It was May of 2004 when I first attended NCOM in Oklahoma City. The experience that I had there was an incredible blessing for a number of reasons. Certainly meeting with bikersfrom all across the nation was a highlight; and the fellowship with other Christian biker MC’s and M/M’s was, no doubt, a gift from heaven.
One thing that I was looking forward to was the so-called unity meeting that was scheduled for Friday afternoon. The title for the meeting was no big deal to me for I supposed that, as believers, we were all unified in both our purposes for being at NCOM as well as our ministries to the biker culture; thus, this meeting would be a time of mutual encouragement and exhortation. What I heard from the various speakers, however, was far different than what I originally thought – they all seemed to be pleading for us to come together and to lay aside our pride, personal agendas, and self-promotion. Hey, I wasn’t so much shocked as I was bewildered. I thought, “C’mon, give me a break! We don’t need to be wasting our time with this when there were bikers just outside the walls of the room dying without Christ!”
Sad to say, the next two NCOMs had the same theme for the Christian sessions. Man, I was getting bummed out with all of this!
You see, we jus’ refuse to have this problem in CrossWind. We not only welcome and promote unity among the various groups, but we have put into practice this philosophy since our earliest days. We invite and encourage other MC’s and M/M’s to participate with us, and we are pro-active in attending their functions, too. In fact, since CrossWind’s founding,we have participated at their events as much as we have at our own.
I still get a bit dismayed when I hear the emphasis given to the unity issue because it takes so much away from what God has called us to do–our time, resources, and energies are dissipated. Too, it brings reproach on Christ and His cause in the eyes of those to whom we have been sent to minister. Do they not laugh at us and mock our message: “What’s wrong with you guys anyway? You call that brotherhood? Why would I ever want to hear your message?”
Brothers, we need to quit talking and start praying and doing. Our times together should be filled with worship to our Lord as well as lovingly encouraging and building up one another. Then, when we go to the world of the biker – as well as all of the disenfranchised of our culture – they will hear a living word of Gospel Grace instead of a continual litany of lame appeals for unity. These people are dying for lack of Christ while we shuffle issues of unity like a faded and well-worn deck of cards.
Therefore, let us grow up, as Paul might say, and quit thinking and acting like spoiled children who “must protect what they believe to be theirsî”while they cry, “This is mine!î” Hey, man, it all belongs to the Lord – even our ministries and colors! I must move on to the real work that our Lord has called me toóof taking Jesus Christ to the nations including the nation of bikers.
I pray that I have not offended you in this. Please pray for me as I share the love of Christ with the “whosoeversî”of the world–and, join me there, too, brothers! Hey, if I can join with you for any occasion, it would be an honor.
Copyright (c) 2006 CrossWind Ministry
