The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry Newsletter
&
Bible Study
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UPDATED 03/20/2020
Fellow officers,
sheepdogs,
warriors, sp
ouses, supporters and
ALL:
Brothers and sisters, we are living in some very "interesting" times -- the likes of which I've not seen in my lifetime. Accordingly, the theme I shared last week on social media was and is
"FEAR NOT!"
(do not fear) -- something our LORD and "Commander-in-Chief" repeatedly (well over 300 times in Scripture)
commands
His faithful to embrace. Both for us in law enforcement and all who have been born again in Christ (Is that you?), NOW is our time to courageously
rise up
in faith and shine! Scroll down to
"A Christian Warrior's Response to the COVID-19 Crisis"
(with application for cops and civilians alike).
And speaking of last week's study, here it is again if you missed it:
Righteousness Exalts a Nation
("Righteous Cops, Righteous Leadership")
.
And as always, these newsletters re-posted for you on our
social media
feeds (
Twitter
,
Facebook
) and (eventually) on our
website
as well.
Finally, if you've not heard, Police Week 2020 has been cancelled for the first time in it's history. This is gut-wrenching news not only for our Police Week Outreach Team but also for the families of our fallen. That said, we're trusting and waiting on God for how He'll use us going forward.
Let's stay safe on the street but radically bold in Christ. In the end, if we are in fact born again in Him (a Christian as God alone gets to define it), then we can truly
"fear not!"
MC
_____________________
RESOURCES
PRAYER REQUESTS
Where to begin!?
(1) Pray for our nation's leaders -- and our President and Vice President (Mike Pence is a rock solid Christian and an outstanding servant-leader) in particular -- in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2) Pray for all those who have been put out of work (with bills to pay and families to feed) in the wake of this trial. And of course pray for the sick.
(3) Pray for Philly PD Sgt.
Mike Kelly
and his family over the loss of their mother.
Pray also for the PPD in general in the wake of SWAT Cpl.
James O'Connor's
LODD. Jim's son, James O'Connor Jr., is also a Phllly officer who wrote, "Rest easy Dad...I'll take care of everything, I promise. #8162."
Philly cops also need our prayers because their DA -- a self-described "public defender with power" (Lord have mercy) -- is a cop-hater who released Jim's shooter back on the street to commit the murder! And he is now ramping up his "war on cops" after PPD officers linked arms and refused to let him into the hospital where Jim was at.
(4) Pray for each other -- esp. those of us on duty in this mess and the times we're living in.
(5) Finally, and in the wake of the
Police Week 2020
cancellation, pray for the families of the fallen who have now been dealt another painful blow.
* And many more not shared here...just pray!
UPCOMING EVENTS
(UPDATED)
*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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A Christian's Response to the COVID-19 Crisis
“...This I declare about the LORD: He is my God, and I trust in Him. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from every disease. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. For you make the LORD your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”
(Psalm 91)
"
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me."
(Isaiah 6:8)
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We're all in "information overload" mode right now so I'll be brief (well, kinda -- just a page and half -- LOL).
As I stated above, we are living in trying and tenuous times. Many are living in fear, giving in to mob mentality and more. Yet for us as Christians and Christian servant-warriors (cops, sheepdogs, et al), I believe that is may very well be our
finest hour!
Let me start by mentioning the encouragement God gives us in
Psalm 91
-- what is often called
"The Warrior's Psalm"
or
"The Police Officer's Psalm"
(and yes Mary Ganster of
Operation Safety 91,
I'm thinking of you in this). But to whom does this actually apply, and what does it mean)? Verses 14-16 provides part of God's answer:
The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.
In short, those who "love" and "trust" in God for salvation will in fact be saved! While we know our days are numbered in this life (the reason we have both disease and our livelihood as First Responders [our battle against evil] is because of sin -- both original and in general), we who repent and are born again in Christ can KNOW that our
salvation
and eternal destination (instead of hell as we deserve) is assured. So do you have that? If not, keep reading!
Secondly, and especially for us who have answered the call to "serve and protect" and ALSO know Christ as Lord and Savior, this crisis is
our time to SHINE!
What do I mean by that? Brothers and sisters, all around us is fear, panic, despair, anxiety (you can literally FEEL the latter), and the devil is reveling in it! But for us who are "in Christ," we should be standing fast: to be
"a man among them"
(Ezekiel 22:30)
standing in the gap; to be God's lights in the darkness
(Matthew 5:16)
and be radically counter-cultural
(Romans 13:12-14).
Are you doing that? Brothers and sisters, we not only can, but we must (by the power of the Holy Spirit the indwells every true believer)!
Now understand, I'm not talking about the false use of this other passages by
"name and claim it" fraudsters
. We must not fall into the kind of apostasy that says we can "bind Satan" (ONLY God can do that), or that we are "little gods" with "power" over this pestilence. Only God has that control. Yes, we should and must pray, but we must pray in accordance with God's will verses our own. On this, S. Michael Houdmann (Got Questions Ministries" rightly states, "Jesus did not come to give us health, wealth and happiness now. He came to save us from our sins so that we can have an eternity of bliss with Him. Following Christ is not a ticket to all the material things men desire in this life but a ticket to eternal life. Our desire should not be to have our 'best life now' but to have the attitude of the apostle Paul, who had learned to be content “in whatever state I am” --
Philippians 4:11.
AMEN!
And finally, we have the example of Isaiah (the
"Send me"
verse). Our friends with
Got Questions Ministries
do a great job breaking this down
(What is the meaning of Isaiah 6:8?)
but let me just focus on the last paragraph from their article:
It is
only
after Isaiah is cleansed of his sin that he says,
“Here am I; send me.”
Prior to that point, he saw himself as an unworthy messenger; once he was forgiven, he immediately desired to serve the Lord in whatever way possible. The Lord asks,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
— He wants willing volunteers in His service, and a grateful and enthusiastic Isaiah doesn’t hesitate in taking the opportunity:
“Here am I; send me.”
And for the rest of his life, Isaiah serves the God who had forgiven and saved him.
Folks, that's OUR call, but we can't be fully used of God for this unique
"time such as this"
(Esther 4)
in the face of this virus (COVID-19 flu) -- both on and off the job -- unless when we, like Isaiah, are first cleansed of our sin and born again into a right relationship with Him. Yes, we could die, but the Christian should have
no fear knowing where we will spend eternity!
Yes, we should exercise due care in much the same way we exercise officer safety and wear our armor. But at the same time we must not be cowering and fretting like the masses! Christian -- turn on your
"takedowns"
and SHINE in the light of Christ our Captain!
So again I ask: are you without fear? Is your confidence in Christ? If not (or if you're not sure), then scroll down to the
Know God?
section below (and please
reach out
if you have questions!). Then join me in "The Battle" behind Christ our true "Commander-in-Chief!"
"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
(Deuteronomy 31:6)
MC
____________________
KNOW GOD?
(1) Do you hold to an utterly false hope that you can "earn" or otherwise "badge" your way into heaven and escape hell because you consider yourself to be a "
good
" cop or a "good" person (the "I'm good" mess)? That you can be "good" enough without knowing Christ as Lord and Savior? That mere "belief" is enough to "save" you? That you somehow "deserve" heaven because of your so-called "good" service? Take the
Good Person Test
and see how you do!
(2) Jesus' first recorded words in His earthly adult ministry included,
"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 against criminals intent on destroying us or others; or that our parachute will open when it is supposed to on a combat jump (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 that also comes to us from
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 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; (2) to
DISCIPLE
the Christian officer; (3)
SEND
out discipled (trained) officers to "repeat" 1 and 2; (4) to
SUPPORT
police marriages; (5) to transform our God-ordained profession by infusing it with all-in Christian officers; and (6) to
IMPACT
(reduce) police suicides and PTS 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 |
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