by Rick Renner
Editor’s Note: The following article is an excerpt from Rick Renner’s newly reedited book The Point of No Return, which will be available in May. For a limited time, you can preorder this beautiful hardback edition at the discounted price of $15.00 (normally $25.00).
Many years ago when Denise and I were newly married, we were pastoring a very small church in Arkansas when God spoke to me and said that it was time for us to move into the next phase of His plan for our lives. I remember how I felt when I told Denise that we were resigning from our church, without any knowledge of where we were supposed to go or what we were supposed to do. Some of our family members ― and, at times, even Denise and I ― thought we had lost our minds for undertaking such a huge leap of faith.
Our church was small, and our income was very low. Nevertheless, we did have a house (albeit a very old one) and friends who lived around us. Stepping out in faith to resign from that church was a monumental undertaking for us, but we knew God was changing the course of our lives to move us forward in His perfect plan.
As I stood in front of our little congregation and told them we were resigning, my stomach churned. I realized that once our announcement was made, there was no turning back. This was the point of no return in our lives.
After our resignation, Denise and I spent 30 days praying and waiting on the Lord until our spirits were able to discern His direction for our lives and ministry. The Holy Spirit took me back to the vision He had originally given me years before. He tenderly spoke to my heart, “I’ve called you to teach the Word of God to My people. I want you to take your ministry to believers across the nation.”Our church was small, and our income was very low. Nevertheless, we did have a house (albeit a very old one) and friends who lived around us. Stepping out in faith to resign from that church was a monumental undertaking for us, but we knew God was changing the course of our lives to move us forward in His perfect plan.
As I stood in front of our little congregation and told them we were resigning, my stomach churned. I realized that once our announcement was made, there was no turning back. This was the point of no return in our lives.
To begin with, who knew us? We had been living in a small town in Arkansas for five years, and we weren’t well known. Living in that little town didn’t exactly put us in the mainstream of American life, so we were unfamiliar to most people outside of our tiny circle — and I do mean tiny!
I had the same answer to all of my family’s questions: “I don’t know!” But their questions didn’t bother me because they were voicing the same questions I was privately asking myself! All I knew was that the Holy Spirit had spoken to my heart and was preparing us for a new adventure. When He spoke to me and I said, “Yes, Lord,” faith was imparted, and I was ready to carry out His plan for my life. I was excited, scared, thrilled, petrified, happy, and shaken to the core ― all at once!
Stepping out into an entirely new realm was exciting and scary. The truth is, I was asking even more questions than my family and friends had asked me ― questions such as:
- “What is the first step we should take to begin a nationwide teaching ministry?”
- “How do people become familiar with us so they will know to invite us to their churches?”
- “What if we take this step of faith and then absolutely no one wants us to minister the Word of God in their church?”
- “How will I feed my family and pay our bills until our teaching ministry gets established?”
As we took our first steps of faith to obey God in this new assignment, I felt an earthquake of emotions in the pit of my stomach. We were doing what God wanted us to do, but because it was new, we naturally felt the shaky feeling that people experience when they step into brand-new, uncharted territory.
All Denise and I knew was that we had received a word from God to start this new season in our lives. Certain that God had spoken to us, we commenced on our new pilgrimage of faith ― an adventure in Him that has reaped incredible supernatural fruit ever since. In fact, since we passed that point of no return, several million books have been printed and sold, thousands of audio and video teachings have been distributed, and Denise and I have ministered the Word in thousands of churches, seminars, and meetings around the world.
Most significantly, our acting on that word from the Lord to start an itinerant teaching ministry prepared us for the next major step of faith that God would require of us seven years later ― moving to the former bastion of Communism once known as the Soviet Union. That new assignment was definitely not a part of my plans, but by then I had learned my lesson: It’s far better to obey God than to do things my way!
The Ministry Expands to the USSR
The first years of our teaching ministry were not always easy as we struggled to make ends meet. But several years later, Denise and I were traveling all over the world ministering the Word of God. By that time, we’d seen God do many miraculous things with our lives. I had gained a good reputation in the United States as a teacher and an author and had preached in literally thousands of meetings. The lean times were coming to an end, and we were receiving approximately 900 invitations each year to speak in some of the nation’s greatest churches.
We bought the house of our dreams; our staff in the Tulsa office was as committed to our ministry as we were; and my books, tapes, and videos were being distributed by the hundreds of thousands. The ministry was fulfilling a need in the Body of Christ, which was very gratifying, and God was blessing us personally beyond our wildest dreams. Everything was perfect in our lives, and we were enjoying every minute of it.
I nearly fell over when the Lord said that to me! Astonished, I asked the Lord for further clarification. He spoke to my heart once again, saying that because of the outpouring of His Spirit upon the USSR, the need for good teachers was imperative and immediate.
I understood that in such a time as this — when possibly the largest door for the Gospel in more than 1,000 years had swung wide open — balanced and experienced teachers of the Bible were undeniable necessities in the USSR. The masses of new believers needed help building a solid foundation of truth in their lives.
However, I was still stunned and somewhat aghast by the thought of leaving everything behind. I prayed, “Lord, have You forgotten what we’re doing in the United States? Do You remember that You called us to teach the Word in America? Maybe You overlooked the fact that we have an office staff in Tulsa who need to be paid every month. And have You forgotten that I don’t even like missions?” But at the core of it all, my real fear was not leaving America or moving to the mission field –– I would do whatever God required of me. My real fear was the financial challenge of the assignment.
Nevertheless, God’s firm voice kept whispering to me, “This is the next step in My plan for your life. If you’ll obey Me, I’ll make sure you are covered financially.”
This was a great test for me. I was comfortable in my present ministry, and I was happy and proud of our new house in Tulsa. I was enjoying a measure of notoriety among believers and ministers in the Church whom I had admired and respected for years. But God was asking me to put all those things aside and follow Him into unknown territory yet again. So I swallowed hard and accepted the fact that it was time for another big step of faith.
Sitting on the couch in our family room, Denise and I talked and prayed about this huge change in the direction of our lives. We were both American to the bone and were proud of it! We were raised in the era when the Soviet Union was our big enemy. In fact, we could both remember being taught in grade school how to protect ourselves in case of nuclear fallout! We could recall being rushed down hallways and stairs into the basements of our schools during practice drills to protect ourselves from a military onslaught of Communism.
As Americans, we were sure there was no better nation in the world than the United States of America ― and, naturally, the thought of moving to a country that had historically persecuted Christians didn’t sound appealing to us, especially since we had three young sons! But as we prayed together that day, we both knew in our hearts that God was truly calling our family to move to the USSR.
As Denise and I worked through our fears and recognized that this was God’s will for our lives, a flood of faith and excitement began to pour into our souls. We were thrilled just to think that we would be teaching the Bible in a place where the people had known nothing but atheistic Communism. Only God could do such a marvelous thing!
Our fears turned to faith as we recognized the hand of God on our lives to prepare us for this new season. The realization that we were going to be a part of a major outpouring of His Spirit in the last days began to sink into our hearts. We became supernaturally filled with courage to begin our new adventure!
I called our families and staff and gave them the news. They were shocked, but the same grace that rested upon us came upon them. They took the news like troopers and asked what they could do to help us make this major transition in our lives. Then I called our pastor and talked with him about our decision. He replied without hesitation, “This is God’s plan for your life.”
Everything was moving ahead peaceably and nicely — and then I knew it was time to make the first public announcement about our big move. I was at an out-of-town meeting, excited to stand in front of that crowd and make the announcement. The leaders of the church came forward and laid hands on me, prophesying about how God would use my family in the Soviet Union. My adrenaline was flowing, and my emotions were at an all-time high!
After the meeting, I went back to my hotel room and called Denise to tell her that I’d made the big announcement. However, after I hung up the phone and sat down in my hotel room — all alone — the reality of what I’d just announced began to hit me like a semi-truck. Every ounce of fear that had been hiding in my soul over the years suddenly decided to pay me a visit, and my mind was flooded with questions.
- What have you done?
- Why did you make such a stupid announcement to all those people?
- What if your partners stop supporting you because they don’t see you as often?
- What if the Communists begin to persecute believers again, and your family is caught in the middle of a horrible mess?
- What if you can’t support your family or your headquarters in Tulsa?
- WHAT WILL YOU DO?
I felt absolutely trapped. Suddenly, I understood why the apostle Paul called himself “the prisoner of the Lord” (see Ephesians 4:1). Like Paul, I was chained to a new commitment to Jesus Christ from which there was no recourse. This new commitment to obey the Lord was final and binding.
I began to feel the same earthquake of emotions in the pit of my stomach that I’d felt years earlier when we left our church in Arkansas ― and then again when we began our itinerant teaching ministry throughout the United States. Furthermore, the huge inner earthquake I felt that night after making my big announcement had scores of aftershocks that shook me for weeks to come!
It wasn’t a lack of faith or distrust in God that created those shaky feelings in me. Rather, I had a profound awareness that God was calling us to do something bigger than ourselves –– something that we’d never done before and that we surely could not do without His help. I felt completely and utterly dependent upon Him and fully aware that, without His help, we would fail.
Because we’re all creatures of habit, it can be a real challenge when God asks us to step out in faith and do something new. Our comfortable little world gets shaken as He calls us to expand our vision ― and that nearly always creates temporary feelings of uneasiness and discomfort. Thank God, those emotions eventually pass as we follow Him. I personally believe that one of the main reasons God calls us again and again to the point of no return is to remind us that He is our total Source of security, that nothing is impossible with Him, and that we can do all things through Him.
Rick Renner, author of more than 30 books, is well known for his top-selling classics Sparkling Gems From the Greek and Dressed To Kill— which have sold more than a million copies combined. Rick’s broad understanding of the Greek language and biblical history opens up the Scriptures in a unique way that enables readers to gain wisdom and insight while learning something brand new from the Word of God. A highly respected leader, teacher, and author within the Christian community, both in the U.S. and abroad, Rick and his wife Denise have traveled the earth for three decades, teaching the Word of God. They work together to see the Gospel preached, leadership trained and churches established throughout the former Soviet Union.
In addition to serving as senior pastors of the Moscow Good News Church, Rick and Denise are the founders of the Riga and Kiev Good News Churches, the Good News Training Center, and the Good News Association of Pastors and Churches — through which they oversee several hundred churches. The Renners also founded Media Mir, the first Christian television network established in the former USSR that today broadcasts to a potential audience of 110 million people. Their highest goal is to know Christ and to present Him to others in a meaningful way. Rick is the founder and senior pastor of the Moscow Good News Church. Rick and Denise reside in Moscow, along with their three sons and their families.
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