The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry Newsletter
&
Bible Study
|
UPDATED 10/12/2019
Fellow officers,
sheepdogs
,
servant-warriors, spouses and supporters:
In this week's Bible study (
Radical Cops, Radical Faith
), God has again pressed me to dive into a subject that I speak/teach on regularly but with a fresh
focus
("focus" -- last week's study...). Why again? My seeking to be obedient aside, my prayer is that our study will encourage you to go "
all in
" instead of what the "world" (and our common enemy) would prefer you to be -- "
lukewarm.
"
Scroll down!
Finally, please take the time to review the new
prayer requests
,
resources
and
events
I've shared for you below. And on the "local" front (the Colorado FRONT Range), don't forget that we're meeting for Bible study, prayer and iron sharpens iron fellowship next Tuesday (10/22) night at 6:30 PM (
email me
for the "411")!
Let's ask God to help us stay
RADICAL
in "the battle" behind Christ our Captain (and here's our "war cry" --
RAK CHAZAK AMATS!
).
MC
_____________________
RESOURCES
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
(USA, Ret.) is a dear friend whose seminars and books carry my HIGHEST recommendation. Here are two of his best that should be mandatory reading for EVERY true "sheepdog" --
On Combat and On Killing.
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Please be in prayer for Bro.
Jim Bontrager
and his
Breaching the Barricade/Officer Appreciation Day
team as this year's event approaches.
(2) Please continue to pray for Maricopa Co. S.O. Sgt. Doug
Beeks'
bride
Claudia who is battling some rough medical issues.
(3) Pray for VSP Trooper
Michael McSellers
' sister who is battling some very serious health issues.
UPCOMING EVENTS
(1) In the Denver metro area,
The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
and
FCPO-Denver
is helping get the word out about
The Shelter Foundation
and
two new Bible studies for officers AND our spouses in the south Denver metro area (click on the "
Bible Studies
" pages under the "
About
" link).
(2)
FCPO-Denver
(Chapter 217 -- the Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry) meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesday evening in Highlands Ranch for iron sharpens iron fellowship, prayer and Bible study.
Contact me
for details!
(3) The
Sheepdog Seminars
with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, retired Officer Jimmy Meeks and others carries our highest recommendation.
*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 Cops, Radical Faith
God is calling us to be RADICALLY "all in" for both Him, for our families and for the communities we serve and protect.
________
|
In our culture, the term “
r
adical
” 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. So what does this word actually mean, and how does it relate to our Christian faith??
Let's start with some definitions. First,
Webster (you know -- the dictionary guy) defines “radical” as: “of or relating to the origin: fundamental” and “forming a basis or foundation.” Pretty basic!
Secondly, in God's Word, the Bible, 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
). Jesus expands on this further in our signature passage for this study --
Luke 10:25-37
(see link above and "
What is the Parable of the Good Samaritan all about?
"). Rest assured, given that the "religious" Jews of Jesus' day considered this Gentile (non-Jew) "First Responder" to be lower than a stray dog, Jesus' teaching was indeed "radical" in every sense of the word.
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" (real, genuine) Christianity:
(1) See
What is "radical Islam?"
and
Islam Versus Christianity
Yes, the concept of terror (to wit, terrorism, jihad) is in fact ROOTed in the Islamic texts even if it is thankfully true that most Muslims do not seek to carry that out (thank You God for "lukewarm" Muslims).
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 taught the correct, all-in, "radical" Christian worldview throughout His earthly ministry. Here are just three other 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, anti-God media would have a cow on that word alone and -- without understanding the biblical concept -- would most certainly cry, "
RADICAL!
" as if being a "radical" Christian was a bad thing.
(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 (the Greek word used here refers to animal and human excrement) off His disciples' feet, you will have a truly correct picture of
RADICAL
(the the Jews, this was the job of the lowest household servant, and not definitely NOT a king, let alone God in the flesh)!
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 both
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 source of all 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 "
fear not
"
war cry
!
Radical? You bet!
Expanding on this, Calvary Chapel pastor Pastor Fernando Ortiz uses 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?
With WWII and the Nazi menace all but upon his home nation of England, Howard Guiness, in his book,
Sacrifice
, 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's just two:
(1) Consider Jesus' sacrificial torture, death on the cross and joyous Resurrection for sinners like you and I. Friend, it does not get more
radical
than that! So how does that apply to us? Our Lord says, "
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 declared, "
I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me
" (
John 14:6
). Sadly the response of the average, lukewarm, "progressive" American "Christian" (?) is, "That can't be true -- there has to be many ways to heaven!" (that Jesus is a liar) and "That's too radical!" "Too" radical? It's just plain radical -- and rightly so!
Finally, God speaks directly to us in law enforcement on the concept of being "radical" in
Romans 13:1-4.
The paraphrase used on all our Centurion gear is shown in the image at the opening of this newsletter above.
My fellow servant-warriors/sheepdogs, can you even begin to imagine the differences we can make in our agencies (including with 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 for the lost and wicked we come across each day?
Radical
indeed!
Clearly, our Lord is calling
ALL
of those He calls His own (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" -- SERVANT -- in
Romans 13:1-4
) and protect the public? Will you obediently share your testimony and tell others about Jesus (the
Great Commission
, not the "great suggestion")? 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 and "all in" for Him. May He raise up an army of radical believers who are not satisfied with typical mediocre,
lukewarm
, status quo
“Christian” existence. 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!
In closing, let me say again that the power to live out this kind of radical, "ALL IN" faith is available ONLY to those who have been "born again" in Christ and thus have the
Holy Spirit living inside them
and empowering them (talk about radical). Do you have that? You can! Scroll down to...
_____________________
KNOW GOD?
(1) Do you still 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 to 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]).
(5) Need more? Then check out this powerful, short video message from police servant-leader
Travis Yates
:
Cops and Salvation
(6) Have you now said "yes" to Jesus as Lord and Savior but are wondering what to do next? The "now what" is also an important part in dealing with the issues that can lead to suicide and sin in general. Click on,
Now what?
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; (5) transform our God-ordained profession by infusing it with all-in Christian officers; and (6)
IMPACT
(reduce) police suicides and PTSD with the Cure found in Christ Jesus alone. In keeping with these 6 points, please feel free to adapt these messages for your own individual or group use and
share
them with others.
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, sound (uncompromising) Bible study, prayer and servant-warrior fellowship (and spouses are both welcome and encouraged to attend with their LEO).
Contact me
for complete details.
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.
Finally, we covet your prayer and financial support for this vital ministry outreach. Reference the latter, you can give in two ways:
(1) Send a check to the address posted below.
or
(2) Go the the
FCPO giving page
and designate "
FCPO #217
" or the "Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry."
* All donations are tax-deductible.
The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
, P.O. Box 630854, Littleton, CO 80163 |
Email Address
| (720) 371-1022 |
Website
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