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The "thin blue line" covered by the blood of Christ. |
This week's e-newsletter and Bible study comes to you with our annual
Police Week outreach very much front and center (now just over a week away). I posted a request in the "Prayer Requests" section below, but we covet your prayers as we follow the course God has set for us to biblically "serve and protect" our law enforcement brethren coming to DC from all over the U.S. and Canada.
And speaking of last week's study on repentance and saving faith, I'm pressed to add this from noted theologian Roy B. Zuck (writing on
Mark 1:15
) as a follow-up: "R
epentance is included in believing. Faith and repentance are like two sides of a coin. Genuine faith includes repentance, and genuine repentance includes faith. The Greek word for repentance (metanoia) means to change one's mind...about sin, about one's adequacy to save himself, about Christ as the only way of salvation, the only One who can make a person righteous." AMEN!
This week's Bible study is a recap of the message I shared at last week's Centurion/FCPO-Aurora "cop church" fellowship. Are you facing closed doors? Is God asking you to wait? Saying "no" to you? Take heart and scroll down to When God Closes Doors.
Finally, please take a moment to review the new
prayer requests
(you are always encouraged to send me yours for posting here...of if you just need prayer in general), new
resources
for dealing with police PTSD and suicide, and the 411 about relevant
upcoming events
around the country.
I'll close with a reminder that today (Thursday) is the 2017 National Day of Prayer: try to MAKE the effort to set aside time to pray for our nation and, if possible, participate in a NDP event near you. Again, stay safe and proactive on the street while being radically bold ("Code 3" sense of urgency) in sharing the hope we have in Christ with others.
MC
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RESOURCES
Here are four more
police suicide and PTSD resources for your posse box: 1 faith-based, the other 3 not, but still very useful. Know we're here for you!
(4)
Warrior's Heart -- Police and PTSD:
Warrior's Heart has programs specifically designed for LEOs. On this, FOP-Colorado brother Mike Violette writes, "
The Colorado FOP's Police Officers Foundation is very proud to have partnered with "Warriors' Heart" as our preferred resource referral for law enforcement officers needing residential PTSD treatment. Their programs are exclusive to the unique needs of poli
ce officers, first responders and veterans.
Warriors Heart® provides private treatment to first responders and veterans who are seeking inpatient treatment for chemical dependency, alcohol abuse, and co-occurring psychological disorders relating to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or the psychological effects of MTBI (mild traumatic brain injury).
The Police Foundation will assist FOP members in need of treatment with covering insurance deductibles, airfare or transportation to Warriors Heart, and other expenses to the degree that Foundation funds are available for member assistance. Any member in need of treatment should call the Colorado Police Officers Foundation at 303-426-1733 and ask to speak with Foundation Director Frank Gale."
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) One of my own FCPO chapter members, Jim Underwood, underwent surgery last week for some serious issues. Jim is now recovering at home (praise God) but he and his family covet your prayers.
(2) Fellow trainer and retired Lt. Randy Sutton writes, "LAPD Officer Matthew Medina, a 40 year old father of two, is in desperate need of a marrow donor to fight the cancer in his blood. There is quite a bit of information in the attached article if you would like to help out or know someone who would. I know this is asking a lot but if possible, let's do what we can to give the gift of life to this officer." See "Officer Seeks Marrow Donor."
(3) We covet (the righteous kind) your prayers reference our upcoming outreach to our own in DC during Police Week 2017.
(4) A UCCS PD Officer, Larry Darnall, has inoperable stage 3 pancreatic cancer. He will be receiving chemo in the hope of shrinking the tumor. Please pray.
(5) As you know, I've been visiting and praying with Wichita (KS) Officer
Brian Arterburn
(
critically injured in the LOD
) who is here in Colorado for rehab. Brian has undergone two major reconstructive surgeries...please put keep this brother in prayer.
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).
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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 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.
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Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers
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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 chapter -- FCPO #217/-((FCPO Metro Denver and 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, May 11th.
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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When God Closes a Door
Act 16:1-15
16 Then he [Paul]
came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. 4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit[a]did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." So she persuaded us.
Has God ever closed a door in your life? Said "wait" or "no"? If not, stay tuned! Regardless, God's Word provides us with with a template on how we should respond. Hint: Contrary to our law enforcement training, it is not include breaching or otherwise trying to kick in a door God has closed. Let's open our Bibles and dig in to what He has for us!
Understand that for the believer (genuine Christian), our calling is to follow God's leading, and our Lord often
closes doors
to point us in the direction He wants us to go (His will vs. "my way"). Consider the following (
added emphasis
mine):
Psalm 31.3 --
"For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and
guide me
."
Proverbs 16.9 --
"A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps."
Proverbs 16.33 --
"The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD."
As Acts 16 opens with Paul beginning his second missionary journey, he is facing some tough challenges in his ministry. Perhaps surprisingly, i
t's not persecution, pain, or defeat in the these first fifteen verses, but rather a set of closed doors.
In the first two verses, we find Paul and his team headed back to Derbe and Lystra after being gone for approximately five years. Why? Because the Holy Spirit laid it on Paul's heart to see how the believers are doing and if they are staying the course in following hard after Christ (lasting fruit). Here we are also re-introduced to Timothy who came into the faith during Paul's first missionary journey. What does the context of Scripture tell us about him?
- He grew up in an unequally yoked home with his Greek (pagan) father and Jewish mother.
- Timothy probably didn't have the best schooling, the best upbringing or the best home life. BUT...
- He did have the word of God from his mother who was clearly determined to show them the ways of God (thinking about my own bride Diana here and how dedicated she was about sharing God's Word and love with her own kids).
- He received a godly heritage from his mother and grandmother.
- Because of this, Timothy would go on to become a huge asset to Paul's life and ministry (1st and 2nd Timothy) and to all of us through the centuries (God's Word endures).
2 Timothy 1:5
-- "when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also."
Life application for us here?
(1) Be faithful to train up your children in the ways of God with the faith that they will one day come back to it! (
Train up [something we cops understand]
a child in the way he should go, a
nd when he is old he will not depart from it. -- Proverbs 22:6)
(2) Know that God can use anyone (again and again, He uses those the world rejects).
Moving on to verse 3, we see that God has set Paul's heart on
finding, sharing, leading, nurturing, and discipling other believers (what it means to be a pastor -- a shepherd). But here we again see the issue of circumcision. Was Timothy under a mandate to undergo this incredibly painful procedure? As I taught in our Acts 15 study, the answer was a clear "no," yet Timothy agreed to be circumcised. Why? Because in trying to reach the unsaved Jews with the Gospel, the fact that Timothy was uncircumcised might cause them to stumble (Although one has to wonder how they would know -- or want to! "C'mon man!"). Regardless, it had nothing to do with Timothy's salvation and everything to do with his effective service (and what great courage and faithfulness, to be sure).
On this, Paul would later write in his first letter to the Corinthian church: For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. (1 Cor. 9:19-23)
In Acts 16:4-5, we find the believers being "strengthened in their faith" and growing in numbers (new believers). In his own teaching on this, Pastor Ed Taylor shared three quick points here that we should take hold of ourselves (again, application):
(1) They were led, guided, and controlled by the Holy Spirit.
(2) They taught, studied, and used the Bible.
(3) They prayed, obeyed and trusted in Jesus Christ to fulfill His promise to them.
The major emphasis of our study is on "doors" that God opens and closes in order to guide us in His will and plan for our lives. On the "open door" side, consider what God has for us in Revelation 3:8 (again, added emphasis mine) --
"I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name."
Yet as we see here in Acts 16, God also often CLOSES doors in order to accomplish His will and purpose. Yes, it is hard to face closed doors (
often bringing with it discouragement, disappointment and bitterness) but, like our physical training, we can only grow when we're challenged. Here (verses 6-7), God closes two doors by forbidding Paul and his team from going back into Asia and Bithynia (Asia Minor in modern day Turkey). But why? We don't actually know for sure, but, as we see in verses 8-12, God closed doors to re-direct them into eastern Europe to preach the Word to the lost there. Beyond that, the change in tense in verse 11 ("we") gives us another clue: the "we" here is Dr. Luke joining them. Significance? Luke was a doctor, and some commentators believe that Paul became ill with malaria and needed a physician (and that the mosquito-invested areas of Asia Minor might cause further illness and even death). Regardless, God clearly closed a door (said a "no" or "wait") here.
In general, why then does God close doors for us? Consider this:
(1) God closes doors to get us in sync with His TIMING.
Timing is everything. In fact, God would open that same door to Asia Minor just two years later! And remember Moses? He thought he was ready to lead God's people out Egypt when he killed the Egyptian (talk about "jumping the gun") but it was not God's timing. Instead, Moses would spend another forty years serving as a lowly shepherd while God prepared him for the next open door (using Moses to lead His people out of Egypt).
(2) God closes doors for our CULTIVATION.
God will stop us in order to cut away those things that will harm us and our ministry in much the same way a vine dresser prunes a grape vine.
(3) God closes doors to continue our PREPARATION (training).
Sometimes God will stop us in order to show us just who is in control. He wants to remind us of His sovereign hand in the work of the ministry (again, EVERY Christian is called to ministry -- literally "service" -- of one kind or another).
(4) God closes doors for our PROTECTION.
God knows our future and always has the big picture in mind. He will intervene to protect us and help us! (consider the oft-quoted verse in Jeremiah 29:11 -- with the understanding that the "plan" God has here would not come true for another seventy years (verse 10 of that chapter)! Talk about context being everything!
(5) God closes doors to call us to OBEDIENCE: God instructs us in Isaiah 30.21
"Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it,"
(a command and direction).
So how would God have us move forward when He closes a door(s)?
CONTINUE TO MOVE! Paul didn't stop but rather obeyed and continued to seek God's will. In short, don't quit. On this, Paul, writing to the church in Galatia (in Asia Minor -- Turkey -- when God later re-OPENED the door there), said, "
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:9). The key phrase, of course, is "in due season." In fact, it has been said that, more often than not, "our greatest movement is to our knees."
Secondly (as we see in Acts 16:9)
CONTINUE TO OBEY! Often, before God will speak to us, He needs to get our undivided attention (He had to literally break me in order to get my attention). It is not simple action that God requires, but rather OBEDIENT ACTION. Consider the result of King Saul deciding to disobey God and do things his own way in 1 Samuel 15:22-23 -- T
hen Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." (added emphasis mine)
Moving on to verse 13, we find Paul being directed (again, via a closed door) to a riverside Jewish prayer meeting. Why not in a synagogue (church)? Because there wasn't one.
According to Jewish law, there had to be at least ten Jewish men in order for a synagogue to exist. But here Emperor Claudius had expelled all the Jewish men a few years earlier and leaving only the few
Jewish women that remained to gather together by the river (as in the hymn) to pray and worship.
In verses 14-15, one of these women, Lydia, heard the Gospel, was born again (got saved), got baptized and was prompted by God to have other believers meet in her home.
So who was Lydia? She was self-made entrepreneur -- a seller of expensive purple cloth. In that day, purple dye came from t
he glands of the rare murex shellfish or from the roots of the madder plant, and was prohibitively expensive. As such, purple garments were worn only by royalty and the wealthy, and the selling of purple fabrics was a very profitable business. With this, we can see that:
- Lydia was successful, self-sufficient SERVANT-leader.
- She loved the Lord who sent her an evangelist in Paul.
- She and her household heard the truth, responded (were saved -- born again in Christ) and were water baptized. (outward obedience, inward change).
- She allows her home to be used for a church (whoever claims that God does not use women is not paying attention to his Word)! In fact, Lydia reminds me of our own Mary Castleberry who has opened her wonderful home basement for our Wednesday night TRUTH CHURCH Calvary "Underground Church" services)
As I pointed out earlier, God would, in His perfect timing, re-open the door for Paul to return to Asia. The result? By the time John wrote Revelation under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit, there were at least seven churches on that continent!
God often uses closed doors to redirect us into His perfect will and timing. Therefore, the wisest response is to rely on His infinite wisdom,
wait (pray) for His clear direction, and follow the Holy Spirit's promptings. God's redirection WILL bring blessing if we will simply
TRUST and OBEY. Amen?
When we finish
Acts 16 (at our May 25th "cop church" fellowship), God will show us what happens when He moves to kick in (breach) a door. Stay tuned!
With that, were are you today? Understand that ONLY those who are first born again in Christ have the Holy Spirit living in them to direct (open and close doors) their path. Do you have that? You can! 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.
(2) 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...
Again,
stay the course (God's course for your life) and
finish strong in Him!
MC
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