The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry Newsletter
&
Bible Study
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Updated 05/21/2019
Dear fellow officers,
sheepdogs,
servant- warriors, spouses and supporters:
This week's special Bible study comes to you in the wake of yet another line of duty death here in Colorado (and others around the country as well). With Colorado State Patrol Trooper
William Moden
's "celebration of life" service set for Friday (update --
today
), I can't encourage you enough to scroll down to, "
Honoring our Fallen
."
Hopefully, the dads out there had a blessed
Father's Day
this past Sunday. And speaking of, last week's newsletter and Bible study was all about that: Here's the updated, "
A Police Officer's Father's Day
" (in case you missed it). A
s always, these newsletters and Bible studies are re-posted for you on our social media feeds (see the buttons below) and
website
as well.
Again, stay safe (including your eternal safety) on the street but radically engaged in "the battle" behind Christ our Captain.
MC
_____________________
RESOURCES
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Pray for the family (both blue and blood) of my friend, colleague and brother-in-Christ, Colorado State Patrol Trooper.
William Moden
(in whose honor this week's Bible study was written). Pray also for those of us who will be ministering to Will's friends and family at his service.
(2) Likewise, pray for the families -- both blood and blue -- of the other officers who have recently passed, including but by no means limited to Sacramento PD Officer
Tara O'Sullivan
.
(3) Pray for Colorado State Patrol Criminal Analyst
Chris Wilson
who is once again battling stage 4 cancer.
(4)
Christine Baron
(chaplain, retired officer and widow of a slain officer) writes,
"I
’d like to put in a prayer request for the restoration of a marriage for an officer here in NM. God knows the details. Also for an officer suffering from PTSD. Again, God knows the details. It’s just heartbreaking to see these folks hurting like this." I'll add, pray for our sister Christine as well -- God knows the details.
UPCOMING EVENTS
(2) Some Colorado Christian officers are partnering with
Gracie Parrish
(widow of slain DCSO Dep.
Zach Parrish III
) and
The Shelter Foundation
to reach cops and their spouses with the Gospel. Friday, August 23, 7 PM, Mission Hills Church, Littleton, CO. Click on
Anchored!
for more. In addition, watch
Gracie share her story
.
(3) The
2019 Breaching the Barricade/Officer Appreciation Day
events are set for
October 18-19
in northern Indiana. This provides incredible training for cops and a "bucket list" (as in a huge "bucket" of
FUN
)
event for officers and their families. Mark your calendars and plan on joining us in Indiana this October, and pray for
Jim Bontrager
and his team...the effort is massive and the challenges overwhelming ("but God..."). I'll see you there!
*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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"Honoring our Fallen"
"Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for Us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
(Isaiah 6:8, NLT)
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This week's profession-focused Bible study comes to you as a way to honor both God and the memory of those who fall in the line of duty (or otherwise). This includes my friend and fellow
Christian
servant-warrior, Colorado State Trooper
William Moden
, who made the ultimate sacrifice last week and whose life and service we'll celebrate today.
As stated, Will was not just a brother-in-Christ but was also a personal friend and Centurion supporter whose last message to me before he was killed was (in part), "
M
y brotha! Thank you for always sharing God’s word, and making it your mission that our brothers and sisters on the Thin Blue Line know Christ as well
." It is therefore fitting then that this Bible study pays honor to that and to him.
With Will and his encouragement to me in mind, the passage God pressed me to teach on this week is
Isaiah 6:8
(see above).
To add confirmation to this, the Bible verse that Will used as the introduction to his Facebook page goes with it:
"
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity; but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.
"
(
2 Timothy 1:7
)
Accordingly, it is without
timidity
and in a
spirit of power, love
and yes,
self-discipline
(and my usual "Code 3" -- lights and siren -- sense of urgency) that I share what God has for us in this passage. Let me assure you, Will --
now
in heaven -- would certainly approve (with ALL glory to God)!
Just as He did with Isaiah, God is still looking for someone to
send
.-- to GO for Him: to bring "backup" to the lost and hurting; to share His truth and love even with those who reject it; to radically love out our faith in a world (and an enemy) that wants us to do anything but.
On this, pastor and Bible commentator David Guzik wrote, "How strange it is that this God of majesty, sovereignty, and power
asks for volunteers
! He could easily
create
robots to do His work, or
command angels
to carry out His will. But God wants willing, surrendered servants. Have you been waiting for God to
force
you to serve Him? He looks for
volunteers
!" Praise God!
Whom shall I send
means that the missionary, the Christian worker, the witness of Jesus Christ (that means EVERY believer) and yes, the Christian officer, is
sent
. Especially for us in law enforcement, ours is a divine calling and commission (
Romans 13:1-4, Psalm 82:3-4
).
Likewise,
who will go for Us
also means that the missionary, the Christian worker, the witness of Jesus Christ and the Christian officer agrees to
go
. Here we see a cooperation of the divine
sent
and the human willingness to
go
.
And who is
Us
? Here we see a reference to the
Trinity
. Who is doing the sending?
I
or
Us
? It is the same Person: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Here am I! Send me
: Isaiah
emphatically
answered God's call. He did not hesitate (again, that sense of urgency I keep talking about). Isaiah rightly and obediently
wanted
to be the answer to God's question. Do you?
So what created this kind of heart in Isaiah? First, he had a heart that had been in the presence of and fellowship WITH God. He had a heart that knew its own sinfulness. He had a heart that knew the need among the people -- the need for God's Word (the Bible). He had a heart that had been touched by what Guzik termed "God's cleansing fire." And because he had been spending time with God (again, in Bible study and prayer), he had a heart that heard God's heart to reach the lost, the hurting and those in danger of God's righteous judgement (the latter being a warning).
Send me
also means that Isaiah was submitted to the LORD in all his service. Isaiah would not go at all unless he knew he was
sent
by the LORD. Many are quick to say, "Here I am, I will go" but never wait for the LORD to
send
them (I was once one of those who always did what I wanted to do before submitting myself to God's will and purpose).
So with that, our study needs some
context
(context is always critical).
After a 52-year reign of relative peace,
King Uzziah
of Judah died of leprosy in 739 BC (
2 Chronicles 26:16–23
), the same year Isaiah began his prophetic ministry. In a vision Isaiah saw the Lord, “
high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple
” (
Isaiah 6:1
). The Lord had a message to deliver to the nation of Judah, and He expresses His desire for a messenger in verse 8. Isaiah’s obedient exclamation, “
Here am I, send me
” marked the very beginning of his ministry (likewise, EVERY Christian is called to ministry -- service -- in one form or another). Ultimately, the Lord’s message for Judah (and for us) eventually became the
book of Isaiah
.
Now also understand that before
Isaiah
could say, “
Here am I. Send me
,” he had a sin problem that had to be addressed.
Isaiah 6:5
describes how Isaiah was made aware of his own unworthiness: “
Woe to me! . . . I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty
.” Standing in the Lord’s presence, Isaiah is made painfully aware of his sin, and he is broken about it in the same way as were Job (
Job 42:6
) and Peter (
Luke 5:8
) when they were confronted with the presence of the Lord. God was preparing Isaiah for his cleansing and commission, and yes, if you're willing, God is ready to do the same for you!
After Isaiah acknowledges his sin, a
seraph
takes a burning piece of coal from the altar, touches Isaiah’s lips with it, and says, “
See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for
” (
Isaiah 6:7
). While I won't get into a long discourse on this, some details are important here: Isaiah could not remove his own guilt and the forgiveness of that sin without the atonement made possible at the place of sacrifice (the altar). There the the purification is specifically applied to the point of Isaiah’s sin (his lips), thus making Isaiah acceptable as a minister of God’s Word. Praise God, because of what Christ did for us on the cross, we are no longer under The Law and the requirements of animal sacrifice. Rather, our sin and guilt are wiped away today when we confess with our mouth (
Romans 10:9-10
),
repent
of our sin (see below) and surrender to Him in faith (
Mark 1:15
).
Understand then it is only after Isaiah is cleansed and forgiven of his sin that he says, “
Here am I. Send me
.” Prior to that point, he rightly saw himself as an unworthy messenger who -- once he was forgiven -- immediately desired to serve the Lord in whatever way possible. What about you?
Today, the Lord still asks, “
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
” I believe with all my heart that Will -- not unlike Isaiah -- was one of God's willing, forgiven and commissioned volunteers in His service. Then, not unlike all but one (John) of our Lord's "commissioned" twelve (all but Judas the traitor and John the Apostle would be martyred for their faith), Will spent and ultimately and gave his life with a grateful and enthusiastic “
Here am I. Send me
.” ethos. Are you? Will you?
I began and will now close this study with a question: How can we best
honor our fallen
? The answer, as laid out in our study, should be clear: be willing to
GO
-- to be sent out to obediently live out our Christian faith and tell others about the ONLY One who can save them (the
Great Commission
is not the "great suggestion" or the "great compromise"). This is backup/cover of the eternal kind, and the very best way we can honor Will or anyone who falls in the line of duty (or otherwise) BEFORE they pass. My prayer, of course, is that the Gospel will in fact be shared as part of honoring Trooper
William Moden
at his "celebration of life" service this morning (a way to hammer this home).
So will you do that? Brothers and sisters, with Will's life and sacrifice very much in mind, we MUST! Know this: without first being "
born again
" (a Christian as God defines it --
John 3:1-21
and more), there is no hope of heaven (and no "RIP"). Accordingly, the only way to truly honor our fallen is to do all we can to demonstrate and share Christ with our brothers and sisters so that, before they pass, they will have had every opportunity to repent and come to a saving faith.
Friend, if you're never had what both Isaiah and Will had before being sent out (a saving faith), and with the understanding that you can't "earn" it or be "good enough" on your own, it is with their same "
Code
3
" response that I urge you to scroll down to the links under "
Know God?
" below and say "Yes!" to Him today. Understand this: this is
NO "other way"
you can be saved or make it into heaven!
_____________________
KNOW GOD?
(1) Do you 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]). Folks, it is only through this miraculous event that we can be made "righteous" before a just and Holy God and thus become part of His family.
(5) Need more? Then check out this powerful, short video message shared by my fellow "radical," Maj.
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.
We also seek both your prayers and your
financial support
for this ministry as the Lord leads.
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 and life-relevant Bible study, prayer and servant-warrior/sheepdog fellowship. Spouses are both welcome and encouraged to attend with their LEO.
Contact me for details!
You can also give to our ministry by designating "
FCPO Chapter 217
" on the
FCPO donation page
.
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.
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