This week’s e-newsletter is ready for your review. Enjoy!
UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE:
-- Thursday, 2/18/10: 1900, Calvary South Denver in Littleton (see http://www.calvarycsd.org/ for directions), Room #7.
-- Thursday, 2/25/2010: Same!
This week we’ll complete part 2 of our look at the importance and power of credibility as it applies to biblical law enforcement leadership. To recap our study from last week, we took a look at the prophet Samuel as detailed in 1 Samuel 3-4. So what is the leadership lesson here? The historical setting presents Samuel as a teen (Ch. 3) – perhaps as young as twelve – already serving under Eli, a temple priest and one of the last Judges of Isreal. Eli provides us with an an example of a leader who fails to lead in a host of ways: Eli failed to even tell Samuel much, if anything, about the Lord despite his "religious" position; Eli showed poor judgement in his failure to lead, serve and discipline his other children – with corresponding tragic results for his family and others. In contrast, we see a godly woman in Samuel's mother and then Samuel responding to God’s call. The passage paints a picture of how love, obedience and devotion to our Lord leads to blessing and relationship (positive consequence) as opposed to the negative but thoroughly just consequences of sin (disobedience). So what kind of leader are you? Are you in “dialogue” (prayer, Bible study, etc.) with God? Are you truly leading your family and those in your charge? Are you leading/serving by example in your agency (regardless of rank)? Are you spending time in prayer, Bible study and worship? Do you have the true peace and joy that comes with a vibrant relationship with Christ? Or are you an “Eli” suffering the inevitable and well-deserved consequences of not doing the “right thing?” Rest assured, God both rewards AND lovingly disciplines His own. Much to think (and pray) about!
This Thursday we’ll conclude this chapter by exploring Col. Fairman’s "four areas of accountability:" SHEPARDING, STEWARDSHIP, VISION, and SERVANTHOOD. Ray writes, “Any leader who reaches a point in their life where their input is sought after must realize that they have also arrived at a pinnacle of immense responsibility. This advent ought to require them to review their values, motivations and actions in light of at least four critical leadership responsibilities.”
As always, I will infuse the study with strong biblical teaching as it relates to this topic and our profession in general. Please join us and invite a friend, spouse, and/or colleague. As always, I’ll post a complete recap in next week’s newsletter for all those outside the Denver Metro area. In the interim – LEAD from the front!
Follow-up to our APOLOGETICS Lesson:
Last week I answered a couple of questions I’ve received as it relates to cults and/or what some might call “quasi-Christian” belief systems. It is important to point out that all of us need to be “armed” with solid information and then proceed in humility, love, and concern for our brother/sister officers and others who are lost in false teaching. Again, God’s Word (not mine – HIS) is clear: Christ is THE way – the ONLY way -- to God and salvation. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through me." Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in NO ONE else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
So who exactly is this Jesus who saves us? The most important issue here is that Jesus has to be God (not “a god” as some falsely teach) because, if He is not God, our Lord's death on the cross would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty – death -- for our sins (1 John 2:2). A created being, which Jesus would be if He were not God, could not pay the infinite penalty required for sin against an infinite God. ONLY God can take on the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21), die, and be resurrected, proving His victory over sin and death. Again, Jesus is in fact God (God made flesh in the human side of Jesus on this earth) -- and NOT "a god" or a simple human prophet, as false teachers will claim. See (John 1:1, 14; 8:58; 10:30; Titus 2:13) and http://www.gotquestions.org/is-Jesus-God.html for more.
Whilst on the subject, why should we rely on God’s breathed, innerant ("without error") Word, the Bible? While the complete answer is voluminous in nature, check this out for starters: The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks (Moody Press, 1963) to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of statistical probability in reference to eight fulfilled prophecies alone, we find that “the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight is 1 in 10 to the 17th power." That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing "we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man." Stoner then considers 48 prophecies and says, "We find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10 to the 157th power, or 1 in 10,00,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000 000,000,000." 1.
Science tells us that the estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 10 to the 79th power. Moreover, biblical scholars provide solid evidence that Jesus fulfilled not just 48 but more than 300 Old Testament prophesies. The math/statistics are simply staggering and make it mathematically impossible for Jesus to fulfill all these prophesies by some sort of “accident.” In short, it is overwhelmingly clear that the Bible is absolutely true and trustworthy -- and Jesus is therefore exactly who He said He was: the only way (John 14:6).
TRAINING CORNER:
Top 10 rookie mistakes from PoliceLink.com:
http://policelink.monster.com/benefits/articles/133163-avoid-the-top-10-rookie-mistakes?page=1. I’ve committed more than my fair share of these – including the last one
PRAYER REQUESTS:
(1) Please pray for Code-4 Ministries (http://www.code4ministries.com/) and Ofc. Brian Cain who will be delivering a message to a group of officers dealing with the death of one of their own in Georgia.
(2) Continue to pray for a colleague who is fighting a very rough battle with cancer (peace, rest, healing…).
(3) Continue to pray that the confirmation for a Nevada U.S. Marshal candidate – a strong believer and leader – goes through without any problems. It is the belief of many that there are those in positions of law enforcement leadership in Nevada who are neither godly nor true leaders who are actively trying to derail this process.
(4) Retired RCMP (“Mountie”) David Greenhalgh writes, “A Christian Border Officer with an exemplary record of hundreds of drug seizures and enforcement actions is being falsely accused of assault as a result of three alleged searches. In one case overwhelming evidence proves his innocence but a biased and incompetent investigation by another agency leaves two other allegations outstanding. This brother goes to trial in mid April. Please pray." This situation is sad and outrageous (again, a lack of true godly servant-leadership).
(5) Tim Longbrook writes, “A Boulder officer is currently in the advanced stages of lung cancer and has already had one lung removed (but seems to be holding his own right now). I hope to see him this Saturday. Also, a retired officer will be going into the hospital in Greeley on Monday for a heart checkup. He thinks it will be either a stint or a bypass. Both of these officers are born again Christians and very strong in the faith. Please pray for them.”
Let’s be on our knees for each other while leading boldly from the front in Christ!
MC
