Thanks-Giving: The Joy of being like our Dad

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Trucks and trunk loads of food overwhelmed Parker Task Force food bank last Friday. My friend Steve, who runs the food bank, called me up to help out as they ramped up for the Thanksgiving donations soon to be given to hundreds of individuals and families.

Volunteers struggled to keep up with the constant supply of turkeys, cranberry sauce, potatoes, stuffing, and lots of pumpkin pies–I have to confess my mind triggered hunger pains and thoughts of hijacking a pie along with a container of whipped cream to hide in a corner to indulge for just a few minutes, but I resisted.

In the midst of the frenzy of activity there was this intangible evidence of love, joy, and peace. Yes, it was busy and people were scrambling all over the place, but everything felt good and right. Maybe the best way to describe it was a taste of Heaven entered the building. People of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages worked together either donating or sorting food AND something or SOMEONE powerful united hearts together as each one gave of their time and joyfully served others.

The combination of giving and serving had a transforming power, which produced joy, an authentic joy that made you want to stay right where you were, in a sense it was an act of worship. It was as if our Father was exclaiming, “this is what you are made for!” When we give away our time, talents, and treasures we reflect the very heart of our Heavenly Father. The Bible tells us everyone on this planet is created in His image (Gen. 1:27) and at the Heart of our Father is a love that never stops giving. Don’t forget our Father so loved the world that He gave His most precious and costly gift to us-His only Son (Jn. 3:16). When we participate in giving-even the most insignificant gifts-we somehow connect to our Father’s Heart and a joy from heaven is released into our hearts that brings heaven to earth.

Picture for a moment what our consumer world would look like if each one of us spent more time imitating our Father in Heaven. What if we generously gave such love away without expecting anything in return? Friday I witnessed a beautiful painting depicted such an image! It was joyful! It was fun! It was something I hope we all can be apart of often-not just at Thanksgiving or Christmas-but the holidays are a good place to start.

Perhaps this Thanksgiving season each of us can give thanks to your Dad by an act of giving that will result in Heaven’s JOY coming to earth.

Oceans Ministries 2017 Thanksgiving Report

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“O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name for in perfect faithfulness You have done marvelous things.” Isaiah 25:1

Praise for The Father’s “Perfect Faithfulness and Marvelous Things.”

These words best describe the passion of Oceans-which is to make the love of the Father known to physical and spiritual orphans around the world! We have witnessed the Father’s “perfect faithfulness” by which He has “done marvelous things” this past year through People, Partner Ministries, Publications, Provision, and Prayer.

People

Encountering Jesus – Weekly we get the privilege of seeing Jesus through sharing the Father’s love to the homeless in downtown Denver, seminars in jails and prisons, speaking in schools and churches, retreats, individual counseling and bringing teams to Lesotho Africa.

Mike & Dawn Verkaik – We praise the God for Mike and Dawn jumping into the “Ocean” with us this September. God has already used Mike in amazing ways to raise up a new generation of disciples that will radically live the Kingdom of God through trips to Africa. Mike will oversee the work of the teams that go to Lesotho, Africa as well as representing Oceans Ministries in the Midwest and the East Coast.

Michelle Bennett – We praise God for Michelle’s step of faith to move to Lesotho, Africa and serve at Beautiful Gate Care Center. It is Oceans privilege to be her spiritual covering and support.

Lerato Motsiane – Lerato is a young man, orphaned at an early age in Lesotho whom we have had the privilege of working alongside at Beautiful Gate. We believe God has a calling on his life to do missions in Africa. We praise God that we can help provide for his education at the Youth with a Mission training center in South Africa.

Partner Ministries

Beautiful Gate Care Center – We have been so blessed to walk along side of BG with teams from the US, support, and work projects. The staff and the children continually teach us what the Kingdom of God looks like. We have the privilege of providing a leadership conference and vision trip at BG in January 2018 as well as exposing other high school teams to this God ordained center in March and June.

Bountiful Hope – We praise our Father for this ministry that continues to educate 80 orphan high school students in Lesotho each year. Oceans’ has been blessed to provide pizza parties, mini retreats, and watch these young people with broken lives impact our teams in powerful ways as Christ shines through their brokenness.

Somonkong Children’s Center – We have been asked by Beautiful Gate to partner with them in helping this struggling orphanage in the mountains of Lesotho. The needs are great, however we have already been amazed how our Good Father has moved in the hearts of those in the states to come alongside this vital work.

Jesus on Colfax/Parker Task Force – It has been a rich blessing each week to team up with these ministries to provide food and the Good news of God’s love to the homeless in hotels on Colfax St. in Aurora, Colorado.

Publications

Climbing Prayer Mountain – We are so thankful for how God put this devotional together and the how it is being used in churches, small groups, and individual lives.

Journey to the Father’s Heart – God continues to open doors for this book to be used in prison ministries, small groups and individuals seeking healing from the Father’s love. We are happy to announce the Spanish version is almost complete.

Weekly Blogs & Podcast –

Provision

We stand in awe of how God has used many of you to help fund Oceans Ministries. Month after month He has showed Himself “perfect in faithfulness.” This truly is a testimony to the marvelous work of our Father, all glory to His name and thank you for being His vessel to bring the Father’s love to the nations.

Prayer for the Father’s Vision to be Unleashed

We are so thankful for all the prayers brought to the Father on behalf of Oceans Ministries. We know that none of the above could have happened without the Father’s hand moving through the prayers of His people. We ask you to continue to lift this ministry up so that we can continue to let the Father’s glorious love be made known to the ends of the earth.

Sincerely the Oceans Ministries Board

Tim Spykstra, Danell Czarnecki, Steve Dykstra, Curt Spykstra

Oceans Ministries

P0 Box 461024

Aurora, CO 80046

 

 

 

 

The Revelation of the Father – Walking on His Promises

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I still remember that balmy night sharing a cup of coffee at a café near the old city of Jerusalem. I was with a fellow graduate student in our study program. Craig said to me, “Tim, once you experience God in Israel you will have a passion to return.” He spoke as one with experience, as this was his 7th trip to Israel. And I will vouch that Craig was absolutely right. The moment the plane landed I truly felt a peaceful presence, a feeling like somehow this was home!

 

I am definitely a visual learner and all my senses came alive as we traveled through this small country. The Words of Scripture sprung to life. So many truths of the Father’s faithful promises were evident. One excursion took us to the southern desert ruins of Beersheba where Abraham lived and worshiped God. We trekked down to the well he dug, the same well Isaac reopened some years later, and the place where God spoke to Isaac and said:

 

I am the God of your Father Abraham. Do not be afraid for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham. Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD… (Gen. 26:23-25).

 

I have never been able to forget that day at Beersheba and God speaking through the land and His Word. It was an unbelievable moment to comprehend as I stood in the very place where Abraham and his son both worshiped God over 4000 years earlier. Abraham, and his miracle child Isaac, learned to trust in their Father God’s promises even when the promises seemed slow in coming. Yet, they handed over their hearts to their Father God in surrendered worship and believed and acted on the impossible.

 

That day as I walked on that sacred ground of promise, I couldn’t help but think that through Jesus I am one of Abraham’s “descendants” as I trust in a Father who does the impossible and keeps His promises-go ahead and read Romans 4. I believe in this next move of God the Spirit is calling us back to believe in a Father God who has the power to do the impossible in and through His children who trust in Him. We even have a greater advantage over Abraham as we have seen many of the promises of Abraham already fulfilled climaxing in Christ Jesus the King!

 

So may you walk boldly on His Promises as children of Father Abraham, even in the midst of this fractured, hurting world may you trust in the powerful promises of the Father’s love, which give you abundant life.

 

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Also, if you desire to join us as we physically walk on the Land of Promise a few spots are still available for the June 18-29, 2018 trip. Please contact Bryan Vander Tuig bryandvt6791@gmail.com or Tim Spykstra Tim.spykstra@oceansministries.org

 

The Next Reformation – The Revelation of the Father

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There is an amazing spiritual pattern that takes place in the history of the world every 500 years or so that highlights a major move of the Spirit of God to reveal His heart to His children. Notice His unfolding revelations:

 

  • 2000 BC – Abraham chosen to be a blessing to the world (Gen. 12:1-3).
  • 1500 BC – Moses chosen to lead God’s people out of prison to be a nation of priests to declare His glory to the nations (Ex. 19:1-6).
  • 1000 BC – David chosen to be a king after His own heart and the descendant, the Messiah to rule the nations (2 Sam. 7:11-16).
  • 500 BC – Ezra/Nehemiah chosen to revive a broken people and bring them back to His love and joy (Neh. 8:10).
  • 0 AD – His Son Jesus chosen to die to redeem a fallen world to Himself and live in His children through the Holy Spirit becoming His body in the world.
  • 500 AD – Pope Gregory the Great a part of a monastic movement chosen to reshape culture and spread the Gospel to the nations.
  • 1000 AD – Pope Gregory the 7th chosen to reform the church and reawaken a spiritual fervor.
  • 1500 AD – Men and women of the Reformation chosen to redirect His children back to Christ, His Word, Faith, Grace, and His Glory alone!
  • 2000 AD – Children chosen to reveal the Father’s glory!

 

Today marks the 500th anniversary of the nailing of the 95 theses on the Wittenberg castle door in Germany by the monk Martin Luther. Luther’s protest against church abuses found in these theses launched a reformed movement in the church that would once again awaken the church spiritually by bringing it back to the Simple Gospel.

 

Another 500 year from October 31, 1517 is upon us and I’m convinced a new move of the Spirit of God is happening in our day. As in eras past once again we are in desperate need of God’s Spirit to reawaken His children from a slumbering sleep. I believe this Next Reformation will revive a struggling church, empower a new breed of discipleship, and flood the nations with a glorious revelation of God as has never been seen before.

 

As the last Reformation brought us back to Christ and a salvation by grace through faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9) I believe this New Reformation will bring us back to a greater Revelation of the Father. I am excited to unpack the truths found in the last verse of Jesus prayer in John 17:25-26:

 

Righteous Father…I have made you known to them and will continue to make You known in order that the love you have for Me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.

 

This prayer of Jesus sums up His mission, “I have made You known and will continue to make You known…” When the church or His children truly come to know who the Father is “the whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, a living knowledge of God ocean deep, ocean wide.” (Isaiah 11:9 MSG).

 

I believe we are about to see this powerful wave of Isaiah’s prophecy hit our spiritual shoreline and awaken us to an intimate life changing revelation of our Abba Father that will flood the earth. Join me as we wait with expectancy and pray further into these promises.

Oceans, Mountains, and Seeking the Will of the Father

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Last weekend I preached at a church in Colorado Springs and the individual who introduced me said he was curious how Oceans Ministries came to be located in Colorado? I had to laugh and welcomed the opportunity to share how several years ago while pastoring in California and praying at the Pacific Ocean the Spirit impressed on my heart Habakkuk 2:14:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

 I often page back to the journal entry where I wrote, “one day I would be apart of a ministry called Oceans that would share the love of the Father all over the world.”

What exactly all that meant at the time-I really had no idea. But the ocean was not the only place I heard the still small voice of the Lord. The mountains were also a part of this journey as I spent time praying at a retreat center located nearby the very church I was at. There in the majesty of the mountains, I heard the Father’s voice prompting me that the time had come to start Oceans Ministries. This decision radically changed the course of life for each member of my family and although not an easy decision- I wholeheartedly believe that this was God’s will. But how did I really know it was HIS voice and HIS will?

These six key words assisted me and I hope they will also help you discern God’s will for your life.

 

  1. Presence-Take time to immerse yourself in God’s presence. Get away from the busyness of life and gaze upon the glory of the LORD. When I went to the retreat center in Colorado Springs it was just to be with Him. He was my agenda and I had no idea what was coming from that encounter.
  2. Partnering with the Spirit and the Word–Listen to these wise words from George Mueller: “I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. I if look to the Spirit alone without the Word I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them,” (George Mueller, Man of Faith, p. 46). That weekend in the Colorado Springs God continued to bring me to various Scriptures like Habakkuk 2:14.
  3. Providential Circumstances–There were many circumstances going on at the time that God was using, but one that stood out was a song from Hillsong called Oceans. I listened to it numerous times during the retreat and found myself in tears-as I felt Abba Father saying step out on the water in faith.
  4. Prayer-For 3 days I prayed while hiking. I prayed in my room. I prayed in the retreat gardens. In each prayer I pleaded with God to show me His will.
  5. People-While at the retreat I met with a Spiritual Director. God used her in an amazing way to help me discern the promptings I felt deep within my soul. My wife Patty also has a discerning spirit and I knew that if this were of God she would affirm it. I will never forget her response when I shared with her my impressions she simply said, “What are you waiting for?”
  6. Peace–Hear the words of George Mueller: “Thus through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions I proceed accordingly. (p. 47). Peace is a powerful indicator that you are walking into the will of God as Mueller states. I remember getting on the plane back to CA flooded with peace believing I was stepping into His will.

 

Each and every day we face situations where we need to discern God’s will for our lives. I pray that these 6 points will be helpful for you as they have been for me when we seek to discern the voice of The Father.