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An outreach of the Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry and the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers
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DENVER-AREA News, Announcements & FCPO Chapter Meeting Info
The Colorado-Area law enforcement Ministry meeting schedules
and related events are posted on our website (left side/scroll down) and are updated regularly.
The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry (FCPO-Denver) typically meets twice a month at Calvary Aurora (usually the 2nd and 4th Thursday) starting at 7 PM. We also meet at our home in Highlands Ranch for special events as announced.
Our NEXT meeting is set for Thursday, March 24th at Calvary Chapel Aurora (we meet in the big Agape Room downstairs past the bookstore) for our annual "A Cop's Easter" message. We start at 7 PM.
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Contact Info:
EMAIL
Phone:
(720) 371-1022
Want to help?
Tax-deductible donations (checks should be make-out to
TCLEM or
FCPO-Denver) to support this vital outreach can be mailed to my attention at:
The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
P.O. Box 630854
Littleton, CO 80163
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Happy Easter (Resurrection Sunday)! My hope is that you've found a service to attend with your families (even if you're on duty today) and, even better, that you invited an unsaved friend and/or colleague. As I've oft-stated, we MUST have a "Code 3" sense of urgency in doing all we can to lead our brethren to a life-saving/life-changing relationship with God in Christ.
Easter became my favorite "holiday" after I finally surrendered my life to Christ and this week's study just happens to have a direct correlation to those of us serving in the "profession of arms" (military, corrections, police, etc.).
This being Resurrection Sunday and with our National Day of Prayer event coming up next week, this newsletter is also a great opportunity to once again share my friend Lt. Col. Dave Grossman's special police and firefighter prayer breakfast message on being a Christian servant-warrior.
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For our Colorado locals and visitors, our next Denver-metro FCPO chapter fellowship is set for for 7 PM this Thursday, April 24th at Calvary Aurora. The Holy Spirit has been leading me to do things a little different this year: my Easter message (devotional/Bible study) -- A Cop's Easter -- is posted below for our worldwide readership but here locally we'll be taking the time to share what this weekend's events mean to each of us (a time of testimony, sharing and prayer). As always, we encourage you to bring your spouses and invite your colleagues.
Finally, take the time to check out the following prayer requests, announcements and weekly resources (and then PASS-ON this newsletter/Bible study to others on your email lists).
Stay safe on the street but bold in Christ!
MC
Michael "MC" Williams
Police Lieutenant, Investigator and Chaplain
Prayer Requests
(1) Please continue to pray for our FCPO Exec. Director Lamar Moore who remains hospitalized in critical condition (praise God, he is has been showing some significant improvements).
(2) Those who follow us on Facebook know by now that my dear friend, Polk Co. (WI) Dep. Mike Seversen, passed away last week due to complications from being shot in the line of duty in on April 19, 1992. Because (and only because) Mike knew Christ as his Lord and Savior, he is now running free in paradise ("Thank You Jesus!"). However, we covet your prayers for those he leaves behind. I had the honor of spending many hours with Mike during his stays at Craig Hospital here in Englewood and he was a true inspiration despite his paralysis. Click on Dep. Mike Severson for more (his earthly remains were laid to rest yesterday -- 22 years to the day that he was shot and his partner killed). God-willing, I will be at our memorial in DC next year to see his name on our wall of heroes.
(3) Be in prayer about the upcoming events posted below in Colorado Springs, Washington (DC), Elkhart (IN) and Chattanooga (TN).
National Announcements
(1) We (your FCPO national board) will be participating in National Police Week 2014 this May 12-16 in Washington, DC. We covet your prayers as we seek to share and be used by God to reach our own with the Good News of Jesus Christ. I'll be in uniform at the candlelight service on Tuesday night -- hope to see you there!
(3) Breaching the Barricade Conference & National Peace Officer Appreciation Day, October 3-4, 2014, Elkhart, IN. Contact Jim Bontrager at [email protected] for more info.
(4) The 2014 Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers National Conference will be held October 17-19 in Chattanooga, TN. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details on the FCPO website.
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Easter Resources
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Law Enforcement
Bible Study/Devotional
A Cop's Easter
In preaching on this weekend's events, I've repeatedly stated that Easter commemorates two of the three most significant events in human history: Christ's death on the cross (Good Friday) and His resurrection (Resurrection Sunday).
Interestingly enough, our law enforcement counterparts of Jesus' day (corrections, military police "peacekeepers", Jewish authorities/Temple Guard, etc.) played a huge role in both events. Accordingly, let's open our Bibles and explore this profession-relevant concept through the following points:
(1) The Cops at Gethsemane (Luke 22:52-71): Here the Temple Guard -- the "municipal cops" of Jesus' day, arrested, beat, and mocked our Savior.
(2) The Cops at Jesus' Trials ( Luke 23:6-11 and the other Gospel accounts): After His initial arrest, Jesus endured 6 trials (3 civil, 3 criminal). There were cops (the Jewish Temple Guard, Herod's officers, and the Roman military "peacekeepers" who were the "Feds" of that time period) at each, and all treated our Lord with contempt and cruel, excessive force.
(3) The Cops at Christ's Scourging & Torture ( Matthew 27:25-31): Without any doubt, the Roman "police" and corrections officers were responsible for the unimaginable scourging and torture Jesus endured for OUR (yours and mine) sins.
(4) The Cops at the Cross ( Luke 23:33-47): It was the Roman military police who nailed our Savior to the cross, mocked him and gambled for his clothing. But it was also a Roman centurion -- a ranking officer -- who when faced with the overwhelming evidence of what he had seen praised God and exclaimed Christ's innocence (v. 47). An Air Force chaplain penned an insightful view of Christ's trials and crucifixion that paints quite the picture for those of us serving in the military and law enforcement: " A Centurion's Perspective."
(5) The Cops at the Tomb and Resurrection ( Matthew 27:62-66: Matthew 28:11-15): The officers assigned to guard Christ's tomb were likely no ordinary lot but rather part of an elite, military "peace keeping" unit who understood that failure meant death. They had to major muscle to roll a stone up to 2 tons in weight down into a depression in front of the entrance of the tomb and they then applied an official "seal" (likely a Roman invention now commonly refer to as cement). Falling asleep while on duty was a death penalty "policy" offense and thus out of the question. That said, the first "witnesses" to the empty tomb were the cops sent there to guard it!
So why the Cross? Dr. Michael Youseff rightly (biblically) points out that the cross serves four key purposes:
(1) Jesus died on the Cross to satisfy His own justice. God's Word says that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). When we break God's Law, we must pay the penalty [in the same way we enforce the law today]. Jesus, the only sinless one, paid that penalty on the Cross.
(2) Jesus died on the Cross to redeem His children. He delivered us from sin and death. Every one of us is born into enmity with God, but God has provided the way back to Him through the Cross.
(3) Jesus died on the Cross to justify believers. It was an act of gracious justice. God does not excuse our sin as a minor concern, but He forgives and restores us when we come to Him in repentance and humility through faith in Jesus Christ. God gives us salvation from sin and death as a gift-a very costly gift.
(4) Jesus died on the Cross to reconcile all of those who will believe in Him to His Father. Sin creates a wall between us and God; only Jesus can tear down that wall. When we are reconciled with God, it transforms us from being God's enemies to being His children.
"For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life" (Romans 5:10).
Secondly, why the resurrection? Again, notice that I used the word "evidence" as it relates to the centurion at the cross . As LEOs, evidence is everything and the evidence pertaining to Christ's resurrection goes hand-in-hand with what occurred on the Cross (the cross has no lasting value without the resurrection). Here are but three evidence-based facts for your consideration:
FACT #1: BROKEN ROMAN SEAL
The first obvious fact was the breaking of the official Roman seal that stood for the power and authority of the Empire. The consequences of breaking the seal were extremely severe. When an official Roman seal was broken, the "FBI" of the Empire would be called into action to find those were responsible and punish them accordingly -- typically automatic execution by being crucified upside down. In the case of Christ's tomb, it was likely sealed by a Roman invention -- cement -- and no one dared break it!
FACT #2: LARGE STONE MOVED
On that Sunday morning the first thing that impressed the people who approached the tomb was the unusual position of the one and a half to two ton stone that had been lodged in a depression in front of the doorway. All the Gospel writers mention it. Those who observed the stone after the resurrection describe its position as having been rolled up a slope away not just from the entrance of the tomb, but from the entire massive sepulcher. It was in such a position that it looked as if it had been picked up and carried away. Now, I ask you, if the disciples had wanted to come in, tiptoe around the supposedly sleeping cops, and then roll the stone over and steal Jesus' body, how could they have done that without the officers being aware? It would have taken more than just human muscle to be sure (most likely hammers and chisles to break the seal and ropes, tackle and horsepower to roll the stone away).
FACT #3: ROMAN GUARD GOES AWOL
The "watch" (coustodia in the Greek - where we get the word "custodian") guarding the tomb fled their post! How can their attrition he explained when Roman military discipline was so exceptional and that failure meant a horrendous death? One way in which a soldier who failed in his duty or disobeyed an order was executed was by being stripped of his clothes and then burned alive in a fire started with his own garments. If it was not apparent which soldier had failed in his duty, then lots were drawn to see which one would be punished with death for the entire unit's failure. Would they have all therefore just fallen asleep with that kind of threat hanging over them? Dr. George Currie, a student of Roman military discipline, wrote that fear of punishment "produced flawless attention to duty, especially in the night watches." Beyond that, are we to believe the guards also slept through an earthquake?
See Matthew 27:62-66 through 28:1-15
With the understanding that the message of Easter is ultimately one of love, hope and promise, it is always my prayer that this message and the overwhelming EVIDENCE presented here will -- like the cop (centurion) at the cross -- move the unbeliever (or "make-believer") to repentance and a saving faith in the One who died and rose again for them.
"How?" First, click on the Know God? link on the upper left of this newsletter and decide TODAY to repent of your sin and enter into a life-saving/life-changing personal relationship with the greatest "Cop" and servant-warrior of all time -- Jesus Christ. I also have additional links under the KNOW GOD (AKA TRUE "OFFICER SAFETY") section of our website that will help you in making this eternal decision.
Finally, get involved in a solid, Bible-teaching church (not optional for the believer) and seek out other sold-out/all-in Christians (and, for our fellow sheepdogs, other Christian cops, military personnel and others of our ilk in particular) who will come alongside you to help you grow and stay on course in your faith (AKA discipleship).
Questions? Always feel free to drop us an email -- we're here to serve you.
Again, Happy Resurrection Day! He has risen -- He has risen indeed!
MC
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National News, Prayer Requests, Denver-Area Meeting Schedules & Announcements...
...are posted and updated regularly on our website. A link to this newsletter/devotional will also be re-posted on both our website and Facebook pages (don't forget to "LIKE" and share with us there). Check back frequently and please let me know if you have a news item, prayer request or message that you would like for me to consider for this newsletter or our website.
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As always, feel free to CONTACT me if you need prayer, counsel, etc. Finally, don't forget to pass-on these newsletters to others on your contact lists (as stated before, just forwarding this to others is a great way to share Christ in accordance with The Great Commission).
Stay safe on the street but radically bold in Christ!
MC
Police Lieutenant & Chaplain M.C. Williams
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