Easter is not merely a tradition; it is a celebration of Jesus’ work on the Cross. He died so that we as sinners might live, and in His resurrection, He triumphed over death and the grave.
The resurrection is the foundation of our faith. As the apostle Paul explains: “But for us also…if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 4:24-5:1).
We as believers are living witnesses to the truth of these words. He is risen indeed!
As part of the Easter service in the Moscow Good News Church, several people from the congregation shared powerful testimonies of the great things the Lord has done recently in their lives. We’d like to share two of these testimonies with you.
Olga and Anatoly Varenko had been married for nine years but had remained childless. Desperately wanting to conceive, they consulted doctors and specialists. At first the doctors were optimistic, but further testing determined that Olga was unable to bear children.
The couple was heartbroken. However, over time, God began to encourage Olga to put her faith in Him, not in the report of the doctors. She and her husband began to agree in faith, claiming Deuteronomy 7:14 and trusting in God’s power. Two months later, she conceived at 41 years old!
Initially, the doctors warned that the Varenkos’ baby might have Down Syndrome and that a C-section would be required for delivery. Yet the couple continued to stand firm in their faith, and today they are the proud parents of a healthy three-month-old baby who was delivered naturally.
Additionally, Anatoly recently obtained a better paying job, and the couple were able to purchase an apartment in Moscow. They believe this to be a direct result of their commitment to the Good News Church building program.
Another couple from the church shared their dramatic testimony during the Easter Sunday service. The wife had accepted Christ 15 years ago, but over the years, she had backslidden in her walk with God.
She married an unbeliever, and they had a daughter. One day, her husband received a dream from God and was told they would have a son. This divine promise did come to pass; however, there were massive complications.
The baby boy was born with a hole in his heart and needed surgery to survive. The parents feared for his life. Desperate, they called a believing relative, who gave them the telephone number of the Moscow Good News Church.
On March 8 the husband accepted Jesus as his Savior. After associate pastor Nikolai Kulakevich and Prayer Ministry director Rimma Islanova prayed for this child, the couple immediately sensed the peace of God in their hearts. Shortly thereafter, the doctors were surprised to find that the hole in the child’s heart was healing rapidly. The surgery was not performed, and today the child is healthy and at home with the parents!
This is only a part of this couple’s wonderful testimony. Their older daughter was also born with a physical problem in her lung. At the same time the newborn was in the hospital, the girl was at the doctor for a regular checkup. After a thorough examination, the doctor reported that both her lungs had been miraculously healed!
Also, in the beginning of April, the husband was attending church when the worship leader had a word from the Lord that someone with back problems was being healed. That someone was this very man! God performed three miraculous healings in this family in a short period of time, and a new believer entered into the Kingdom of God!
We praise the Lord for His faithfulness and for the marvelous work He is doing in the lives of so many in this region of the world!
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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.