The Centurion Law Enforcement
FCPO Newsletter and Bible Study
The "thin blue line" covered by the blood of Christ.
Fellow  Sheepdogs  & Supporters:

My hope is that this week's Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry/FCPO newsletter and Bible study finds you staying the course (God's course) with a "front sight focus" on Him in the midst of whatever you're going through. In fact, that "focus" is front and center in this week's Bible study -- scroll down!

Miss last week's newsletter? Here it is again: " God, Cops and Dads" (and don't forget that I also a lways re-post them on our  Facebook , Twitter  feeds and our website as well). 

Finally, here's a great word from FCPO Executive Director and retired Chattanooga PD Captain,  Paul Lee, that I'm pressed to share with you: Christians, do you know who your enemy is?   As I've repeatedly stated, the local arm of the Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry is our FCPO-Aurora chapter and we do in fact fully support the mission of the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers - USA . Once your done with reading his message, check out Paul's powerful testimony that is has many parallels to my own ("brothers from a different mother").

Let's get home safe from our shifts while being radically bold in Christ -- a part of which can include sharing these newsletters/Bible studies with others.   

MC



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RESOURCES

Fellow Christian police detective/author/speaker J. Warner Wallace has published an excellent short article that biblically answers, " Why Would a Good God Allow Pain and Suffering?"


PRAYER REQUESTS
 
(1)  A Christian cop's son is fight for his life against Leukemia.  Please pray for Noah and his family: Team Noah.

(2)  With his permission, I'm asking that we be in prayer for fellow cop, author and former FCPO board member, Mike Dye. On July 5th, Mike will undergo robotic open heart surgery to correct an inherited condition.  Please lift Mike in prayer for a successful surgery and recovery.  

(3)  Pastor and fellow police chaplain Jack Crans has been a huge blessing in my life and that of a great many others.  On July 7th, Jack will undergo a second surgery stemming from his recent heart attack.  All of us who love Jack covet your prayers for this brother.

(4) Pray for a LEO and his wife in Kansas who are going through a very difficult time in their marriage (yes, sin is at the heart of the issue). Pray for law enforcement marriages in general.

Have a prayer request or announcement you would like included here? Need prayer?   Email me !  I also post prayer requests on my Facebook page ("friend" me).  


UPCOMING EVENTS

(1)  As you know, writing and teaching on leadership (and SERVANT-leadership in particular) in law enforcement is a big part of what I do both in ministry and "on the job." Accordingly, I give strong support to Law Officer editor, friend, and fellow cop/law enforcement instructor, Travis Yates' latest seminar, Courageous Leadership .   

(2) Cop's wife Heidi Hogan and Badge of Hope Ministries are hosting the 3rd Annual Badge of Hope Law Enforcement "Mind and Marriage" Seminar this coming July 22nd in Lenexa, KS.  The keynote speakers will be my dear friends Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and Chaplain/Marine, Jim Bontrager.  

(3) The 2017 Breaching the Barricade Law Enforcement Conference and National Peace Officer Appreciation Day events are set for October 6 and 7 in Elkhart, IN. This year's outstanding lineup of speakers are J. Warner Wallace, Stacy and Martha Ettel, Brent and Vicki Newman, and Kristi Neace. Contact Jim Bontrager at warrioronthewall@gmail.com  for more info.



The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry

The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry is a FCPO-affiliated, evangelical Christian outreach to our own in law enforcement. These newsletters and Bible studies are part of this effort and past editions can be found on our website and on social media  ( Facebook and Twitter ) pages. Feel free to adapt these messages for your own individual or group use and please share them with others. 

In addition, I regularly speak at churches, retreats and both law enforcement and civilian conferences and events around the country -- please shoot me an email if I can be of service to your church, agency or organization.  
 
Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers
FCPO-USA exists to provide biblical support ("backup"), accountability and iron sharpens iron fellowship to Christian officers first in the U.S. and throughout the world as well. My metro Denver chapter -- FCPO #217/-((FCPO-Aurora), typically meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday at Calvary Aurora (High School Room, 7 PM) for "cop church" Bible study, prayer and servant-warrior fellowship . Spouses are both welcome and encouraged to attend with their LEO! Our next meeting is set for Thursday, July 13th.  

Information on the other FCPO chapters meeting around the country (including the new chapter here in Arvada, CO) can be found on the Chapter Locator pages on the FCPO-USA website.

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Where's Your Backup? -- Part 2

God is our Captain, our Comforter and our Backup -- especially in times of suffering

2 Corinthians 1:1-7

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: 
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Comfort in Suffering
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.  And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
 
As a ministry, we are committed to the wholly biblical process of WINning the lost to Christ, DISCIPLEing the believer and SENDing the trained believer back out to "repeat." Today's study is the fruit of that. While I was not present with Aurora PD Officer Matt Springer came to faith in Christ, I have the privilege of discipling him and starting the "send" process by having him teach at one of our two monthly Centurion/FCPO "cop church" chapter meetings. I asked Matt to pray about where God would lead him to share and this is the result: the first installment in his verse-by-verse study through Paul's second epistle to the church in Corinth.  What follows is my summary/recap of his teaching (his exegesis, my writing). Matt also recorded his message -- email him at  mnofstl10@comcast.net and he'll be happy to send you the download. 

2 Corinthians starts with a tough but true proposition for us (and one that the lost and lukewarm wish to avoid at all costs): Because of sin, this life is not easy and WILL involve pain and suffering. Praise God, our Lord has overcome the world ( John 16:33) and can/does use suffering to both grow us and train us up to help others (aka, " backup"). Let's dig in:

Paul was a tenacious man and on fire for the Lord.  While it is true that the Lord used Paul in great ways, it is no less true that that the Lord wants to do great things through us as well. Accordingly, in the letter of 2 Corinthians, Paul writes about some ways to show the love of Christ to others (loving others as He has loved us is His greatest commandment --  Matthew 22:36-40) even in the midst of pain and suffering.  

God's love must be poured into us and then through us as a conduit (pipeline.)  We cannot do anything to earn more of God's love ( Ephesians 2:8-9), nor can we lose the love we already have ( Romans 8:38-39).  God does not need us to show Him how much we love Him.  Instead, we need to take the love of God and push it out to our family, coworkers and friends.  It says in 1 John 4:11: " Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 

So in 2 Corinthians 1:1-7, Paul tells us that we can lead people to the comfort of God and in doing so, we can be a conduit God's love to others. Paul opens the passage by illustrating to the critics in Corinth that the authority given to him to teach was from Jesus Christ as willed to him by God the Father (vs. 1). The revelations and biblical wisdom that Paul preached to the church over the 18 months he was there were divinely given to him by Jesus. As such, Paul boldly tells the church at Corinth just that.  

In verse 2, Paul pens a very familiar set of words. In fact, he writes " grace" and " peace" (in that order) in all 13 of his epistles.  The fact that Jesus, Peter and John (in Revelation 1:4) use this word order suggests that the order is important. Clearly, without God's saving grace, we cannot have true peace (see Philippians 4:7). The gist is this: grace and peace go hand-in-hand with the comfort of God (the main t akeaway for this section of Scripture).
 
Look again at verses 3 and 4: " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."   In a very difficult era for law enforcement members and families, this passage might very well be the blueprint for effective emotional and spiritual "backup." As the issues stemming from and leading to our horrific rates of divorce, alcoholism, PTSD and suicide continue to rise, it is important to embrace the peace that God is the father of ALL comfort.  Since there is no other true comfort outside God, we must be vigilant in leading those in need of comfort to the peace and grace of Jesus Christ.  

Not only is God the God of ALL comforts, but it is also He who comforts us (believers) in ANY trial. This further takes the pressure off us because even when we don't have experience in what someone is going through, we just have to be vigilant to get them in touch with the "God of all comfort." 

The words " all comfort" in verse 3 of  this passage come from the the Greek word  paraklesis, from which we get " Paraclete ." The idea behind this word for  comfort  in the New Testament is always more than soothing sympathy.  It has the idea of strengthening, of helping, of making strong. The idea behind this word is communicated by the Latin word for  comfort  ( fortis ), which also means, "brave." Paul shows us that God the Father and God the Holy Spirit is our Paraclete (1 John 2:1Hebrews 2:18Luke 2:25). Our Lord, in every aspect of His being, is full of comfort, strength, and help for us!
  
Hardships and discomfort are traits of the Christian life.  Jesus poignantly reminds us of this in John 16:33 when He says "these things I have spoken to you that in me you will have peace...In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  As Paul continues writing, he tells us why he has had to suffer many things and why this is good for the Corinthian church (and thus for us as well). It is well documented throughout the New Testament that Paul suffered scourging, jail time, severe beatings, being stoned nearly to death, being shipwrecked and more. Yet Paul is not dismayed and in fact proclaims just opposite in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 . Here Paul describes how God had given him a thorn in the flesh in order to buffer him from being too prideful of the revelations given to him by God.  But Paul makes it clear that he would " boast in his infirmities " and " T herefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong"

Paul understood that, because he was "in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17) through his various sufferings (trials, troubles, tribulations), he would reap the benefits of God's great comfort (the comfort that passes all understanding). Paul explains that if he suffered and was humbled by God, then he would be a more complete teacher and those who learned from him would benefit from his suffering by gaining comfort themselves.  He also explains in Romans 8:29 that God conformed us to be in the image of His Son, Jesus....the firstborn of many brethren.  Jesus was the "firstborn" of those who would be resurrected, and if we want to be in that line of brethren, we are very likely to suffer much as He did.  

And, as an expression of love, why does our loving Father comfort us? As verse 6 rightly states, for our " consolation and salvation." God did not only work through the suffering Paul endured but He also worked good things in the Corinthian Christians through the comfort Paul received from the Lord. 

Now please don't be confused here. God is not telling us that we need to suffer in order to be saved. Rather, the context is that God will (1) be our backup and Comforter once we have been saved and (2) will use our sufferings to shape us and grow us so that we can be better used to lead others to salvation in Him.

Look again at the word " enduring" in verse 6. God's desire is that we would be  enduring through our suffering. The Greek word for  enduring is  hupomone.  It isn't the idea of passive, bleak acceptance, but of the kind of spirit that can triumph over pain and suffering to achieve the goal.  As David Guzik correctly wrote, "it is the spirit of the marathon runner, not of the victim in the dentist's chair."

Clearly, we see Paul living in Christ's footsteps and that he had been transformed into being truly others-focused.  Is Paul suffering?  It is so God can do something good in the Corinthian Christians. Is Paul comforted?  It is so God can bless the Corinthian Christians.  Suffering or comforted, it wasn't all about Paul; it was all about others, and so it should be with us.

Finally, look at verse 7:  We know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation: Just as suffering is promised in the Christian life ( Acts 14:221 Thessalonians 3:3Philippians 1:29Romans 5:3), but so also is consolation in the midst of suffering.
  
The conclusion for us as believers should be clear: If we suffer as Christ suffered, we can be better equipped to lead someone else who is going through difficulties to the God of all comfort (and thereby to salvation). This then is giving the ultimate backup to others in our work places and to our friends and families in accordance with being obedient to Christ's Great Commission command (Matthew 28:19-20).

Folks, it is vital that we understand what God created us to do. Contrary to the false "prosperity gospel" teachers, the Christian life is not a bed of roses (although the ultimate prize -- an eternity with the Lord in Heaven -- will be joy personified). On the contrary, Mark Cahill correctly and famously wrote, "In the Christian life we are not enjoying a pleasure cruise to Heaven. We are on a battleship at the gates of hell trying to keep as many people out of there as possible." 

That said, we who are "in Christ" (saved) have the peace of knowing that not only does God bring us COMFORT, but He desires us to be to be COMFORTERS to the lost and hurting -- conduits of His love to others in a hurting and dying world (again, the ultimate "backup"). In doing so, we fulfill the Law of Christ our Captain (Hebrews 2:10) to "love God with all your heart, soul mind and strength" and "to love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:36-40).  

So then how can we give this kind of backup or have the strength to overcome the world and remain "steadfast" (to "stay the course" -- v. 7) in our own sufferings? Only if we are first born again in Christ and following hard after Him (1 John 5:4) under the power of the Holy Spirit -- the Paraclete -- that resides in every true believer. Is that you? Consider the following:

(1) Jesus' first words in His earthly ministry were: " Repent and believe in the Good News " ( Mark 1:15 ). To repent  is a "180" -- a complete, radical change of mind and heart as it relates our sin. To believe  as God intends it to  completely and radically surrender to Him in faith  ("believe" and "faith" have the same Greek root meaning) in the same way you have faith that your body armor will stop the rounds it is designed to stop or that a skydiver's parachute will open (we stake our lives on it)! Moreover, the words repent and believe are literally two sides of the same coin in meaning and intent (see the "Are you really a Christian" link below for more).  For more on this, Pastor Ed Taylor's message on repentance is excellent: What is Repentance?

(2) As noted in John 3:1-21, Jesus said, "... you must be born again." Note our Lord's emphasis on must (not "may" or "should"): this is the life-saving/life-changing personal relationship (not "religion") with Christ that I stress so often. See  What does it mean to be a born again Christian
 
Then see:
(a) Take the Good Person Test  and see how you do (as shown in this study, you can't ever be "good" enough without Christ). Then go to...
(c)  Cops and Salvation (a powerful, short message from police Commander Travis Yates of Ten-Four Ministries and Law Officer Magazine ).
(d) Got saved?  Now what?

Will you join me on the battleship?  

Need prayer or more info? Feel free to  contact me!  

MC
QAf`