The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry Newsletter
&
Bible Study
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* UPDATED 02/15/2020
Fellow officers,
sheepdogs,
servant-warriors, sp
ouses and supporters:
In this week's study we tackle another tough subject that I've touched on frequently over the years: what does it mean to
"believe"
in God? Can a simple, intellectual belief save us? Is that what Jesus was referring to in
Mark 1:15
when He stated (emphatically)
"repent and believe"?
Scroll down to
Even the Demons "Believe"
and make sure you've got it right!
Miss last week's edition? Here again is
No Greater Love.
As always, these studies are also re-posted for you on our
social media
feeds (
Twitter
,
Facebook
) and (eventually) on our
website
as well.
Locally, our next Centurion/FCPO-Denver
"Cop Church"
chapter meeting (iron sharpens iron fellowship and Bible study) is set for Tuesday,
Feb. 18th.
Email me
for the 411!
Let's stay safe on the street but radically bold in Christ.
MC
_____________________
RESOURCES
My friend Lt. Col.
Dave Grossman's
newest book -- a devotional just for us "sheepdogs" (military, police, first responders, etc.) -- is now available for pre-order! I had the honor of reviewing his draft and just let me say that it's a "game changer" for us. Click on
On Spiritual Combat: 30 Missions for Victorious Warfare.
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Please be in prayer for our
Police Week 2020
team as we begin gearing up for this year's outreach (a lot of things have to come together).
(2) Please be in prayer for me as I get ready to share at the
2020 ILEETA
Conference
next month.
(3) Pray for our divided nation and our elected/appointed leadership (revival, salvation, repentance, genuine servant-leadership).
(4) From retired cop-turned-evangelist Emery Esse: "
Cynthia Walker (spouse of retired Detroit PD Sgt. Kenny Walker), recently had knee replacement surgery and is recovering, but in much pain. Please pray there will be no complications and for complete healing."
UPCOMING EVENTS
(1)
The Shelter Foundation
's Bible studies (1 for cops, 1 for their spouses) has started back up after their Christmas break. Highly recommended!
(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)!
(4) I continue to teach my
Centurion Church Security Seminars
but I also recommend the
Sheepdog Seminars
as well (much more than a church security seminar). Here's their
schedule
and also feel free to reach out to me if I can be of assistance on my end.
*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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Even the Demons "Believe"
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
(James 2:19)
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James 2:19
says,
“You believe that God is one. You do well; even the demons believe, and shudder”
(or
"tremble"
in some translations -- as to tremble or shudder in terror).
What is God, through James, teaching us in this passage of Scripture, and why is it so important? While our profession has no small amount of atheists and agnostics, most cops (and frankly, most Americans) will say that they
"believe"
in God. But is this a "saving" knowledge? Is mere belief enough to save you (salvation)? With the understanding that "getting it right" has eternal consequences, let's break it down.
In this passage, God reveals to us the difference between mere, mental agreement and the kind of "belief" that provides
evidence
of a genuine saving faith in Christ. When James (Jesus' half-brother) wrote his epistle under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, many people were claiming that, because they "believed" in the God of Moses and they could chant
Deuteronomy 6:4
, which says,
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”
they were "good" (right) with God and even "deserved" to go to heaven. Friend, how many times have you said or heard someone say, "I'm good" when asked where we stood with Christ (typically they are anything but)?
But here James correctly shatters that
false
hope by comparing that kind of belief to the knowledge held by Satan and his demons. If all that is required for salvation is mental agreement with the truth about God, then even Satan and the
demons
can be saved (NOT). They
know
it is all true but reject Christ as Lord and Savior. Satan’s minions are more aware of God’s reality and even His Word (the Bible) than most people, yet the demons are
not right with God
. The devil and his demons may "believe" that God exists, but they’re certainly
not
saved.
So what is the difference between the demons’ basic belief and the faith required for eternal salvation? Fortunately, God, through James, does not leave us to wonder. The rest of the chapter (context, context, context) goes on to explain that faith without any resulting change/action is useless (in particular, consider
James 2:20
which says,
"Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?).
Clearly, the kind of faith that saves us is also the kind that radically
changes
us. We can understand this better through a couple of illustrations:
(1) Imagine standing on the brink of the Grand Canyon. A narrow suspension footbridge spans the canyon. It dips in the middle, sways slightly in the wind, and has a few planks missing. Standing with you on the edge is the architect of that bridge. He is world-renowned for his designs, and he holds the plans in his hand. He asks if you have "faith" in his bridge. You eagerly reply, “Yes! I have faith in you. I believe that bridge will hold my weight.” But real faith does not remain on the brink of the canyon. That is only a false hope. Real faith (belief) is when you step out onto the bridge and begin walking across the chasm.
(2) Likewise, consider the parachutes we use in the military: we don't willingly jump out of a perfectly good aircraft wearing a chute (packed by someone else, mind you) if we don't have faith (trust) it will open and bring us safely to the ground below.
So it is with our salvation. The devil and his demons know more than we do about the awesome power of God. They watched Jesus Christ come to earth, live as a man, and then be crucified
(Matthew 20:28).
They
trembled
in terror as Jesus -- God in the flesh -- rose from the dead and walked out of the tomb (
1 Corinthians 15:3–8
). They saw Him ascend back into heaven, and they believe that Jesus is the Son of God (see
Mark 1:23-24).
But demons do not have a saving faith (quite the contrary), and neither do we if that is where our faith ends.
The difference between the demon’s faith and
saving faith
comes with a question: Who is the Lord (King) of your life? To whom have you entrusted your life and future (including your eternal future)? Who has the final say on your lifestyle decisions? Demons have already made their choice to follow Satan (
Revelation 12:3–9
). For our faith to be of a different variety, we must
surrender
our lives to God’s control versus a false,
"easy believism"
doctrine. We must forsake all lesser loves in order to put Him first in our hearts. Jesus said plainly that if we love anything (including serving in law enforcement) or anyone more than Him, we are not worthy of Him (
Matthew 10:37–38
).
Friends, let me be real with you: I was once, at best, an unsaved "make-believer." Oh I "believed" in God and even went to church a couple of times a year (I was what many call a "C & E" -- Christmas and Easter -- "Christian"). I was even what "the world" would call a "good" cop and perhaps even a "good" person (in the minds of those who didn't know all my secrets). But Christ was definitely NOT the Lord of my life. For example, I was perfectly OK with sex/living together outside of marriage (I even had the audacity to say that God was "good" with it too), and the only thing that really mattered was catching bad guys (police work being the false "god" of my life). It is only when I finally and fully surrendered in faith to Christ as Lord and Savior that I was not only saved but radically
changed
(the latter is an ongoing part of the
sanctified
life) as well.
Again, it’s not enough to simply "believe" in God. The devil and demons believe (the simple, powerless kind) in God, but they do not love God or trust Him as Lord and Savior. They believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that He died on the cross for the sins of humanity, but that only infuriates them. They even know He rose from the dead (let the "trembling" in terror begin in earnest), but that fact does not affect their allegiance.
Many people -- and perhaps cops in particular -- are in the same category, not realizing that what they call “faith” is nothing more than what the devil and his demons possess. Perhaps they even prayed a prayer, answered an "altar call," got baptized, went to church, did "good" deeds (like what we do in law enforcement), etc. but the direction of their lives never changed. They remain the undisputed sovereigns over their own lives (as atheist William Henley wrote "I am the captain of my soul" in his famous poem, Invictus).
In contrast, Jesus told us what it costs to become His followers:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me”
(Luke 9:23).
That cross we must carry represents repenting of our sin and giving up (death; complete surrender) the right to direct our own lives. Without that cross-carrying, we are still standing on the brink of the Grand Canyon or refusing to actually leave the aircraft.
So what does a true (real) "believer" look like? One of the pastors in my life, Ed Taylor, shared the following
from his teaching on
John 10:17-29
that gives us a great start:
"Ten Signs of a True Believer"
(1) A true believer will have a vibrant spiritual (biblical) life.
(2) A true believer is sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
(3) A true believer will have a desire for fellowship with other Christians (church, Bible study, etc.).
(4) A true believer will be in steady obedience to God (as opposed to ongoing, unrepentant disobedience).
(5) A true believer demonstrates spiritual assurance.
(6) A true believer demonstrates confidence in their eternal security.
(7) A true believer loves what God loves.
(8) A true believer hates what God hates.
(9) When a true believer has spiritual disagreements, God always wins (His Word will prevail and the true believer will yield to it).
(10) A true believer will have a longing for the return of Jesus Christ.
Do you have that? Does it describe your own life?
People may believe in God, angels, heaven, and even hell, yet never trust Christ as their Lord and Savior. They are satisfied with a powerless, demon-level belief that will never save them from God’s righteous punishment
(
Romans 6:23
;
Revelation 21:8
).
Praise God, we can escape the demons’ fate
(Matthew 25:41).
We each have the opportunity to
repent
(see below for that this means),
surrender
in faith to Christ as Lord and Savior, and humbly receive the forgiveness of our sins. God offers to us what He does not offer the demons—a chance to be adopted into His family as His own children
(
Galatians 4:5–6
).
It is a free gift that costs us everything we are (
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
--
Luke 9:24).
But the rewards are never-ending both in this life and in the one to come (ultimately heaven --
Matthew 25:21
;
Psalm 23:6
).
So again I ask: do you have that kind of belief? Have you surrendered (the life-saving/life-changing kind) in faith to Christ as Lord and Savior? Are you sure? Friend, you can be! P
lease
reach out
and/or dive head first into the links in 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? That you can be "good" enough without God? That mere "belief" (as described above) 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 defense 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 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; (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 |
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