STATE OF THE MINISTRY
July 2012
Dear Friends,
The State of the Ministry gives an overall view of the ministry and the various venues of ministry where the Lord has called us to serve.
ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:17-19) I continue to meet one-on-one with men on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. Our meetings involve different things from a lot of listening, counseling through Scripture, teaching the Scriptures through books and Bible study, as well as praying, coaching and encouraging them over a face-to-face meeting. Then we stay in touch by phone, e-mail and other ministry forums in between meeting times. The overall goal is growth in Christ and conformity to His image and character as each man increasingly discovers God’s unique purpose for his life learned through the life lessons God uses to shape us for His glory as expressed in the following Scripture: “For we are God’s workmanship (masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) I pray regularly for the Lord to connect me with God-fearing men who love the Lord per Psalm 119: 63, 74, 79: “I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts (peers). May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word (disciples). May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes (mentors).” We all need a Paul (mentor), a Barnabas (peer) and a Timothy (disciple) in our life. Spiritual growth comes from both giving and receiving God’s love and truth through in-depth, honest and accountable relationships. Without these relationships our spiritual growth is stunted and our influence on our families, workplace and community is minimized.
FRIDAY MORNING MEN’S FELLOWSHIP
“It was he (Jesus Christ) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (Eph. 4:11-12) “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) This October will be our twentieth year of “meeting together” each Friday morning from 7:00-8:00 a.m. as a group of men from various businesses and church denominations. We meet at Piccadilly Cafeteria and are so grateful for their faithful hospitality. The purpose of our time is twofold as seen by the Scriptures above: to equip men for ministry and to provide fellowship for encouragement and accountability. I teach from the Scriptures for the first part of the hour, and then we split up in small groups and discuss questions related to the message. The Lord has blessed us with several men who help me by bringing the message from time to time. We also hear the testimonies of the other men in the group and learn from their personal experiences with our Lord. We share our praises and our prayer needs and pray for and encourage one another.
MONTHLY BIBLE STUDIES
I lead a monthly Bible Study at CBI, a construction company, for my friend and owner Steve Head, his men and some of our friends near Steve’s office. I also serve as a chaplain for Steve’s company. We recently completed a four-year study of Handbook to Leadership (see comments below) and began a new study this year on the book of Hebrews. Also, I am now meeting monthly with a group of men in the Duluth area using Handbook to Leadership created by Kenneth Boa, Sid Buzzell, and Bill Perkins teaching through the 52-Week Leadership Guide. I am praying about starting a monthly study with a group in the Perimeter Mall area. If you are interested please let me know.
A DAY ALONE WITH GOD
“So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with him.” (John 1:39) “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16) “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”” (Luke 11:1) “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) The Day Alone with God begins early at 7:00 a.m. and concludes at 3:00 p.m. to avoid Atlanta traffic rush hours. I prepare a teaching and prayer guide on different topics such as Intimacy with Jesus, Stewardship, Humility Heaven, Spiritual warfare, etc. We begin with a time of worship and then I teach from the prayer guide to give the men an overview of the material that they will pray through. Then the men spend five hours alone with the Lord in a private room to read and pray through the prayer guide and write down their responses to reflection questions in the prayer guide. After this we re-gather for a time of sharing our experience of how the Lord met with us to refresh, guide, instruct or convict us. I am continually amazed and blessed at how the Lord speaks to and ministers to the men so personally. As we share our personal experiences with the Lord we experience the Body of Christ ministering to one another across denominational lines and through the unique callings and giftings of each man as seen in Ephesians 4:15-16: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Altogether, this time apart serves to encourage the men to spend more time alone with the Lord on a regular basis to be renewed, instructed and empowered by Him.
CERTIFIED CHRISTIAN LIFE-COACH
I completed my course work and received my certification as a Christian Life-Coach from the Center Of Advancement for Christian Coaching (now called, Center for Coaching Excellence). Coaching differs from mentoring or discipleship as it is generally focused on a specific need or issue, includes a higher level of accountability, is for a limited time period and most often is conducted by phone. Please check out our website for details on this venue of ministry. http://www.kenboa.org/reflections/associates/len_sykes/coaching
TEACHING LETTERS
“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you:” (1 Corinthians 11:23) My monthly letter and weekly teachings are provided on our website to pass on and communicate to you what the Lord has been teaching me. Hopefully this is edifying to you and will serve as a reminder to pray for us that God will empower us to carry out the work He has called us to. See my new web site: http://lensykes.com
PARTNERS IN PRAYER/FINANCES
“You sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your (eternal) account.” (Philippians 4:16-17). We live by faith in God’s provision and receive financial support from those we serve and those who believe in our work. We have no other source of income. At this time we are experiencing a significant decline (approximately 25%) in our contributions. Please pray with us for God’s on-going provision for this ministry. If you feel led to partner with us you can do this by mailing your donation check to Reflections Ministries, One Piedmont Center, Suite 130, Atlanta, 30305. Please make your check payable to Reflections and note “for Len Sykes” on the bottom of your check. Or for on-line giving go to www.KenBoa.org and click on Reflections/donations and scroll to Len Sykes. Thank you.
Until He Comes,
Len and Kristen