Leadership

The Battle For Our Mind

Dear Central Members & Friends,

As I type this letter to you, I am out of town on a business trip. God has been dealing with me about a number of topics lately and I am so grateful that I am better able to discern at this stage of my life, His invisible hand at work on so many fronts in our lives, community and even in our nation, despite the weekly chaos we are constantly seeing on television!!!

We are constantly engaged in a battle, which at times these battles are both visible and invisible. Satan is a very skilled solider and knows how to launch his attack against our nation and community, while also engaging personal attacks against us individually and collectively.

One of the things we need to understand is that typically his battles start with our minds. Satan is clearly aware that if he can control our mind, he can determine our actions. Our actions are directly related to what we believe in our minds!!

God has impressed within my Sprit to start a new sermon series titled “THE BATTLE FOR OUR MIND” on Sunday. I will start the introduction to this sermon series and please know we will be camped out as a church for a while on this series. I am confident that if you engage spiritually and put into practice the sermon material from this series,  that it will result in a transformational impact on your life and also in your relationship with people.

We must remember that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but our war is against Satan. When people behave badly, they are just being used by Satan at that moment to work his darkness. He is the prince of darkness. Therefore, we must turn our focus from people to the real source of the problem!!! This doesn’t mean that you don’t address people when they are wrong. What it does mean is you don’t write them off because God’s grace is sufficient for us as well as for them!!

I informed the Bible Study students who were in attendance on Wednesday night that we will also be engaged in a new bible study series on Wednesday night. It will be required attendance for all leaders. I will share more about our plans for Wednesday night on Sunday morning.

Remember to go to bed a little early and your clocks will spring forward one hour at 2:00 AM so you don’t want to be late arriving for our Sunday service. I would encourage our out of state guest on our mailing list to acquire a copy of each message from this sermon series. All of our local members should be in attendance and bring a guest. You don’t want me to win the most invited guest award for the month of March!!

As I close please pray for our brothers and sisters who have been hampered by the major storm surges in the Northeast and my safe return home on Saturday evening!!

Grace & Shalom!!!!

Pastor Perry

Rick ZimmermanThe Battle For Our Mind
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Second Cornerstone of 2017: Witnessing

Dear Central Members & Friends

As I pen this letter to you I pray that you have been diligently applying all that we have learned from our biblical studies and the sermons on “Modeling Grace” one of our four cornerstones for 2017. We are now camped-out on our second cornerstone “Witnessing” and will be learning and growing together in this study for the balance of the 1st quarter of 2017.

One of the best ways to apply what we are learning about witnessing is to actively engaged in the process by bringing a guest to church each Sunday. This will require courage and discipline on your part to find a family member or individual who doesn’t have a church home and invite them to ride with you or join you for our worship service each Sunday. I am counting on all of us to be diligent and engaged in this process for the building up of God’s kingdom. The most effective way to learn and grow as a Christian is to be actively engaged in applying all the principles outlined in the word of God by obeying that which God has commanded us to do as believers.

Please don’t be disappointed or give up when you invite someone and they turn you down. This is part of the growth journey for you and the person. I am so grateful for all of the people who actively engaged in witnessing to me when I was lost and didn’t realize that I was only hurting myself when I said no to the invitation to discover Christ as my Lord and Savior.

Our role is to be faithful and loving so they can see the light of Christ in us. As I reflect on Jesus words about the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 we must remember that He commissioned not only the eleven apostles, but all who were present, more than five hundred disciples. However, note something of crucial importance: it was impossible for that generation to reach the whole world in its lifetime. Therefore, the commission given to the first generation of believers extends beyond to all generations of believers. The very same charge given to them is given to us. Our Lord charges us with the very same words, “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations…..”

This requires active engagement from all of us individually and collectively within the Body of Christ, not just the church leaders. Therefore, I am counting on all of us to do our part in learning how to be an even more effective “witness” for Christ. I can’t wait to see you each Sunday during service as we “dig a deeper well and grow together during this series on witnessing”.

Sincerely Your Brother In Christ!!

Pastor Perry Stuckey

 

Rick ZimmermanSecond Cornerstone of 2017: Witnessing
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The Extra Plus In Leadership

Dear Central Members & Friends,

As we embark on this leadership study together for the month of December and January I pray that your focus like mine is asking God to be the potter in this journey and mode and shape us into the spiritual leaders that we have the potential to become!!

Each individual will get the most out of this course of study by focusing on their individual shortcomings instead of looking at the shortcomings of others. As leaders we all have strengths and weakness that require constant effort and assistance from God in order that we may become more effective on earth for His kingdom building.

This journey will be challenging for each of us and I can promise you that if you stick with the course of study and spend quality time with God during your private devotion that you will see growth and maturity in your behavior as a leader. It has been my experience that those who believe they already know everything and there is little others can tell or teach them, will experience the least from this course of study and frankly typically acquire the least from any biblical study because they allow their own conduct to get in the way of their spiritual development & growth.

God’s Word promises us that it will not to return back void. We are constantly reminded that “They that hunger and thirst after righteousness should be filled.” Matthew 5:6.

Let’s grow together on this exciting journey that will help us get to the next level as church family during 2017. 

Your Brother In Christ,

Pastor Perry Stuckey

Rick ZimmermanThe Extra Plus In Leadership
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