No Room For Compromise

August Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas!

We love you and thank God for you!

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

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

 

Dear Friends,

Wow…things are really getting intense around the world. This is a time for us all to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and to always remember that Jesus is Lord over all. He is seated on His throne of power and is working out an end-time plan to bring about the victorious end of the age for His people!

So many people responded to my letter last month about how Jesus wants to give us a divine visitation wherever we are or in whatever situation we may find ourselves. Thank you so much for letting me know that my letter ministered to you. And please, before I go any further, let me say that we ALWAYS want to know how we can pray for you. Those who have been friends and partners of our ministry for a long time know that when you reach out to this ministry for prayer, you will REALLY be fervently prayed for, and you will see results. So if you have a prayer need, reach out to us by phone, by email, or by letter. We are waiting to hear from you!

And thank you for all you are doing to help us do the work that God has entrusted to us. Proverbs 10:21 says, “The lips of the righteous feed many….” We know that feeding many the Word of God is our assignment, but we do it in partnership with you. There is not a morning or evening that passes in which I do not personally pray for you. I am so thankful for your partnership!

Right now, we are in the final phase of our Ministry Expansion Project. Phase 1 allowed us to close on our new U.S. headquarters in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Phase 2 funded the construction of our TV studio in Moscow, Russia. Now in Phase 3 we are working to pay off the Broken Arrow facility in full and complete the final touches of our TV studio. Would you join us in believing for the completion of this project? And if you are not already a member of this giving team, would you prayerfully consider becoming one? Denise and I are so grateful for the increasing number of people God is sending us to minister to, and we are so thankful to you for helping us in this work!

But in my letter to you this month, I want to speak to you about the times we are living in right now.

In these perilous days, we must understand the times we live in and our role in them according to Heaven’s perspective. There is no doubt that society is bending under an unrelenting pressure of external forces that is demanding compromise and denying the reality of absolute truth. But in the midst of it all, Jesus Christ’s clarion call to His people will still be heard!

Those who have put their trust in Jesus are to walk as He did on this earth — to stand boldly as His representatives; to refuse to fear or to allow their faith in Him to be diluted or deterred, no matter the consequences; and to demonstrate His power on an unprecedented level in these “last of the last days” before Jesus’ return.

Jesus promised, “…The gates of hell shall not prevail against it [the Church]” (Matthew 16:18). Although the brutal waves of persecution have come and gone many times over the past 2,000 years of Church history — even right up to this present day — every turbulent episode has proven Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:18 to be true.

But today, society is filled with new pluralistic, inclusive views that contain certain key elements — such as a diversity of beliefs, an ever-changing moral code, and the acceptance of moral perversion — and these are seeping into the mainstream of life, encased within the noble-sounding ideas of inclusivity and open-mindedness.

In the midst of these times, possessing a rock-solid, unchangeable belief in absolute truth in this current climate labels you as extreme. A person who fits that description may even be seen as a menace to the direction the rest of society wants to take. And although unyielding Christians will be called intolerant, it will be the pagans themselves who have no stomach for anyone who holds a position different than theirs.

The pressure exerted on Christians will continue to intensify in an attempt to push them to modify their message and become more accepting of moral codes that directly contradict the Bible.

Satan has learned through 2,000 years of Church history that Christ cannot be defeated. So instead of fighting a fight he cannot win, the enemy now attempts to level the playing field by deluding people — even many Christians — into believing that every faith, including Christianity, is equally acceptable and true. Entrenched in this deception, people begin to think that no one is exclusively right or wrong and that everyone has a piece of the same puzzle. From this mindset, a diverse mix of beliefs have emerged, and people no longer feel the need to repent or to be saved. This is the inclusive view promoted today by so many in the arenas of politics, media, entertainment, justice, and education.

According to the rules of this pluralistic game — everyone is the same — and Christians who stick to their “insistence” that Jesus Christ is Lord over all and that the Bible is absolute truth are often persecuted for being stubborn in their convictions. And the trend toward inclusivism is growing so rapidly that believers are now often hesitant to publicly affirm what they believe for fear of backlash from others and being labeled intolerant.

We must face the fact that in the days to come those who remain faithful to the Gospel must be prepared to be ostracized as members of a fringe group — non-conforming outcasts of an uncaring society. They may be called “hateful” and “bigoted” simply because they adhere to the teaching of the Bible that does not condone others’ immoral life choices.

You know it’s true that…

The spiritual environment in the world is undergoing a radical change. A great gulf is beginning to divide those who reject absolute truth and those who see what is happening and respond by renewing their commitment to the faith — and right now the winds of change are blowing to separate the wheat from the chaff.

But God has a remnant of believers who are willing to hear and hearken to what the Spirit is saying to the Church. And as long as the Church is willing to receive the divine power it needs for correction, change, and restoration, God will use the Church to change the world. God has always had a remnant who will not bow to external pressures, and in these last days, He will have that remnant once again — and that remnant is us! Believe me when I tell you that those who refuse to compromise will experience previously unknown levels of the power of God as a result of their commitment to stand by truth.

These are the issues facing the Church in the days we’re living in.

But GOD CHOSE US for this end-time season, and we are absolutely anointed for it. We are well able to overcome anything we face in this age of the last days. (By the way, I have written a book called NO ROOM FOR COMPROMISE that takes all of this teaching many steps further. If you don’t have this book, it is one you will want to read. You can order it at renner.org.)

Oh, my heart is so filled as I ponder the fact that God chose us to live in this age and that He is going to pour His Spirit out MIGHTILY on those who refuse to compromise with the spirit of the age. That includes you and me!!! Let’s dig our heels in, refuse to budge from truth, and let the Holy Spirit use us to rescue those who are perishing all around us!

I could continue on this important and timely subject, but I know your time is precious. Before I close, I want to remind you that we are here to pray for you. Please let us know if you need prayer. Reach out to us by phone, email, or letter — or go to renner.org — and we will agree for Jesus to move mightily in your life. And please pray for us as we continue pressing forward by faith to take the teaching of God’s Word to people who are in darkness!

Oh, how we thank God for you!

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

Rick and Denise Renner

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