For those who follow me and this ministry, you know that " urgency" is a word and "lifestyle" I share in just about every message I teach or write. With it I typically the include radio call sign Code 3 (running "emergent" -- lights and siren -- to a call).
Like many of you who serve or have served in law enforcement or in military combat assignments, I've spent most of my adult life being up close and personal with evil and death. And as I write this message, we are again dealing with the horrific shooting in Boulder, Colorado in which evil took the lives of a brother officer and nine citizens. Folks, every time a fellow warrior (or anyone, for that matter) goes down, I ask the same questions: Did they know Christ as Lord and Savior (a genuine, "saved" Christian as God alone gets to define it)? If not, did anyone share the love and hope of Christ and His Plan of Salvation with them? If not, why not?
Matthew 28:18-20 -- what is referred to as "The Great Commission" -- says, And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen! We understand the word "authority" and the word "Go" as used here is not a suggestion but rather a COMMAND to ALL true believers that carries with it a genuine sense of urgency with it (as in "Do it NOW!!").
In our law enforcement world, running Code, or "Code 3," means lives are in danger and we have to go NOW and quickly using our emergency (this is always "urgency" in "emergency") equipment -- red/blue lights and siren. We also run Code 3 whenever a brother or sister officer is in distress or otherwise needs backup. Likewise, God relays that same Code 3 sense of urgency throughout His word. Hebrews 9:28 is a great example: "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." In other words, if we want to be saved, we better do it now because after death the offer is over - forever (no more "second chances")!
In his book, The Noon Day Devil, C.S. Lewis wrote about three devils arguing heatedly about how best to "win" souls for Satan. One devil says, "Tell them there is no God." The next devil says, "Tell them there is no Heaven." But the third devil, who is older and wiser says, "Better yet, tell them there is no hurry. There'll be plenty of time later to do the work of the Lord."
In Luke 9:57-62, Christ encounters the same procrastination when He invites a disciple to follow Him: "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father." the man replies. Bible scholars believe this response was a figure of speech, a way of saying, "Some other time." Christ answers him by saying, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead," a day that will never come. Today, we would simply say, "Come NOW - or you'll be left behind forever!"
Together these passages remind us to get our priorities straight and live "all-in" for Christ NOW. Our Lord makes it clear we only have so much time in which to respond to His call and do our appointed life's work. We can't afford to take our time. Rest assured, Satan is going to keep on attempting to convince us that there is no urgency whatsoever.
It's been said that the only requirement for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing (there is no evidence that Edmund Burke actually said that, but I digress). I would add that evil also wins when we wait! Clearly, each of us must decide what sacrifice we're prepared to make for the Lord and what God-given gift of our time, talent and treasure we are prepared to offer (especially in these tenuous times).
So again I ask: Where is your "Code 3" sense of URGENCY to armor up and live intentionally for Christ? To bring that same sense of urgency in sharing Him with others (what "blessed are the peacemakers" actually means)? Jesus is coming soon and He has called His faithful (real Christians) to watch, pray and yes, ACT with a Code 3 sense of urgency!
More? Turn with me to Mark 2:1-12 for another example of what it means to have a "Code 3" sense of urgency. Note how those carrying the paralyzed man were so desperate to get him to Jesus that they tore a hole in roof! Talk about "running Code" to Christ!
Sadly and even tragically, many believers who serve in law enforcement would rather run to the sound of gunfire or into a burning building than tell others about the hope we have in Christ. In short, they are willing to do nothing as others -- even our own -- choose an eternity of agony in hell over eternal joy in heaven with the Lord. Friends, that can't stand!
So is fear standing in your way of accomplishing great things for God? Are you seeking to lead others to Christ, only to stay silent in timidity? Everyone experiences fears and doubts -- including Paul's protege, Timothy. In 2 Timothy 1:7-8, we see Paul (here a kind of "Field Training Officer" or FTO) encouraging and exhorting his "rookie" Timothy through his personal insecurities and fears: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God."
Here are some additional points to ponder on this issue:
(1) Acts 1:8 also goes hand-in-hand with Jesus's Great Commission "Code 3" call: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
(2) Warren Wiersbe said that sharing Christ with others is "...not something that we do for the Lord, but rather something He does through us by the power of the Holy Spirit." Are you willing?
(3) The Holy Spirit that will direct and empower you to be used for God's Kingdom if you will but seek and be open to the opportunities He gives you.
(4) LIVE your faith "out loud." That is the greatest witness we can have on others. A person living righteously for Christ will draw others to Him! William Toms wrote, "Be careful how you live - you may be the only Bible some person ever reads" (true, but let's be sure we put a Bible in their hands and encourage them to read it -- daily).
(5) Pass on these newsletters; share them on social media; invite a colleague to church, to a Bible study or a FCPO chapter meeting.
(6) Remember also that we can't save anyone. Rather, it is Christ who saves and those who hear His message have a free-will choice to say "yes" or "no" to His call. Nor does our Lord kick in doors to "save us" as if leading a heavenly SWAT team. But He DOES call us to knock (loudly, if necessary) and share boldly as the Holy Spirit leads.
Consider also the following:
(a) Jesus says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! -- Revelation 22:20. Note that He didn't say, "I'm coming later."
(b) Hell is real and without escape for anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life (those who die having rejected Christ as Lord and Savior) -- Revelation 20:15
(c) Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. -- 2 Corinthians 6:2 (added emphasis mine).
Finally, and in addition to being urgent about sharing our faith with others, God has also called us to LIVE our lives intentionally and with a sense of urgency in the expectation of Christ's soon (imminent) return. With that comes a stern warning: We can't "earn" or "badge" our way into heaven (or out of hell) by our so-called "good works" or service as cops. Moreover, there is only ONE path to salvation: by being born again into a genuine, life-saving/life-changing personal relationship (not "religion") with God in Christ (John 14:6). Doubt that? Take the "Good Person Test" below see how you do.
Got it? Friend, if you need help in this, I am begging you to reach out or take in what I've shared with you in the "Know God?" section below.
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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 a "good person"? That you can be "good" enough without knowing Christ as Lord and Savior? That mere "belief" is enough to "save" you (as our Lord, through James, tells us, "...even the demons believe, and tremble" -- James 2:19)? That you somehow "deserve" heaven because of your so-called "good" and honorable 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 -- a different word than James used in James 2:19) 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"). Friends, 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 Maj. 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 vital in dealing with the issues that contribute to police suicide, PTSi and more. Click on, Now what?
MC
