Sermons Now Online

We are now posting Sermons on the front page of our website. We hope to add new sermons each week on a variety of subjects. The focus of Ten-Four Ministries is not just evangelistic but we want to do what we can to disciple Christians, particularly Christians in the law enforcement profession. Due to alternative shifts and schedules, many officers are unable to go to church on Sunday. Whether an officer or not, we hope that these sermons will bless you and feed you in the Word of God.

We have several sermons listed now but here is one that will not go up until next week. Since you are visiting, you get the sermon today.

This wonderful sermon by John Macarthur and Grace To You discusses several issues important to Christians. From Luke 10:25-29, what does it take to be saved? What does the Law of God have to do with that? Does the Sinner's Prayer save you? How should we evangelize? Find out here.

Sergeant Tom O'Connor

Tom O’Connor is a Sergeant in the Pennsylvania State Police. He resides in Monroeville, Pennsylvania with his wife and two young children, ages 5 and 7. In early 2007, Tom was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer and he had extensive surgery to remove a tumor from the upper portion of the tail bone. Tragically, a complication resulting from the surgery left Tom permanently blind.

In July of 2008, Tom learned that the cancer had returned, causing a recurrance of the tumor. Tom's doctors found that the cancer had metastized and spread throughout his body. Tumors were located on his upper thigh bone, hip bone,upper arm bone and the T9 vertebrae and on the front of his chest.

Tom has requested to be enrolled in a clinical trial in which he would receive an experimental cancer treatment drug that has not yet been approved by the FDA.

Since being diagnosed last year and subsequently losing his sight, Tom has been unable to work. He has exhausted all of his paid sick leave with the State Police, and he is currently on leave without pay. Tom’s wife Jen is unable to work full time due to the level of care that Tom and their two children require. Understandably, their family is now under a heavy financial burden.


Above is a photo of Tom's Children.

I am asking all of the Ten-Four Family to pray for Sgt. O'Connor and his family. We will be making an immediate donation to Tom and his family through the 10-33 Fund. Our fund is limited and I wanted to give you the opportunity to help Sergeant O'Connor and his family.

To make a tax-deductible contribution towards assisting Tom, please make your check payable to: Missionary Church Western District. Please write "10-33/O'Connor" on the memo line.

You can mail the check to:

Ten Four Ministries
P.O. Box 52005
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74152

For a donation of $20, we will send you a free copy of Take Up The Shield. For a donation of $50, we will give you a copy of Take Up The Shield and one of our new Challenge Coins.

We are so appreciative of your prayers in this matter.

FIREPROOF Giveaway

Ten-Four Ministries wil be giving out tickets to the movie FIREPROOF on opening weekend. You can read our review of the movie here.

We have a special behind the scenes DVD of FIREPROOF and we will be giving it away in the next week. To have a chance to win, make a comment on this post and we will annoounce the random winner next week.

Below is the trailer of FIREPROOF.

Ten-Four Ministry Coin

One of the most popular items the ministry has developed was our Challenge Coin. Over 500 were sold or given away and since we ran out, I often get questions about when they will be available again. We are excited about our brand new design and the potential to fund our 10-33 fund through the sales of the coins. The 10-33 fund is dedicated to providing financial support to members of the law enforcement family (sworn, reserve, or civilian), in times of need. All proceeds of the Challenge Coin will go to the fund. The coins will be available in 6 weeks and they will cost $10 each but we will soon announce a pre-sale of the coin at a special rate.

FIREPROOF Movie Review

I had the opportunity to review the new movie Fireproof last week. The movie opens on September 26th and prior to viewing it, I had no idea the impact it would make on me.

Lt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter's adage: Never leave your partner behind. Inside burning buildings, it's his natural instinct. In the cooling embers of his marriage, it's another story. After 7 years of marriage, Caleb and Catherine Holt have drifted so far apart that they are ready to move on without each other. Yet as they prepare to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's dad asks his son to try an experiment: The Love Dare. While hoping The Love Dare has nothing to do with his parents' newfound faith, Caleb commits to the challenge.

The audience will be challenged as well. I found myself emotional throughout the movie as I literally saw myself in Caleb's shoes. I have not been a Christian my entire marriage and seeing the transformation of the main character (played by Kirk Cameron) was as real as it gets.

Caleb's best friend and fellow firefighter, Lt. Michael Simmons, is identified early on as a Christian and his behavior, attitude and talks with Caleb plant seeds early on in the movie. Caleb tells another firefighter "We may not agree (with his faith) but he is the real deal."

A common theme in the movie is where Caleb's focus and love is (or where it is not). He is shown driving his new red truck and going into a new house. A fight with his wife revolves around the money he is saving for a boat. Caleb's dad lovingly tells him that "whatever you put your time money into will be what you care about." This movie is not only for first responders but everyone.

First, it is simply a good, entertaining movie. That will be a benefit because it is of the utmost importance that three things happen with the release of Fireproof on September 26, 2008.

1. Followers of Jesus Christ must see this movie. Even if you feel like your marriage is strong, this movie will still help.

2. Unbelievers need to see this movie. The Gospel message in this movie is nothing short of unbelievable. The message delivered is complete, clear and biblical. I found myself wanting to jump out of my seat in praise as the father of the main character, Caleb, tells his son that "saving someone from a fire does not make you right with God. You have violated his standards and one day you will be judged for that...... I love you too much to not tell you the truth."

3. As Christians we need to support this movie. It will be released across the nation the weekend of September 26th and there is no guarantee it will run past that weekend. The movie will continue to play as long as people go see the movie. Please encourage your church, your friends and anyone else you know to go see Fireproof.

There are many opportunities for ministry with the release of Fireproof. A book called "The Love Dare" is being released and a six week small group study on marriage is coming out that will use clips from the movie. Those and other resources can be found at www.fireproofmymarriage.com.

I am excited about the opportunities this movie will provide. Ten-Four Ministries will be doing several things in the next month to prepare for the release and we will certainly keep you posted. If you would like to help in your community, you can visit the official website for details. At a minimum let me encourage you to take an unsaved friend to this movie and please be in prayer to do even more than that.

That's My King

"My King was born King. The Bible says He’s a Seven Way King. He’s the King of the Jews – that’s a racial King. He’s the King of Israel – that’s a National King. He’s the King of righteousness. He’s the King of the ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of glory. He’s the King of kings and He is the Lord of lords. Now that’s my King. Well I wonder if you know Him. Do you know Him?

Don’t try to mislead me. Do you know my King? David said the Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament show His handiwork. My King is the only one whom there are no means of measure can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shore of supplies. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing. Well, well, He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. That’s my King. He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s saviour. He’s the centrepiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He’s august. He’s unique. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s pre-eminent.

Well, He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the supreme problem in high criticism. He’s the fundamental doctrine of proved theology. He’s the carnal necessity of spiritual religion. That’s my King. He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. Well, He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He’s strong God and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharged debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meek. Do you know Him?

Well, my King is the key of knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory. He’s the master of the mighty. He’s the captain of the conquerors. He’s the head of the heroes. He’s the leader of the legislatures. He’s the overseer of the overcomers. He’s the governor of governors. He’s the prince of princes. He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords. That’s my King. Yeah. Yeah. That’s my King. My King, yeah. His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Well.

I wish I could describe Him to you, but He’s indescribable. He’s indescribable. Yes. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. I’m coming to tell you, the heavens of heavens cannot contain Him, let alone a man explaining Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hands. You can’t outlive Him and you can’t live without Him. Well, Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilot couldn’t find any fault in Him. The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. That’s my King. Yeah. He always has been and He always will be. I’m talking about He had no predecessor and He’ll have no successor. There was nobody before Him and there’ll be nobody after Him. You can't impeach Him and He’s not going to resign.

That’s my King! That’s my King! Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Well, all the power belongs to my King. We’re around here talking about black power and white power and green power, but it’s God’s power. Thine is the power. Yeah. And the glory. We try to get prestige and honour and glory for ourselves, but the glory is all His. Yes. Thine is the Kingdom and the power and glory, forever and ever and ever and ever. How long is that? And ever and ever and ever and ever.

And when you get through with all of the evers, then, Amen."

—Dr. S. M. Lockridge

Is Accept and Believe Enough?

Since when is “Accept and Believe” not enough? Those were the words posed to me over one month ago and the statement shocked me. When we talk about the Gospel, the saving message of the Gospel, by saying these two words, is it enough?

When we speak to others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, how are we telling them? I will admit that it is easy to simply say “Accept Jesus” or “Believe in Jesus”. Unfortunately I see these words thrown around a lot, especially in ministries involving the youth. What is left out is the hard part of the Gospel. A half Gospel is no Gospel at all.

Actually, when the statement was told to me, I should not have been shocked. Controversy has been around for several decades on the issue of preaching on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The two differing theologies are known as the Lordship Theology and the Free Grace Theology.

The problem is immense because there is only one truth. There are not two Gospels. Either “Accept and Believe” is enough or it takes something else.

We never see Jesus say to “Accept and Believe” him. I can accept Jesus all day long but he must accept me. Think about going to Washington D.C. and you somehow find yourself at the front door of the White House. You tell the Secret Service that you have accepted the President and you want in the door. Guess what? You will not get in. But if you find yourself at the front door and the President tells the Secret Service that he accepts you and invites you in, you will get in.

You see, Jesus did not say “Accept me” or “Invite me in your heart” and you will get into my Kingdom. He said to serve Him, to follow Him, to be willing to die to oneself (John 12:24-26). Take a look at the powerful statements that Jesus tells us in Luke Chapter 14:

“Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, “saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.

Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? “And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

Those are statements you may not hear in an alter call. If you aren’t ready to give everything up for Christ, even your own family and life, you cannot be his disciple. Yes it sounds impossible but these were indeed the words of our Savior Jesus Christ as he turned to a crowd that wanted to follow him.

You see, Jesus wanted them to know the cost. He wanted them to “count the cost.” He wanted to be their Lord.

The cost is a sacrifice that unfortunately too many are not willing to make. So what is this sacrifice and if “Accept and Believe” is not enough, then what does it take? What does it take for Christ to accept us and give us eternal life. Once again, we have to look no further than the words of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ said that if we do not repent, we will perish (Luke 13:3). In his opening message to his ministry he said to “Repent and Believe the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). That set the tone for his three year earthly ministry and he closed his ministry in Luke 24:47 with the command to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name to all nations.

It was clear in the early Church what to preach. The Apostles preached that men should repent (Mark 6:12) and in Peter’s first sermon he preached repentance (Acts 2:38). The preaching of repentance almost got Paul killed in the temple. It has never been a popular message. Die to self, give up everything, sacrifice, and turn from your sin will not exactly get you invited to many churches today but those words follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

This is the main difference in the so called free grace theology. This theology does not affirm that repentance is part of salvation. Repentance is a request after salvation and not necessarily a requirement of salvation.

Indeed, any talk of repentance as a requirement of salvation is seen as “works” and not biblical. Of course repentance is not works. The truth is that the only people eligible for salvation are those that realize they are sinners and willing to repent. Only those willing to realize their wretched state and willing to be transformed into a new being will be saved. Others may believe in Jesus, they may accept him in their heart but without a true sense of their sinful nature and a willingness to turn from that sin they will be judged.

True repentance happens at the same time with faith in Jesus Christ. They are equal and and we must preach them together, as Jesus did.

Charles Spurgeon said, "So then, dear friends, those people who have faith which allows them to think lightly of past sin, have the faith of devils and not the faith of God's elect."

Repentance and belief will continue in the true believer. How do we know that we repented and believed? Because we continue to do so today.
We are not saved by works but works are the only way we know our faith is real (James 2:17). If someone is a Disciple of Jesus Christ, their life will show it.

While it is easy to think that all we have to do is “Accept and Believe”, that is not the truth. Satan would love for you to believe it is easy. He would love for you to believe that simply saying a prayer is enough. He would love for you to believe that it is not a sacrifice. He would love to masquerade the true Gospel as a false doctrine of “works”.

Ultimately it comes down to this. Jesus Christ said “Repent and Believe.” We must as well.

How Do You Compare?

"....I would have never come to know sin except through the law" Romans 7:7

In this passage from Paul, we are told what the divine standard is. That standard is God's Law and one that none of us can pass. When you flip the Ten Commandments as a mirror, you immediately see how wretched and disgusting our behavior is in the Eyes of God. But that is not what we like to do. Man likes to think we are good people and the reason is simple. We compare ourselves to the standard of the world and not God's standard. I speak to professing Christians every week that tell me they are good people. Where do they get that? Where are they hearing it?

They weren't sitting in the audience with Voddie Baucham:

The Centurion

The gospel of Luke chapter seven tells an incredible story. In a world filled with religious aristocrats and zealots, how strange that Jesus would say about a police officer, "I have not seen such faith in all of Israel!" Now I am not talking about a rookie that has yet to toughen and attempt to leave behind his family upbringing. I am talking about a man of rank and stature . . . a Centurion.

The story unfolds in the city of Capernaum. A group of city leaders introduce the man to Jesus and say of him, "His comes on behalf of his servant. He is worthy for he loves our people and built our synagogue." Upon meeting Jesus, the Centurion states, "There is no need for you to come to my house for I, too, am a man of authority. You just say the word and it will be done." The Bible says Jesus "marveled" at him. Can you imagine what it would take to bring the Universe Creator to that point? A policeman did it. He did it by his simple knowledge of authority and a statement of faith. The Centurion knew what it was like to be in charge. To say to one "go here" and he goes. When he gave a command, the officer never gave a thought to someone who would disobey. He understood authority and when he recognized Jesus had authority over everything, dynamic faith came as easily as, "just say the word, Lord, and I know He will be healed."

If anyone ever had authority over anything, it is Jesus. Creator, Messiah, the great sin debt payer, Almighty, Everlasting, and Prince of Peace. Those things spoke to the Centurion more than anything his job had told him about people. Galilee was the center of rebellious activity against the Roman government. He had done his share of law enforcement. He had made his share of arrests. He had been lied to by the best and seen all the rest. But when He saw Jesus, he took that one step of faith. All he needed was meet Jesus, and take Him at His word. I've watched officers grow cynical through the years. It can happen. But inside the most cynical is a spark that searches to still believe. A policeman, in order to survive in faith, must determine to be an eagle and not a parrot. A parrot says what he is taught. An eagle hears for himself the very words of God in his own heart. Your faith cannot be strong enough by listening to what someone said God said. Your relationship must be confidently personal. Your actions and expectations based on your continued and strong communicating relationship to the Lord, Jesus Christ. Start on your knees and hear Him speak. Turn from your sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. It will launch you like wings of an eagle.

A One Year Journey

Our good friend over at Evangelism Team, Leon Brown, retired from the United States Navy yesterday and today he begins a one-year journey that will have him preaching on the streets of Southern California 8-10 hours a day, six days a week.

We ask that you keep Leon in your prayers. He will surely face spiritual warfare as he proclaims the Gospel six days a week in Open-Air.

You can keep up with Leon at his Blog, Preach Like Jeremiah.

Here is what Leon wrote after day 1:

"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).

Today, I found myself saying many things similar to the passage above. As I urged people to repent, some mocked, some listened, some cried, some continued to walk by and others said, "I know we are talking for a reason."

God blessed me today to spend time with my great friend, Tony Miano. I was also blessed to spend time with an up and coming evangelist, Anthony English (19 years old). We all stood firm on the Word of God as we preached the gospel on the streets of Hollywood Blvd. As a prop, we used a casket I recently purchased. It worked wonders, as people stood around waiting to ask questions. The casket was like a big gospel tract. It was as easy as this. "What that's for?" "It's a casket. What do you think will happen after you die?" And bang, you're off.

When we arrived and set up, I made the mistake of jumping on the box without praying. I was also a little concerned about how the filming was going to turn out, since I did not have my normal wingman there. The above, fused with my desire to preach, showed me that I should never be so anxious as to not take the necessary steps before preaching. Immediately after the preaching, Tony, Anthony and I prayed.

As the day started, it was relatively quiet. The crowds were medium in size and it was hard to keep them. But that would change. My good friend Tony had his Bible snatched out of his hand and he was spit on. That was the start of an interesting evening.

The Lord blessed me with Joy at the microphone. She was a 17 year old young lady that grew up in the church. As the Holy Spirit allowed me to preach the Law to her, conviction fell on her face. She soon realized she would spend eternity in hell. After I told her about "true" repentance and the gift of faith, I had the opportunity to talk to her a little more one-on-one. Her eyes watered as she realized she needed to trust in the Savior. I gave her a tract and told her to get right with Jesus today.

I took a break from preaching and went looking for some people to do 1-2-1 witnessing with, on camera. The Lord blessed me some amazing footage that I will send my supporters on DVD at the end of the month.

One witnessing encounter afforded me the opportunity to witness to 2 homosexual men. One gentleman said, "How do I stop? I know this is wrong. What do I have to do?" The other homosexual man believed he was born that way. This was truly an amazing encounter.

I also witnessed to a girl who just stole something from the mall and asked me, "How can I get right with God if I just stole something?" When I finished talking to her, she said, "I believe this happened for a reason."

Encounter after encounter, the Lord blessed me to see seemingly true conviction. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit would convict their hearts and give them a new heart with new desires.

Well...with traveling time and preaching, I spent more than 12 hours on the streets. It's 12:58 am and time to get to bed. Tomorrow, I'm going to the beach to preach the gospel and Monday I'm heading to the ghetto.

Please keep my family in your prayers. God bless you!

Leon "Downtown" Brown