The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry Newsletter
&
Bible Study
|
Updated 01/18/2020
Fellow officers,
sheepdogs,
sp
ouses and supporters -- here's this week's
Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
newsletter and Bible study.
Meeting cancellation
: Due to a scheduling conflict, our upcoming Centurion/FCPO chapter meeting and Bible study set for next Tuesday, Jan. 21st, is cancelled!
With a very busy schedule on my end, and out of respect for yours, I'll be brief here so you can get on to this week's Bible study (well, in this case, a series of studies) below. The focus is in fact
The TRUTH
(the whole truth and nothing but the truth...so help me God) -- and yes, you
can
"handle the truth!"
And speaking of both these studies and
truth
, here again is last week's in case you missed it:
A Matter of Life and Death
. As always, these studies are re-posted for you on our
social media
feeds (
Twitter
,
Facebook
) and (eventually) on our
website
as well.
Please reach out if you need anything!
MC
_____________________
RESOURCES
(1) The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry website has links to all our past Bible studies through which you will find a
plethora
(LOL) of resources: Go to
Past Centurion Newsletters
and scroll away (you can click on the "
Older Posts
" button on the bottom right of each page to continue).
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Pray for those being impacted by the Taal volcano eruption in the Philippines. Many Philippine National Police (PNP) officers are working incredible hours under horrific conditions trying to help, and many of them have lost their homes. In addition, my own brother
Lonie
, an American expatriate, has a farm very near the volcano -- please lift him in prayer as well.
(2) Pray for fellow officer/chaplain and teammate,
Jim Bontrager
, who will be heading to Richmond, VA on Jan. 20th to take part and stand in the gap at the 2nd Amendment rally at the state capitol.
(3) Pray for me as a seek to be used of God at a conference in Florida later this month.
(4) Please pray for recently retired Colorado Master Trooper
Scott Hinshaw
who is recovering from his latest surgery stemming from being critically injured in the line of duty 13 years ago.
UPCOMING EVENTS
(1)
The Shelter Foundation
's Bible studies (1 for cops, 1 for their spouses) will be starting again in the coming weeks. Great resource to boot.
(2) Planning has already begun for our
2020 Police Week
mission in Washington, DC this May. Stay tuned and hope to see you there (and please begin praying for us)!
(4) I continue to teach my Centurion Church Security Seminar (for free) but I continue to recommend the
Sheepdog Seminars
as well (much more than a church security seminar). Here's their
schedule.
*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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The Truth!
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (so help me God).
Jesus said,
"I am the way, the
TRUTH
and the life..."
John 14:6
(added emphasis mine)
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When we testify in court, we swear an oath to "...tell the
truth
, the whole
truth
and nothing but the
truth
, so help me God" (sadly, the last four words are now often left out, as is the Bible we place our hands on). Let me start by stating that my intent here is to ALWAYS do just that: give you
The Truth
, "so help me God!"
Throughout history, many have questioned the meaning of
TRUTH
. Even Pilate, as he prepared to pass judgment on our Savior, asked,
"What is truth?" --
"Then Pilate said to Jesus, 'So you are a king, are you?' Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.' Pilate said to him, 'What is truth?' After saying this, he went back out to the Jews and told them, 'I find no guilt in Him.'”
(John 18:37-38).
More importantly, Jesus Himself was emphatic when He said that He alone is the only way we can be saved:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
(John 14:6).
Also in John's gospel, Jesus said in
8:32-32
,
"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Jesus Christ is
The Truth.
He is the absolute standard and embodiment of truth, and that standard is handed down to us in His Word, the Bible
(John 17:17).
The Holy Spirit gives the revelation of His truth to us, and anything or anyone who does not agree with the revelation of this truth is falsehood, lies, error, heresy and deception.
So it is with this focus on
truth
(ultimate backup) that I share with you a series of past Centurion Bible studies (just scroll down to study in each) through which I hope to reveal God's truth and answers to some of the top questions that keep being asked. Let's dig in!
(1) This will again shake up some folks, but
"Blessed are the peacemakers"
is
NOT about us
as cops (and "blessed are the peacekeepers" is not even in the Bible) unless it just happens to be Christian cops sharing the hope and PEACE of Christ with those who do not have it. Nor will our service as police officers give us a free pass into heaven (or out of hell). Here's
Blessed are the Peacemakers?
(2) We keep saying
"Rest In Peace"
or
"RIP"
without understanding who (and ONLY who) it applies to. So important that we get this right BEFORE someone passes (thus again is my Code 3 sense of urgency). Click on
Rest in Peace?
(God answers the
"?"
with His Truth).
(6) And finally, what does God have to say to us about
suicide
, (add
PTSi
to it as well) and is there a cure for what ails us? Here's
God, Cops and Suicide
(so much hope and help for us here).
Now there is a LOT of TRUTH for you to chew on here, but God's truth will make little sense to those who have rejected it (and Him). Accordingly, let me close this message as I always do -- by inviting you to come to know the greatest servant-leader and warrior of all time -- Jesus Christ. Scroll down to
the
Know God?
section below for the ultimate
TRUTH
(and please
reach out
if you need help or have more questions)!
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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 "good" person? That you can be "good" enough without God? That you "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 defense 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 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; (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 |
Website
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