The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry Newsletter
&
Bible Study
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Dear fellow officers,
sheepdogs,
servant-warriors, spouses and supporters:
First off, my apologies for sending out the Easter newsletter twice (the second being an updated version). My aim is never to overwhelm your email inbox (once a week should not be "too much") but to rather instead update our social media platforms and website as needed. Sending the updated version to your email again was accidental.
Secondly, our hope is that you all had a blessed
Resurrection Day
("Easter") even if you were on duty (I've spent many more on than off). In fact, the "on duty" aspect -- and Easter in general -- ties in well with this week's Bible study. What our Lord did for us through His earthly ministry, death and resurrection is certainly what can rightly be called "
radical
." Moreover, this wholly biblical concept of "radical" has powerful application for EVERY believer -- including the Christian peace officer. Radical? Really? My guess is that your understanding of the the word may not match up with God's truth as revealed in His Word, the Bible. Accordingly, I can't encourage you enough to open
your
Bible and scroll down to "
Radical Christians, Radical Cops
."
And speaking of Easter and "radical," here's a copy of the final, updated version of last week's newsletter and Bible study (in case you missed it): "
Cops and the Cross: an Easter Story
." As always, these newsletters are re-posted for you on our social media feeds (see the buttons below) and
website
as well.
Finally, don't forget to review the latest resources, prayer requests and upcoming events I've posted for you here below.
Have a safe week!
MC
_____________________
RESOURCES
(1) Looking for a great, half-day, 1-day or 2-day church security training class? My
Centurion Church Safety & Security Seminar
might be just the ticket!
Contact me
for details.
(3) Here's a great follow-up message to my own Easter Bible study by fellow Law Officer Magazine author,
Jim McNeff
:
Easter Evidence
.
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) I've been advised that the Aurora (CO) Communications (dispatch) Center is so severely understaffed and overworked that current dispatchers are quitting in droves. Please pray!
(2) And speaking of Aurora, APD's
Jim Seneca
writes, "
Please keep our department in your prayers as our officers have experienced four different cases of cancer related to our officers in the past year! I have never seen it this bad since I have worked here for the past 24 years. Please LORD give these officers strength and determination to over come this disease! THANK YOU for your support!"
(3) This past Saturday was the 20th anniversary of the
Columbine
HS shooting. For the students, teachers, parents and First Responders, everything changed on
4/19/1999
. Please lift the survivors in prayer. I shared part of my own Columbine story and some photos on
my Facebook page
(send me a friend request).
UPCOMING EVENTS
(1)
Highly recommended for police officers and their spouses:
"
Worthy of the Calling" Law Enforcement Conference
--
July 20th
in Lenexa, KS. If you're a LEO or spouse of one and you're marriage is in trouble, this is the conference for you. Likewise, if you're marriage is great, this will help you make it even better!
(2) Will you be joining us in DC for
Police Week
? Be sure to stop by our
Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers
space in
Tent City
for a FREE cup of coffee, prayer if you need it and a plethora of
FREE
(well, for you) resources! And please pray for us!
(3) The
Sheepdog Seminars
are not just about church security but provide outstanding training for all "sheepdogs" -- civilian and law enforcement alike. I know the instructors! See their website for their upcoming schedule and other resources.
(4) The
2019 Breaching the Barricade/Officer Appreciation Day
events are set for
October 18-19
in northern Indiana. This provides incredible training for cops and a "bucket list" (as in a huge "bucket" of
FUN
) event for officers and their families. Mark your calendars and plan on joining us in Indiana this October, and pray for
Jim Bontrager
and his team...the effort is massive and the challenges overwhelming ("but God"). I'll see you there!
*Have a prayer request, event or announcement you would like included here? Need help/prayer?
Email me
!
I also post prayer requests on
my personal Facebook page
("friend" and message me).
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"Radical Christians, Radical Cops"
Do you know what the word "radical" really means? That God has called us to radical love, faith and service?
|
..how can we kn
In our culture, the term “
radical
” is often misused, abused and misunderstood, especially as it relates to those who claim the title “Christian.” Likewise, the same word is also often misapplied to those of us serving in our God-ordained profession of law enforcement.
Here's just one example: Rosie O’Donnell <sigh -- sorry>, speaking on national TV, infamously said, “Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America where we have separation of Church and State.” Seriously? As an aside, take a look at
what separation of church and state actually means
.
By contrast,
Merriam Webster defines “radical” as: “of or relating to the origin: fundamental” and “forming a basis or foundation.”
Moreover, the word "radical" is derived from the word "
root
."
In other words, it is biblically correct to state that "radical" Christianity is nothing less than "
Christianity 101
!"
Folks, the
foundation
and
root
of genuine, biblical Christianity is Jesus Christ and His "radical" COMMAND that Christians are to "...
love one another: just as I have loved you
...
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another
" (
John 13:34-35
).
Likewise, in the Gospel of Matthew, a Pharisee (a Jewish religious leader) tests Jesus with a question:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replies, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments”
(
Matthew 22:36-40
). Rest assured, this was in fact a "radical" notion for the Jewish religious elite of that day.
But what about "radical" Islam? Isn't that the same thing? While the point of this study is not Islam, let's quickly look at two points that reveal the "radical" difference between "radical Islam" and "radical" (genuine) Christianity:
(1) See
What is "radical Islam?"
and
Islam Versus Christianity
. Yes, the concept of terror (to wit, terrorism) is in fact ROOTed in the Islamic texts even if it is thankfully true that most Muslims do not seek to kill or terrorize non-Muslims or Muslim sects that are not as "radical" as others.
What then, does it mean to live out this ideal of "radical" Christianity and how does it relate to those of us serving in law enforcement?
In addition to his landmark book ("
Radical
") pastor and author David Platt, further expounding on this subject, provides a whole series of books, articles, Bible studies and other resources that are very much worth checking out (click on
Radical
).
But for the purposes of this study, I think this one quote from David in "Radical" says much:
“I could not help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed what was radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable.”
Is this not where many of us are at in our comfortable, "Americanized," lukewarm (
Rev. 3:15-16
) version of Christianity (see "
What is a lukewarm Christian?
")?
Thankfully, Jesus modeled and preached the correct, "radical" Christian worldview throughout His earthly ministry. Here are just three examples:
(1) Jesus' “
Sermon on the Mount
” (read
Matthew 5-7
) -- RADICAL!
(2) Jesus radically proclaims in
Matthew 10:34
, "
Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword
." Sword? The liberal media would have a cow on that word alone and -- without understanding the biblical concept -- would most certainly cry, "Radical!"
(3) Jesus preached and modeled
SERVANT leadership
through (among other passages) His washing of His disciples' feet in
John 13
(and see "
Biblical servant-leadership -- What is it?
"). Once you understand the physical and cultural significance of Christ the King -- God in the flesh -- washing the filth of His servants' feet, you will have a truly correct picture of RADICAL!
The second half of this message's title is "
Radical Cops
." What do I mean by that? In
Hebrews 13:1-6
, the author, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, again reveals that radical Christianity is not only based on
love
, but also that radical Christianity is
dangerous
(criticism, persecution, imprisonment and even death) and
fearless.
Does that not sound like the essence of "serve and protect" and what we do in law enforcement?
In reference to being "fearless," the
command
“
Fear not
!” is used at least 365 times in the Bible. For the born again believer, God promises that he will never leave us or forsake us; He is our ever-present helper and strength;
To live is Christ and to die is gain
(
Philippians 1:21
);
I will not fear
(
Psalm 118:6
); I will stand strong and courageous (
Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:6
).
Rak chazak amats
in the Hebrew -- a f
ear
not
war cry
!
Radical? You bet!
Expanding on this, Calvary Chapel pastor Pastor Fernando Ortiz borrowed the following as the opener for his
daily
Radical Living
radio show on
Grace FM
that is biblically right on target (ultimately the only "target" that matters)
:
“A radical by definition is someone who gets back to the
root
of their belief, someone who is not satisfied with the status quo. As Christians we are to be as counter-cultural to our culture as Jesus was to His. We are to get back to the root of who we are and what we believe, and Jesus is calling us to be
radical followers
of Him. Radical in our walk, radical in commitment, radical in our faithfulness, radical in our prayers, radical in our devotion and radical in our living. Will you be that? Will you be a Christian that is not satisfied with the status quo?
Will you be a radical follower of Jesus
?”
Well will you?
In his 1936 book
Sacrifice
, Howard Guinness wrote,
“Where are the young men and women of this generation who will hold their lives cheap, and be faithful even unto death, who will lose their lives for Christ’s, flinging them away for love of him? Where are those who will live dangerously, and be reckless in this service? Where are the men of prayer? Where are the men who count God’s Word of more importance to them than their daily food? Where are the men who, like Moses of old, commune with God face to face as a man speaks with his friend? Where are God’s men and women in this day of God’s power?”
Where indeed!
More examples of Jesus modeling our call to radical faith and service? Here are just two more:
(1) We just celebrated Easter through which we remembered Jesus' torture, death on the cross and joyous Resurrection. It does not get more
radical
than that. So how does that apply to us? Our Lord says, "...
to all," “
If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me
" (
Luke 9:23
). Accordingly, I can't encourage you enough to watch and read,
What does Jesus mean when He says, "take up your cross and follow me"?
RADICAL!
(2) Jesus was emphatic when He said, "
I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me
" (
John 14:6
). In response, the lukewarm, "progressive" American "Christian" (?) responds with, "That can't be true -- there has to be many ways to heaven!" (that Jesus is a liar) and "That's radical!" Yup -- rightly so!
Finally, God speaks directly to us in law enforcement on the concept of "radical" in
Romans 13:1-4.
My fellow servant-warriors, can you even begin to imagine the differences we can make in our agencies (including our unsaved brother/sister officers) and the communities we serve through them if we are radically loving, serving and protecting as God has called us to do as His faithful "
ministers for good
" (the law abiding) and a righteous "
terror against evil
" (the lawless "wolves" who would otherwise prey with impunity on the "good" but defenseless sheep)? And what if we radically pray even for the lost and wicked we come across each day? Radical indeed!
Clearly, Jesus is calling
ALL
of us (every true believer)
to
radical, real Christianity!
Will you respond in obedience by radically loving, serving and protecting your spouse and family? Will you radically serve and protect your church? Your community? Will you radically
serve
(the proper translation of the Greek word for "minister" in
Romans 13:1-4
) and protect the public? Will you obediently tell others about Jesus? Will you, with the Holy Spirit's help, live a radical, "all in" Christian life both on and off duty?
May God make us into radical servant-warriors/leaders who are radically sold out for Him. May He raise up an army of radical believers who are not satisfied with typical mediocre,
lukewarm
“Christian” lives. Cops who are radical, churches that are radical, pastors who are radical, Sunday School teachers who are radical, businessman who are radical, athletes who are radical, retirees who are radical, parents who are radical, teenagers who are radical, and even children who are radical for Christ! So help us God!
________________________
With that, I'll close this study with the same invitation I give each week (again, life-saving "
backup
" that carries eternal ramifications). If you're reading this and have never surrendered in faith (been "radically" born again) to Jesus Christ, please consider the following:
(1) Do you falsely believe that you can "earn" or otherwise "badge" your way into heaven and escape hell because you consider yourself to be a "
good
" cop or "good" person? That you can be "good" enough without God? Take the
Good Person Test
and see how you do!
(2) Jesus' first recorded words in His earthly ministry were and remain, "
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 (as God defines it). To "believe" (
pisteuo
in the original Greek) as Jesus intends it here is to wholeheartedly trust and
surrender
your life to Him in faith in the same way we have "faith" that our body armor will do its job against the rounds it is intended to stop; that a well-maintained weapon will function properly when used in defense against criminals intent on destroying us or others; or that our parachute will open when it is supposed to (we stake our very lives on it)! For more, see
What does it mean to believe in Jesus?
(3) This same concept of "
believe
" (the saving kind) is further revealed in
John 3:1-21
where Jesus says, "
... you must be born again
." Again, note our Lord's emphasis on the word "
must
" (not "may" or "should" or even "someday"): this is ultimately the life-saving AND life-changing personal relationship (and NOT "religion") with Jesus Christ that I stress here every week (see
What does it mean to be a born again Christian
? [hint -- there is no other kind]). Folks, it is only through this miraculous event that we can be made "righteous" before a just and Holy God and thus become part of His family.
(5) Need more? Then check out this powerful, short video message shared by my fellow "radical," Maj.
Travis Yates
:
Cops and Salvation
.
Have you now said "yes" to Jesus but are wondering what to do next? Then click on,
Now what?
Questions? Need more backup? I'm here to
serve
--
contact me
.
"Radically" Yours!
MC
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ABOUT US
The
Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
is
a national, FCPO-affiliated, non-denominational,
evangelical
Christian outreach to our own in law enforcement. These newsletters and profession-focused Bible studies are part of this effort and past editions can be found on our website and our social media feeds. Our desire is (1) to be used of God to
WIN
the lost in our profession to a saving faith in Christ; and (2)
DISCIPLE
the Christian officer; (3)
SEND
out discipled officers to "repeat" 1 and 2; (4)
SUPPORT
police marriages; and (5)
IMPACT
(reduce) police suicides and PTSD with the Cure found in Christ Jesus alone. In keeping with these 5 points, please feel free to adapt these messages for your own individual or group use and
share
them with others.
We also seek both your prayers and your
financial support
for this ministry as the Lord leads.
The
Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers
(FCPO-USA)
exists to provide biblical support ("backup"), accountability and
iron sharpens iron
fellowship for Christian officers first in the U.S. and throughout the world as well. Our Denver-area FCPO chapter (
FCPO Chapter #217
) is a
Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
affiliate. Locally, we meet approximately twice a month in the south Denver-Metro suburb of Highlands Ranch for profession-focused and life-relevant Bible study, prayer and servant-warrior/sheepdog fellowship. Spouses are both welcome and encouraged to attend with their LEO.
Contact me for details!
You can also give to our ministry by designating "
FCPO Chapter 217
" on the
FCPO donation page
.
The
Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
and FCPO-Metro Denver (Chapter 217) are led by veteran Police Officer, Chaplain and Evangelist
Michael "MC" Williams.
MC is an active (32-years and counting) sworn police officer/investigator and sought-after instructor and speaker at churches (including the popular
Centurion Church Security Seminar
), retreats and both police and civilian training conferences and seminars around the country. Contact MC via
email
for details on how to book him for your event.
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