Our Church was experiencing somewhat of a revival. God is Good. People were joining our Church by Baptism (to a Baptist – this is a biggie – rather than “trading members”, we were gaining “new converts”) and our fellowship seemed excited to try “being the Church God wants us to be”. (I had been teaching some of Henry Blackaby’s material, along with preaching “practical Christianity” from the epistles.) God was blessing.

In line with Blackaby’s teaching, I pointed out to the Church “if you want to see where God is leading your Church, look at the people he brings into your fellowship”. And it hit me even more than usual that “Church” is not just for Christians, but we ought to have LOST people checking us out.

(A whole aside here – I BELIEVE that the purpose of the Church is to “reach out”, and that “Church” is more about “equipping the saints” to “go and tell”. However, when the Church is doing what God wants us to do, I’m convinced that even lost folks will be “drawn in” to see what’s going on. Personal opinion.)

So, one Sunday Morning, I suggested to the fellowship that we should be prepared for WHOEVER God sends our way. And that person might NOT look like us, or smell like us, or dress like us, etc. I had mentioned this before, and it seemed to be received well. However, even I was not prepared for the next Sunday.

The Church Service had already started, and I was sitting on the front pew, as is my custom, ready to preach after the music service… my daughter was playing the piano, and I happened to glance over at her, and she was looking right at me. Her eyes shifted quickly toward the back door with a “Dad, look over there” look. So I looked. And the Biker Dude had come to church! I didn’t know him, but HE knew he was cool! Red bandana on his head “doo rag” style… black leather vest adorned with “the colors”… dark “shades”… bare arms covered with tattoos.... your typical (or stereotypical) “biker dude”. I actually wondered for a moment if this was a “setup”…. One of my members may have asked a brother-in-law to come to Church because “the preacher had said” that somebody might come in who didn’t “look like us”. The Biker Dude took a seat on the very back pew near the door, and I turned around to await my time to preach.

I was preaching “I don’t know” that Sunday… John 9… where, basically, the blind guy is challenged by the Pharisees to explain what happened, and he answered.. “All I know is I USED to couldn’t see, and now I CAN!” (Gospel according to Billy)… Anyway, great message in John 9…. I try to keep an eye on the audience as I preach, being “aware” of reaction, and I couldn’t help notice that Biker Dude, still wearing his shades, nonetheless seemed to be listening intently.

We have an “altar call” after the sermon, at which time people can come to the altar to pray, receive Jesus as Savior, join the Church, ask for prayer, or whatever. Somehow, I FULLY expected Biker Dude to respond. After a number of verses of I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, he was still standing firm, but still watching me intently. Church was being dismissed, and I bowed my head for the prayer. When I looked up, Biker Dude was gone. I stepped out a side door, avoiding the usual “hand shaking” directly to the parking lot, and there went the Harley, rolling out of the parking lot onto the highway. He’s gone

That night, our Sunday Evening Church Service – almost the identical thing. Church had already started, and I got up to teach. (Sunday Nights, by design, were “less formal” – teaching more than preaching). Biker Dude stepped in, sat in the very last pew, and seemed to fix his eyes on me as I talked. I was teaching that night on “how to give away your faith”, but I took just a moment to “welcome our guest in the last row”… our folks turned to look, some waived.. there didn’t seem to be ANY tension at all… one older gentleman even got up and walked back and shook Biker Dude’s hand, and gave him a copy of the teaching material I had prepared. Biker Dude nodded, and I continued teaching.

Again, at the conclusion of the Service, an altar call, though a little less formal. Biker Dude had seemed totally interested in the teaching, but again stood firm. I led us in a closing prayer, looked up, and Biker Dude was gone again. I heard the Harley kick over and roar on down the highway out of hearing.

I went home a little confused… I REALLY thought God was working on his heart, and this would be a “big event” in our Church. Several of us talked after Church before leaving, and it seemed pretty consistent that “God must have led him to us, but … why didn’t he stay?” I think our folks were cordial enough, and couldn’t think of any reason he would come and go so abruptly.

That night, the House family (real name) called me just after 10 PM. “Momma House” told me “you know the Biker Dude that was at Church today?” I said, “yes, what about him”. She said “his name is Mike and he’s at our kitchen table asking for you”. Oddly enough, during my teaching that night, I had mentioned the name of the street I live on, and the House house was just down the street. Mike had been looking for me. I told her I’d be there in 4 minutes.

Arriving at the House house, there sat papa House at the table with one of his sons, a grandson, and Mike the Biker Dude. We shook hands, and Mike was trembling. With no further words, Mike said “I want to be saved”. A House Bible was on a buffet near the kitchen table, so I reached over for it and put it on the table, prepared to open to John 3:16 or Romans 3:10… not sure where I was going, but I needed to “start somewhere”. Mike reached over and closed the Bible and said, “No, I want to get SAVED”. Wow… he’s READY! I asked, “Mike, do you know that you’re a sinner and …” Mike interrupted me and said more forcefully “I ‘m ready NOW, I want to get SAVED”. (This is the only time i felt 'threatened for my life' if i didn't lead somebody to Christ ) I said “let’s pray”, and I led Mike in a sinner’s prayer, and mike prayed to receive Jesus as Savior, tears and snot and everything.

A whole different countenance came over Mike and he breathed a sigh of relief and said “I’ve needed that for YEARS, but I kept fighting God. My mom will be so happy”. I looked over at Momma House, and she took the cue.. . she said “let’s call her”. Mike called his mom at 10:30 at night (11:30 where his mom lived).. after the initial confusion of “yeah, Mom, this is Mike…. no, Mom, I'm OK, honest..... “ and apparently Mom waking up enough to know what was going on, Mike began blubbering like a baby telling his mom he had given his heart to Jesus. They talked for a while, and we all sat there crying – it was a “Holy Ghost” moment.

About midnight, after Mike talking about things he had done and how he needed to be “free”, Mike asked me “what next?”. I told him I would like to Baptize him, and he said “let’s go!”. I suggested it might be better if the rest of the Church shared in it, and maybe we should wait til the next Sunday Morning. You can only imagine the joy in our Church the next week when I introduced the story of “The Biker Dude who Came to Church”, and he wants to be baptized this morning.

Mike stayed with our Church for a couple months, then said he needed to move on. But he was learning SO MUCH about Jesus, and the Bible in general, and was quite obviously a “new creature”.

About every couple of years, I get a call from Mike… “hey pastor, this is the Biker Dude”, and I laugh and say “HEY Biker Dude…”. This is one of the many earthly rewards of being a pastor… the Heavenly ones will be Out of this World!