Probable Cause 4 | Miles DeBenedictis

Noted that right at the beginning of what he was speaking about, he said that once again, I'm Pastor Miles. I have the privilege of pastoring this church here. I grew up in Escondido, attended Juniper School when I was a little kid, then Orang Glen Elementary School, Hidden Valley Middle School, and finally, Orang Glen High School. I've been here my whole life. My parents still live in town, and I live on the other end of town over in District 2 for the fire department.

I know that this might not help me at all, but I'm a chaplain with the Escondido Fire Department. I probably shouldn't have said that, actually, so sorry about that. Frankly, it is somewhat hard to follow Gunner Hansen. He has one of those compelling stories that make you want to listen and ask questions. If you ever spend any time with Gunner and start to ask him questions, he always says things like, "Well, I can't really answer that." I hate that. I really absolutely hate when he tells me, "I can't answer that; it's classified." I don't know about this whole classified stuff. I remember hearing Tom Cruise say that one time: "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." He probably means it; I don't really know if he means it.

I do remember, though, one of the stories that Gunner told me. It was not a story that has anything to do with his time in the Navy; it actually has to do with his time at the very beginning of being a law enforcement chaplain here with the Escondido Police Department. He was doing a ride-along and shared this story with me. I may be stepping on this because he might share this in his next session; I don't really know, so he'll fill in the blanks and the inaccuracies if I have any inaccuracies.

I kind of liked this story because it told me something about Gunner Hansen. If I remember correctly, he was with a couple of officers at one of our five-star hotels here in Escondido. You all know those well, apparently. They were at one of these motels, not a hotel, and I guess the officers were looking in a room while Gunner was standing outside this room with a couple of the young ladies who had been occupying that room. He didn't really know much about these young ladies, but they were rather inquisitive, asking him questions. He's a very nice guy and likes to answer questions, so he was happy to tell them when they asked if he knew of any good donut places here in town. He was happy to tell them all about N Street Donuts and just didn't quite realize that they were messing with him.

At that moment, Gunner confirmed for me what I think we all innately know: Navy SEALs don't have a lot of street smarts. Now bear with me a moment because I can...

I actually started to do some research on the Navy SEALs, and I punched into Google "Navy SEALs." You will not believe this, but this will tell you something about Navy SEALs and their lack of discretion: Charlie Sheen was a Navy SEAL. Seriously, they let him in. Not only was Charlie Sheen allowed to be a part of this group, but also Demi Moore made it through BUD/S. So when he said that they went from 188 down to 14, just remember that Demi Moore apparently did the same thing; she made it through that as well.

When I realized this, my view of Navy SEALs dropped significantly. To think that these are the guys who killed Osama Bin Laden! They did crash a multi-billion dollar super-secret helicopter that they won't tell me anything about in the process. The only conclusion I can draw from that is that Osama Bin Laden's security detail was terrible.

Just one more thing: Gunner asked me a couple of weeks ago if I had figured out what I was going to share. I said, "Well, I'm going to spend the first ten minutes making fun of you." He knew what that meant. I still have more to say, though.

Would you guys not have come up with a better mascot? I know it's not really a mascot, but people associate it as one. There are so many other options, like stingrays, sharks, or even killer whales. Even the Boy Scouts' top ranking is an Eagle Scout. I don't know; it just seems like not the best thing to pick on a former Navy SEAL. I know I'll get it for that.

It takes a special kind of person to be in law enforcement, and to be very honest with you, I just didn't necessarily have it in me. I think it takes a very special kind of person, a person who is a very small minority in our society—a person who is a glutton for punishment. I believe that many people in the law enforcement community would agree with that to a certain extent.

If you wanted a job where you could have fairly kicked back shifts, this was not the career to take. If you wanted a job where you could make great money, this was not necessarily the career to go into. If you wanted a job that would give you notoriety and where people would like you, this was certainly not the job to pursue. If you wanted all of those things, you should have become a...

Firefighters, right? There's some truth to that. I was informed some time back; I've known Dave Bishop for many years. In fact, I went with him one time up to Camp Pendleton, and I'm pretty sure it was Dave Bishop who told me this. It may have been somebody else, but someone within the law enforcement community was trying to explain to me the mindset of that community. He said, "Well, you just got to understand there are two kinds of people in the world."

Now, I've heard a lot of people start a statement like that. You kind of go, "Okay, well, what is your statement?" I'm pretty sure it was Dave Bishop who told me this, and you guys have probably either said this before or at least heard it: there are two kinds of people in the world when it comes to law enforcement and police. That is, there are cops and then there are idiots. How many of you have heard that before or said that before? There are cops and then there are idiots.

Now, I stand here before you today as among the 99.8% that are the idiots. I don't know that I have much to share. Again, I know Gunner said this when we were starting our planning and talking about who would share at this event. They said, "Well, we want you to share, Miles," and I said, "I don't think that's a good idea."

You know, there are cops and then there are idiots. There are some people I know who might even think that I would be in the segment of the king of those 99.8% that are among the idiots. Although there is a very clear separation between the law enforcement community and the rest of us, the other citizens, I believe that there is a lot that police officers and pastors have in common.

Number one, police officers and pastors both start with "P," so that's at least one thing. I know that doesn't seem to fit, and it really doesn't—again, remember, king of the idiots here. But secondly, people expect integrity from us. They expect integrity from us.

Number three, people hold us to a higher standard. Pastors and police officers are held to a higher standard. Next, people look to us to see what is right. They have an anticipation, an expectation when they look at us and the way we carry ourselves. They want to know that what we're doing is right.

Next, we are defined by the worst in our rank. You know this to be the case; we are defined in the community by the...

The worst in our ranks are those who bear the name of police officer or the title of pastor, reverend, or minister. Some of these individuals do terrible things, even though they hold these titles. They are just as much sinners as the rest of us; they just happen to be in the line of work that we are in. When people see the terrible actions of some, they make blanket statements about all of us in these professions. They think every pastor is this way, and every police officer is that way, whatever it may be. Consequently, people judge us by the worst in our ranks.

Next, we are scrutinized for doing what we are supposed to do. The position that I have been called to by God is to unashamedly preach and proclaim truth. We live in a society today where the truth I proclaim often goes against the common mores, values, and cultural views of many people. When I do what I am supposed to do, there are many who look at my actions and say, "We don't like what you do." The same is true for those of you in the law enforcement community. When you stand up for righteousness and punish unrighteousness, there are people in our society who, for some reason, give the criminal the benefit of the doubt. They view the criminal as being picked on, as if it is not fair.

Pastors and police officers are not highly regarded in our society today, which seems outright strange to me, but it is true. There are groups like Gallup and other polling agencies that look into these matters, asking what the most esteemed and lifted-up professions are in our culture today. I found it very interesting when I did some research on this. Pastors and police officers rank right next to each other, at 40 and 42, respectively. It is terrible. The number one and number two spots are held by firefighters and paramedics. A number of years ago, firefighters read that statistic and decided to take action.

Paramedics are now part of our list, and that will really enhance our reputation. They have cornered the market, and this tells us something about the character of firefighters. They are drawn to those things that make them look good, not necessarily to the positions that people honor and look up to, which is unfortunate in our culture.

Many of us in our professions, such as police officers and pastors, become jaded because we realize just how difficult humanity can be. We get to see that reality firsthand. I would say that you, of course, experience this more than I do. I have told Detective Mayfield and Detective Udar Haley a couple of times that I don't think I could do the job they do in the family crime unit here in Escondido. They go into situations that, quite honestly, if I were in their position and had a firearm, I don't know how I could refrain from taking justice into my own hands. I have a great deal of respect for the positions that each of you hold.

The biggest thing that we, as law enforcement officers and I as a pastor, have in common is that we are both ministers of God. Barry alluded to this early this morning, but I wanted to show you scripturally that this is indeed the truth. If you have your Bibles, you can open them to the Book of Romans, chapter 13.

The Apostle Paul is the author of this book, which was actually a letter to a group of Christians living in the capital of the Roman Empire, the city of Rome, around 54 to 58 AD. This was quite some time ago, and Rome was the capital of the empire that ruled and governed the entire world at that point in time. They were the strongest superpower, and there are many similarities between ancient Rome and the United States in the 21st century.

Paul writes to this group of believers, and there is no doubt that among those Christians in the city of Rome, some were part of Caesar's household. There were guards and Roman soldiers among them. We know this because later on, when Paul goes to Rome at the end of the Book of Acts, there are people there in the city who are connected to him.

The household of Caesar includes individuals who work in law enforcement and are believers and followers of Jesus. Paul addresses this in Romans 13:1, stating, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities." Note that there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, in verse two, he writes, "Whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment upon themselves."

Rulers are not a terror to those who do good works. If you are doing good, you will be just fine; however, they are a terror to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of authority? Then do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. Notice verse four: "For he, the governor, the authority, is God's minister to you." Paul is speaking to the church and the people of Rome. The governing authority is God's minister for good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for this governing authority does not bear the sword in vain. He has it for a reason; it is not there for show.

He does not bear the sword in vain, for he, this law enforcement individual, this governing authority, is God's minister and avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

My typical process here at Cross Connection, when I teach from this table on a Sunday morning, Saturday night, or any other time, is to take a passage like that and work through the text very systematically to build a case for what I am saying. However, you are all individuals who are not only trained in but also possess great deductive reasoning skills. You can look at a passage like that and do not need to spend a lot of time trying to parse it. You do not need to look at Greek words to figure out what is being said; it is very clear.

The person who has authority stands in a position that has been given to them by God. God appointed them to that position, and they are therefore God's minister. They are a servant of God to do the job that God has called them to do. You may not have ever recognized this to be the case, but if you are in the law enforcement community—many of you are law enforcement officers or spouses of law enforcement officers—you may not have realized that you are actually just...

As much a minister of God as I am when I stand before the congregation here at Cross Connection and preach the Word of God, I am bearing a sword—a different kind of sword. The Bible says the Word of God is a sword, a two-edged sword. It is living and powerful, and it cuts deep; it transforms lives. You are a minister of God in a different context, bearing a very physical sword and working against a very physical foe. But each of us is a minister of God for the good of those to whom we are given to minister.

It is very clear to see that in this passage, society faces its greatest difficulty and its greatest problem when the authorities—those who are given power in that society to govern—forget that they are servants of God. Society faces some of its greatest troubles and problems when the authorities forget that they occupy a God-given office, that God has placed them in that position. If they forget that they are placed in that service for the good of those they are serving and not for their own personal privilege, then society is in a dangerous position.

I am sure that some of you have met or seen people within the law enforcement community who stepped into that role for their own personal privilege. When someone forgets that they have been placed there for the good of those they are called to serve by God, society faces its greatest problems. Authorities forget that they have been placed in that position to serve and not to be served.

Furthermore, authorities forget that they will one day give an account to God for their service. I am saying these things to you today because I think it is important for us, as Christians, and for you in the law enforcement community, to recognize all of these truths. There are a number of things that our nation, society, and not just here in the United States but in Western civilization as a whole, are shifting and failing. A lot of this has to do with not recognizing the truths we find in Scripture. If you, as a law enforcement officer and as someone who is a Christian, understand what the Word of God is, if you carry this...

With you, and if you recognize it, you can be an influencer for change for the good in the departments where you work. If we recognize that we have been placed where we are as servants, that we occupy a God-given office, and that we are there to serve and not be served, we must remember that one day we will give an account. One day, we are going to stand before God and give an account for what we have done and how we have served.

With that in mind, I wanted to gear the rest of the time I have toward being very practical. I won't take much more time because they are cooking carne asada out there, and that will make us all want to get out of here quickly. However, I wanted to take some time to be very practical because if there's one thing I have greatly appreciated about both law enforcement officers and people in the emergency medical service, it is that they want you to boil it down to the essentials. They want to know the point; they are not into flowery language that goes on and on. They just want to know, "Okay, what's the point? Where does this connect with my life on a daily level?"

How many of you know what the Miranda rights are? It's a dumb question, isn't it? The only reason I know what the Miranda rights are is that I've seen them on TV so many times. But every single one of you knows what they are, and you could quote them without a problem: "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you." Do you understand the rights that I have read to you? Those are the Miranda rights. You all know what those are, am I right?

As a Christian, there is a part of this that really does not apply. You do not have the right to remain silent. As Christians, we just do not have that right. We will be held accountable for the things that we say and do one day. That is true, but we do not have the right to remain silent. Now, in saying that, I am not telling you that you need to become some sort of law enforcement evangelist or be the most outspoken, obnoxiously bold person on the force wherever you are. I am not calling you to do that; I am not asking you to do that at all.

But I am challenging and encouraging you to live in such a way that you embody the principles we see in the Scriptures as one who is a minister of God. So, if you would turn in your...

Bibles, one last reference we're going to look at is Micah chapter 6 in the Old Testament. There is a verse that I think distills this down in such a way that is helpful. It brings it down to three very easy points that we can contend with.

Micah chapter 6, verse 8, states, "He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what it is that the Lord requires of you: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." These are the three things that God has called us to, especially us who are ministers of God. I am speaking to you in the very same way I would speak if this were a conference for pastors because I look at you as ministers of God.

As ministers of God, He has shown us what we are to do and how we are to live in a good way. It is these three things: number one, to do justly. What does it practically look like to do justly? I will admit that I could spend an hour on each one of these and still not really dig deep into them, but I will give you three important aspects that come out in the Bible regarding this idea of doing what is right.

To do justly means to defend the defenseless. It was in the seventh and eighth centuries BC, about 2,800 years ago, that God was speaking to a people in the land of Israel, specifically to the people of Judah, who were part of the Jewish nation. He was speaking through the prophet Isaiah, telling them they would be judged. In fact, they had not done a good job of doing justly, so God said He would bring in someone who would be the tool of justice in His hand. At that time, He used another nation called Assyria, which would come in and enforce justice because justice and judgment were gone from them.

Isaiah chapter 1 states, "I looked for justice, and it was gone; I looked for judgment, and it was gone. Therefore, I am going to judge you." One of the reasons He said this was because they did not defend the cause of the fatherless.

The widow, you didn't defend the defenseless, and so I'm going to judge you. Many of you can look back at a point in your life where you decided you wanted to be in the position that you're in as a law enforcement officer. Perhaps someone perpetrated something upon you or someone that you knew, and you wanted to be the person that stopped that and stood against it to defend the defenseless. I say yes, and I say Amen.

To do justly, we need to defend the defenseless. Number two, to do justly, we need to walk properly in integrity. Now, that word "integrity" has a lot of different connotations in our day, but if you boil it down, it means to walk in simple innocence. This means having a good reputation and good character, so much so that whether your co-workers know that you're a Christian and you go to this church or that church, or that you actually know Bible verses, they know you are different from the other people they know because you are a person who walks in integrity. You walk properly in simple innocence.

One of the wisest men who ever lived, Solomon, wrote in Proverbs 10:9, "He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his way will become known." It will become known if you pervert your way; it will come out in the open. He said again in Proverbs 20:7, "The righteous man, the man who does right, walks in integrity, and his children are blessed after him."

So, to do justly, we must defend the defenseless. Number two, we must walk properly in integrity. Number three, don't use unjust scales. This term may not mean much to us living in the day in which we live, but in the time when these things were written in the Old Testament, people would go to the marketplace to buy something. If they were exchanging gold for something, they would have these scales. They would put whatever they were buying on the scales and then check to ensure that this is how much they were buying.

However, there were some merchants who were not good; they were trying to rob people. They would fix the scales. You know what God has to say about those who fix the scales and use unjust scales.

In Proverbs 11:1, it says, "Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but just weights are His delight." Another place in Proverbs 20:23 states, "Diverse weights are unjust scales; they are an abomination to the Lord." The New Living Translation expresses it this way: "The Lord detests double standards."

For those of us who want to walk in righteousness and do justly, it is essential to defend the defenseless, walk properly in integrity, and avoid using unjust scales. When you are in a position of enforcing justice, temptations will come your way. You may encounter opportunities to apply a double standard or to use unjust scales. However, God calls us to walk in integrity and to do justly.

Secondly, the prophet Micah reminds us that not only are we to do justly, but we are also to love mercy. As authorities tasked with delivering God's justice, it is important to remember that it is not our own justice we are delivering; we are stewards of His justice. In that role, God instructs us to show mercy. There may be times in your job when showing mercy, in the eyes of some, could be seen as going against the law. While you must uphold the law, the reality of being one who shows mercy is significant.

One of the most profound truths we find in the Bible is that one of the higher characteristics of God is His mercy. When He declares who He is to Moses in the Old Testament book of Exodus, specifically in Exodus 34:6, the very first thing He says is, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful." As you follow through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, one constant theme is that although God is just, holy, and will bring vengeance upon unrighteousness, He is also merciful. He has called us to be merciful and to love mercy.

How do we love mercy? One way is to ensure that we never reach a point where we delight in someone else's punishment. I recognize that this can be challenging, as there are times when someone is being punished, and we may want to take pleasure in it. However, we find ourselves in a dangerous place when we do so.

We start to delight in people's punishment. I think that one of the things that loving mercy means is we never allow ourselves to get to a point where we delight in punishment. If you're at the place where you delight in punishment, those are the seeds of sadism. It's a dangerous place to be.

Third and finally, the thing that God speaks through Micah to the people who are to walk in a good way is that He says to walk in humility. Walk in humility before God and, of course, before those who are here upon the Earth. One of the dangers of being in the position that you hold, where you have authority, is that you bear the sword. Paul said in Romans chapter 11 that we do not bear the sword in vain. You don't carry that thing around just to look cool, even though it kind of looks cool, I'll be honest with you. But you don't carry that around to look cool; you carry that around because, at the end of the day, it is the last line of enforcing justice where you are in the street.

However, one of the temptations that can come when you're carrying this—this is going to make me look like a complete dweeb, I understand—but a number of years ago, I started to get into martial arts. When I was growing up, my parents wouldn't let me do martial arts because they were convinced that I would beat up my sister, and they didn't want me to do that. They were afraid that I might hurt somebody. So, I got into martial arts, and actually, one of the guys who is a part of the Escano Police Department, I used to spar with him quite frequently—Mario Sa's.

As Mario and I would be sparring together, I started to learn more about martial arts and the ability to defend myself. There was this weird thing that happened that I didn't anticipate. All of a sudden, when I would walk around, I would see people and think, "I could take that guy." I am confessing here, but there was this strange thought that started to go through my mind: "Yeah, I could handle that guy." I didn't handle myself; it was probably totally vain and foolish. If the guy really wanted to fight me, I'd probably end up on the ground saying, "Leave me alone."

But there's this thing that happens when you think you have the ability to defend yourself or to take care of yourself. You start to carry yourself in a different way. That's not necessarily bad, but when you get to a point where you arrogantly carry the sword, it's dangerous. You're moving in a direction that the Bible shows to be unjust. You're moving in a direction that the Bible shows to be against what God loves. In fact, the Bible says in Proverbs 6:16-17 that God hates an arrogant look. God hates it.

He abominates it; he hates it to the point where he wants to rid the world of it. He has shown you, oh man, what is good and what God desires and requires of us as ministers of God: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk in humility before God and man.

Some people seem to think that mercy and humility are signs of weakness, but in reality, it is only the person in a position of authority who has the ability to show mercy. It is only the person who stands in that place, bearing the sword, who truly has the privilege to show mercy. Therefore, it is in your hands to show mercy and to walk in humility. I guarantee you that our society needs to see godly men and women in the environments where you work day in and day out, who do justly, love mercy, and walk in humility.

Would you pray with me? Lord, I pray that you take these words, and whatever is from you, whatever is right and true, that you would plant them deep in our hearts. God, I pray for these men and women here who have been called to do a task that is difficult. They have inherited authority that has been given to them by you, and they often stand in a place of danger to fulfill this job. I pray, God, that you would protect them. Pour out your grace, your mercy, and your peace upon them, and use them to be enforcers of what is true, right, and good.

I also pray for their spouses and families. Whenever they go to a shift, even if it has been years without incident, there is still that concern in the back of their minds that the call might come. I pray, God, that you would be with the families and spouses of those represented here today.

I thank you so much that there are people from throughout San Diego County represented in this room today, not just from the Escondido Police Department, but also from Carlsbad, Oceanside, San Diego County Probation, and others from all over the county. I praise you, Jesus, that there is a group of people in these departments who are willing to set aside their time off on a Saturday.

To gather together and to be challenged in their faith and in their work, I pray, God, that you would use them as lights in dark places. This group here sees darkness that the rest of the world never sees. Lord, I pray that you would help them in those environments to have the ability and the grace from you. When they leave those environments, may they be able to leave behind the burdens that could weigh heavily on them, leaving those things with you.

Would you bless this group? Now, as we leave this room for a time to have a meal together, would you increase our fellowship as we talk, joke, and encourage one another? Lord, would you bless the food that has been prepared for us? We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people said.