Tag Archive for: An Open Door

An Open Door – Turning the Knob – Repentance

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My son TJ spent his spring break in a small Texas town with other college students at a ministry for ex-offenders. Of all our phone conversations over the past three years away from home none was like this. TJ carried 90% of the conversation as he shared how the Spirit of God broke out in a powerful way among both college students and those in the re-entry program at the ministry.

Heaven opened and invaded hearts during the group’s times of prayer and worship. Students began to share openly with one another and sins were confessed as a spirit of humility and brokenness took over hearts. After four days of this intense work of God one of the students, who wasn’t even supposed to be on the trip, surrendered his life to Christ. His walls were high and thick caused by past pain, but as others shared their personal struggles with sin and their own spiritual battles cracks formed in his soul and the light of Christ broke in and brought everlasting love and salvation.

A few days after this young man’s conversion, the team from Northwestern College led worship at a maximum-security prison with one of the largest populations of lifers in the country. The young man who just received Christ got up in a crowded chapel and shared his testimony with the inmates. TJ said the whole experience was so powerful and the worship so anointed! College students and inmates alike belted out the words to the song, “I am a Child of God.” Truly each of one of them experienced God’s presence, which transformed the room with the joy of the Lord.

As I reflected on my conversation with my son and what their team encountered it is clear that one of the ways the knob to the door of Heaven is turned open is through repentance. As the Northwestern group shared their struggles with sin, confessed them to each other, and called out for mercy and grace to come from the blood of Jesus, Heaven opened. The gospels echo this idea of repentance through the ministry of John the Baptist. John came as a “voice in the wilderness” calling people to encounter the “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin,” Mark 1:4, this act would ready hearts to experience the gift from Heaven, who is Jesus Christ.

Jesus identified with our sins and was baptized by John in the Jordon River. Mark 1:10 says those present saw “heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him (Jesus) like a dove…” True Repentance turns from sin to a forgiving Savior, tears Heaven open for the Spirit of Christ to come and change hearts for eternity. Pause and paint that picture in your mind! Now that is power! I want that Open Heaven above for me!

Go ahead and turn the knob of repentance. It takes courage to look at one’s heart and see the “stuff” we need to confess. BUT repentance leads to forgiveness and the fruit will be absolutely unbelievable. Our Father is on the move as evidenced from what happened to these college students in Texas. I don’t want to miss it! I’m praying that God would give His beloved people a spirit to confess our sins and turn once again back to Jesus. He is the only one who has the power to turn the knob of Heaven’s door and allow His Spirit to bring Heaven to earth.

An Open Door – The Holy Spirit’s Indwelling

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Every morning between 5 and 6 AM my alarm clock went off without fail. With some clocks you can hit the snooze and get some extra Zzz’s but not this one, its snooze was permanently out of order. And if I didn’t deal with my persistent alarm by jumping out of bed not only would the whole family wake up but part of the neighborhood as well. I would be fully awake by the time I opened the door to the garage and turned off the barking alarm by filling up a cup with dog food and pouring it into a silver dish. Kiah went from barking to tailing wagging as she delightfully devoured her dog chow. After her breakfast and pouring my freshly brewed coffee she followed me into my office for our morning devotions where she sat content at my feet dreaming of her next meal.

A few weeks ago my alarm didn’t go off, it was a sad day in the Spykstra home as that morning the barking stopped. I was reminiscing with my daughter Anna about our beloved dog Kiah and the joy she brought to our home as well as the numerous life lessons. One of the first lessons we shared was her consistent begging and barking for food. Faithfully at five in the morning and at five at night her internal clock went off and she would not give up until we fed her. Food was her passion; even around the dinner table she would sit up like a prairie dog on her hind legs and give you the saddest look until you slipped her some scraps.

Kiah was a constant reminder to us of what our relationship to the Father in Heaven was to be like. We need to keep crying out and begging the Father to open Heaven’s door and feed us with the presence of His Holy Spirit. E.M. Bounds, a well-known author on prayer says concerning the Holy Spirit, “He is the Father’s greatest gift for the child’s greatest need.” Jesus states this truth when he says in John 15:16ff.

“And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth…he will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” 

The “daily bread” that is most needed is the Spirit of the Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ awakened in us. Jesus and His disciples after Him would not think of doing life and ministry without the Bread from Heaven. They showed us this Gift from the Father can only come our way by continually “asking, seeking and knocking” on the door of Heaven. Jesus says to us “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” John 16:24.

I miss my alarm clock, but maybe now more than ever I’m trying to learn from Kiah’s example of not giving up barking out for food until the door opens and the bowl is filled and “joy is complete.” I believe we are in a new move of Father God where His children are getting hungry again. Neither the treats of this world nor the traditions of men have been able to satisfy the souls deepest desire, only the Father’s presence can fill that with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

An Open Door – The Heart of a Child

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A blizzard, a dog, and a picture that captured my heart. Last week my brother and his family ventured off to sunny Southern California and asked us to look after their dog Daisy. While they were making sand castles at the beach I was trying to navigate through one of the worst Colorado blizzards on record to rescue Daisy.

After making it through 20 plus inches of snow that was literally blowing from every direction I sat down on the couch with Daisy snuggled on my lap and warmed up with a cup of hot coffee wondering if our Ford Escape nicknamed Miles had what it took to make the excursion back. As I slowly perked up from the caffeine I noticed a picture on the wall that caught my attention. It was of a large wooden ancient door in the midst of a stone block fortress. Towards the bottom of the picture was a blonde two- year old boy wearing blue overalls, he had his right hand on the door handle and was just barely pulling it open. The door was cracked open only few inches, and a bright light streamed through as the young child peered his head inside to get a peek of what was beyond the door.

With Daisy in hand I got up to take a closer look at the painting and written on the bottom in cursive were these words, “to such belong the Kingdom of God.” As the storm raged on outside, shaking the windows violently I heard a gentle inner voice whisper, “doors are opened by babies who believe.” Isn’t this what Jesus taught us in Mark 10:15, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” The Greek word for “little child” is an infant or a baby. The door to the Kingdom is opened by “spiritual babies” little two year olds who by faith grab the handle and pull it open.

As I continued to think about the picture I wondered what the young child saw as he peered into the light? Perhaps the answer is found in Mark 10:16, “And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” The first person behind the open door who is waiting to bless us is Jesus. When we have that child like trust and grab for the handle the reward is a Resurrected Savior, who unlocked the door to the Kingdom by His death and resurrection! He is waiting to receive us with His everlasting arms of love that will never let us go. Jesus is the greatest gift an open door brings. No matter what door He is leading us to and through He is always on the other side waiting to carry us in His loving arms on another Kingdom adventure.

As we just celebrated the gift of Good Friday and the victory of Resurrection Sunday I praise God for a blizzard, a dog named Daisy, and picture that reminded me “that doors are opened by babies that believe!”

 

An Open Door – A Greater One

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Talk about a long time ago! I was just a young, seminarian who thought he knew all the answers back then. You can’t imagine how surprised I was to receive a letter from a man I met more than 25 years ago at Folsom Prison. Vance is the one I credit for opening the door for me to begin speaking in prisons, well actually God used him, but nonetheless way back when he wrote a letter to the President of Westminster Seminary things changed for me. Vance’s request was for fellow believers to help bring God’s Word to those behind bars, I “happened” to be in the right place at the right time, although I wasn’t so sure at the time, and was asked to submit paperwork so that I could teach in the prison chapel. I had no idea that this would later be a significant moment in my Christian walk. To put it bluntly, “My life was forever changed!”

The prison doors clanked behind me, I entered into a place where grace and forgiveness flowed freely, and the powerful Kingdom of God penetrated through those prison walls! It was in this unexpected place that God taught me different lessons through men like Vance. It was here in this “home for hardened hearts” where I realized His heart and that this is where Jesus loves to hang out. It was here that God used Vance sentenced to life in prison to initiate a reformation and revival that broke out of the prison doors and would eventually touch lives all over the world!

Let me share a portion of his letter with you:

I have come to that great crossroad where I put aside all of my own ambitions for this life in this world (such as freedom) when I had that epiphany that Christ is about salvation, and the resurrection from the dead into sinless perfection, and face to face with God in all His glory and beauty forever. When Jesus said at Gethsemane, “Not my will, but your will be done,” he provided the perfect example of denying selfish wants and desires picking up the cross that God has given, and doing his will. Tim, it came to me that Jesus said, “If possible, take this cup from me.” Therefore, it was not possible to free me from prison and fulfill His plan for the hundreds of men touched by my direct ministry in here…

Vance surrendered to the will of His Father in prison and another, greater door has opened for him to witness to many others residing both inside and outside of those prison doors. I wonder how my life would have been different if Vance had not written that letter way back then, and if I had not been the one asked to drive up the California coast to preach. I wonder if I would have missed out on a great Kingdom training ground for my soul and the Kingdom movement that was birthed because of Vance’s surrendering heart.

All this makes me reflect on this week, Holy Week and Jesus’ prayer to His Abba Father of “not my will but your will be done.” I wonder if Jesus had blurted out, “No” to becoming a prisoner of wicked sinful me; and, “No” to his execution on a curial cross? If this was the case the world would be left hopeless and forever imprisoned to Satan and his cohorts because of our sin.” But Jesus humbly said, “Yes to the cross” and this act of obedience opened wide a greater door for sinners to be washed in His perfect blood and enter into the Kingdom of a loving Father forever. I know for sure that I am forever grateful!

Jesus shows us the way to that greater door when he prays:

“Abba Father…everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” Mark 14:36.

You and I need to remember this verse that when our requests for a particular door to open is answered with a “no,” perhaps we need to step back and bring to mind Vance and more importantly Jesus and look for the greater door that awaits. We need to only walk through it.

 

 

An Open Door – The Divine Adventure

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Last week Tuesday my friend Steve emailed me about a radio interview he heard with John Ortberg, a pastor who authored the book, All The Places To Go How Will You Know? God has placed before you an open door. What will you do? This was quite astounding as I had just posted a blog that morning on “An Open Door” from Revelation 3:8. Even more interesting is that Steve and another friend Mike had flights to Colorado arriving on Friday to help in the discernment process concerning a possible ministry door. The question before us, “Was God calling us to walk through this door?”

Steve found the book and bought 3 copies out with him for us to read as we seek, discern and pray about this possible ministry door and God’s will. We all dove into the book and had some fantastic discussions. It is a worthwhile read, especially if you are sensing that God may be calling you to walk through another door. Here are few words from the back of the book:

God places lots of open doors in front of us every day. For those who recognize them and choose to walk through, life becomes a divine adventure. And those who don’t well…not only are they missing out on a lot of incredible adventures and experiences, they’re missing out on all the amazing work God wants to do through them! 

As I have been pondering some apparent open doors, not wanting to miss “a divine adventure,” yet still faced with some fears, I again pondered Revelations 3, especially verse 7:

“These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the keys of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.”

Jesus holds the keys to all the doors because He is the true King, the one king David pointed to. The one who opens the door into the presence of God the Father and His Kingdom through His life, death, and resurrection. Jesus is the one always calling out to follow after a divine kingdom adventure. I think of Peter and the other disciples struggling to stay afloat in a violent storm and Jesus appears even walking on water. But Jesus does more than that He calls out for them to “take courage it is I don’t be afraid,” and tells Peter to come, an open door to do the impossible. And Peter accepts the invitation and walks forward and walks on water. Talk about a “divine adventure.” All was good until his eyes looked away from His King and focused on the impossible life-threating storm it was then that fear griped him.

However as Peter began to sink like a rock, the King immediately rescued him in his arms and said, “You of little faith…why did you doubt.” Walking through the door into a divine adventure is always risky and uncertain, sort of like walking on water. But the key is to keep our eyes on the King who holds the keys to the Kingdom.

I praise God for some great friends this past weekend that reminded me to keep looking at the King who always waits for me on the other side of the door he has opened.