return home to his father and beg for forgiveness. Luke 5:18 and 19 says, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired servants.’”

So the younger son headed back home to see his father and apologize for his prideful sin. Here we see the tremendous heart of this young son’s father. While the younger son was still a great distance from his father’s home, his father was out looking for him, saw him approaching, and ran to him — hugging his neck and kissing him. The son began to apologize, but his father excitedly instructed his servants to clothe his son and bring the fatted calf and kill it so they could eat, drink, and celebrate the safe return of his youngest son. 

Even though the youngest son committed a great sin toward his father and missed an opportunity to honor his father by waiting to receive his inheritance, the father never changed his attitude toward his son. He didn’t even pay a great deal of attention to his son’s apology — his father simply took action and told his servants to provide his son with clothing and food and welcomed him with open arms. 

Notice how the father never condemned his son for his wrongdoing and disrespect – he didn’t make him suffer or pay for what he’d done. He simply reinstated his position like he’d never left!

Jesus Christ is the very same way! The Bible tells us that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Friend, I am telling you right now that you may have missed some of your God-given opportunities, but your Father is standing right there, just waiting for you! He won’t condemn you for straying! No! He’s going to receive you with compassion, just like the father received his son in the story of the prodigal son. The Lord loves you, — He adores you, — and He is waiting for you with an open heart!

Friend, let’s not miss our opportunities! God has blessed you and me with so much. And being thankful for your opportunities is an opportunity in itself! Complaining will only keep you stuck in a mental prison, but being thankful will open your heart to be just like your Father.

It’s vitally important to be grateful for every single opportunity you are given — to take hold of those opportunities instead of letting them pass you by. Live in the knowledge that taking hold of your opportunities is powerful, and open your heart to the myriad of possibilities that exist when you’re walking in God’s will. When you’re thankful for and are taking advantage of your opportunities, you’re walking in His will and, therefore, He can start helping you redeem the time!

You Never Know What Can Happen in Just One Day!

Have you ever heard someone use the saying “killing time”? As believers, we really can’t afford to “kill time”! Each second, minute, hour, and day of our lives is filled with an abundance of God-given opportunities, and it’s God’s will that we take advantage of every opportunity given to us without any hindrances or obstacles in our path. 

Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Jesus is talking to you and me right now — He is saying not to worry about tomorrow but to take advantage of today. He is telling us, “Don’t miss out by being distracted by worry! The possibilities of today are endless!”

I think it’s amazing that Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow in Matthew 6:34 — because if anyone had a reason to worry about tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week, or the next year, it was Jesus! He could have spent all His time worrying about when and how the Romans would crucify Him. Or He could have worried about His descent into hell and separation from His Father — Jesus knew everything that would happen to Him. But if He had worried, He would have wasted precious minutes and hours of His present day!

I want to draw your attention to John 10:10, which says, “The thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Let’s break this down. Life consists of days, and the Lord wants your days to be filled with His abundance, His joy, and His peace — it’s all available to you! All you have to do is reach out and take it by faith. But the fact is, we only have one day at a time, and when you start worrying about tomorrow, it steals your precious today!

Who are we to put a limit on what can happen today? Who are we to put a limit on what God can make happen today? God could make anything happen! So don’t put parameters on your expectations for today. Today is so precious, and Jesus is telling you not to worry your days away, but to live in the abundance of what He has for you in this one day!

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he….” What we think is what we are! If you’re negative and unexpectant, you can probably assume that nothing spectacular will happen in your day. But if you’re looking up and you’re joyful and have expectant hope in the abundant salvation given to you by God, all kinds of wonderful things can happen! Friend, I’m telling you that absolutely anything can happen today. It all depends on your attitude — and by attitude, I’m talking about your faith. Ask yourself, What do I believe God can do in MY day?

Our God is a daily God. He gives us exactly what we need each and every day. The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:11 tells us, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus is talking about one day — this very day! It’s so important that we develop this kind of attitude toward God. We need to put faith in His Word and believe that He will make every provision available to us every single day without fail.

Let’s see what else the Word of God says about the Lord’s provision for your present day. Exodus 16:4 and 5 reads, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.’” When Moses and the Israelites were wandering through the desert, the Lord provided them with manna to eat. But He didn’t provide it for a week at a time — He provided for the children of Israel one day at a time.

The Lord tested the Israelites by declaring that they should only collect as much manna as they needed to sustain them for one single day. Yet there were people who tried to save manna from one day to the next! What were they trying to do? They were trying to comfort their worry. Even after God proved Himself faithful by supernaturally providing them with manna from Heaven every single day, they were still afraid He wouldn’t provide them with what they needed for the Sabbath when God instructed them to rest. 

Through this example, God is telling us, “I’m not giving you what you need for tomorrow. I’m giving you what you need for today, and I want you to trust in Me — that I will take care of you and your needs every single day.”

Friend, isn’t that amazing?!! God can and will provide you with everything you need to successfully and victoriously navigate each day of your life. It’s so powerful when you develop this kind of trust in the Lord and the mindset that you don’t have to worry about a single thing. Just approach each day with an expectant heart and see what amazing things the Lord can do for you today!

Put On an Attitude of Thanksgiving

Philippians 2:14 and 15 says, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” This is so amazing because the Bible is telling you in this verse that by being thankful — which is the opposite of complaining — you can shine as lights among the “crooked and perverse generation” of this world! You shine just by being thankful!

When you’re surrounded by people who oppose you or don’t appreciate you, don’t turn your light off! Be thankful for the opportunity to just shine. Be thankful in whatever situation you’re in. Be thankful to God when people are mistreating you. You’re not thanking God for the trouble, but you’re maintaining a grateful heart in the trouble. Just start being thankful and you will shine — isn’t that amazing?

Now I want you to look at Romans 1:20 and 21, which reads, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” If you read the rest of this passage, you will see all the bad things that begin happening because of a root of unthankfulness.

In other words, Romans 1:20 and 21 says that as soon as you start complaining, arguing, and being unthankful, it causes your thoughts to become futile — causing you emptiness inside and wide open to how the world thinks. Maintaining an attitude of thanks, however, is so powerful because it can keep your thoughts from becoming empty and meaningless — it can keep them on the right track!

Isn’t it so refreshing when someone says, “Thank you”? Well, what about God? How do you think it makes God feel when you are thankful? What about when you’re unthankful?

If you’re refreshed when someone shows you gratitude, how much more refreshing is it to God when you show Him your thanks? So give Him your gratitude, remain thankful, and let your thanks pour from your heart and mouth — there is power and stability in doing that!

The Bible offers a perfect example of someone who showed gratitude and someone who did not in the story about the ten cleansed lepers in Luke 17. Verse 12 reads, “Then as He [Jesus] entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.” These lepers called out to Jesus, crying out for mercy. In response to their cries, Jesus said, “‘…Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14).

Verses 15 and 16 continue, “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.”

Just look at this leper’s demonstration of thankfulness before Jesus! In response to seeing just one of the lepers returning to give Him thanks, Jesus said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ And He said to him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (See Luke 17:17-19.)

Something happened to the leper who returned to give thanks to Jesus after receiving his healing. He made quite a display of his gratitude and worshipped Jesus wholeheartedly. Jesus noticed this act of thankfulness and told the man, “‘…Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well’” (see Luke 17:19). Not only was this leper healed, but he was made whole — with nothing missing and nothing broken! This leper walked away totally restored while the other did not — all because of his thankful attitude!

So does Jesus notice when we’re thankful? Yes, He does. Does He notice when we’re not thankful? Yes, He sees that too. Sometimes I think we’re too tempted to keep asking Him for material things and Earthly blessings, and we don’t always take the time to say, “God, thank You! You are great, mighty, and wonderful, and I love You. Thank You for everything You’re doing in my life!” And as we thank Him, He pours into us. I have a saying that goes, “You’ll never outgive the Lord.” You can give Him your thanks all day long, but you will never outgive Him. He always pours back into us.

I want to share one last verse with you. This verse was written by the apostle Paul when he was trapped in a horrible prison, surrounded by death, disease, and decay. The place he was being held in was absolutely terrible. But look at this incredible attitude of thanks in Philippians 4:18-20, which reads, “Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus.”

How on Earth could Paul say, “…I have all and abound…” while he’s being held in such a horrible prison? But look at what that thankful heart did for Paul — in chapter 4 alone, Paul wrote the word “joy” or “joyful” 19 times! Wow!

Paul was in a terrible place with death and suffering surrounding him on every side, but because of his thankful attitude, he was able to produce joy in the midst of his very troubling circumstances. Friend, that’s why we need to know the power of being thankful! Putting on an attitude of thanks, even in your worst moments, can produce joy, wholeness, soundness, and stability in this mixed-up world.

Our key scripture in Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Friend, there is so much wisdom in understanding the will of God for your life. Not just wisdom, but power!

You have learned that there is power in taking advantage of your opportunities, power in knowing the possibilities of today, and power in deciding to put on an attitude of thanksgiving. And by implementing these powerful tools in your life, you can be confident that you are walking in God’s will. And when you’re confidently walking out God’s will in this way, you are positioning yourself to “redeem the time” and bring glory to His name in spite of any of the “lost days” of your past.

Before I close my letter, I want to inform you about our upcoming Mother’s Day sale! Save the date for May 11 and 12 and enjoy a 25% discount on all Denise Renner products — including books, teaching series, study guides, and more! This online-only Mother’s Day sale will begin on Saturday, May 11, and end on Sunday, May 12, so mark your calendars! Simply add your desired products to your cart on RENNER.org during the sale weekend and checkout to receive your 25% discount. You won’t want to miss this incredible sale!

If you’d like to watch my weekly program TIME With Denise Renner, you can do so on my Facebook page or YouTube channel every Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. CT!

Please let us know how we can pray for you. If you have a special prayer request, one of our prayer partners is just a phone call or email away. Call 1.844.473.6637 or send us an email at prayer@deniserenner.org. We look forward to joining our faith with yours for the answer you need!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

Sowing Seed for the Sake of Eternity

May Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the precious name of Jesus!

I am sitting in our home in Moscow, thanking God for the many amazing reports I heard yesterday — I’m talking about testimonies upon testimonies from people who wrote to let me know how God has worked in their lives through RENNER Ministries.
 
I can’t express how thankful I am that God would use us to touch lives. It is amazing to me to see what He has done, and I acknowledge it is due to His grace. But it’s also due to you, because your giving is what has enabled us to take this ministry to people around the world. That is why I sincerely mean it when I call you a “partner” with our ministry. You have a real part in what we are doing because your financial gifts put gas in the tank so we can take the Word of God to those who are praying for teaching they can trust.
 
Since returning from our visit in the United States, I’ve been in the TV studio nearly nonstop to work on several upcoming new series. For example, I did a 15-part series on The Will of God, a 5-part series on The Ministry of the Holy Spirit for the New and Mature Believer, and another 5-part series called Speaking in Tongues: What It Is and Is It Really for Everyone? I truly poured my heart into these series. Please pray with me that God will use them to answer questions and bring strength into people’s lives.
 
I’m also so thankful that in August we will be releasing my newest book Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood. I worked very hard on this book — as did several others who worked on it with me — so we could bring you solid insight about events that happened in the world before the Flood.
 
In Matthew 24:37, Jesus said that what was happening just before the Flood would be replicated before His next coming, so we need to know what was transpiring then and what we can expect to see in the days between now and Jesus’ return. Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood dives deep into the days of Noah to reveal the urgent message to us today. It is fully illustrated with more than 300 photos and other images. We also included many photos of the actual ruins of Noah’s Ark as it is seen today lying on the lower slopes of the Ararat mountain range.
 
I believe you are going to love this captivating book! And starting this month through the end of July, this new book is being offered to our ministry friends and partners at a pre-sale discount. If you would like a copy (or several copies) of Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood, please refer to the enclosed insert for information on how to place your order.
 
This year, I’ve been writing to you about the prophetic word the Holy Spirit gave me for our friends and partners for the year 2024. Here it is again.
 
The year 2024 will be visited with turbulent episodes across the entire globe, especially in the realms of finances and politics and in the nations. These episodes will be of a sort that they will potentially cause those who are not rooted in God’s Word to be deeply disturbed. But for those who stay in faith…stay in peace…stay in love…stay in fellowship…and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity — they will experience a supernatural power that will cause them to be unmoved, unshaken, well provided for, and to walk in a much-needed divine assurance, divine peace, divine power, and divine and supernatural victory. Yes, those who stay in faith, in peace, in love, in fellowship, and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity will be blessed, empowered, joy-filled, and sustained, and they will miraculously thrive even if the world around them is tossed with a tempest.
 
I want to draw to your attention that the Holy Spirit said this blessing belongs to those who:

Those who maintain their faith, peace, and love, stay in fellowship with the saints, and continue sowing seed into the Kingdom will experience a supernatural power that will cause them to be unmoved, unshaken, and well provided for — and they will have a much-needed divine assurance, peace, power, and supernatural victory!
 
In my first four monthly teaching letters this year, I covered what it means to stay in faith, stay in peace, stay in love, and stay in fellowship. (You can review those teachings on our website at renner.org/article/category/monthly-teaching-letters.) But today I want to focus on the part of this prophetic word that is about the need to “keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity” — especially during turbulent times.

What It Means To Keep Sowing Seed for the Sake of Eternity

Many people struggle in the realm of faith in the area of finances, especially when they’re going through challenging times. Financial stress is one of the most difficult pressures that can be experienced in life. If you’ve ever experienced the stress that comes from financial pressure, you know how difficult it is when you are so strapped that you don’t have enough money to pay your bills. But I want to tell you — God is always faithful! If we will continue to trust Him and His eternal Word as we sow, He will see to it that we reap a harvest from the financial seed we planted.

Not only must we remember that God is always faithful, we must never forget that if we stop sowing our financial seed into ministries that are touching the world, it will affect their ability to do their ministry and reach people with the saving message of Jesus and the trusted teaching of the Word of God. Oh, how vital it is that we never forget that eternity really is eternal. The seed we sow affects the ability to reach those who need to be saved, and if we stop sowing our seed, it may mean the light that has been shining into the lives of some people will stop shining.

But if you are living for God by walking in holiness, doing what the Holy Spirit has told you to do with your life, and sowing your financial seed into the soil of God’s Kingdom — regardless of what is happening in the economy or what kind of turbulence can be felt in the world around you — you are promised a harvest to meet the needs in your own life.

Here is the promise in Galatians 6:7: “…Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” This law of sowing and reaping works for everyone in the world. What you sow is exactly what you are going to reap. It may take a while, but harvest day is coming if you’ve been planting seeds along the way. So if you’re not already a sower, decide to become a sower immediately — and start sowing those seeds today! This is a law of God that always works.

But what should you do if the devil is assailing you in the realm of your finances? I’m talking about times when you’ve done everything you know to do, but you are still being financially hassled.

During times when my family or our ministry experiences a financial shortage, we always evaluate several areas to see if we are doing anything that would hinder us from receiving the resources God wants to give us. In such moments, I always carefully examine my own heart, and I ask myself the following questions:

If I am at peace and sure that I have done nothing to hinder God’s blessings from flowing into my life or ministry, I then proceed to deal with these shortfalls as devilish attacks. I take authority over the devil and tell him to take his hands off my finances. I press deep in prayer until I know inwardly that the blockage has been removed. Often I have literally felt that barrier move out of the way as the Spirit of God shoves it aside and makes an avenue for His blessings to flow into my life and ministry. When this occurs, it is never long before we begin to see a manifestation of God’s blessings.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts and tells us that we need to sow an extra, sacrificial financial seed into someone else’s ministry in order to break the stranglehold the devil is trying to put on us. For instance, once when we needed a new building and were desperate to find the money to pay for it, the Holy Spirit instructed us to sow a seed into someone else’s building project. “If you have a need, sow a seed” is the message I always share with our friends and partners.

So at that time when we had a great financial need, we knew it was time for us to sow an extra large gift into someone else’s building program. Although the amount of money was huge to us at the moment, we knew that sowing that seed was essential if we were going to experience the financial breakthrough we needed for our own building. After we sowed that seed, it wasn’t long before doors began to supernaturally open and the facility we needed became available to us.

You see, sometimes you have to do something that requires extra faith in order to break the vice-like grip the devil is trying to put on you. That extra sacrificial gift the Holy Spirit tells you to give may be the very act of faith that releases the power needed to rip the devil’s hands off your situation. Could it be that this is what you need to do right now in order to make a bold stand of faith?

In Galatians 6:9 the apostle Paul continued to say, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Do you see the word “weary” in this verse? It comes from the Greek word egkakao, which is a compound of the words en and kakos. The word en means in, and the word kakos describes something that is evil or bad. When these two words are used together, as in this verse, the new word means to grow weary; to give in to evil; or to let something bad defeat you. It gives the idea of surrendering or giving in to bad circumstances.

This means the apostle Paul was telling the Galatians:

“Don’t let evil get the best of you….”
“Don’t let the bad circumstances wear you down and wear you out….”
“Don’t give in to the evil that intends to defeat you….”

This means when turbulence and hard financial times come, it isn’t time for you to surrender to circumstances — it’s the time for you to put up a fight!

Instead of giving in and surrendering to the attacks that are assailing you, you have to “put up your dukes” — then rare back with all your spiritual might and throw a knockout punch in the face of the devil! Don’t shrink back in fear or worry; instead, make this a critical moment when you sow an extra financial seed. Do something bold that will break that stranglehold the devil has tried to put on you. I am telling you precisely what Denise and I do in our own personal lives!

If you are dealing with turbulence right now, is it possible that this is one of those moments when you need to throw all your spiritual weight against the devil by sowing an extra seed and show him that you’re not going to take any more flak from him?

Do exactly what the Holy Spirit impresses you to do. Once you obey His leading, you must then use your God-given authority and command the devil to take his foul hands off your finances! Boldly declare by faith that God’s blessings are yours. You have every right to expect God’s blessings to come pouring into your life!

Of course, when a person is struggling and feels that he or she has little money to give, that person may find it difficult to give substantial offerings — but a gift of any size sets the law of sowing and reaping into action. God knows when you are doing something sacrificial. Think of the example of the widow who gave two mites (see Luke 21:1-4). Others that day were giving larger gifts, but when Jesus saw her — and knew the sacrifice that was required for her to give those two mites — He stopped everyone to talk about what a powerful thing she had done. The amount she gave may have seemed smaller, but the sacrifice was greater because she had freely given the money she had to live on. Her gift was a sacrifice so great that it got the attention of Jesus!

Ecclesiastes 11:1-3 says, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.”

This passage is so powerful that I will talk about it again in next month’s letter, but notice verse 2, which says we must keep sowing our seed because “thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.” In this verse, we are promised that REGARDLESS of what happens in the earth — in the political realm, financial realm, or any other realm — if we stay faithful to sow our seed for the sake of eternity, God will see to it that we will be blessed, even when we are living in turbulent times. This is why it is so vital that we keep sowing in good times and bad times, for our sowing is the guarantee that in some way, it will come back to us in a time of need. And when it comes back, it will return to us with a harvest of what we planted!

It is very rare that I write an entire letter about giving, but the Holy Spirit clearly told me to tell you that…those who stay in faith, in peace, in love, in fellowship, and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity will be blessed, empowered, joy-filled, and sustained, and they will miraculously thrive even if the world around them is tossed with a tempest. I am doing my best to faithfully encourage you to do what is necessary to reach others with the Gospel and make sure you miraculously thrive even if the world around you is storm-tossed!

As I close this letter, I want to remind you that Denise and I and our team are here to pray for you. Jeremiah 33:3 promises that if we call out to God in faith, He will hear, He will answer, and He will show us great and mighty things. It is our GREATEST HONOR to hear how we can pray for you and then to call out to God with you and release our faith for Him to do something magnificent in response to your heartfelt need! You can reach out to us by calling 1-800-742-5593 or by emailing us at prayer@renner.org.

Please also remember to see the insert in this teaching letter so you’ll know how you can order my new book Fallen Angels, Giants, Monsters, and the World Before the Flood.

We are your brother and sister, friends, and partners in Jesus Christ,
signature
Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel Renner and our entire ministry team

P.S. Click here to view the new interactive Ministry Update page or click here to download the printable pdf flyer.

The Power of Knowing God’s Will

April Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

Hello, Friend!

It is such an honor and privilege to write to you today! I am so thankful for you and that you’re taking the time to read this letter of encouragement and hope that’s coming to you straight from my heart. Every month in my teaching letters, I look forward to sharing important truths from the Word of God with you. I can hardly wait to share what’s on my heart for this month!
 
Before I share what I have for you today, I want to encourage you to remember God’s mercies as we transition into the spring season. Springtime represents newness — new life is beginning to spring up all around us! God’s mercies are just like spring, except instead of waiting around for the right time of year, you can experience the newness of life in Christ every single day. Lamentations 3:22 and 23 says, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Always remember that God’s mercies, like spring, “spring up” new every morning!
 
I want to share with you today about the importance of knowing God’s will. What we know is so important because people perish from a lack of knowledge (see Hosea 4:6). And knowing the will of God is vitally important to our lives. When we know and understand God’s will for us, we can start redeeming any time we may have lost along the way in our spiritual walk. It’s crucial that we redeem the time, especially in these last days!
 
What does it mean to redeem lost time? We can lose time in many ways, such as living in unforgiveness, holding onto bitterness, or living in offense. But the Bible says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). There is an abundance of power in knowing the will of God, and when we understand His will, He can start helping us redeem the time as we become open to His power working in our lives!

You Are Holy and Beloved

Friend, isn’t it true that God always makes the first move when He’s calling someone to be born again? You and I didn’t choose God — He chose us! (See John 15:16.) And when you become God’s child, it’s His utmost desire to see you walking out His perfect will for you all the days of your life and to redeem the time according to Ephesians 5:15-17.
 
A part of doing God’s perfect will is to first know who you are. It is God’s will for you to know who you are. Let’s open the Word of God and see who God says you are because there is power in knowing who you really are!
 
If you’re born again by the Spirit of God, the Bible says you are holy ground. Exodus 3:2-4 says, “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.’ So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’”
 
Friend, God is always seeking after us. The Bible says that His eyes search over the earth for those who will worship Him (see 2 Chronicles 16:9; John 4:23). God is in pursuit of us, and we see evidence of this in Exodus 3.
 
The conversation between God and Moses continues in Exodus 3:5, “Then He said, ‘Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.’” I always thought God said this to Moses because He wanted him to remove his shoes out of respect. I’m sure there’s a real truth to that, but as I meditated, I realized that God has called this place holy, and God wanted Moses to experience all of His holiness. He didn’t want there to be a single thing between Moses and the holiness of God. And it’s the very same with us today!
 
God doesn’t want anything separating us from Him. He took the greatest measures to come to Earth as a man, die a horrible death on the Cross, and become sin for us. Jesus did all that just so we would come into that holy place — into the place of His presence. It says in the gospels that when Jesus said, “It is finished!,” the veil of the temple was torn. This veil was said to be several feet thick, separating the temple from the Holy of Holies, a place so sacred that only the priest could enter this space once a year! It was a holy, holy place! But when Jesus died, that veil was torn — and at that moment, He opened up that holy place to you and me!
 
God has invited us into the place of His presence! Isn’t that amazing? We are made holy and we can enter His holy presence through the precious blood of Jesus. Ephesians 4:24 says, “And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” If you have been born again, your spirit has been re-created in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, you are righteous and holy on the inside — how fantastic!
 
Colossians 1:21 reads, “And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.” The Bible tells us that we were completely alienated from God, but He reconciled us unto Himself through the body of His own flesh through death! It is through Jesus’ suffering on the Cross that we were reconciled, and we are able to present ourselves before God as holy, blameless, and above reproach in His sight.
 
In Greek, the word “reconciled” is likened to a court of justice. And as you stand in front of this court of justice, you are found without spot, without blemish, and without accusation. You’re unaccused! But what does that mean? It’s a legal word indicating that there is no legal action that can be brought against you. That is who you are in your born-again spirit. Isn’t that magnificent?
 
Now let’s look at what we can do when we know who we are. Colossians 3:12 says, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, [and] longsuffering.” It doesn’t say we’re holy and beloved just so we can say we’re holy and beloved — it tells us we’re holy and beloved to give us the power to put on mercy and kindness for others! That is the power of God in you! You’re only able to put on these characteristics because of the holiness and righteousness that live inside your born-again spirit.
 
First Corinthians 6:17 says, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” Read that again. We are made one spirit with the Lord! It would be impossible to be unholy and unrighteous and share a spirit with the Lord! But the Bible says we are one spirit with Him. We are connected to the Lord and can have communion with Him because in our new birth, we are no longer separated from Him — Jesus bridged that gap with His blood on the Cross! He brought us into communion and oneness with the Lord. He is holy, righteous, and beloved and, therefore, you’re just as holy, righteous, and beloved in your spirit as He is!
 
What I’m telling you today is amazing, and it’s the truth! It’s so important that in these last days, you redeem the time by knowing the will of God and knowing who you are. You aren’t just a sinner saved by grace! You used to be, but because of your born-again spirit, you are the righteousness of God in Him. Can you see how important it is that you know and believe this? There is so much power in the revelation of who you really are — that you are holy and beloved in Christ Jesus — because it will give you power in these last days.

Your Sins Are Forgiven as You Forgive

You are absolutely holy, righteous, and beloved in your spirit because you share one spirit with the lord. And because you are holy and righteous because of your born-again spirit, you can know how to forgive just as you know you are forgiven. Forgiveness is such a powerful thing — there is power in receiving forgiveness and in giving forgiveness. I’m not talking about only forgiving when someone hurts or wrongs you — I’m talking about having a strong conviction of forgiveness and living with a forgiving attitude in your heart!
 
There was a time in my life when I struggled with unforgiveness for nearly two years! What people often don’t realize about unforgiveness is that it opens the door for the enemy to wreak havoc in every area of your life, including your mind and body. The Bible says this about unforgiving and combative attitudes in Ephesians 4:31 and 32, which says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
 
The Bible isn’t giving you a suggestion in this passage — it’s giving you a command! It doesn’t say, “Maybe” or, “Try to.” No! It says, “Let all of these things be put away from you”! The Bible commands you to get rid of all harsh attitudes. When you’re wronged, you decide how you will react and respond. You can either choose to respond in anger, or you can do what the will of God commands you to do and show kindness and forgiveness to that person.
 
You see, your flesh isn’t kind, but your spirit is. That’s why you have the ability to forgive and be kind! Without the Holy Spirit within you, your flesh would take over every time you’re tempted to react poorly. When you say “no” to your flesh and choose kindness and forgiveness, that is powerful!
 
I want you to reread Ephesians 4:32 where it says, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted….” We are called to have a tender heart. Some people have completely stopped running their race because of offense! You have to learn to speak to your heart and choose to not be offended. When you’re tempted to be offended or respond harshly or angrily, remind yourself that you are commanded to forgive and have a tender heart.
 
Verse 32 continues, “…Forgiving one another….” When you look up “forgiving one another” in the Greek language, it actually means to grace one another. We are commanded to give to one another the very same grace that we receive from Christ! We need to show grace toward those who offend and wrong us. It’s so important to remember: If you sow mercy, you reap mercy.
 
Lastly, Mark 11:24-26 says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Jesus told us that offenses would come, but we have to choose to forgive daily. Our sins are forgiven as we forgive!
 
Take the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35, for example. It tells the story of a servant whose master had great compassion for him and forgave the massive debt he owed him. Then this same servant turned around and had his fellow servant thrown in prison for not being able to pay back a small debt the fellow servant owed. The Bible says in verse 34 that when the master found out, “…His master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.”
 
Tormentors come into your life when you’re living in unforgiveness, just like in the case of the unforgiving servant. Tormentors can manifest in your life as anxiety, worry, bodily pains, chills, discomfort, etc. When I was living in unforgiveness, I began experiencing a lot of anxiety and discomfort in my body. But the moment I forgave who I needed to forgive, the tormentors left and I haven’t struggled with the tormentors of unforgiveness since!
 
Friend, when you open that door of forgiveness to whomever you need to forgive, you open the door for Heaven to rule your life, your relationships, your mind, your thoughts, and your emotions. The answer to redeeming the time you’ve lost living in unforgiveness is simple — you have to forgive! It’s God’s will that you forgive and, therefore, when you live a life of forgiveness, you’re walking in God’s will and can redeem the time!
 
Oh, friend, it is so important for us to walk in God’s will and redeem the time, especially during these end times. And now you know that to redeem the time you’ve lost, wasted, or that has been stolen from you, you must know the will of God! God wants us to know His will because there is so much power available to us when we live in alignment with it. By studying God’s Word, holding fast to your faith in the Lord, and actively integrating the truths of His Word into your life, you will experience the full power of who you are and the full power of forgiveness to affect every area of your life!
 
As I close my letter to you this month, I want to say thank you to those of you who watch my weekly program TIME With Denise Renner. I am always so encouraged when I receive your powerful testimonies, kind words, and comments about how uplifting this program has been in your lives. Thank you so much for supporting me in this endeavor to reach more and more people with the precious truth of God’s Word. If you’d like to watch TIME With Denise Renner, you can do so on my Facebook page or YouTube channel every Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. CT!
 
Don’t forget to let us know how we can pray for you! If you need healing in your body, are in a difficult season, have a special request, or just need someone to pray with, I encourage you to reach out to one of our prayer partners! Call 1.844.473.6637 or send us an email at prayer@deniserenner.org. We look forward to joining you in faith for your answer!

We are moving forward together,


Denise Renner

The Importance
of Fellowship

April Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Greetings in this new month of 2024! Most people around the world just celebrated the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on the very last day of March. Easter Sunday is one of my favorite holidays of the whole year because of what it commemorates. I even wrote a book called Paid in Full about all Jesus accomplished in His death and resurrection! In churches everywhere, Easter Sunday is one of the most highly attended services by Christians and non-Christians alike. This thrills my heart because for many, it is their only opportunity to hear the Good News of the Gospel that Christ died and rose again for the sins of mankind — to make all who believe and call on His name “a new creature,” completely forgiven and completely reconciled to God (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-19).
      
That really is Good News, isn’t it!!! Before I get into my letter this month, I have some more “good news” to share with you…
 
As you probably know, besides our new international channel (the Good News Channel) that the Lord has blessed us to steward, we have been granted an unprecedented license to have a national channel that can broadcast across Russia in potentially every single home in this nation! And as of last month, it is now officially online — up and running!
 
This is truly a historical event in this ministry and in Russia. But please keep praying for us as we move forward speedily on this project. It is a huge undertaking, but we are confident we are moving at the Lord’s instruction, and that we will keep expanding to reach as many Russian homes as possible!
 
Thank you for all your precious prayers and financial gifts that help us do what we could never do alone. It takes all of us, and YOU are a huge part of what we are doing. I don’t mean to sound redundant, but I can never state enough how thankful we are for your partnership with RENNER Ministries as we take the trusted teaching of God’s Word to people who are literally crying out for it!
 
I’ve been writing to you this year from the prophetic word the Holy Spirit gave to me for our friends and partners for the year 2024. Here it is again.
 
The year 2024 will be visited with turbulent episodes across the entire globe, especially in the realms of finances and politics and in the nations. These episodes will be of a sort that they will potentially cause those who are not rooted in God’s Word to be deeply disturbed. But for those who stay in faith…stay in peace…stay in love…stay in fellowship…and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity — they will experience a supernatural power that will cause them to be unmoved, unshaken, well provided for, and to walk in a much-needed divine assurance, divine peace, divine power, and divine and supernatural victory. Yes, those who stay in faith, in peace, in love, in fellowship, and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity will be blessed, empowered, joy-filled, and sustained, and they will miraculously thrive even if the world around them is tossed with a tempest.

I want to draw to your attention that the Holy Spirit said this blessing belongs to those who:

Those who maintain their faith, peace, love, fellowship with the saints, and their sowing will experience a supernatural power that will cause them to be unmoved, unshaken, and well provided for — and they will have a much-needed divine assurance, peace, power, and supernatural victory!
 
In my first three monthly teaching letters of the year, I covered what it means to stay in faith, stay in peace, and stay in love. (You can review those teachings on our website at renner.org/article/category/monthly-teaching-letters.) But today I want to focus on the part of this prophetic word that is about the need to stay in “fellowship” during turbulent times.
What It Means To Stay in Fellowship
 
In the New Testament, there is primarily one word that is translated as “fellowship,” and it is the Greek word koinonia. This very important word is derived from koinos, which means to have something in common. But when it becomes koinonia, which is primarily how it is used in the New Testament, it conveys the ideas of fellowship, interaction, mutual participation, or partnership.
 
A great example of koinonia is found in Acts 2:42, where we are told about the early Church: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
 
The word “fellowship” in this verse is translated from the Greek word koinonia, and it tells us that right from the outset of the Early Church, the believers entered into fellowship, interaction, mutual participation, and partnership with one another. This fellowship and partnership became so strong that it carried them through the turbulent episodes of their time. But to discover the level to which they entered into fellowship and partnership, we need to see another verse where the word koinonia is used very prominently.
 
A wonderful example of koinonia conveying the idea of partnership is found in Luke 5:7 after Jesus supplied a miraculous catch of fish. After Peter and the others had fished all night and caught nothing, Jesus told them to cast their nets on the other side. When they obeyed, they caught such a massive amount of fish that the nets began to break!
 
Peter knew he couldn’t handle this miraculous catch by himself, so he called to the other fishermen in a nearby boat to come assist him. Luke 5:7 says, “And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.”
 
The word “partners” in this verse is from a form of koinonia. But in Luke 5:7 it refers to real, legitimate business partners. One scholar says that this word used in this context lets us know that Peter owned an entire fishing enterprise, and those men in the other boat were his business associates or business partners. Whether these other fishermen were co-owners or employees who worked for Peter, they were all working together on the same job and were focused on a joint venture to catch and sell fish.
 
The apostle Paul used the word koinonia in Philippians 1:5 when he explained why he was so passionate about those who had so faithfully supported his ministry. He said, “For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.” The word “fellowship” in this verse is also the Greek word koinonia, which depicts partnership or mutual participation in some project or event and often refers to a partner, a sharer, or a companion.
 
Paul felt about his supporters the same way Denise and I feel about our partners — that they are actual partners with our ministry. By supporting RENNER Ministries with their finances and prayers, these partners enter into the work of the ministry with us and mutually work side-by-side with us on the front lines!
 
When Paul wrote to the Philippians and spoke of their “partnership” in the Gospel, he truly meant that they were his partners. He was doing his part — and they were doing theirs — and, together, they made a great team that was having an eternal impact. Everyone was on the same team, moving toward the same goal; they were simply fulfilling different roles to get the job done!
 
But there is yet another example of this word koinonia found in Philippians 4:14, when Paul wrote to the Philippians and commended them for the generous gift they sent for his ministry. He told them, “Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.” The word “communicate” here is another use of the word koinonia.
 
Over the years, Paul had traveled and preached, raised up churches, worked with leaders, and given his life for the Church. But of all the churches Paul had poured his life into, none of them helped him financially the way they should have. In order to cover his expenses, Paul worked as a tentmaker during the day; then he preached and trained leaders during the evenings. This wasn’t the best plan, but because no one would support him, it was what he had to do. He was pouring his heart and soul into churches that were not financially helping him bear his load.
 
At the time Paul wrote the Philippian letter, he was in prison in Rome. He had received a special delivery letter from the Philippians, and in that package, he found a sizable offering that the Philippian church had sent to support him during his time of difficulty. In other words, the Philippian church didn’t just say, “We’ll pray for your situation, Brother,” and then forget about Paul. Instead, they understood their responsibility to help him, so they took up an offering to support him and communicate their love for him. In other words, they took responsibility for him. Paul used the Greek word koinonia to convey the meaning of responsibility for others.

 
Fellowship, Partnership, and Responsibility
All of these various meanings are very important — especially when we are going through turbulent times. Ecclesiastes 4:9 and 10 says, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”
 
When you are alone and you run into difficult times, it is harder to get through those turbulent times by yourself. But if you are connected in fellowship and real partnership with other believers who feel a sense of responsibility for your well-being, someone will be there to hold you up, strengthen you, and even pick you up if you fall. But the Bible says, “…Woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”
 
I experience koinonia in my own life because I have my family around me, and they are a great source of encouragement and real partners in our ministry. But in addition to my family, I have a tight group of friends — men who surround me with care, devotion, love, and responsibility — to help me do what God has called me to do. Because of this, I never feel alone. And when we hit turbulent times, those who are around me are a source of strength that helps me!
      
God did not make any of us to live in isolation, so we need to stay rooted in solid fellowship and partnership with other believers who feel a sense of responsibility for our well-being. It is sad that many Christians who go to church every week feel lonely. My friend, if that is you, I really want you to know that we are here for YOU and that you can reach out to us. We’ll do everything we can to help make sure you are loved and cared for, and you can be assured that someone here is really praying for you!
 
Can you see how important staying in fellowship — or koinonia — really is?

If we did everything we have done and faced every challenge we have faced — and did it all alone — it would have been more difficult. But with the power of the Holy Spirit and the strength of others around us — people with whom we are really partnered in the Lord — God has enabled us to do the impossible and to overcome every situation that has ever tried to come against us. I am telling you this because I know that if you have such relationships in your life, they will also help you overcome turbulent times!
 
I remind you again of the word the Lord gave me for 2024. The Holy Spirit told me that those who stay in faith…stay in peace…stay in love…stay in fellowship…and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity will experience a supernatural power that will cause them to be unmoved…unshaken…well provided for, and they will have a much-needed divine assurance…divine peace…divine power…and divine and supernatural victory.
 
Do not underestimate the importance of staying in fellowship with those you NEED in your life, because God will use them to help you — and He will likewise use you to help them!
 
Next month, I’ll move into the next part of this word, which is about those who keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity! Wow, is that ever important! But for now, I want to ask you:

Of course, we all need to be rooted in a good, Bible-believing local church. If you don’t have one, we want to pray with you for the Holy Spirit to lead you to one. If you don’t have anyone to help and strengthen you right now, then let it be US! We are here for you — and you can reach out to us by calling 1-800-742-5593 or by emailing us at prayer@renner.org. I promise that if you reach out to us, you’ll be strengthened and encouraged! Thank you for letting me speak to you from my heart today!
 
As I close, I want to thank you again for being our partner in this work that God has given us. We really mean it when we call you a partner. We do our part, God does His part, and you are doing your part. Together, we are seeing miracles take place as the Gospel goes forth into places where it needs to touch lives that are in darkness!

We are your brother and sister, friends, and partners in Jesus Christ,
signature
Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel Renner and our entire ministry team

P.S. Click here to view the new interactive Ministry Update page or click here to download the printable pdf flyer.