The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry Newsletter
&
Bible Study
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Fellow officers,
sheepdogs,
warriors,
spouses, supporters and ALL:
Since last week's newsletter, our law enforcement world has exploded even further (as if that was even possible). Many officers, and perhaps even some of you who are reading this, are strongly considering leaving the profession (especially now in light of what has transpired in Atlanta).
But what would God have us do? How does He want us to respond to the cries of racism and the lawlessness that surround us? Please take the time to go through the Bible study message and resources I've shared for you below in
"God, Racism, Lawlessness and Law Enforcement."
Last week's study is a great introduction to this week's (yes, we're in a mini-series). If you missed it or need to review, click on
"Hold the Line!"
As always, I re-post these newsletters on my social media feeds, including
Facebook
(both my
personal
and
Centurion Ministry
pages and
group
sites),
Twitter,
and on our
website
as well (usually some delay with the latter). I also encourage you to share these with others (with a "Code 3" sense of urgency, mind you) as part of our
Great Commission
"call for service."
Finally, please know I'm here for you if you wants to talk, pray, gripe, etc. Just
reach out!
Meanwhile, let's stay
armored-up
and watch each other's "six" out there!
MC
_____________________
RESOURCES
This week's study is FULL of them -- scroll down!
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Pray for our nation, our God-ordained profession, our families and one another through this crisis. Never before has our "thin blue line" been thinner,
"but God!"
And please know I'm here for you!
(2) Diana and I covet your prayers as we seek the Lord on multiple ministry fronts, including our new church.
(3) Pray for an officer's mom who will be undergoing surgery (God knows the details...just pray).
(4)
Law Enforcement Day of Pray:
June 30th from 0800-2400 (yep, all day, from wherever you're at). Former Detroit officer-turned-evangelist Emery Esse asked me help get the word out. Just set aside some time to pray for our profession, those serving in it and our families.
(5) Pray for the Atlanta officers (and now others) who have been terminated and charged for doing pretty much exactly how we've all been trained. The prosecutorial misconduct in this should be horrifying to us all (but is yet another sign of the times we're in).
UPCOMING EVENTS
(2)
Speaking of Jim, he is currently teaching his outstanding
Sun Tzu and the Art of Warrior Resiliency
seminar through
Enter the Lion.
We meet via Zoom each Tuesday evening from 8-9 PM EST. You can jump in anytime -- join us (FREE) and be encouraged!
(3) Our next
FCPO-Colorado
(the Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry)
"cop church"
chapter meeting and interactive Bible study is set for Tuesday,
July 21st
(I'm cancelling our July 7th fellowship due to its proximaty to the Independence Day holiday) at 6:30 PM. As always, spouses are welcome and encouraged to come with your LEO!
Email me
for the address and other 411. That said, I am also available to meet with you one-on-one!
*Have a prayer request, event or announcement you would like included here? Need help/prayer?
Email me
and I'll include them here.
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God, Racism, Lawlessness & Law Enforcement
How does God want us to respond to the crisis we find ourselves in? Let's find out together!
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
(2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
(James 5:8)
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Last week, I began our study with "...we're
discouraged!"
Yet today I'm betting a good many of us are now even more so.
Brethren, rest assured, God -- the greatest
servant-warrior
and "peace officer" of all time -- understands our pain all too well (the thin blue line "tear" is His -- for us). Take courage (be enCOURAGEd)!
That said, many of us have had enough. We're tired, both physically and emotionally! Tired of those who falsely call us "racist" for having the audacity to answer God' call to serve and protect the sheep (of all colors) from the wolves (of all colors) who would otherwise devour them. Tired of having our families threatened. Tired of having urine, feces or worse thrown at us as we "hold the line" (last weeks study). Tired of not being able to trust that our next meal won't have some substance added to it. Tired of the media's race-baiting lies. Tired of seeing our brethren fired or arrested for doing exactly what we've been trained to do (Atlanta, for example), and so much more.
In short, we're smack dab in the middle of the worst law enforcement crisis in our Nation's history. And it feels pretty overwhelming. But praise God Almighty -- for those of us who have placed our trust in Christ as Lord and Savior -- ultimate
"Backup"
is on the way and we need to stand firm in Him until He arrives for us.
Friends, God has truth and hope God for us concerning the false calls of racism and all that comes with it. About the lawlessness that is increasing exponentially about us. And about those of us who have courageously answered His call to
"
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
(Psalm 82:3-4).
Let's break it down:
(1)
RACISM:
As I've shared repeatedly, the charge of systemic racism in law enforcement
today
is a LIE stemming from history's greatest criminal (the devil). Moreover, the numbers (facts, evidence) just don't support the charge. Yes, the wickedness of racism plagued both our profession and our nation as a whole in the past, but that is not who we are today. The numbers (facts) aside, I went out of my way to interview a number of my black law enforcement colleagues and NONE of them supported the claim of "systemic racism" in law enforcement in today's culture. But folks, especially in these "last days" when our common enemy's time in this world is growing increasingly short, far too many are falling for his lies. And "Chief" Jesus is coming back soon to place the devil "under arrest"
(Revelation 20)
and make things right for all who have placed their trust in Him as Lord and Savior! And the sin of racism -- both real and imagined -- will be banished forever!
Now having said this, please know that we as a ministry stand against genuine racism in all forms. It is SIN, and should not be tolerated. But it is also sin to falsely through out that term as a weapon.
(2)
LAWLESSNESS:
God is clear in His Word, the Bible, that the time of
"the man of lawlessness"
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
is drawing close. But again -- praise God Almighty -- his time will be short before our King takes Him out! Again, for those of us
"in Christ"
-- our victory in Him will be swift, sure and ultimately without end! Read,
What will happen when Jesus returns?
(4)
GOD!
Friends, as I've shared so often, God -- the true "peacemaker" -- is the "Cure" for racism, lawlessness, sin, evil, suicide, hopelessness and all that plagues us in law enforcement and our world in general. Do you know Him? Do you have the peace and hope that is found in Him alone?
As I get ready to close, let me share some Holy Spirit-inspired hope and encouragement adapted from a post written by my dear friend, fellow cop and brother-in-Christ, Dep. Chief Larry Berg, starting with
God's 300 mighty men of valor
(Judges 7):
Gideon was fighting several nations at once with a very small army. Gideon had only 30000 troops but God said it is too much. God told Gideon to release those who were fearful and 22000 fled. Gideon certainly had faith, but I am sure fear crept in. God said, "Still too many." He said let them drink and those who lap water like dogs they will fight. Only 300 kept their heads up and eyes open instead of plunging into the water. These were the elite warriors selected selected by God Himself.
God revealed to me that America is under attack by principalities unseen as in
Ephesians 6.
There is a unity of effort going on between those the enemy is sending (Amalekites -- rioters and Midianites -- politicians and policy makers) to wage war on the police (the
watchmen on the wall).
The way to take out a stronghold is to remove God's chosen (peace officers). Brothers and sisters, it is apparent why we (the police) are under attack. Certainly we have evil in our ranks, just as churches or any other organizations do. But you can’t judge the entire body of Christ based on a few hypocrites. Even Christ had his Judas.
As with Gideon’s men, many police officers may leave the ranks and return home out of fear. Some will be weeded out as part of the purification process -- those who probably never should have sought after such a noble and honorable profession in the first place. The same purification process will eventually come to churches and organizations professing God’s truth. To borrow a line from a dear friend - The Judas’ will stand out like a "skittle in a bag of M&M’s." There will be a small remnant who remain that God will use to for His great purpose in these tenuous last days.
I honestly believe that anger, bitterness, racism and prejudices are all anti-Christ spirits (principalities) that Dad [MC: Larry's preferred word for God the Father] warns us about in His word. A righteous man does not kill another man regardless of skin or uniform. Those who bare the likeness of Yeshua and are filled with the Holy Spirit will not entertain nor tolerate these spirits.
For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer
(Romans 13:1-4).
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
(Joshua 1:9)
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.
(Isaiah 1:17).
Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!
(Psalm 43:1).
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.
(2 Samuel 22:3)
AMEN!
In closing, I can't encourage you enough to take in the following resources (Dr. Jeffress short message is OUTSTANDING, by the way):
Brothers and sisters, as Larry shared in his Facebook post, failure can't be an option for us. Stand firm! God's got this (and is coming to make it right)! Stay the course. Finish strong! Lock shields! Train hard (and pray harder)! Take courage! And
HOLD the LINE
behind Christ our Captain who will lead us to
ultimate victory
!
Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
(James 5:8)
And finally, here's the pesky question I asked above (and every week): with the understanding that our cure, hope, strength and victory is found ONLY in Christ, do you KNOW Him as Lord and Savior? If not, don't be "left behind" and defeated! Scroll down to the
Know God?
section below!
MC
_______________
KNOW GOD?
(1) Do you continue to 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 a "good" person (the "I'm good" mess)? That you can be "good" enough without knowing Christ as Lord and Savior? That mere "belief" is enough to "save" you? That you somehow "deserve" heaven because of your so-called "good" service in law enforcement? 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 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 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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