Dear Friends, 
I am excited to report that God continues to prove Himself FAITHFUL by doing Great Things at our "Renaissance Gatherings" and beyond! Almost weekly, as Mindi and I speak with those the Lord allows our paths to cross there is a marked interest in what we are doing with "Renaissance" and what is going on in our world. Wednesday night we had a guest family with us, who has shown much interest in how we differ from their traditional religious background, and the Lord touched them in a deeply. Last week Mindi began walking every morning with a group of ladies and one, who is a Mormon, began to ask her about our beliefs. I believe the pattern for growth is simple - the ONLY method the First Church, in the Book of Acts, ever employed for Evangelism was PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.
It is evident that the "climate" of our culture is stirring the hearts of people who recognize that the “culmination of the times” is upon us all. There is a frustration within the souls of many that I come in contact with who realize that there is something calling them "deeper" than a traditional religious involvement or a new teaching series that tells them how to live a practical life.
Many, recently, have begun to express the thought that no matter how suitable teaching may be for everyday life, there appears to be an empty place SPIRITUALLY that nothing seems to fill. The truth is that there is a Spiritual Aspect of the human condition that MUST be dealt with before anything else in life really works; and this need can only be meet by the New Birth experience that Jesus spoke of in John 3:5, "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." We can NEVER forget that the most important thing the Church has been called to accomplish is to bring people to a “saving knowledge” of Jesus through obedience to the Gospel (Acts 2:38).
And yet, it is provoking to realize that the Driving Force of the early Church, in the Book of Acts, was the final message given concerning Christ at His ascension, in Acts 1:11, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10: "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."
From a Biblical Point of View our growth, as a Church, should be predicated upon ONLY one thing - SOULS!!! The reason why the Apostles, Prophets and Disciples in the Bible were willing to die for the Gospel was because they had discounted any and everything that the world had to offer for the Eternal Reward of Heaven.
I am afraid that the Church in this age has lost sight of its purpose and also it's calling. Jesus came to "seek and save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Therefore, as the "Body of Christ" and the representation of the Kingdom in the Earth, our First Mission should be the redemption of people from the judgment that awaits the unsaved. However, when we no longer hear that, "Jesus is coming!" - Our passion for the lost begins to wane and the fires of responsibility that once burned in our hearts now wax cold.
As we began to formulate The Vision for "Renaissance Church" we plotted a course that included "Reviving ancient truths and restoring them to the current culture.” One of those Cardinal Doctrine's from the Scripture is "The Return of the Lord"! The "backbone" of "God's Plan for Man" is the final destruction of the devil and the final Reign of Christ. This prophetic promise was in fact the very FIRST prophetic utterance given in the Scripture in Genesis 3:15 and is thus, the foundation for the rest of the Scripture.
There are several other reasons why the preaching of the Doctrine of Christ's "soon return" is the key to our passion for godly living, evangelism and revival:
1. The study of Bible Prophecy convinces us that there really is a God - for ONLY God can reveal the future. Prophecy is history written in advance. As we come to the conclusion of the Dispensation of Grace, on a daily basis things written thousands of years ago concerning Israel, the attitude of the world and the condition of the Church are coming to pass.
2. The study of Bible Prophecy promotes evangelism in the Church - In John 14:3 Jesus said, "I will come again and receive you unto myself." And history shows that for the next 300 years after Christ's death, burial and resurrection the Church was fueled with evangelistic fires that couldn't be quenched by poverty, persecution or crises - because one of the most prominent teaching of that time was: "The Return of Christ"!
3. The study of Bible Prophecy purifies the saved - 1 John 3:3 says, "And every man that hath this hope (The Return of Christ) in Him (Jesus) purifieth himself, even as He (Jesus) is pure." This age is unholy, ungodly and sinful and too much of the world is too often found in the Church! The question we should ask ourselves is this, "Do I want to be doing this when Christ returns?" The closeness of the rapture should bring to the hearts of our children the reverence needed to keep them pure in this perverse age. The fear of the Lord and the judgment that awaits those who walk in disobedience should cause each of us to daily walk in a perpetual state of repentance before the Lord. The coming of Christ should be the driving force for us to reach out to the lost around us through the exemplification of a Holy Lifestyle without blemish or foreign mixture.
As we build "Renaissance Church" we must ensure that our foundation is strong and that our structure is sound. We must build a place where the broken are restored, the lost can be redeemed and the wounded can be healed. The weight of the ages is upon us, the times demand our best, the world deserves our message and Heaven is calling for our involvement.
I believe that within a matter of weeks we will be in the building that God has ordained for us; however, until then, we will continue to meet at our house every Sunday at 10:30 am and every Wednesday at 7:30 pm for worship, prayer and teaching. I encourage you to bring someone with you - and let's have REVIVAL - Jesus is Coming Soon!
Pastor Ricky Saulters
