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