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GOD IS IN JAIL A friend of mine who is a 1%er in a particular club is an agnostic atheist. (His real name and the name of his MC will remain anonymous due to respect for him and his club). Agnostic atheists are atheistic because they do not have belief in the existence of any deity, and agnostic because they don’t claim to know that a deity does not exist. The first time I visited his clubhouse he made it a point to let me know that he is agnostic. He wasn’t rude or disrespectful, but he knew that I was a Christian and we were just having some general conversation and he worked it into our conversation. The wrong thing to have done was to start hammering him with scripture and proof that there is a God and that his name is Jesus! That would have driven him away and would have made him want to avoid me for fear of me hammering him again with the Word of God and subsequently making him feel uncomfortable, thus eliminating any future possibilities of being able to witness to him. Additionally, I probably wouldn’t have been welcomed back into the clubhouse for acting disrespectfully. So, when he made the comment that he was agnostic, I smiled and said, “and I’m a Christian.” I said, “Hey, to each his own and the important thing is that we all need to get along here on this earth and respect one another for his/her beliefs and their qualities as a human being.” He agreed and gave me the typical biker hug which proved that I had instantly gained his respect. Now, to the ordinary Christian you would think that I made the wrong statement to him and didn‘t stand boldly in my belief in God, but you have to understand, we are in a unique ministry and we have to handle things differently in the biker world to avoid displaying any type of disrespect. It’s an unwritten rule that you just don’t go into anyone’s clubhouse voicing your own opinions and pushing your own agenda. If so, they won’t hesitate to educate you! Once you lose respect it’s very hard, if not sometimes impossible to regain it. From that point on, any time I would walk into his clubhouse he would jokingly say, “Hey Jammer, you know I’m agnostic don’t you?” I would reply with, “That’s cool, you know I’m a Christian don’t you?” We would then both laugh and hug each other. We had mutual respect and that was the beginning of many wonderful witness opportunities that were soon to follow. Over the years, I had been in and out of their clubhouse to visit many times and had participated in some of their events when possible. I was the first and only Christian biker wearing Christian Colors who was ever allowed in their clubhouse. First, it happened only because God paved the way. Secondly, it was because I had worked hard to gain their respect, knowing that I would eventually have a chance to share Jesus with them. I was always willing and ready to tell them about Jesus and eventually had many opportunities to do just that, but I also became friends with a lot of them, besides being there as a minister of the gospel. Members from other motorcycle ministries were uncomfortable in associating with them and/or didn’t know proper protocol around 1%‘ers, therefore, they choose not to go around them and that’s fine, we all can’t do the same thing. Not all of us are in motorcycle ministry are called to witness to the same category of bikers and we all don’t have the same burdens. As for me, I’ve always had a burden for the outlaw and 1%er bikers and clubs. Due to stereotypical beliefs and opinions, most of the general population assume that all bikers are so hardcore that they care nothing about God or anyone else except for their fellow brothers in their club and their families. This just isn’t true. Sure, you have atheists, agnostics, hard core and hard hearted people in various clubs, but you also have the same type of individuals everywhere else in the world! Several months ago, a lot of the club members and their affiliates got busted by the feds. Naturally, I got labeled as a known associate due to the fact that I’ve been to their clubhouse, participated in their runs, etc. I’m sure the feds have just as much surveillance video and pictures of me up on their walls as they do the other club members, but it’s one of the job hazards that go with being in motorcycle ministry and hanging around other MC’s who are under investigation/surveillance. One time when I was at their clubhouse, I was getting ready to leave and one of the guys said, “smile when you go out.” I said, “why?” He said, “because the feds are across the road in an old abandoned building shooting some video.” We both laughed and yes, I did walk out the front door and gave them a big I love Jesus smile! There was another time that law enforcement was sitting across the road in a van doing some surveillance. They thought they were being slick, but there’s not much that gets by these guys and they knew they were there so they took advantage of the situation in their own unique way. One of the guys got a cup of coffee, walked across the road and went over to the van. They lowered the window and I would imagine they were expecting some kind of confrontation and if so, they were wrong. Once the window was lowered he reached in through the window with the coffee in his hand and said, “I’ve noticed you’ve been sitting here a while and I thought you might like a cup of coffee.” I have to admit, it was absolutely hilarious! I’ve had people from other motorcycle ministries advising me that I should stay away from outlaw and 1%ers because of the danger I may face of being busted along with them should their clubhouse get raided. They’ve said, “If they get busted when you’re in there then you’re going to get cuffed and stuffed along with them due to you being at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Well, first of all, I’m not at the wrong place. I’m in the right place where I can share Jesus with those who get neglected by other Christians and other motorcycle ministries! The way I look at it is like this: Yes, I am taking a gamble of being persecuted, prosecuted and hauled off to jail, but guess what?…so was Jesus! I guess if they would have taken me to jail then it would have just given me the opportunity to witness to the cops from the back seat of the cruiser on the way to jail, then to the people who work in the booking section, the prosecutor, the judge, and then and then to the inmates! You see, that’s the problem with us Christians as a whole. We don’t like to get out of our comfort zone. We’re not willing to take the chance of witnessing to someone if there’s the possibility of being involved in a hostile situation. We’re not willing to take chances for Jesus and make sacrifices to share the love of Christ to others who otherwise may not have the chance to know that Jesus loves them and is able to make a change in their life. There’s a greater chance of you being injured or killed in an automobile or motorcycle accident, riding a roller coaster at an amusement park or snow skiing than there is of you finding yourself in danger while ministering to other bikers! My agnostic friend is one of those who are currently in jail as a result of their club getting busted. As a minister, I often go to various jails and prisons to minister to the inmates and I go to visit him occasionally. The first time I visited him in jail he told me that he had gone to a couple of the chapel services there. I said, “Really, so what did you think?” He said, “I’m still not convinced yet, but I do enjoy going to the services.” I thought to myself, “Praise God, at least he is curious enough to go to the services and see what this God thing is all about!” I went back to the jail to visit him once again and he told me that he was continuing to go to the chapel services and that he has been reading the Bible. I told him how terrific it was that he was reading the Bible and asked him if he is learning anything from the Bible. He told me that he was learning a few things and that a particular scripture he had read recently seemed to jump out at him and he quoted me the scripture. It’s in Psalms 133:1 - “Blessed are those who dwell together in unity.” This scripture spoke to his heart because so many of his other brothers had turned their backs on him since he got locked up and others who he thought was his friends rolled on him (gave information to law enforcement to plead to a lesser charge). He then told me how much he appreciated me coming to see him and for not turning my back on him or forgetting about him. I went back another time to visit him a few weeks later and this time I had anointed a prayer cloth for him and brought it with me. I wrote his name on the prayer cloth, folded it and stuck it in my back pocket. We are always separated by a glass partition with no way of making any contact. We only have about 30 minutes maximum to visit and just before I was getting ready to leave I pulled the prayer cloth out of my pocket. I told him that it was a prayer cloth and that I had written his name on it and anointed it and then briefly explained the significance of the prayer cloth, but kept it brief as time was running out. I pressed it against the window with his name facing him that I had written on the cloth and he stood there and stared at it for a few seconds. I then told him that I was going to carry the prayer cloth in my back pocket until he got released from jail. He stretched forth his hand and placed it on the glass partition that divided us and pressed it upon my hand in which I was holding the prayer cloth on the other side of the glass. He kept his hand upon the glass for several seconds until I removed my hand and stuck the prayer cloth back into my pocket. He thanked me for the anointed prayer cloth and as I was leaving, as always, I told him that I was still praying for him. A few days letter I received a letter from him. In his letter, he again thanked me for anointing the prayer cloth for him and then wrote, “I know you explained the prayer cloth to me a little bit, but I don’t completely understand the significance of it…can you write me back and explain it to me.” He also wrote, “There are ten more of my brothers in here along with me and if you can I would like to have their names listed on the prayer cloth along with mine.” This was more proof that God was working on his heart and was at least curious about the spiritual purpose of the prayer cloth. We continue to write back and forth and I still occasionally go and visit him when I get the opportunity. There’s hardly a time that he doesn’t mention God, the Bible, or has a question for me relating to God. If you’re reading this and have a family member or friend who is locked up, take time to go and visit them and let them know that Jesus loves them. Let them know that Jesus can Save their soul in jail just the same as He can anywhere else and sometimes we need to remind people of that promise, especially those who are locked up and separated from the rest of the world. Don’t be a part of that segment of society who has forgotten about them just because they are in jail. You may possibly be their only connection outside of those prison walls. You may be the one whom God has chosen to be a positive influence in his or her life, to lead that person to Salvation and to let them know that they are not alone for Jesus said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you, even unto the end of the world.“ Jesus has given us the assurance that He will be closer than a brother. Just because someone is locked up doesn’t mean that God is locked out! As a matter of fact, God is in jail too! Jammer |