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| FCPO Newsletter and Bible Study |
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The
"thin blue line" covered by the
blood of Christ.
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This week's newsletter comes to you with a strong encouragement to be in prayer for our nation, communities, agencies and families. Moreover, we covet your prayers as we head to DC and VA next week to minister to our own during Police Week 2016 (more on this in NEXT week's edition). That said, the National Day of Prayer -- with the theme "Wake Up America!" -- is this Thursday, May 5th. Attend an event near you and join us in the battle!
Speaking of these newsletters, here again is last week's if you missed it: "
RISE Up!" (pass it on). Don't forget that I will always re-post them on our
Facebook,
Twitter feeds as well as on our
website with full permission for you to use/adapt the messages for your own individual and group studies.
My message from last week's Centurion/FCPO-Denver "
Cop Church" fellowship -- "
Get in the Fight!" -- is recapped for you below along with new resources, prayer requests and event news.
Let's endeavor to stay safe on the street but radically bold in Christ under the power of the Holy Spirit.
* Note: Having trouble viewing this in your browser? Please contact me if that is the case.
MC
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RESOURCES
(1) I'm getting more questions about Christians and cursing (language). God has the answer for us in His Word: "
Is Swearing a Sin?" and, from our friends at Got Questions Ministries,
Is it a sin to cuss/swear
? Let's be in the world but not of it.
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Pray for those of us on the FCPO ministry team headed to DC and VA next week (Divine appointments, Holy Spirit power, health, finances, etc.) and for me this weekend as I seek to minister to our own in my role as a FOP chaplain at our conference.
(2) Texas deputy
Charles Grover has been in the hospital dealing with an injury and health problems for which he is in need of prayer.
He writes, "...I was admitted with an infected abscess on the right foot. A cardiac A-fib was discovered via EKG..." Get the picture? Charles had surgery last week and will be in rehab/wound care. Please pray.
(3) Having just completed my 23 day challenge (22+1) to being awareness to police (at least 1 a day) and military (at least 22 a day) suicide, I can't encourage you enough to first PRAY for your colleagues and (2) have a "Code 3" sense of urgency in coming alongside them to love, encourage and provide backup (of the eternal kind).
(4) And speaking of suicide -- From Dep. Dave Harper-Head in OK: "
Please pray and pass on to others. Jason Smith who is a police chief and good friend desperately needs prayer. Last night for reasons unknown his 22 year old son (Taylor Smith) shot himself yesterday which was the day after his 22nd birthday. Jason saw no warning signs and can't fathom this. Taylor is extremely critical in a Tulsa hospital and the outlook is bleak. Jason has a personal relationship with Christ and is putting it in his hands but he's asking for prayers so if you guys would assist me in getting this to our Christian brethren I would appreciate it."
(5) My former partner with NM State Police, Todd Griffin, seeks prayer for his father who is extremely ill.
(6) Finally, let's be in prayer concerning the flooding impacting the south/southeast. Yes, LEOs who have lost their homes are out there putting their lives on the line for others.
UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
(1) Fellow LEO/Chaplain Sgt. John Castrodale is leading a new law enforcement fellowship (and future FCPO chapter) in the north Denver-Metro area. The
Shield of Faith Law Enforcement Ministry
meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesday at Faith Bible Chapel, Rm. 258 (West Campus),
6250 Wright St., Arvada CO 80004. Contact John at
[email protected] and go to the Shield of Faith website for more.
(2)
Sheepdog Seminars
is coming to a location near you!
Go to
Sheepdog Safety Seminars
and click on the "
Seminar Schedule
" button. This is great training for cops, military and civilian sheepdogs alike. Moreover, Jimmy Meeks is partnering with us (FCPO) in a number of chapter locations, including here in Colorado this June. See FCPO and Sheepdog Safety Training for more! Our prayer is that we will have many "Divine appointments" to share the Gospel with a captive audience while also building their sheepdog/servant-warrior ethos.
Have a prayer request or announcement you would like included here?
Email me and I'll do what I can to post it!
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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 and we encourage adapting our studies for your own individual or group use and sharing them with others.
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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. Our own FCPO chapter -- FCPO #217 - Denver-- generally meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday at Calvary Aurora (High School Room, 7 PM) for "cop church" Bible study, prayer and iron sharpens iron fellowship. Spouses are both welcome and encouraged to attend with their LEO!
Our NEXT fellowship MEETING is set for Thursday, May 26th.
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LAW ENFORCEMENT BIBLE STUDY
Get in the Fight!
Our current
inductive
(investigative approach -- observation, interpretation, application) study through the
Book of Acts
brings us to the first 25 verses of Chapter 8 where we'll focus on two main points:
(1) God wants you off the sidelines and in the fight!
(2) Flushing out a "make-believer" (Don't be "that guy"!).
Let's break it down verse-by-verse:
To review, Chapter 7 ended with the persecution and execution of Stephen under the brutal "law enforcement" oversight of Saul (later to become Paul the Apostle). In fact, Dr. Luke states it most emphatically -- "Saul approved of his execution." The Greek word for "approved" as used here means that Saul was not just an observer but rather part and parcel to it. Luke goes on to tell us of a great persecution that then took place under Saul's direct authority in which he "made havoc" (v. 3) against the church (the body of believers). The use of the word "havoc" here in the NKJV is very interesting: it literally refers to the horrendous damage a wild boar can make in ravaging the land and injuring others. In short, Saul is described as a wild, brutal animal of man in his treatment of Christians. Yet it is in the midst of this wild, horrific persecution (akin to what ISIS is doing to Christians in the Middle East today) that the worldwide outreach of the church begins (v. 4-5).
The
application
here? God used (allowed) persecution as a means to stir a complacent, comfortable body of believers to action. Moreover, what we see here is a literal commission -- a Holy Spirit-dispatched "call for service" that is played forward for us today as well.
Folks, God's plan and will for us NEVER involves complacency. In fact, God uses Peter to exhort us to get in the fight in 2 Peter:17-18 where he says, "You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To "grow" means to GO and this passage reinforces Christ's "marching orders" to EVERY believer in what is commonly referred to as the "Great Commission" (not the "great suggestion") in Matthew 28:19-20 where He commands us to GO (not stay): "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
More? Here's two more solid examples: (1) Paul the Apostle (formerly Saul the Persecutor) writes, "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10 -- added emphasis mine).(2) How about Isaiah? God asked who would "go" for him and, in faith, Isaiah responds with "Me!" -- "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me." (Isaiah 6:8).
Folks, the meaning here is plain: God will do whatever it takes to kick the faithful (the genuine, born again believer) off the sideline and into the fight (ministry, service). My brethren, God saved us for action (faithful obedience and service) and not a "comfort zone" but also with the comforting fact that we'll never march alone (our God will always be with us and will fight for us --
the battle is actually His). What say you? Let's answer the call to
get in the fight
behind Christ our Captain!
Secondly, the remainder of our passage (v. 6-25) provides us with a brilliantly clear picture of what can be rightfully described as a "make-believer" (a fraudster) who is exposed by one of God's true servant-warriors in Phillip acting in obedience under the power of the Holy Spirit.
In verses 5-8 we find Phillip answering a
call for service to bring the Gospel to Samaria. Now understand that the "uppity," prideful Jews in Jerusalem thought of the Samaritans as "outcasts" and half-breeds (what we might call "rednecks" today). Yet God's heart was broken for the lost in Samaria and sent them Phillip. The
application for today? Reaching the unsaved in general aside, we're engaged in an all-out war on cops today and the situation is exacerbated by the fact that ours is a true mission field. Accordingly, God is looking for more servant-warriors like Phillip willing to answer the call to
get in the fight in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring the hope we have in Christ to our fellow law enforcement brethren (the vast majority of whom do NOT have a saving faith) in particular and of course to others in general.
Now along the way (v. 9-11) we're introduced to a popular fraudster (a "
make-believer" and schemer) in Simon the "
magician" (as used here, a "magician" is descriptive of a person who uses a mix of science, superstition, astrology, divination and occultic practices). Just like the crowds who follow after popular false teachers (apostate fraudsters) today, Simon had a similar cult-like following. We also learn that Simon -- like many "make-believers" we see in the media -- never repented of his sin or made a genuine confession of faith.
The application here? Don't be "that guy" (a Simon -- a "make-believer") and don't follow after those like him. Rather, ask God for wisdom, discernment and direction in both exposing them and showing them the truth. And where did Phillip's wisdom and discernment come from? Dr. Luke gives us the answer comes in verses 14-17 where the Samaritans are baptized in the Holy Spirit and their eyes are supernaturally opened to the truth. At the same time, we see in verses 18-19 where Simon falsely seeks to obtain that same power to wickedly further his ability to "pull the wool over the eyes" of his entranced followers. Meanwhile the Holy Spirit has revealed Simon's true nature to "Detective" Phillip who in turn exposes Simon for what he truly is (verses 20-25) -- a fraud and "make-believer" versus being a true Christian.
God used an obedient, willing servant-warrior in Phillip to foil the enemy's plans and bring the genuinely repentant to a saving faith. Likewise, will you allow God to use you and your unique spiritual gifts in a similar fashion to make a difference for the Kingdom in these dire days? Let's stop being RODs (a police acronym for "Retired On Duty") and
get in the fight!
A
gain, religious platitudes or being a "good person" by the world's standards will not save you. On the contrary, Jesus made it very clear that you must
repent
of your sin and be
born again
in Him in order to be saved (no "other" way) and live a life that truly counts for something (an eternal legacy that only occurs by serving under the power of the Holy Spirit).
Still not convinced? Consider the following irrefutable
evidence
:
(a) Think you're already "good enough" to "deserve" heaven? Take the "
Good Person Test" and see how you do.
(c)
Cops and Salvation (a powerful message from police Commander
Travis Yates of Ten-Four Ministries and
Law Officer Magazine and one of the speakers at this year's RISE Christian Police Conference)
Now come join me in the battle behind Christ our Captain!
More questions? Need prayer? Please
reach out
!
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