Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
(Matt. 5:15)
In Matthew 5:15, Jesus compared our lives in Him to a “candle,” or lamp, that we are to put “on a candlestick” (lampstand) so that “it gives light to all who are in the house.” Once the lamp was filled with oil, the amount of light it provided was determined by its position. The higher the light, the brighter the light.
So what does this have to do with our ability to lift our own lights higher, as Jesus commanded? Once we become born again, the oil of the Holy Spirit fills us, enabling us to “let our light shine” (Matthew 5:16). But the degree to which we illuminate and bless others has everything to do with our faith!
It’s true with most of us that when we first begin serving the Lord, we have enough faith to light our lamp in the corner — just to give a little light to a few people who are in the corner with us. Then as we begin to get a little bolder, we elevate our lamp to the level of the table, because the area around the table is an easy, comfortable environment in which to shine. Unfortunately, this is where many people stop. At the table, they can look people in the eyes, reach out and touch everyone, and — with their gift and insights — comfortably touch a few people in that intimate setting around the table.
But if you want to give maximum light — if you want to have the biggest influence on as many people as possible — you must use your faith to stretch beyond your level of comfort and step up higher where you can give greater light. The higher the light, the brighter the light!
Now let me tell you what will happen the moment you decide you’re going to step out by faith to let your light shine brighter. You have the oil of the Holy Spirit — and you’ve been equipped with specific gifts and talents from the Lord that can help others and change the world. When you begin to lift up your “lamp,” the devil will be right there to say to you, Who do you think you are? Do you think you’re better than everyone else? Put that lamp back down on the same level as everyone else. How dare you be so prideful as to think you should lift your lamp higher than others?
But are you satisfied with your life having the same, limited level of impact others have because they’ve settled for shining their light just in the corners or tabletops? Or do you want to impact the greatest number of people possible with the gifts God has given you? If you want the latter, you have to do what others aren’t doing. You have to believe in and respect your gifts and calling, and you have to be confident and bold enough to obey God when He calls you to elevate the lamp of your life and extend your light further.
The simple truth is that when you respect the gift God has deposited inside you, others will respect it and pay attention. But if you make little of your gift or disregard it, others will disregard it too. To believe in your gift isn’t a mark of arrogance; it’s an indication that you want to lift your light higher and let it shine beyond the corners and tabletops of your world.
I don’t know about you, but there has always been something deep within me that wants to affect more people than just those “sitting at the table.” Don’t misunderstand me. We can and should positively affect those around us, or those in our immediate circle. But I want to see my city changed! I want to see nations changed! And I believe God can and does use me. That’s not pride — I simply have the boldness to lift my light higher so God can use me to influence those who need to experience Him for themselves.
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Rick and Denise met while they were each on an individual quest to wholeheartedly follow God's plan for their lives. Rick was a college student, growing in his teaching ministry. Denise was a talented vocalist. She chose not to pursue a course that held the prospect of performing with the Metropolitan Opera so that she could instead pursue a relationship with Rick and fulfill her heart's desire to enter full-time ministry.
Rick and Denise's friendship has led to lifelong love and a powerful partnership in building the Kingdom of God. After a decade of ministry, first as pastor and then as itinerant ministers, Rick and Denise Renner embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. In January 1991, the Renners and their sons Paul, Philip, and Joel left behind all they knew to relocate their family to serve the region that only weeks earlier had become the former Soviet Union.
Rick and Denise remember kneeling together as a family and kissing the ground when they arrived at the airport in Latvia on that cold January day. At that moment, they all committed their lives to the will of God and to the people of their new homeland. The following year, Rick moved forward to launch and establish the first of its kind, and eventually the largest, a Christian television network in that region of the world.
Over the years, Rick and Denise pioneered three churches, a Bible school, and a ministerial association that serves thousands of Russian-speaking pastors throughout the former USSR as well as parts of the Middle East. As Rick began training and mentoring leaders in the early days, Denise also developed a women's ministry that is actively involved in changing the lives of women and their families today. Specifically, they minister to the needs of orphans, women prisoners, the homeless, and drug-and-alcohol addicts.
Rick, Denise, and their children began as a small circle of five, willing to go beyond their comfort zone to reach the uttermost parts of the world. Today that circle includes their sons' wives, six grandchildren, and a large ministry staff that helps the Renners extend their reach as they exalt Jesus Christ as the Hope of all nations.