Dear Friends,

This month, I want to talk to you about the ministry of angels! Angels are messengers of God sent to minister to those who are the heirs of salvation — and that includes you and me. So it’s important that we know about angels and how they are available to help us.

But first, I want to say THANK YOU for your partnership with our ministry. This week, I’ve been looking at all the projects and outreaches that RENNER Ministries is leading to touch souls — and the manpower and money it takes to do it all — we are able to do it because of God’s grace and the partners He has assigned to this ministry. In fact, our partners are an integral part of God’s grace working with us to reach people who so desperately need to be reached. And for this, I say thank you — to you and all our precious partners!

Today I am going to write to you about the ministry of angels that is available to you. In the New Testament, angels are entrusted with the care of those who are saved — the heirs of salvation (see Hebrews 1:14). The primary assignments of Heaven-sent angels are in respect to God’s elect. God is sending angels to meet His people’s needs; to strengthen the weary; to give believers supernatural guidance (which, in the New Testament frequently occurs in dreams and visions); to provide protection and deliverance from harm; and to carry out supernatural feats. The Bible doesn’t say how many angels there are, but Hebrews 12:22 says they are “innumerable.” That means there are more than enough angels to fulfill these assignments for each of us — and that includes you!

In Matthew 4:11 and Mark 1:13, we read that when Jesus concluded His 40 days in the wilderness, angels appeared to Him and ministered to Him and met His physical needs.

In both of these verses, the word “ministered” comes from the Greek word diakonos, which depicts a servant whose chief occupation is to meet some kind of physical or tangible need. This word is most notably used in Acts 6:2 where it is translated “serve” and refers to the role of deacons who were chosen to meet the physical and tangible needs of widows in Jerusalem. So when Matthew 4:11 and Mark 1:13 say angels “ministered” to Jesus, it means they took on the role of servants and ministered to Jesus’ physical and tangible needs after His 40 days of fasting and being tempted by the devil in the wilderness.

Over the years, I have heard of and experienced in my own life moments when angels came to minister to physical or tangible needs. In the same way angels aided and attended to Jesus, there are moments when God may use an angel to meet your physical or tangible needs too. Can you think of a time when you experienced this type of angelic ministry?

The Bible provides many examples of angels strengthening the weary, but the best New Testament example is found in Luke 22:43, where an angel strengthened Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane during one of the most difficult moments of His earthly life. This verse says, “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.”

When Jesus could find no one else to stand with Him in His hour of need, God provided supernatural assistance in the form of an angel to strengthen Him. This word “strengthen” comes from a Greek word that means to empower someone; to fill a person with physical vigor; or to give someone renewed vitality. In essence, it describes a person who may have been exhausted and depleted but then suddenly receives a robust blast of energy that recharges him. This means that when Jesus’ disciples and friends couldn’t be depended on in His hour of need, God provided an angel who empowered, recharged, and imparted strength to Jesus, thus renewing His vitality so He could victoriously overcome His difficult hour.

Over the years, I have heard of and experienced in my own life moments when an angel strengthened others and even me. In the same way an angel strengthened Jesus, angels are sent to give strength to you too! Can you think of a time when you experienced this type of angelic ministry?

Examples of how angels provide supernatural guidance are abundant in the New Testament. One such example is when the apostle Paul experienced supernatural guidance when he was on a ship in the midst of a raging storm at sea. After the ship’s crew had fought the storm for many days, Paul told them, “And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee” (Acts 27:22-24).

Although the storm still raged for many more days, the message the angel delivered to Paul came to pass exactly as it had been spoken. The ship was lost, but not a single soul perished. When Paul and the other men were tempted to fear for their lives, God sent an angel to calm the inner storm that was raging in their minds and souls. And because Paul believed the word of the Lord spoken through the angel, everyone on board survived. This ordeal resulted in a great revival on the island of Melita (see Acts 28:1-9).

Over the years, I have heard of and experienced in my own life moments of angelic guidance. In the same way an angel gave supernatural guidance to Paul, there may be moments when God uses an angel to direct you too. Can you think of a time when you experienced this type of angelic ministry?

The Bible is also filled with many examples of angels providing protection and deliverance of God’s people. Let’s look at an example from the book of Acts. In Acts 5:17-18, the high priest rose up against the apostles and had them arrested and thrown into prison. Then in Acts 5:19-20, it says, “But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

That night an angel intervened to protect the apostles and set them free. In an instant, they were delivered from harm. And this is just one instance of angels providing God’s people with supernatural protection and deliverance from harm. There are too many examples in both the Old and New Testaments to cite them all.

Over the years, I have heard of and experienced in my own life moments of angelic protection and deliverance — stopping others and even me from suffering harm. In the same way an angel gave protection and deliverance to the apostles when they were thrown into prison, there are moments when God may use an angel to protect and deliver you too. Can you think of a time when you experienced this type of angelic ministry?

There are multiple examples in the Old and New Testaments of angels performing superhuman feats. But one of the best examples is when the angel rolled away the massive stone that lay in front of Jesus’ tomb. Matthew 28:2 says, “…The angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door….”

Stones placed in front of such tombs were enormous and weighed many tons. It would have been impossible for a human to move it without the assistance of many people, but the angel was so powerful, it was able to singlehandedly move this massive stone.

Over the years, I have heard of and experienced in my own life moments when angels performed superhuman feats — like when a car that had rolled over was suddenly moved out of the way, or when an invisible power intervened to do something stupendous. In the same way an angel rolled the stone from Jesus’ tomb, there are moments when God may use an angel to perform superhuman feats on your behalf too. Can you think of a time when you experienced this type of angelic ministry?

I am stirred by this subject this month because I just read a new book called Servants of Fire by my friend Joseph Z. It is absolutely one of the best books I’ve ever read on the subject of angelic ministry. I wish every Christian would read this book; it would make them aware that a whole company of angels has been assigned by God to assist, help, protect, and strengthen them. So this month we are making this amazing book available to our partners for $22. I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting because it was so riveting to see what God has provided for us in terms of angelic ministry! If you would like to order a copy, just go to renner.org or call 1-800-742-5593. You’ll be so glad you did!

Before I close today, I want to say thank you again for your support of RENNER Ministries. Together we are seeing the Kingdom of God advance. Individually, it is more difficult to make a big impact, but when we join ourselves as partners, we can move mountains! Thank you for joining Denise and me as we obey the assignment God has given us. And please let us know how we can pray for you, as praying for you is one of the most serious assignments God has given us. I assure you that if you ask us to pray, we will really pray for you — and God will answer!

We love you and thank God for you!

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