Editor’s Note: Joel Renner is the CEO of RENNER Ministries and the National Director of the U.S. ministry office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Alongside his father, he has actively participated in nearly every facet of the daily operations of the ministry since his youth. Joel resides in Moscow, Russia, with his wife and two sons.

Why You Need To Read Your Bible

by Joel Renner

There is no other resource on the planet that is more valuable than the Bible. Reading your Bible is important for many reasons, but today I want to share with you just two of those reasons.

First, what you feed on is what you will gravitate toward.

We live in a fallen world where we need to continually feed our mind and spirit the Word of God. Psalm 119:105 says that God’s Word is “a light unto our path.” And in this world today, we need a brightly lit path like never before. We need to feed (read, study, and meditate) on the Word of God so we can know the voice of the Lord and learn to think righteously and not as the world thinks.

If you look at or hear the news on your TV or other devices, you will usually get only negative information. And if you feed on bad news, you will start to see your future as grim. But what does the Word of God say about your life? The Bible says God has a plan for your life and it’s a good plan. You are not an accident; you were born for a reason. God has a great plan for our lives, and we know this because the Bible tells us so!

So I encourage you to take time every day to read your Bible. Remember: If your Bible is falling apart (from use), it’s less likely that your life will be falling apart.

The second reason to read your Bible is to lead your family and friends as an example.

Today it seems like normal, age-old standards are changing, and the firm ground we were standing on is turning to shifting sand. Christian morals and beliefs are being questioned and challenged by those with a more progressive mindset. Children are being taught controversial ideas in school; conflicts are happening around the world; citizens of affected countries are seeking refuge in other countries; countless people are championing the idea of socialism, and the list goes on and on. We all have our thoughts and opinions about this shift in society, but what does the Bible say?

We need to know what the Bible says about important issues so we can lead our own lives “in godliness, and honesty” (see 1 Timothy 2:2) and help other people not become swayed by these shaky new ideas. Knowing what the Bible says can only happen by spending time in the Bible.

Even in our own family when we talk about many current world events, we’re able to use a level head concerning those events because we always go back to what the Bible says. Do you know why we do that? Because the Bible is the bedrock of our faith — so we need to know what the Bible says not only about this life, but about the life to come.

It’s so important to read your Bible every day. You can read one chapter a day, one page a day, or even one verse a day. You can read it over time from beginning to end, in chronological order, or by topic. It doesn’t really matter how you read the Bible — it just matters that you read it!

If you’re unsure how to get started, we have a Bible reading plan you can download for free! Just click this link — then enjoy your time in the Word of God!

God bless,

Joel Renner

Editor’s Note: Joel Renner is the CEO of RENNER Ministries and the National Director of the U.S. ministry office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Alongside his father, he has actively participated in nearly every facet of the daily operations of the ministry since his youth. Joel resides in Moscow, Russia, with his wife and two sons.

Let’s Go Out and Change the World!

by Joel Renner

We are more than conquerors! How do we know this? Because Romans 8:37 (NIV) tells us:

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

These are not just nice words that the apostle Paul wrote; they are Holy Spirit-ordained words that are the truth, and we need to embrace them. We are more than conquerors, not because we’re good people, but “through Him who loved us.” Jesus living inside us — what He did in His death and resurrection for you and me — puts us in this “conquerors” position.

Jesus said in John 14:12 (BSB):

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

This is amazing! Jesus was and is a world changer, and He expects us to do great things as well. I believe we can all do great things to change our world.

Almost every day, my dad asks me, “What are you going to do today?” And I usually respond, “Change the world and make it a better place.” And he always says, “Amen.”

When my brother, Paul, asks me what I’m doing, I respond the same way: “Change the world and make it a better place.” He then asks, “How will you do it today?” And I reply, “One person at a time.”

I truly believe that if we can touch just one person every day, there will be a compounding effect that can change the world around us. So let’s choose to believe Romans 8:37 — we are more than conquerors! And then let’s do what Jesus said in John 14:12: Believe in Him and do “the greater works.”

People need to hear this message that they are more than conquerors, capable of doing the works of Jesus in the earth today. We at RENNER Ministries are taking the Gospel both to our nearby world and to the ends of the earth so every man, woman, and child has the opportunity to hear this Good News and teaching they can trust. If you are not a financial partner yet, please pray about becoming one. Together, we can multiply the Gospel message around the world!

God bless,

Joel Renner

There are not many subjects as important as the subject of sharing Christ with your children. Children will always be children no matter their age, but depending on their age, you may want to change how you share who Christ is with them.

Regardless of their age, though, your children need to hear about Christ. Everyone needs salvation, and the earlier you can share Christ with your kids, the better. I say this not only because the sooner you know Christ the better, but because children are usually more open to the Gospel than adults.

Ever since my sons were born, I would sit down and read to them from a children’s Bible. And once we finished reading it, we would start all over again. As we read that Bible, we would talk about what we read — and, let me tell you, it is fun to talk about what the Bible says, especially with your kids! Once they grew older, my boys chose to receive Christ because they were ready and, I believe, in part because of all the reading we had done.

If your children are older, it will likely take more time, careful thought, and prayer to share the Gospel with them. But it is important to share Christ with them in a way that they will hear and understand. It is a great victory and honor when your children or family members accept Jesus, so don’t give up! Pray about how to speak to your children in a way that they can understand, and then keep praying!

One thing is for sure, just as author Mary Wollstonecraft once wrote, “Convince a man against his will, He’s of the same opinion still.” In many ways, the best way to show Christ’s love is by example, and the Bible confirms this in First Peter 3:1 (NIV), “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.”

Although this verse is about wives submitting to their husbands, the principle is still the same. Over time you can win your family to Christ by your example as you submit yourself to Christ. But, certainly, share Jesus with your family members as much as they’re willing to listen. And even if they stop listening, continue showing Christ’s love to them by the way you live your life.

God bless,

Joel Renner

Many people wonder about how to set priorities when there seems to be so many things that need to be done and not enough time to do them. This is something we all deal with. So let’s talk about this important topic.

I have tried many different ways to set priorities — making a list, logging items in a journal, using a calendar, implementing a project-management system, and more. But I once heard renowned college-football coach, Lou Holtz, say that setting priorities in life is very easy: Just remember the word “WIN” (What’s Important Now).

When I heard that simple acronym and understood the concept, it helped me so much, because to WIN in life, we just need to work on What’s Important Now. In other words, don’t worry about the next important thing — or what is important tomorrow or next month or next year — just work on what is important now.

If “now” means answering a phone call, then give that phone call your best and move to the next important thing. That could be reading a book to your kids before bedtime — that is a very important now thing! Also, often we work on something, and we feel guilty that we are not at home with the family — or we are with family, and we feel guilty that we are not working. But if you just use the WIN idea, it helps so much because it helps you focus on one thing and not all things at once.

So let’s WIN together. Remember, the Bible says in Matthew 6:34 (NIV), “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” This is a wonderful verse. To me, it says, “Calm down and work on the things you can work on today — then repeat tomorrow.” One day you will look up and see how far you’ve come, but you have to stay diligent. As Proverbs 10:4 says, “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.”

God bless,

Joel Renner

Learn to Rest in God

By Rick Renner

I’m sure that one of the reasons for emotional stress and physical exhaustion is that people rush through life, not finding time to be alone with God. They ignore the need to rest and communicate with God, and as a result they lose a clear perception of the surrounding reality. The desire to do a lot and to do it quickly, depletes. They lose sight of the main goal and are no longer able to objectively assess their situation.

WHAT’S YOUR PACE OF LIFE?
I know what it’s like to live at a fast pace every day. When you move at this speed, your adrenaline is pumping so it’s hard to slow down or stop in order to finally rest a bit. And even when you force yourself to sit down, your thoughts continue to race from one thing to another. This pace of life creates great trouble for us. We have a lot to do — work, family, church, friends — and these commitments pile up more and more. But soon we are of little use to anyone because we continue to do too much too quickly.

In the end, we get sick. We are on the verge of a nervous breakdown. We do a poor job because we are too tired and can no longer do what we need to. We know we are not doing as well as we could under other circumstances, so we feel remorseful and begin to condemn ourselves.

Let’s acknowledge the fact that it is very difficult to do many things at once. With endurance, you can hold out for some time. But after a while you’ll start to miss important details, forget what you said, miss meetings, become disordered in your financial affairs, and feel emotionally overwhelmed because you’ve pushed yourself beyond your limitations. Slow down your pace of life and take time to communicate with God.

AN INVITATION FOR THE WEARY
I must admit, I have also done too much too fast. At times I’ve felt like I was racing at full speed. And it’s not that I just wanted to do everything right; I had to move forward and keep up with my schedule. If I lag behind in some way, it slows down the work of our whole ministry team. In order for all of our employees to do their jobs well, I have to do everything on time every day. But when I get very tired, I hear Jesus say to me:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

The word “come” in this verse is the Greek word deute, an invitation that means Come here! I invite you to come to Me! Jesus joyfully invites us to come to Him. He invites all those who work and are weary to come to Him.

The word “weary” is the Greek word kopiao, which describes a person who is exhausted by continuous labor. Perhaps this person has many responsibilities and is trying to fulfill them all at a high, professional level. In order to accomplish so many things, he has to work hard constantly. But Jesus invites him to come to Him. He invites not only those who work hard but also those who are burdened.

The word “burdened” is the Greek word phortidzo, which describes a person who bears a very heavy load. This burden may be work, family, a financial situation or any other personal problem.

But whatever the situation is, Jesus asks the burdened person to come to Him. Everyone who accepts this invitation, He will give rest. The word “rest” is the Greek word anapauo, which translates to refresh, restore strength or revitalize. Jesus wants to refresh and strengthen us so that we can continue to do our work and bear fruit.

JESUS ​​IS WAITING FOR US

The only way to remain productive is to spend time with the Lord. But to enter into His presence, we must calm down, move away from the hustle and bustle, find a secluded place where no one will disturb us and worship God, pray, and read the Word.

This is the only way to calm your soul and hear what God is saying to you. Do not be mistaken thinking it’s enough to spend five minutes alone with God. We must regularly set aside time for personal fellowship with God.

OUR TRUE SOURCE OF STRENGTH
Do not come to the Lord hastily or seek to leave immediately. Stay with Him as long as possible. When you learn to rest in His presence, you will receive strength and be refreshed. Do not leave until you are strong. Stay in God’s presence for as long as you can. Hold on and let the Holy Spirit give you what you need.

In God’s presence you will always find peace, rest and protection. Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Notice Jesus did not say that He will come to you. He said that it was you who should come to Him. And if you decide to come to the Lord, He will give you rest just as He promised. This is how you can stay strong, keep up with your schedule and be faithful to all your responsibilities.

PRECIOUS TIME WITH THE LORD
I assure you that if you devote more time to God, He will help you figure out whether you did the right thing by taking these responsibilities upon yourself or if you need to let go of some of them.

Communicating with the Lord is vital for your life. So come into God’s presence and let the Holy Spirit strengthen you and bring you rest. You will come alive! You will feel a surge of energy and vitality, and you will be able to do anything that is set before you.

The Harvest Will Take Place!

By Rick Renner

At the end of a year and the beginning of the next, many people think about what changes they need to make to their lives. Although most people really want to make these changes, sadly, many others will not follow through by taking the appropriate actions. Without firm intention and a plan of action to achieve the desired results, they are unlikely to see change, and the result will be a feeling of frustration.

However, the opposite is also true. If you are determined to change something in your life, and you set goals, devote time to it and try your best to achieve the desired result, then you have the right to expect success and rewards for your efforts (see Second Timothy 2:6). You may have to work hard — really hard. And you may even experience a set-back or two. But, if you are diligent and keep your eye on the goal, you will be rewarded with the desired results.

There is an important truth contained in Galatians 6:9: “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Each seed has its own specific time to germinate and bear fruit. It is important to understand that after sowing a seed (or establishing a goal), there will be a season of growth where resolve and patience is needed before you see the fruit.

THE HARVEST IS SURE TO TAKE PLACE!
I tried growing corn as a child. Shortly after I planted it, I dug up the seeds to see if there had been any growth. If I had exercised faith and patience and had simply tended to the seeds I’d planted instead of digging them up, I would have tasted the fruits of my labors. But because of my impatience, I personally deprived myself of the harvest. I want to challenge you to tend to the seeds you have sown and patiently wait for the fruit to ripen. If you are resolved and patient, the harvest will certainly take place — at the proper time, it will occur!

YOU NEED FIRMNESS

Paul said that we will reap a harvest “if we do not grow weary.” The word “if” indicates that we can destroy our crop, as I, myself, ruined the future corn crop — twice. Paul wrote to help us understand: our firmness and refusal to give up, whatever the reason, are of great importance if we want to see the fruits of our labor. If we grow weak or give up, we jeopardize the possibility of obtaining the long-awaited harvest.

WHAT CAN CAUSE LOSS?

The word “weary” comes from the Greek word ekluo derived from the words ek, meaning from, and luo which means to weaken, or to relax. As a whole, ekluo means to become weak. It describes a relaxed mental state that can lead to loss and refers to a person who is so tired that he gives up and therefore loses what he had been waiting for and that which he was about to receive. He does not achieve the desired result, even though he was so close to obtaining it. The pressure exerted on this man “flattened” him, his grip loosened and the fruits that he had hoped to receive slipped through his fingers.

Weakness is the main reason one gives up. Paul, therefore, exhorts us not to give up during periods of spiritual, mental or physical exhaustion.

KEEP GOING TO THE END!

This is truly an exciting process: sow the seeds of faith, then wait for the fruits to appear and see how faith begins to manifest and bear fruit. But in order to reach this moment, you will have to hold on tightly to what God has said and remember the following. Your seed — whether it is the seed of God’s Word, a financial seed or a seed of good, useful deeds done for someone — has a predetermined time of germination, and it will certainly bear fruit if you do not stop this process in any way. Hold on to the end and you are guaranteed to reap the fruits of the seeds you planted!

THE WAITING PERIOD ENDS

It often happens that a person sows financial seeds or the seeds of good deeds but gives up prematurely because he is tired or impatient. He tries to obey God but feels overwhelmed. Or perhaps circumstances beyond his control turn against him. Or someone treated him unfairly. Maybe you are ready to give up because you are tired of waiting. I urge you to remember Galatians 6:9 — do not grow weary and do not loosen your grip because your harvest is assured if you do not give up. Be determined. The waiting period will eventually come to an end, and you will reap the harvest! This may not happen on your time-table, but do not dig up the seeds and do not pick the cobs too soon. The seeds that were sown will bear fruit in due time; and God promises that the fruits will surely be good.

GOD PROMISES A HARVEST!

I do not know what kind of harvest you are expecting in this season of your life. Maybe you have sown seed for improvement in your financial situation, a new or deeper relationship with someone, physical or emotional healing, or even restoration in every area of ​​your life. And if you feel the waiting time for the much-anticipated fruit has dragged out, I want to assure you — God’s Word is absolutely true and His promises are unchanging and eternal. I urge you to remain steadfast and thank God for the future harvest. If you do not give up, you will certainly receive the harvest. It is already ripening especially for you.

The River of God’s Blessings

By Rick Renner

Ecclesiastes 11:1 says:

“Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.”

Great verse, isn’t it? However, many people don’t understand its meaning. Often people donate their money generously but then they are disappointed when they don’t see a financial breakthrough in their lives. They may wait years and years for this breakthrough that doesn’t ever come. Discouraged, many people simply cease to be obedient to God in their tithes and offerings.

Why does this happen?

ARE YOU STILL AT THE SOURCE?

To better understand this verse, let’s imagine the Nile River in Egypt. Like any river, the Nile has a source — the narrowest and most elevated place. Suppose this is where we made a raft on which we loaded our bread and released it along the waters of the Nile. But what do we do after the bread has been let loose in the waters? When and where will it return to us?

Logically, can a raft return to you in the same place you let it go on the river? No, it can’t. But for some reason, many believers are convinced that if you let go of “your bread upon the waters,” then you just need to wait until it returns. This is precisely the reason for their subsequent disappointments! And if you regularly sow into the Kingdom of God and a financial breakthrough does not come, most likely you are still at this “source” of the river of God’s blessings.

IT’S TIME TO ACT

What should you do, you ask? The answer is quite simple: you need to start moving and acting. The Nile, like many other rivers, has a delta or spill site. It’s in this place that we can expect God to bring us our bread, and it’s in this delta that we should strive to see the supernatural result we’re waiting for. Perhaps it will be a new job, new acquaintances, or a ministry with which God wants to bless you.

If you are expecting to find the bread that you let go of on the waters, I encourage you to pray today and start moving into the “delta” of the river of God’s blessings to find it. In prayer, ask God to show you the way and believe that He will answer!

Tithing: An Important Aspect of Your Relationship With God

By Rick Renner

Tithing is a controversial topic among Christians. People have many questions and concerns about it, but disagreeing about what to sacrifice to God is not a new debate. This is a very old argument. In fact, one of the first disagreements we read about in the Bible arose between people precisely on the issue of sacrifice — when Cain was offended by Abel because of his sacrifice (see Genesis 4:3-5).

Today I want to tell you what I see in the scriptures about tithing and what I personally believe about it. I have no desire to argue with anyone. From experience I know that if a person decides tithing is optional and unimportant for him, then convincing him otherwise is not easy. He will continue to argue. But for those who believe tithing is an important part of their relationship with God, this post will be an encouragement.

IS TITHING A RULE OF THE OLD OR NEW TESTAMENT?
Some people believe that Jesus abolished all the laws of the Old Testament and that this means tithing does not apply to people living in the New Testament. However, that is not true. Tithing is not a rule of the Old or New Testament. Tithing is simply part of having a relationship with God. It’s a principle that existed long before the law of Moses.

THE ESSENCE OF TEN PERCENT
When a person gives God ten percent of his income, he thereby tells himself, God and all those around him that he is not a self-sufficient person who can perfectly take care of himself, using only his own strength, skills, knowledge and experience. Tithing to God, shows that this person recognizes God as the source of his strength, knowledge, income, security and everything he has!

We see examples of this in the Bible. Abraham was prompted to tithe to the priest Melchizedek 430 years before the law of Moses was given (see Genesis 14:20). And Jacob dedicated a tenth of all he had to God 300 years before the Law (see Genesis 28:22). It’s hard for me to say whether Abraham and Jacob knew that a tenth of everything on the earth belonged to the Lord — this was later written in Leviticus 27:30 — but they definitely recognized that God was their source of security.

WHAT DOES THE LAW OF MOSES SAY?
So, tithing was not an innovation of the Law of Moses. It was part of having a relationship with God long before the Jewish people received the Law. The law of Moses gave the Israelites exact rules and regulations on how to properly tithe, from which fruit they should tithe, and where their tithe should be brought. It also contained other practical instruction about tithing.

However, we learn from the book of Malachi that over time the Israelites either ceased to tithe at all or brought their tithe and forgot how central it was to their relationship with God. Because they lost sight of the purpose of tithing, the people began to bring bad things to God, sometimes even bringing things of such poor quality that they themselves could not have even used them.

But God does not reject tithes — He corrects our motivation and focuses on the attitude with which we bring our gifts to Him. This is exactly what 2 Corinthians 9:7 says:

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

In the New Testament, the Lord warns us against the mistakes made by people living according to the principles of the Old Testament, bringing their tithes as a duty to the law, under duress.

THE NEW TESTAMENT CORRECTS THIS ERROR

I think that for you and me the opinion of our Lord on this topic is very important. Therefore, I want to remind you that Jesus speaks of tithing in the New Testament:

“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:15-22).

That is, it is necessary to honor God as the ultimate authority and power in our lives, and it’s also important to recognize the state as the human authority and power in our lives on earth. And Jesus also said that the Pharisees did the right thing, giving from both a large income and the smallest income (see Matthew 23:23).

WHERE DO I GIVE?

When a believer decides to tithe, he usually asks the following question: where should I give my tithe? Tithing must be given to the local church, the place that is your spiritual home. Ultimately, the local church is meant to be the place where believers attend, submit to the leadership of the pastor and bring their tithe.

But there are also people who, for various reasons, cannot attend a local church. Some of these people are spiritually fed by churches who stream their services online. We have people who watch our church’s service, the Moscow Good News Church, online, and they send their tithes to our church while they’re watching. This tells me a lot. It means that these people consider our church to be their spiritual home and have allowed me to be their pastor. I am grateful to them for this and appreciate their trust.

As a pastor, I pray for our online church family and ask the Lord to: