The Display of God’s Love

October Teaching Letter from Denise 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 Friend,

When we talk about the God who made the universe, who gives us the breath of life, who can part the Red Sea, and yet chose to come to Earth and die for us, it brings a sense of profound humility. It’s truly amazing, but that’s how much He loves us. While many people say, “I love you,” repeatedly, love is truly shown through our actions.

In my letter to you this month, we will discuss the ways God displays His amazing love for you. Jesus’ actions were absolutely complete, showing us beyond a shadow of a doubt that He loves us, that He chose us, and that we are important to Him. You are so important to Him that He died for you.

Galatians 4:4 says:

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.

There was a time when God said, “It’s time — it’s time that I come. It’s time that I rescue them Myself because they’re not getting it. They have already sinned against Me. They have already rejected Me. They can’t fulfill My law. I’m coming Myself.” There was just so much love in this action for you and me. We should wake up every morning and say, “God help me know how much You love me today, and help me love others with the love that You’ve put inside me.”

The book of John has this to say about the magnitude of God’s love:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

— John 1:1-5; 10-12

Notice verse 1 begins by saying, “In the beginning….” This phrase indicates God’s eternal plan. Verse 1 continues, “…was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus was there with the Father and the Holy Spirit, planning this great rescue for you and me from eternal damnation.

Verse 2 states, “All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.” In other words, everything in existence is because of Jesus. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

Friend, this means that there is no darkness so deep that God’s light cannot overcome it. Have you ever noticed that in a very dark room, the moment you turn on the light, the darkness is expelled? That is what Jesus did when He came into this world. And it was at just the right time. There was a lot of darkness in the world then, but when Jesus came, He brought His light into the world! That is amazing love.

Have you ever poured out your love to someone, only to have them reject it over and over again? I remember many years ago, I tried to be a friend to this girl, but time and time again, she rejected me and hurt my feelings. I didn’t have another friend, so I kept forgiving her. However, my love wasn’t like God’s love. Eventually, there came a time when I said, “I’m not going to forgive this person anymore because I don’t want to be hurt anymore.” But that’s not how God operates! He came to rescue us.

Jesus came whether the people rejected or received Him! That is the love of God — the heart of God being expressed through Jesus. Hebrews 1:1-3 says:

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Jesus was the very expression of God! What Jesus did on Earth was exactly what His Father would have done. What Jesus is doing today to rescue, save, and heal is exactly what His Father would do today.

John 1:14 says:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

The phrase “…full of grace and truth” describes exactly who Jesus was and is.

Now, look at Psalm 22. Keep in mind, this teaching is about love being displayed. Love doesn’t just talk — love acts. Jesus didn’t just say, “I love you,” and then wish us the best! No! He displayed His love in the greatest act of selflessness and compassion by sacrificing Himself to save us from an eternity separated from Him.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” When God says, “I love you,” He always backs it up with a display of action, as He did by sending His Son, Jesus.

Let’s circle back to Psalm 22. When you read Psalm 22, you can see the things Jesus went through on the Cross — the feelings He had and what it was like for Him while He bore our sins, sicknesses, diseases, poverty, guilt, and shame. Psalm 22 provides a close-up picture of the ordeal Jesus endured on the Cross.

Psalm 22:6–8 reads:

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

The word “worm” here is actually referring to maggots. Most everyone gets grossed out at the mere mention of the word “maggot.” The phrase “no man” in this verse means “an unimportant man.” Jesus — the creator of the universe — lowered Himself to such a place that when He was hung on the Cross, He compared Himself to a lowly worm, a man of no importance.

Verses 6 and 7 continue, “…A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me….” Can you imagine a time in your life when those around you ridiculed or made fun of you? Can you remember how small and insignificant these actions made you feel?

Take those feelings of shame and torment you’ve experienced in your own life and multiply them by ten billion trillion times. The ridicule that Jesus endured came from the demonic realm — blaspheming, mocking, and putting Him down. Jesus submitted Himself to this so that you and I could be free from ridicule and accusation. The very God of this universe lowered Himself so far that He compared Himself to a worm and a man with zero importance — a man full of sin — so He could rescue us from an eternity without Him.

Matthew 27:41-43 shows us what the religious leaders and onlookers were saying as Jesus suffered on the Cross. It reads:

Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

This is what the crowd yelled at Jesus as He was suffering — His hands and feet hanging on nails for them, for their forgiveness, for their salvation, and for you and me. They mocked and blasphemed Him, yet He didn’t come off the Cross. He continued to pay the price for our salvation.

The Bible says in Matthew 26:51-54:

And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”

Jesus could have let Peter and His disciples defend Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He didn’t. He could have called on His Father to send legions of angels to stop His arrest, but He didn’t. The chief priests, elders, and temple guards didn’t take Jesus’ life — He gave His life up for you and me. This ultimate act of sacrifice was the love of God on display. Psalm 22:9 says:

But You are He who took me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

Who can explain the Trinity? I can’t explain the Trinity, but I definitely believe it. When Jesus was on the Cross, He was the Son of Man, yet He was God. He put aside His godhead — His godhood — and died for you and me. This is His love displayed, and it’s so amazing! When we talk about Jesus’ sacrifice — everything the priests and elders said about Him and His refusal to call upon a legion of angels to save Him from the brutality of the Cross — it is truly astounding.

When you think about the magnitude of this sacrifice, there really is no excuse for any of us not to forgive each other. It’s not right to say, “Lord, I know you’ve forgiven me, but I can’t forgive others.” He paid the complete price so we could be forgiven and to put the love of God inside you and me so that we could forgive.

Jesus took every sickness and disease known to man, every torment of our minds, every pain in our bodies — He took them upon Himself. Psalm 22:6 tells us that Jesus felt like a worm on the Cross — the lowest of the low. He was scorned, spit upon, humiliated, shamed, ridiculed, and lied about. And even still, He endured it all for our eternal salvation. This is love displayed! Jesus was falsely accused, hated, denied, and betrayed by one of His dear friends, yet He showed us a love so perfect that any fear that tried to come against Jesus giving His life was totally cast out. And any fear that would try to come to us has no right because the perfect love of God — which Jesus displayed and put on the inside of us — casts out fear. When we believe His Word, this display is so great that His power comes to us and gives us the confidence and authority to forgive any offender, to believe for the healing of any sickness or disease, to give mercy, to give understanding, and to practice patience. The display of God’s love gives us the power to express that love in our hearts by what He did for us.

Friend, isn’t that just amazing?! God didn’t save us just so we could go to Heaven — He saved us to go to Heaven because eternity in hell would be unimaginable. Heaven will be so magnificent that it’s hard to imagine, but when Jesus died on the Cross, God brought Himself inside us so He could live through us and we could have a relationship with Him.

Jesus paid the complete price. His love didn’t display fifty or ninety percent to save us from death, eternity in hell, and from our own selves. His love displayed paid the complete price — a hundred percent price. He paid for it, but it’s up to us to receive it. For example, say someone gave you a $100,000 or a 2 million dollar home. It’s there and all you have to do is receive it, but you stand there and say, “I don’t know if that’s really for me or not. Should I really accept it?” If you question their gift, you will not receive it. But if you say, “I receive what you have for me,” it’s yours!

It’s the same way with God. Say, “Lord, I receive what You paid for me. I receive my healing, I receive forgiveness, I receive this powerful love on the inside of me to love and forgive others as I’ve been forgiven and loved.” It’s all been paid for — you just have to reach out and receive it!

As I close my letter, I want to remind you that we are always praying for you. And if you ever need prayer, our amazing Partner Care team is available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT every weekday. Give us a call at 1.844.473.6637 or email us at prayer@deniserenner.org to be connected with one of our dedicated team members, and they will personally pray with you over whatever request you may have. And if you haven’t seen my weekly program yet, I invite you to join me for TIME With Denise Renner each Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. CT by watching on my Facebook page or YouTube channel.

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

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