The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry Newsletter
&
Bible Study
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Updated 8/4/19
Dear fellow officers,
sheepdogs,
servant-warriors, spouses and supporters:
Our latest, profession-focused and frankly, life-focused (application for ALL) Bible study takes a fresh look at a topic I've taught on in the past but which has perhaps even more application for us today. Scroll down to "
The Crucible
.
"
Please also take the time to check out the new prayer requests, resources and announcements posted in each of these newsletters.
And speaking of these Bible studies, here's last week's updated edition in case you missed it: "
Strength and Honor
."
Past newsletters/Bible studies are always re-posted for you on our social media feeds (see the buttons below) and our
website
as well.
Let's continue to stay front sight focused on Christ our Captain as we lead, serve and protect.
MC
_____________________
RESOURCES
We've been praying for
Gracie Parrish
(widow of slain
Christian Dep. Zach Parrish III
) and her Shelter Foundation team (see below). Their website is an excellent resource:
The Shelter Foundation
. Also can't encourage Denver-area officers and their spouses enough to get signed up for their upcoming initial meeting:
Anchored
. My focus for our FCPO chapter in this season is to come alongside Gracie and The Shelter Foundation in any way we can.
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Pray for pastor and retired Officer
Jimmy Meeks
as he starts
Sheepdog Church
on August 13th in Hurst, TX. Additional "411" is posted in the
Upcoming Events
section below.
(2)
Retired Dearborn (MI) Officer
Jim Wroblewski
is asking for prayer for his wife Ann, who was recently diagnosed with ALS.
(3) Buena Vista (CO) Police Sgt.
Dean Morgan
is asking for prayers for his dad,
Bob Morgan
, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Please pray.
UPCOMING EVENTS
(1) Fellow 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
.
(2) The
2019 Breaching the Barricade & Officer Appreciation Day
events are set for
October 18-19
in northern Indiana. This provides incredible, uplifting 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. Also please be in prayer for
Jim Bontrager
and his team...the effort is massive and the challenges overwhelming ("but God..."). I'll be serving there as well.
(3)
Jimmy Meeks
of
Sheepdog Seminars
, a friend, pastor and recently retired cop, has started
Sheepdog Church
in Hurst, TX. Their first service/event is coming up on August 13th. Here's the 411:
Sheepdog Church
.
*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 Crucible
Understanding God's purpose in the "fires" of life.
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I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my Name, and I will answer them..."
(
Zechariah 13:9
)
I thought God was leading me in a different direction for this week's Bible study but He used some ongoing trials of my own to push (more of a shove) me in a different direction. Accordingly, my prayer is that "
The Crucible
" will both encourage and challenge you.
Every successful Marine never forgets week 11 of recruit boot camp:
The Crucible
. Webster correctly defines a
crucible
as a container in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted as part of the
refining
process. It also refers to a difficult test, challenge or situation that forces people to change or make difficult decisions. That said, most fail to realize that "
the crucible
" has a powerful,
biblica
l foundation that applies not only to those of us who serve in the law enforcement and the military but also to every true believer (a Christian as God defines it): see
Refiner's Fire
for the list of Scripture passages
.
While these passages of God's Word are most definitely "on target" for us, the first one listed and the central verse for this study is most applicable. Sadly, false teachers will wrongly proclaim that we can "name and claim" away the fires (trials, tribulations, tests) of life despite the FACT (truth) that God says just the opposite is true. But why? To what end?
A few know that my undergraduate degree was a double-major in Criminal Justice and Forestry. Via the latter, I learned that a big part of forest and land management is fire: managed fire (what is termed a "controlled burn") that cleans out brush and weeds while preparing the soil for new growth (without fire, there would be no aspen here in Colorado). Most importantly, a proper controlled burn also helps prevent wild (uncontrolled, dangerous) fires.
Likewise, this principle holds true for those who successfully overcome the fiery crucible of elite military and police academy training, and -- in particular -- through the refining (difficult, painful trials) our loving Father correctly allows and directs in the lives of His children ("His children" ultimately being those who repent of their sin and place their trust in His Son as Lord and Savior -- see the
Know God?
section below).
So what happens in a crucible and the refining process? Let's break it down through
six points of Scripture
in which
we find numerous references to the refining of gold and silver as a parallel of God refining us through the trials of life.
Understand that "
The Crucible
" is a vital part of God's design to conform us to the character of Christ. Clearly, we don’t develop Christlike character or skills with our spiritual armor and weapons all at once any more than we come out of the academy being great cops. Rather, godly character and our
spiritual warrior skills
are forged over time, especially through the "fiery" trials of this life. Indeed, God Himself is our Master
"Field Training Officer
" (FTO) and Refiner:
Psalm 66:10
says,
“For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.”
With that, lets dig into the following:
Stage I: The Breaking
In biblical times, a refiner began by breaking up rough ore—hardened rock encased with common minerals such as tin, copper, and zinc. But that rock also had the promise of valuable, rare metals hidden within—the precious metals of gold and silver. The breaking of the rock is necessary to begin the refining process to expose highly valuable metals to heat. The Lord communicates His perfect plan to us—we are rough rock in need of refining fire
. “‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’”
(
Jeremiah 23:29
).
Stage II: The Crucible
The refiner puts broken, crushed ore into a “crucible”—a fireproof melting pot able to withstand extreme heat. Then the refiner places the crucible into the furnace at the precise temperature necessary for removing other metals that would mar the quality of the gold or silver. Just as the furnace is used to purify silver in the crucible, our Refiner uses heat to purify our hearts and cleanse our character.
Proverbs 17:3
says,
“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.”
Stage III: The Dross
As the ore melts in the crucible under the watchful eye of the refiner, a layer of impurities called “dross” forms on the surface. The Bible says,
“Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel”
(
Proverbs 25:4
). For us individually, dross represents any sin or misplaced dependency—any wrong motive, wrong attitude, wrong action—anything that keeps us from being all that God wants us to be.
Stage IV: The Heat
After the refiner painstakingly skims off these impurities, he then turns up the heat and places the crucible back into the blistering furnace. Again and again (up to seven times, we are told in historical literature) impurities rise to the surface. He knows that only certain impurities are released at certain temperatures.
Psalm 12:6
tells us,
“And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.”
Stage V: The Purification
Each time, with utmost skill and patience, the refiner removes the dross, leaving behind gleaming gold and shimmering silver, more pure and precious than before. To gauge his progress, the refiner looks for his own reflection on the surface of the silver-filled crucible. The more dross removed, the less distorted his reflection. The Bible says our Refiner orchestrates the refining process to purify us,
“He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold”
(
Job 23:10
).
Stage VI: The Reflection
Only when the refiner looks into the crucible and sees a clear reflection of himself is the process complete. Finally, the silver attains its highest degree of purity! And that describes our Refiner’s loving intentions for allowing us to be in the “
furnace of affliction
.” As we trust Him to use our trials to cleanse our character and purify our hearts for His purpose and glory, we will begin to see the “silver lining.”
Isaiah 48:10
says,
“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
* P
oints adapted in part from the work of June Hunt/Hope for the Heart.
But how do we hang on to hope in the midst of our trials and pain (including but by no means limited to
PTSD
and related issues), especially when the heat is turned up beyond what we think we can bear? When a false solution like
suicide
, alcohol abuse, meds (abuse), etc. become appealing? We persevere by pressing into the heart of the One who allowed the trial, trusting in His perfect plan and His character and surrendering completely to His will.
Remember, the pain God allows in your life is purposeful. For the Christian, heat is never intended to destroy you, only to conform you into the character of Christ. His gaze is continually affixed to your crucible. As the heat of painful circumstances intensifies in your life, know also that, for the true Christian (Is that
you
?) the Lord is WITH us through our trials and will never leave or forsake us (
Hebrews 13:5
).
“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify...and refine them like gold and silver”
(
Malachi 3:3
)
Finally (for this study and as a preview for the next -- stay tuned), consider what God has for us in
Isaiah 43:2
--
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Did you catch that? He is WITH us (again, those who have surrendered to Him in faith as Lord and Savior -- a Christian as God defines it)
So are you experiencing a time of suffering? Emotional pain that is more than you can bear? Deep disappointments? The pain of loss?
PTSD
? Even thoughts of
suicide
? The consequences of your sin (our loving Father disciplines His own)? Instead of wallowing in fear and depression (tools used by the Enemy -- Satan -- to pull you away from God's plan and will for your life), humbly ask God for His forgiveness and to show you what He has for you (His perfect plan vs. our own flawed one) in "the crucible."
Teaching on this concept, noted 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon correctly said,
"God knows that soldiers are to be made only in battle; they are not to be grown in peaceful times. We may grow the stuff of which soldiers are made, but warriors are really educated by the smell of [gun] powder, in the midst of whizzing bullets and roaring cannonades... Is He not developing in you the qualities of the soldier by throwing you into the heat of the battle, and should you not use every application to come off conqueror?
"
God, through His Word, clearly reveals that if we choose to persevere through the heat and hammering of the
Refiner's Fire
, we will find ourselves transformed into purified, set apart, skilled and overcoming
servant-warriors
who are trained and ready to be used in ways we could never have imagined otherwise. That's the call! With God's help, are you ready to enter
the crucible
and emerge transformed for His Kingdom?
In closing, understand that, just as we don't go through the academy or military training (including the Marine Corps Crucible) alone, God's design is that Christians
not
do life alone. Rather, He has rightly designed it to be a team affair both in our one-on-one time
with
Him and in corporate worship
with
others. So what should that look like? Here again is what I call "
The Big Three
" prescription for the Christian life:
(1) Daily time in God's Word (the Bible).
(2) Daily time talking to/being in fellowship with Him through prayer (talking to/worshiping God).
(3) Regular involvement in a solid, Bible-teaching church
and
in
iron sharpens iron
fellowship with other tried and tested believers who will help "field train" (disciple) you to grow in your faith (part of what we do in our Centurion/FCPO "cop church" Bible studies) and help you to boldly share the
"Good News" of the Gospel
with others (not "optional" for the believer).
Need more help? Shoot me an
email
or and I'll be happy to respond and serve you further. Ladies, my bride Diana is here for you as well!
I'll see you in the crucible!
_____________________
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]).
(5) Need more? Then check out this powerful, short video message from police servant-leader
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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