100,000 COPS on the street

[dolfan]

Remember the Community Oriented Policing Services Act? Bill Clinton? 100,000 cops on the street? Ring a bell?

Billions, literally, in federal money to put what wound up being about 25,000 new police officers into uniforms (not necessarily the streets), and funding all sorts of other things (like retaining about 40,000 -- maybe -- existing officers). What did it get? You decide, but I say very little.

Fast forward through the predictable Dolfan rant about law enforcement not being a rational response to the drug culture. Note it, but fast forward through it.

Today, I learned about a person whom I know who (not "V" of earlier posts) my wife and I personally helped with an admission fee into a residential drug rehab in April. She stayed 3 weeks, left. I only found out today. I'm not mad at her. I'm mad ABOUT her situation.

You should be, too. The young women and men like her are everywhere, and they are growing in number.

My first emotion was "mad at the devil". I thought about it a bit while driving. Changed my mind. Stopped and read Ephesians 2:1-10. Anger in this is a wasted emotion. If the police really can't do anything with this, and if the enemy really IS "the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the children of disobedience" (NIV), then I'm a fool to be mad. The flesh -- especially government -- can't fight this spiritual battle.

Then, I thought about Clinton's famous (if you remember it) "put 100,000 cops on the street" mantras in the mid-1990's. What if we put 100,000 Christians on the streets. What if we somehow, some way, please-God-help-us found 100,000 followers of Jesus in this country who were willing and equipped to get into the faces of drug addicts in the hard-to-get-to-places in this country with the message of Jesus Christ? Would it matter THEN? Would we see a change then? Do you think we would?

Christian On People's Streets. Call it COPS. Getting into the mobile home parks where meth is made. The poor, black neighborhoods where crack still rains through them. The neighborhoods of both poor and wealthy where prescription drugs are ruining people every single day. Would 100,000 preachers of good news pounding pavement every single day, searching and finding every pocket --- think of it as a surge if you have to --- make a difference?

I cannot help but believe it would make all the difference. Could the church in America deploy them? Would we? Would we train them, support them financially? If you're preaching where the addicts are you're probably not going to spend large blocs of sustained time in other employment? Are people called to make the sacrifice to do that? If not, is it because we're really NOT called for that or because we just do not see it for other reasons attributable to spiritual blindness?? I don't know. But, boy, it has roiled my mind.

[PastorDaniel]

Good stuff Dolfan...many of us are complacent. Christians think it's the pastors job to win souls and Pastors think its the members job. When in actuallity....we are all obligated to fulfill the Great Commission within the bounds of God's gifts in our life.

Not everyone will be a sign toting, blow-horn shouting street evangelist. But even the oldest grandmother can make a bowl of soup for someone. Even a child can help clean up someone's yard.

We have to get passionate about serving! I believe there are enough former addicts who know the lingo, know how to survive, and could be a huge impact to those who are currently addicted.