Devotion from April's Meeting

VP "Pretty Boy" gave the devotion at last week's meeting. It's posted here:

Tertullian: 3rd Century Christian Leader wrote a lot, was commenting on the pagans converting to Christianity, and recorded the statement that he heard many pagans make, “See how they love one another.” Tertullian comments that more pagans were won over to Christianity by the witness of Christian fellowship than by any other means.

Biker Culture is about Brotherhood, devotion to the members of the club.

Joining a Motorcycle Club (MC) is earned, not given. A person has to “hang around,” which is a technical term in the club culture for a hopeful member that the club is looking at. A “hang around”, while not a member of the club, needs to show the same devotion to the club activities that a member would show.

Then the club asks the “hang around” if he would like to “prospect” for at least 1 year before becoming a member. The prospect is usually allowed to wear some form of the club’s patch like the name rocker, but not the full patch. The prospect period is a time of service. During that period of time, the prospects take the lowest positions in the club. They ride behind everyone else. They run to get coffee and drinks for everyone else at meetings. They’re the ones you’ll see out in the freezing cold or unbearable heat watching the bikes while the rest of the club is inside comfortable and enjoying each other’s company. They spend at least 1 year being servants of the club before they are allowed to wear the colors. This is why many of the MC’s look down on organizations like ours. The way they say it is, “We (the MC’s) buy our colors with blood, sweat and tears. They (meaning us) buy theirs with money.”

Once a person is a member, they are considered a brother, and this inclusion extends beyond the person to the person’s family, wife and kids are included.

No matter where a member is, no matter what trouble a member is in, he can call someone else who wears the same patch and just know that help is on the way. No matter what. Carl talked about not willing to die for a piece of cloth. An MC member is ready to do that, but it’s not a piece of cloth to them, it’s what the cloth represents to them: Brotherhood, freedom, devotion to their group and cause. The colors of an MC mean to the member of the MC what the American Flag would mean to a soldier who has been in combat for the ideals of America.

An FBI agent infiltrated one of the outlaw MC's, then wroe a book about his experiences. He commented on how when his father died, not a single FBI agent expressed condolences, but club members showed up from all over the state and hugged him and expressed sympathy at his father’s funeral. It was harder for him to leave the club than it was for him to retire from the FBI because of the fellowship of the members.

Ministering to the Biker Culture: We must have that kind of devotion to one another and
to our patch.

In discussing increasing our membership, no one in the biker culture will take us seriously if they don’t see that kind of devotion and love for one another in us. They’ll laugh us out.

They need to see that we ride together, spend time together, help each other out, and lift each other up. They need to see devotion to our patch and to each other. Ultimately, they need to see us fulfill the Lord’s command.

Of everything that Jesus said the night before he died, one of the things he thought it was most important to say was “Love one another.” John 13:35: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples. That you love one another.”

The biker community, those to whom we are called to minister, challenges us.

They challenge us to live out the gospel teaching of Jesus in fellowship. To have the credibility we need to be ministers to the biker community, we need to fulfill the Lord’s command to love one another as Christ has loved us. We need to allow our CHRISTIAN fellowship to be that light set up on a lamp stand, or the city up on a hill. Let our CHRISTIAN fellowship be seen by all, that they may see our good deeds, and give glory to God.

They challenge us to service. I think that a good response to the comment that they earn the right to wear their patch through service is to say that we earn being a servant by wearing our patch. Christ began that final discourse in John, chapters 13-17, by washing the feet of his disciples, an act of service. So while the MC’s have a period of service to earn their patch, our service is a more radical kind that lasts a lifetime. I don’t think just anybody can wear this RRJ patch either, only those who are willing to dedicate themselves to washing the feet of others, only those who are willing to live a life of service.

One last thought about this fellowship and service. In the biker culture, one is in fellowship and service with the members of their club. Who is our “club?” I would answer that by pointing to how Jesus answered the question, “Who is my neighbor?” in Luke 10: 30-37, the story of the Good Samaritan. Our “club” is the Church of Jesus Christ, and ultimately the whole world. Any one in need is in our club.

I had been in the habit of only wearing the patch when I was with the group doing a group activity. From now on you will see me wearing the patch every time I’m on my bike. The reason is because the RRJ patch for me is no longer just a piece of cloth. It’s a symbol of Christian faith, Christian fellowship and Christian service. By wearing it, I’m making a public statement about what I’m about, service and fellowship, and WHO I’m about, Jesus Christ.

My personal style of evangelization is not the Ralph Lemongelli style. I’ve never been comfortable preaching on street corners. My evangelization has always been more along the lines of what St. Francis Assisi said, “Preach the gospel always. Use words, only when necessary.” My evangelization is in the fellowship I share with other Christians. What I want and what I hope when those in the biker community see us is that they will say, “See how they love one another. I want to be a part of that.”

Our fellowship and devotion to each other will be as powerful a witness as anything that could be preached.