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| FCPO Newsletter and Bible Study |
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The
"thin blue line" covered by the
blood of Christ.
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If you missed it, here's the updated version of this week's newsletter and Bible study.
For those here in the Denver metro area, our next
FCPO-Denver chapter meeting is set for TONIGHT at Calvary Aurora (High School Room, 3rd Floor, 7 PM). Given the recent events in Dallas and elsewhere around the country, we're going to take a break from our current study through the
Book of Acts to talk about these issues from a biblical perspective and to both pray and encourage one another. Bring your spouse, invite a colleague and join us.
Finally, if you missed a study or need a past one for reference (you're free to use/adapt them for your own Bible studies, sermons and devotionals), I always re-post them on our website under the tab entitled
Newsletters/Devotionals for Cops. Past editions can also be found on our Centurion
Twitter and
Facebook feeds.
Let's stay safe on the street while remaining radically
bold
in Christ!
MC
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RESOURCES
Randy Green shares my Code 3 sense of urgency to spread the Gospel to our own in law enforcement, although more of his focus is outside the US. Here's
Mission Mobilization International and Randy's latest
MMI Newsletter in which he addresses the war on cops both in Dallas and elsewhere.
PRAYER REQUESTS
(1) Need I ask? Pray for our wounded Dallas brethren and all those being attacked around the country. Pray for the families of the slain. Pray for the wounded. Pray for the officers who are being vilified all over the country for having the integrity and courage to do our jobs in a very difficult and dangerous environment. Pray for the lost who do not know Christ as Lord and Savior, and pray for the courage to step out boldly in faith to share the hope we have in Him with our own.
(2) Colorado is once again on fire and homes are being lost. Pray for those fighting the fires and that God would intervene in accordance with His will.
(3) Pray for CO Officer Daniel Barkus and his wife Brittani: they are expecting a child very soon now.
(4) A US Secret Service Sergeant writes, "if you'd lift the USSS and the local PD'S in prayer. The conventions takes place in Cleveland this coming week and next week in Philadelphia. I'm sure we will be faced with protesters and hostility towards the candidates and the police who help secure their safety." Let's pray!
UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
(1) Fellow FCPO National Board members Rick and Kristi Neace and Jim Bontrager (among others) will be sharing at the Covering the Homefront Law Enforcement Marriage Seminar in Lenexa, KS this July 23rd. Diana and I will be there as well to serve, share resources and provide support -- join us!
(3) Jimmy Meeks is teaming with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman for a FREE, law enforcement-only Bulletproof Mind Seminar in Ft. Worth this November. We (FCPO and Centurion) will be taking part as well and we'll be having "Cop Church" in the evening following the seminar. More details to follow but for now see "Ft. Worth Bulletproof Mind Seminar." In addition, see the Sheepdog Seminar schedule to learn about upcoming seminars around the country.
Have a prayer request or announcement you would like included here?
Email me and I'll do what I can to post it!
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The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
The Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
is a FCPO-affiliated, evangelical Christian outreach to our own in law enforcement. These newsletters and Bible studies are part of this effort and past editions can be found on our
website
and on social media (
Facebook
and
Twitter
) pages. Feel free to adapt these messages for your own individual or group use and please share them with others.
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Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers
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FCPO-USA exists to provide biblical support ("backup"), accountability and iron sharpens iron fellowship to Christian officers first in the U.S. and throughout the world as well. Our own FCPO chapter -- FCPO #217 - Denver-- generally meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday at Calvary Aurora (High School Room, 7 PM) for "cop church" Bible study, prayer and iron sharpens iron fellowship. Spouses are both welcome and encouraged to attend with their LEO!
Our NEXT fellowship MEETING is set for tonight, July 14th.
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We are NOT Defeated
Psalm 91
1
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3
Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9
If you make the Most High your dwelling-
even the Lord, who is my refuge-
10
then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14
"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15
He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16
With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."
Psalm 91 has often been called "
The Warrior's Psalm
" and has has served as an inspiration, comfort, and promise for servant-warriors in harm's way through the centuries. It is amazing to read the ancient descriptions of warfare described by the psalmist, and compare it to what we see both in the global War on Terror AND the "war on cops" today. The criminals, ambush attacks, snipers, suicide bombers, rocks (bricks, concrete), bodily fluids, and hate we deal with on a regular basis most certainly fit into the words "fowler's snare", "deadly pestilence", "terror of night", "arrow that flies by day", "pestilence that stalks in the darkness", "plague that destroys at midday." What does God have to say in Psalm 91 that can calm our fears and help us to face the challenges we deal with daily? That can help us understand that if we are born again in Him, we can never be defeated?
We know that the possibility of death and career-ending injury (for some, a fate worse than death) is a constant for those of us serving in combat and in law enforcement. The current "war on cops" that includes last week's sniper massacre in Dallas, brings that threat even closer to home. So where does our protection come from? Is it automatic? Here the psalmist (some say David wrote this, others say Moses is the author) uses words like "dwell," "abide," "trust, "cover" and yes, "salvation." Does this apply to all who serve in our God-ordained (
Romans 13:1-4) profession? How can we have this kind of "cover" and protection? The "
salvation" the psalmist speaks of in verse 16?
Sadly and yes, tragically, the majority who serve in law enforcement do so without the promises of
Psalm 91
because they do not have a genuine, life-saving/life-changing faith in the One referred to here. Verses 9 and 10 bring this home with the words "if" and "then." IF you make the Lord your "dwelling," IF you place your whole trust in Him, THEN (and only then) "no harm will befall you."
Have you made God your "dwelling"? Have you allowed Him to be your shelter and protector? Again, the eternal protection our Lord longs to give us is not automatic and we can't "earn" it or otherwise "badge" our way in by our so-called "good" works or service in law enforcement (
Mark 10:17-31). Rather, it requires a choice on our part (God does not kick in doors -- He knocks).
Folks, the "bad news" is that, because of sin, we can be assured of death, one way or the other. Praise God, the incredible "
Good News" is that if we repent of our sin and turn in faith to Christ, we can be ASSURED that regardless of what comes our way in this life, we can
NEVER be defeated.
So how does the LORD provide "cover" (backup), protection and salvation? With His presence and His peace. We can trust His faithfulness knowing that He loves us (yes, even though "bad things" will still happen to us in this life), has a plan for our lives, and desires for us to live both victoriously both in this life and eternally with Him in Heaven. It is therefore fitting that the psalm ends with this powerful truth, "
and show him My salvation." Do you have His salvation? The salvation provided ONLY by being in a personal
relationship (not "religion") with Jesus Christ? Over 2000 years ago, the ultimate Warrior faced down the all-time champion of evil at Calvary and shed His blood in death on the cross for our victory. In the present we will continue in battle with the enemy, but we have
His armor with which to stand and fight. Moreover, God tells us in His Word (the Bible) that one day soon He will return to fight the last battle and reign victorious over all the earth.
But wait...there's more! Do you know that if you have truly placed your trust in Christ for your salvation, then
every word of this "Warrior's Psalm" can be yours (in accordance with His will, of course)? That the faithful (other believers) can use this psalm as a template to pray for one another (and a way that our loved ones can pray for us)? We can and we should!
God has much more to say on our ability to live, serve and protect without fear and with the assurance of ultimate victory. On this fellow author and FCPO board member
Kristi Neace, clearly filled with the Holy Spirit, has been very busy writing in the wake of the Dallas massacre of our own. Accordingly, I am strongly led to close this study by sharing her latest
Behind the Line blog post on what we're dealing with in Dallas, here in Denver, Minneapolis, Baton Rouge and all over the country. Please take a few minutes to read, "
Tears and Thoughts for Dallas and the Thin Blue Line: We are NOT Defeated!"
Finally, I can't end a study on
Psalm 91 without sharing the ministry Mary Ganster and her late husband Edward built around it (we give out their cards at all our events):
Operation Safety 91.
With that, and with a
Code 3 sense of urgency, I am again pressed to ask the ultimate question: Do YOU truly know Him? Are you living victoriously in Christ or walking in defeat? Are you serving under His protection? Are you sure? Friend, you can be! I plead with you to
repent
of your sin and receive God's forgiveness and protection
today. How? Start by taking the following steps:
(a) Think you're already "good enough"? That
you can "badge" your way into heaven or out of hell? Take the "
Good Person Test
" and see how you do.
More questions? Need prayer? Please
reach out
!
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