The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry Newsletter
&
Bible Study
|
UPDATED 03/07/2020
Fellow officers,
sheepdogs,
servant-warriors, sp
ouses and supporters:
First, my apologies for all the typos in the original, emailed version (what I get for trying to finish so late in the day). Hopefully, those are all corrected here.
Second, thank you to all who took the time to wish Diana and I a happy anniversary -- we were blessed!
Third, in this week's timely Bible study, I share God's plan for government and our role in that plan as His followers. So important that we get this right: scroll down to
Cops, God and Government.
Locally, our next Centurion/FCPO-Denver
"Cop Church"
chapter meeting
(iron sharpens iron
fellowship and Bible study) is set for Tuesday,
March 17th.
Email me
for the 411!
Let's stay safe on the street but radically bold in Christ.
MC
_____________________
RESOURCES
The study below is chock full of them!
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Pray for
Sue Weaver, Tim Barfield
and I as we prepare to speak at the
2020 ILEETA Conference
later this month. Yes -- I will be sharing the Gospel in my presentations.
(2) As we pray for safety and health during the coronavirus outbreak, let's also ask God to make us both bold and fearless in living out/sharing our faith (and no silly panic)!
(3) Pray for your pastor (yes, you should have a pastor)!
(4) Pray for those who have lost loved ones and property in the wake of the tornadoes that hit Nashville overnight. Pray also for the First Responders who are in the thick of it.
UPCOMING EVENTS
(2) Planning has already begun for our
2020 Police Week
mission in Washington, DC this May. Stay tuned and hope to see some of you there (and please begin praying for us)!
*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).
|
|
Cops, God & Government
1 Timothy 2:1-2
"First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that outwardly we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life and inwardly a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way."
Romans 13:1-4
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
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.
_______
|
With this past Tuesday being
Super Tuesday
(Did you vote -- and vote biblically?), most are already worn out by all the campaign ads (many filled with anything but truth, by the way) and drama. That said, I dearly love my "adopted" nation and want God's blessing on it for both us and our families.
Adopted? As a born again Christian (there is no other kind –
John 3:1-21),
I am first a child of the King (and citizen of His Kingdom). And being "Kingdom-minded" (a
biblical worldview
-- something EVERY true believer should have), I want to see our very
unique -- even miraculous
-- nation turn back to the biblical values on which it was founded (before it is too late). Moreover, those of us serving in law enforcement are part of a profession in which our positions and authority are both God-ordained and God-commissioned (
Romans 13:1-4
and other passages from God’s Word, the Bible).
Speaking on this topic, pastor and fellow police chaplain Jack Hibbs rightly said that he strongly encourages Christians to participate in government (and pastors to speak truth on this subject from the pulpit).
Sadly, even tragically, there are those today who seek to have us believe there is no place for God in government, even though the God of the Bible is the One who invented it. They would also have us believe that there is some document, law, or ruling that declares that there should be a
separation between church and state
when no such thing exists in our founding documents (meaning you won’t find it in the Constitution). On the contrary, the 1st Amendment GUARANTEES our freedom to worship and live out our faith WITHOUT government interference.
Simply stated, government cannot and will not operate properly without God. Look what history teaches us about those nations that have rejected God. They exist by the exploitation of their people. The leaders offer themselves as the answer to man's woes. They elevate themselves to such tyrannical, god-like status that they seek to replace the God that they denounce.
Pastor Jack rightly added:
"Every good leader is first a follower. Therefore, our nation cannot be led well by those who refuse to follow the Creator of government. The Church needs a revival and our nation needs a renewal, but first the Lord requires that we petition, pray, and intercede with thanksgiving on behalf of all men for kings and all who are in position of authority or high responsibility. We are indeed a blessed nation, but we need godly leaders for America to be restored to her former glory. For this to happen,
Christians must get involved
. We need to vote, petition, speak up and even run for office if the Lord calls us to do so, but most of all, we need to pray. It is what we, as believers, are commanded to do."
AMEN (and added emphasis mine)!
As I've repeatedly taught, those of us who have a genuine,
born again
relationship (not “religion”) with God in Christ (a "Christian" as only God gets to define it) have both a responsibility to vote biblically and the willingness to hold our elected officials -- our employees in our
Constitutional Republic
(we are not a pure democracy -- thank God, nor are we a godless form of socialism – at least not yet) -- responsible to govern in accordance with the principles of our biblically-based
Constitution and Bill of Rights.
So what does the Bible (and therefore God Himself) say on this subject? Understand that while God does not give us an easy, one-verse answer, He does emphatically state that He alone establishes EVERY government.
Romans 13:1-7
, this ministry's central passage, is what theologian E. F. Harrison called, "the most notable passage in the New Testament on Christian civic responsibility."
Romans 13:1
says,
There is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God.
In verse 4 of
Romans 13,
government officials, including those of us who serve in law enforcement, are twice called a "
minister”
of God. In the original Greek, the word "minister" simply means "servant." Yet the context of this passage is critical in that it does not mean that all government actions are right or godly. On the contrary, if the government forbids what God commands or commands what God forbids (see
Isaiah 5:20),
then God's commandments take precedence over human authority.
A great example is found in
Daniel 3
where Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego rightly and courageously chose to disobey King Nebuchadnezzar and face being burned alive rather than worship idols.
Likewise, when Nebuchadnezzar wickedly forbade his subjects to pray to anyone but himself, Daniel openly disobeyed (at his peril). They were not blindly obedient but were willing to respectfully challenge him (the government) when appropriate.
Then let's look at
1 Timothy 2:1-2
(as shared above). First, God calls us to PRAY for our government leaders (including that they will repent and come to a genuine personal relationship with God in Christ). Secondly, our focus must be on living out our faith without government interference (which of course we know will not last -- but praise God --
Jesus WILL return to establish His perfect government
on this earth).
Next, having a biblical worldview means we are NOT to blindly obey a government which directs us to go against God and His word. Yet government it is an institution ordained by God, and we should be make every effort to abide by its laws, show respect to our leaders, and participate in the political process (and the upcoming elections are definitely the time to do so). And yes, our Christian faith compels (a “call for service”) to
vote our biblical values without compromise.
And what does voting our biblical Christian values look like? Here are just two solid resources to help us in that regard (prayer and understanding God’s Word aside):
Finally, understand that as Christians in general and
Christian cops
in particular, we have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our decisions both on and off duty. Do you have that? You can! Click on the
Know God?
section below!
MC
____________________
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 (the "I'm good" mess)? That you can be "good" enough without God? That mere "belief" is enough to "save" you? 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 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
|
|
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
|
|
See what's happening on our social sites:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
