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The "thin blue line" covered by the blood of Christ. |
With the Independence Day holiday week now behind us, this week's Bible study ("
Dependence Day") is one God has pressed me to share (scroll down) -- hope it will both bless and challenge you.
Here on the local (Denver metro) front, our FCPO-Aurora chapter meets this Thursday at Calvary Aurora starting at 7 in the High School Room where we'll continue our verse-by-verse study through
Acts (Ch. 19 -- read ahead). As always, spouses are invited and encouraged to attend with their LEO (and of course be sure to bring a colleague). In addition, our
TRUTH CHURCH Calvary men's ministry ("
Men of Truth") fellowship is set for this Saturday at 0800 and I encourage my fellow officers to attend as well (message me for details).
Also on the subject of "newsletters" -- take the time to read the July edition of the official FCPO newsletter -- the FCPO Dispatch (chock full of great stuff).
As always, I've posted a number of prayer requests, news about upcoming events and more for you below.
Let's stay front sight focused on Christ and radically bold in sharing the hope we have in Him with others.
MC
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PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Let's continue to pray for wounded Wichita (KS) Officer Brian Arterburn who is undergoing rehab here in Colorado. Brian has been having a tough time of late -- please lift him up to the Lord. Also the trial of the suspect who ran over him (fleeing felon) begins next month...prayers needed in that area as well.
(2) Update on Mike Dye: Mike's surgery went well and he has been discharged from the hospital to work on his recovery. Thanks to all who have lifted him in prayer.
(3) Pastor and fellow police chaplain Jack Crans has been a huge blessing in my life and that of a great many others. On July 7th, Jack underwent a second surgery (successful) stemming from his recent heart attack. He too is home recovering! Thanks to all who have been praying for him.
(4) The carnage in the "
War on Cops" continues...please pray for our wounded and for the families (both blue and natural) of those who have given all. See the
Officer Down Memorial Page for the latest.
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) The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry (FCPO-Aurora) will be participating in the Calvary Aurora First Responder Appreciation Day event on Thursday, July 20th. If you're a first responder (police, fire, etc.) and close to the Aurora metro area, please join us at Calvary Aurora between 1100-1300 (day shift) and 1500-1700 (days/swings) for free burgers, hot dogs, chips and beverages!
(2) As you know, writing and teaching on leadership (and SERVANT-leadership in particular) in law enforcement is a big part of what I do both in ministry and "on the job." Accordingly, I give strong support to Law Officer editor, friend, and fellow cop/law enforcement instructor, Travis Yates' latest seminar,
Courageous Leadership
.
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The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
is a 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 on social media
(
Facebook
and
Twitter
)
pages. Feel free to adapt these messages for your own individual or group use and please share them with others.
In addition, I regularly speak at churches, retreats and both law enforcement and civilian conferences and events around the country -- please shoot me an email if I can be of service to your church, agency or organization.
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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. My metro Denver chapter -- FCPO #217((FCPO-Aurora), typically meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday at Calvary Aurora (High School Room, 7 PM) for "cop church" Bible study, prayer and servant-warrior fellowship
. Spouses are both welcome and encouraged to attend with their LEO! Our next meeting is set for THIS Thursday, July 13th.
Information on the other
FCPO chapters
meeting around the country (including the new chapter here in Arvada, CO) can be found on the
Chapter Locator
pages on the
FCPO-USA
website.
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A Cop's "Dependence" Day
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (verse 1)
As we celebrated last week, Independence Day is the national holiday when outdoor grills are heated up; beaches are packed; our communities have parades and fireworks displays, and patriotism is hopefully extolled. All of this, of course, is in remembrance of July 4, 1776 when the thirteen original American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain's tyrannical rule (followed by seven long years of war before the Treaty of Paris was finally signed in 1783).
Independence appeals to all ages. The word means "freedom from the control, influence, support, and aid of others." It is therefore not surprising that teenagers talk about gaining their independence or that so many adults have the goal of being "financially independent." In our country,
the "American Dream" is the term applied to the concept of achieving our dreams, goals and independence through hard work and self-reliance (what my father called "pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps" -- synonymous with hard work, sweat and and personal effort). But what is God calling us to in this context?
Unfortunately, and while a strong work ethic is certainly important, a great many have fallen for the lie that they do not need to depend on anyone in this life. In fact, our sinful nature leads us to think we can determine truth apart from God, including the idea that, if we are "good enough" or do enough "good works," then God will most certainly let us in to heaven. Likewise, this same independent spirit has also led a great many -- especially those in law enforcement -- to believe that these so-called good works will allow them to escape the righteous judgment of a holy God. But is that correct or is it in fact a "grave" (the literal kind) error with eternal consequences?
Popular psychological teaching (loved by our enemy) bolsters man's independent thinking by telling him that he is inherently good and can solve his problems on his own. In contrast, God teaches us in His Word (the Bible) that just the opposite is true -- that a man's "
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (
Jeremiah 17:9). He adds in
Romans 3:23 that we have ALL sinned and fallen short of heaven (God's glory), that NONE are righteous (good) without Christ (
Romans 3:10-12 and others), and that no matter
how many "good" deeds we do,
apart from Christ we will still face God's righteous judgment for the sins we have committed (Isaiah 64:6). Clearly, God is telling us that our so-called "good" deeds, being a "good" person or our service in law enforcement or the military can't cleanse us from our sins or deliver us from its consequences.
Thankfully, our loving Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to make a way for us to have eternal life with Him in heaven (
John 3:16). Jesus is "
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (
John 1:19). Writing on this, Tim Chaffey said, "Jesus did not come so that we could tell cute nativity stories or so that we would think of Him as simply a good teacher. No, Jesus came to die an agonizing death on the Cross. He came to take our punishment on Himself. He died on the Cross, was buried, and then rose from the dead three days later, demonstrating that He has power over death, that He took the wrath of God for our sins, and that He has secured our hope of eternal life."
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus told us, "
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (
John 14:6). This statement of fact directly contradicts the man-made religious concept that a person can earn his own salvation. Sadly, God's declaration is extremely offensive to the modern "tolerance" mindset which refuses to tolerate the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. Jesus unequivocally declared that He alone is the
only way to the Father -- that true "freedom" from permanent "slavery" (punishment) in hell can only be found through complete
dependence on Him ("
if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed
" - John 8:36).
Certainly on the national front, we may cherish our independence and freedom in the United States, but that independence and freedom is eroding and can be taken away. What so many have also forgotten is that our Founding Fathers, while declaring independence from England's tyrannical rule, were careful to voice their DEPENDENCE on God in what became a miraculous endeavor.
Clearly, t
he further we drift from our dependence on God and the obedience to His Word, the less freedom and independence we will possess. The more we reject God's authority as a nation, the less godly we will become as a people, and the more laws will be required to govern our sinful behavior (with a corresponding loss of liberty).
All this said, if you have never truly placed your trust (
dependence) in Jesus Christ, then I urge you to repent of your sins and cry out to Him for your salvation today. It is ONLY by being
born again in Christ -- your "
Dependence Day" -- that you can experience true and lasting freedom. See the following to learn how (and, for more on this concept, see "
Celebrating Dependence Day"):
(1) Jesus' first words in His earthly ministry were: "
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 God intends it to
completely and radically surrender to Him in
faith
("believe" and "faith" have the same Greek root meaning) in the same way you have faith that your body armor will stop the rounds it is designed to stop or that a skydiver's parachute will open (we stake our lives on it)! The "Good News" of course is the Gospel of Christ. Moreover, the words repent and believe are literally two sides of the same coin in meaning and intent (see the "Are you really a Christian" link below for more).
(2) In
John 3:1-21, Jesus says, "...
you must be born again." Note our Lord's emphasis on
must (not "may" or "should"): this is the
life-saving/life-changing personal relationship (not "religion") with/dependence on Christ that I stress so often. See
What does it mean to be a born again Christian.
Then see:
(a) Take the
Good Person Test
and see how you do (as shown in this study, you can't ever be "good" enough without Christ). Then go to...
Got it? NOW is the time to make your "Declaration of Dependence!"
Need prayer or more info? Feel free to
contact me
!
MC
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