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| FCPO Newsletter and Bible Study |
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The "thin blue line" covered by the blood of Christ. |
Fellow
Sheepdogs (servant-warriors)
& Supporters:
Still in the wake of Resurrection Sunday, my hope is that you are seeking to press forward in God's will for your life. Accordingly, I'm being pressed to share a study on yet another misunderstood and misapplied passage of Scripture: I can't encourage you enough to open your Bibles and scroll down to "Doing All Things Through Christ."
Nationally, our multi-ministry FCPO Police Week Mission Team will be gathering in Washington, DC in just over a month. I hope to see some of you there (look for us in Tent City) while at the same time asking you to join us in praying for Divine appointments to share the hope we have in Christ with the lost and hurting in our God-ordained profession. You can also support out outreach efforts financially (we all raise our own funds for travel, lodging and outreach materials) by sending a check to: The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry (or just FCPO-217), P.O. Box 630854, Littleton, CO 80163. All donations are tax deductible through our association with FCPO-USA. If you wish to specify that your donation will go towards this mission, just write "Police Week" on the bottom left of your checks.
Here on the local front -- "front" being the Colorado Front Range -- our twice-monthly FCPO chapter (#217) meetings -- a time of
iron sharpens iron
fellowship, corporate prayer and Bible study -- has moved to the
1st and 3rd Tuesdays
of each month in Highlands Ranch
starting at 7 PM. Our first meeting in the new venue, and the start of a new Bible study series, will be
April 17th
(mark your calendars). As always, this "cop church" fellowship is for current, past and future officers and their spouses (who are strongly encouraged to attend with their LEO).
Email me
for the address and other 411 (and stay tuned for more details).
Brothers and Sisters, in keeping with this week's Bible study, let's stay the course God has set for us as He gives us the strength to do so!
MC
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PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Again, p
lease be in prayer praying for our
Police Week 2018 FCPO Mission Team
and our outreach in general. We will be heading to DC on May 12th to minister to our own and the need is very great.
(2) All around us, officers are being wounded, killed or suffering. Take the time to pray for our injured, sick and families of our fallen. More importantly, ask God to place you in the proverbial "line of fire" to bring the gospel to the lost and hurting!
(3) Pray for an officer who is dealing with with some serious, painful and debilitating kidney issues (management and healing).
(4) Inasmuch as all governments are established by God (Romans 13:1-7), let's proactively pray for our President and his administration (that they will govern biblically). On this, I was encouraged to learn that, for the first time in some 100 years, the President's Cabinet is meeting weekly for Bible study! While President Trump does not attend, he does read the study notes! Take a moment to read, Inside the White House Bible Study Group.
Have a prayer request or announcement you would like included here? Need prayer?
Email me
! I also post prayer requests on my Facebook page ("friend" me).
UPCOMING EVENTS
(1) As I shared above,
Police Week 2018
is fast approaching (May 12-16) and we seek your prayers as we again pray and plan for this year's national outreach in DC where we will be ministering to/sharing Christ with our own. Hope you'll stop by and see us at our space in Tent City!
(2) Colorado Springs PD Officer Nick Ryland is hosting the 2018 First Responder Retreat this coming June 13-16 in the mountains near Wheatland, WY. Sweet!
(4) FCPO-Canada is hosting their 2018 National Conference in Newfoundland & Labrador on August 3-5. You'll get to see a special part of Canada while hanging out with a great group of brother and sister servant-warriors.
(5) The Sheepdog Seminars put on by my friends Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, Officer/Minister Jimmy Meeks and fellow church safety expert Carl Chinn are outstanding and highly recommended!
(6) The 411 for the 2018 Breaching the Barricade Law Enforcement Conference and Law Enforcement Officer Appreciation Day events will be posted soon but, for now, pray about joining us in Elkhart and Sturgis (the "other" Sturgis) Indiana on October 5th and 6th!
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The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
is a national, 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 our social media
(
Facebook
and
Twitter
) feeds. As always, feel free to adapt these messages for your own individual or group use and please share them with others.
The Centurion Ministry is lead by Police Officer and Chaplain/Evangelist Michael "MC" Williams, a 30-year law enforcement veteran and sought-after instructor and speaker at churches [including the well-received Centurion Church Security Seminar], retreats and both law enforcement and civilian conferences and seminars around the country. Contact MC via email for more.
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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 metro-Denver chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers -- (aka FCPO Chapter 217) -- is a Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry affiliate. We meet most 1st and 3rd Tuesday evenings starting at 7 PM in Highlands Ranch (email me for details) for profession-focused/life-focused
Bible study, prayer and servant-warrior/sheepdog fellowship (the iron sharpens iron kind). Spouses are both welcome and encouraged to attend with their LEO.
Our next meeting is set for Tuesday,
April 17th.
Hope to see you there!
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Doing "All Things Through Christ"
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
A big part of what God has called me to do through this ministry is teaching and equipping you with
sound doctrine (aka, God's truth). An example, of course, is my recent study on "
blessed are the peacemakers" (not about cops). Another example is this oft-cited passage in
Philippians. What does it really mean to "...
do all things through Christ who strengthens..." us?
First, let me explain what it does NOT mean: We cannot and must not "claim" this passage to mean that we can make demands on God to give us whatever we TELL Him to give us, or that He is obligated to "strengthen" us for anything we demand of Him. No, we are not the "little gods" of the false prosperity movement!
Unfortunately, many people take this verse out of context and use it to reinforce what David Guzik calls a "triumphalist" or "super-Christian" mentality.
Sadly, I too was once sucked into the false (unbliblical) application of this oft-misunderstood verse. Praise God, the Holy Spirit, Bible study and and some sound Bible teachers have opened my eyes to the truth of this passage (and again,
CONTEXT is crucial
).
So what then is the correct but still very encouraging truth Paul is seeking to teach us here through this section of his letter to the Philippian believers?
Writing on this passage, Athletes in Action's Monty Waldron rightly said, "Paul's words are often handled almost superstitiously as some kind of spiritual rabbit's foot in the hope of Divine favor. With the best of intentions, this phrase is rehearsed as an assurance of God's enablement for personal pursuits."
If we include verses eleven and twelve with thirteen, we get a clearer idea of Paul's intent. "...
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." (
Philippians 4:11-13, ESV)
Paul's aim here is contentment, not worldly achievement. Rather than envisioning all that he can accomplish, he is focused on his heart response to his circumstances, whether favorable or not.
Had Paul applied this to the police "athlete" (a perspective that we should most definitely embrace), he might have said, "After training my guts out, studying and otherwise giving my all, God has given me the power to live with the outcome even if that outcome is not what I hoped it would be. Regardless of what's at stake, I can play by the rules. I can genuinely treat my spouse, my kids, the public and even offenders with genuine love and respect. I can also express gratitude even in the midst of my trials and tribulations because of the strength God has given me as a born again follower of Christ."
God also intends this passage to help teach us how to see life from His perspective (what we call a "biblical worldview").
Paul didn't always see things the way he describes in this passage. In his words, he had to learn to be content in the ups and downs of life. He
could have said it this way: "I have learned over the years that I can do all things. I can be brought low, I can abound, I can face plenty and hunger, abundance and need with enduring contentment because of the strength I receive from the sufficiency of Christ."
The context of this verse focuses on the God-given power to endure any circumstance. As Paul teaches us in verse 12, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Paul had faced times of abundance, yet he had also faced many trials for his faith.
In
2 Corinthians 11:24-27, Paul shares some of his sufferings up to that point in his faith: "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked." Despite these and other problems, Paul believed and taught he could persevere because he could do "all things through Him who gives me strength."
We must always also put this powerful statement of faith in context with
John 15:5
: "for without Me you can do nothing." With Jesus, and in His perfect will, we can do all things, but without Him we can't do anything.
Again, the focus in
Philippians 4
is what the believer (a genuine, born again Christain) can do through the strength that Christ
gives to carry out His will for us. This is not a promise that Christians will have superpowers, be wealthy or that we will be invincible or immune to life's challenges. Instead, the promise of
Philippians 4:13
is that we will have strength from the Lord to faithfully endure the difficulties that arise in life and to carry out His will and plan in spite of them.
Finally,
Philippians 4:13
is part of a larger passage that addresses Christ's ability to meet our needs. Christ can give contentment during times of plenty and of poverty. He can help us do all the things He has called us to do through His strength. In Paul's case, it was the strength to serve as a missionary despite facing intense suffering. In our lives, this same strength is available. Whether we serve in another country or help someone in our own community, Christ's power can enable us to stand firm on His promises and endure the most difficult of life's problems and challenges.
Need more examples of a right application of this passage? Consider just the following:
- In the midst of a busy work schedule and still recovering from being ill myself, and my wife getting over a VERY rough case of the flu, God gave us the strength to serve effectively in our various tasks at our church and other ministries we're involved with (after which we went home and collapsed in exhaustion...LOL).
- God has repeatedly provided our team with the funds, support and physical/spiritual strength to persevere through an exhausting ministry schedule each year in DC during Police Week (no other way we would get through it).
- Yes, God gave David "all" the strength he needed to defeat Goliath, but that victory (and the battle in general) was God's! Our LORD simply used a willing, obedient vessel (David) to carry out His will for His glory while also providing powerful lessons for His people.
- And with Paul? God gave him the strength to write some 8-13 books of the New Testiment (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) while enduring otherwise impossible trials, hardships, torture, physical impairment and imprisonment leading up to his execution (martyrdom).
Again, context is so crucial. For example, many will quote John 3:16 ("God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son...") without understanding the context of all of John 3:1-21. Likewise
Paul concludes Philippians 4 with these words of context:
My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen
" (verses 19-20, added emphasis mine). God will meet our NEED (not selfish, unbiblical wealth and prosperity) for HIS glory and purposes versus our own!
The gist here is that God will give his faithful believers the strength to carry out ALL the THINGS He has called us to do (His purpose vs. our own) while also giving us the ability (strength) to ENDURE and be content in
all things (all trials, temptation, pain, sickness, hardships, the death of a loved one, etc.) through CHRIST and Christ alone.
In closing, understand that the audience for this passage is believers -- those who are in fact "
born again" in Christ (a "Christian" as God defines it). The Holy Spirit indwells ONLY those who are "in Christ." Is that you? If not, or if you're not sure, consider the following:
(1) J
esus' 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. To
believe
as He intends it here is to cry out to God for your salvation and wholeheartedly
surrender in faith to Christ
in the same way we have "faith" that our body armor will do its job against the rounds it is intended to stop, that our brakes will work when running Code, or that a solider's parachute will open when it is supposed to (we stake our very lives on it)! And the "Good News" that Jesus refers to here is of course His Gospel and plan of salvation.
(2) Again, understand that you can't "earn" or otherwise "badge" your way into heaven (or out of hell) by your worldly "goodness" or by being a "good cop." Without first embracing Christ and his redeeming blood He shed for you on the cross, you can NEVER be "good" enough to make it into heaven or escape the righteous and just consequences for our crimes (sin) in a very real and inescapable place called hell. Still don't believe that? Take the "Good Person Test" and see how you do!
(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." Note our Lord's emphasis on the word "
must" (not "may" or "should"): this is ultimately the
life-saving/life-changing personal relationship with Christ that I stress here every week (see
What does it mean to be a born again Christian?).
So now then, with this "target" in place, see:
and
If you've made a decision for Christ and don't know what to do next, see, Now what?
Let's stay "powered-up" in Christ as we step out boldly in faith to do ALL the things He has called us to do!
MC
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