Just One Touch Can Change Your Life

September Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

As I write to you this month, the weather is rapidly changing in Moscow, and we are already experiencing much cooler temperatures. In fact, it is not uncommon here to experience many inches of snowfall as early as October!

Before I get into the heart of my teaching, I want to share some personal family news with you, our “extended family” in the ministry. Last month, our oldest grandson William was married to his beautiful bride Elizabeth!

He is our second grandchild to be married, and Denise and I couldn’t be happier as our family continues to expand. Congratulations, William and Liza! (For wedding photos, please see my Facebook and Instagram!)

I also want to THANK YOU for connecting with this ministry as we take the trusted teaching of God’s Word to the ends of the earth. It is so humbling to see how the Lord is working through our ministry to touch so many lives. If you have been blessed by this ministry in some way, it would thrill our hearts to know about it! If you desire to be a part of what the Lord is doing through us, please pray about becoming a partner. If you would like to know more about what we do, please visit our website at renner.org/how-we-help.

Last, before we dive into the teaching, I want you to be among the first to know that my newest book The Miracles of Jesus Christ is now available to order. I can’t think of another book that SO DEEPLY explores the miracles, healings, and deliverances in the four gospels, as well as the book of Acts in synopsis form. You will fall in love with Jesus all over again as you “eyewitness” His intense love for people and His intense hate for the enemy’s works that bind them.

I believe you will want to share a copy of this book with friends who long to see the power of God in operation. Those who want to know more about being set free and setting others free will find in this book a deep look into how Jesus performed signs and wonders, with very clear instruction about how they can do it too. It will be a resource they can refer to for years to come.

“NOW I WANT to take you to the story of the woman with the issue of blood — a story that I deeply love, but which the Holy Spirit helped me to see more clearly and powerfully as I wrote this new book about the miracles of Jesus. Luke 8:43-44 tells us:

“And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.”

First, the word “woman” finds its roots in the Greek word gune, which signifies not only an adult female, but can also mean wife. Second, she was suffering from “an issue of blood.” The word “issue” is derived from a form of the words rheo and haima. The word rheo refers to a flowing spring, and the word haima is the Greek word for blood — which tells us that her condition was a continuous, nonstop stream of blood. Luke, a physician, chronicled that this woman endured this unending cycle for a span of 12 years

THE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND FINANCIAL TOLL

It is a fact that enduring such a condition for years can open the door to an array of additional health issues, such as draining the body of red blood cells and iron, which can lead to exhaustion and frailty. It can also precipitate a decline in estrogen levels, commonly causing hormonal disruptions that expedite bone deterioration and increasing the likelihood of fractures and osteoporosis. Those hormonal fluctuations can also disrupt cholesterol balance, thereby raising the risk of cardiovascular complications. Additionally, fertility may be impaired, making conception more difficult. The chronic struggles associated with incessant bleeding can also lead to psychological struggles, impacting one’s emotional quality of life.

It is apparent that this woman endured suffering on many levels. But beyond that, society also regarded this woman as “unclean” according to Levitical law (see Leviticus 15:25), creating an unseen wall between her and the rest of the world. As I’ve noted, the Greek word used in Luke 8 to denote a woman was also frequently used to describe a wife. This makes it entirely plausible that she had a husband, but due to her status, she would have been bereft of physical contact with him during her 12 years of being deemed “unclean.”

But just imagine the added sorrow if she were also a mother. She would have longed to hold her children, but would have been robbed of their tender touch because she was “unclean.” Under the Law, no one dared sit where she had sat or use objects she had touched lest he or she also be labeled as “unclean.” Having little or no human connection for 12 years tells us she was not only sick physically, but she was emotionally marred by the shackles of loneliness.

Beyond that, Luke 8:43 says she “…had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any.” The words “spent all her living” portrays a woman who had depleted her wealth on doctors. Luke observed that despite consulting a parade of physicians, this woman “neither could be healed of any.” The word “healed” is translated from a form of the Greek word therapeuo, indicating therapy or treatment. In essence, this woman who, after a multitude of attempts that depleted nearly all her finances, still found no relief from her ailment.

WE ‘TOUCH’ THE PROMISES OF GOD WITH OUR FAITH

But Luke 8:44 says “…[She] came behind him [Jesus], and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.” Aware of her status as an unclean person, she likely waited patiently for the crowd to move past her. She approached from “behind,” suggesting from the original Greek that she lingered at the rear, following the bustling mass until she could make her move. This verse then states that she “touched the border of his garment.”

When it says she “touched” the border of His garment, the original word used is a form of the Greek word haptomai. This wasn’t just a casual contact; this word evokes an image of a powerful, deliberate touch and conveys the idea of clinging tightly, as if she were fiercely grasping to lay hold of a profound connection with Jesus.

The woman extended her hand toward the fringe of Jesus’ robe. This act was loaded with significance, for she was fully aware of the Jewish law that stated her touch would render Him ceremonially unclean for a period of time and could even give justification to stone her. Perhaps she surmised, “If I only grab hold of the very edge of His cloak, He will not feel it, and I can be healed in secret and slip away into the crowd.”

Luke 8:44 says that “immediately her issue of blood stanched.” This woman’s 12 years of affliction came to a screeching halt when her menstrual flow was “stanched.” Here the Greek word for “stanched” means it ceased at once.

JESUS PERCEIVED THE FAITH IN THIS WOMAN —
AND HE KNOWS YOUR FAITH TOO

Luke 8:45 says, “And Jesus said, Who touched me? Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?” Jesus’ gaze must have swept over the masses as He sought out the one who had reached out to Him in such a powerful way. He said, “…Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me” (v. 46).

The word “perceive” is derived from a form of the Greek word ginosko, meaning I know. Sensing that profound power had just flowed out from Him, Jesus was resolute in His assertion that someone had touched Him in an extraordinary fashion. Because the Greek used here is emphatic, it means Jesus declared, “I absolutely know that virtue has gone out of Me.”

The word “virtue” is derived from the Greek word dunamis, a word often used in the New Testament to describe superhuman power that yields remarkable results. In the First Century, the word dunamis was also employed to characterize the formidable strength of the Roman army — an indomitable force that demolished adversaries. In essence, Jesus perceived that a supernatural force of might had flowed out of Him that possessed the capacity to extinguish darkness and heal any ailment.

Luke 8:47 says, “And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.”

JESUS AND HIS ANOINTING BRING HEALING, RESTORATION, AND BOUNTY INTO YOUR LIFE

The woman understood she had already potentially contaminated anyone she encountered on her journey through the crowd to reach Jesus. But realizing that she was now caught and that every gaze was fixed on her, she confessed the reason she had reached out and touched Him, detailing how she was instantly “healed.” The word “healed” is from a form of the Greek word iaomai, which could be better rendered cured. The word “immediately” springs from the Greek word parachrema, emphasizing not only the speed at which this event occurred, but how this healing touch instantly brought God’s generous bounty into her life.

Now the woman was healed after 12 long years of suffering, yet a wave of fear must have washed over her that she might be punished for the audacious act that led to her miraculous recovery. But Jesus said to her, “…Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace” (Luke 8:48). Here the word “whole” emerges from a form of the Greek word sodzo, which is often translated as salvation, but also encompasses meanings of deliverance, healing, and prosperity, and in the Jewish understanding, the word sodzo merged all these into one powerful experience. In the woman’s case, she was:

• instantly healed.
• liberated from the financial strain of endless medical costs.
• relieved from the agony of seclusion and freed to rejoin her community.

Also, if this woman had a family, she would have also again enjoyed the warmth of their loving embrace.

By reaching out to Jesus, this woman released her faith, and the power of God flowed into her, completely restoring every part of her life. This is what happens when someone’s faith connects with Jesus and His power!

Friend, I want to encourage you that if you are in need of a supernatural touch of God’s power, reach out to Him and release your faith — His power is more than enough to touch every area of your life and restore you completely. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (see Hebrews 13:8), and He is waiting to respond to your faith today!

And please let us know how to pray for you. Regardless of what you’re facing, if you’ll let us know, we will pray scripturally, God will hear us, and He will do exactly what needs to be done. So please reach out to us by calling 1-800-742-5593 or send us your prayer need online at renner.org/prayer. Please also remember to pray for Denise and me and our family and team as we push back the powers of darkness to take the light of the Gospel into as many places as possible. We are giving our all to do what God has asked us to do, and we cherish your prayers for us.

Again, THANK YOU for partnering with us in this work — 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, Joel, their families, and our entire ministry team