How Shall They Hear? – Azusa StreetRiders International

^{Romans 10:13-15

13}For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
¹⁴How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
¹⁵And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

It is inevitable, when a group of bikers come rolling into a town or a city, one doesn’t necessarily have to see them to know they’ve arrived, but there is a sound that precedes the group.

From 1988 to 2019, an annual Memorial Day weekend motorcycle demonstration known as Rolling Thunder was held in Washington DC to raise awareness for POW’s and MIA’s. I was able to attend the last official Rolling Thunder ride in 2019. It was awe inspiring to watch the thousands upon thousands of bikes rolling into the Pentagon parking lot. There was indeed a thunderous sound.

As awe inspiring as it was to witness that many motorcycles in one place, and the sound that came with it, it was temporary. Soon, we departed DC, and headed home, no longer accompanied by thousands of bikes. The only thing left to hold onto from that moment was the memory.

I love loud pipes. I like to hear the roar when the throttle is twisted. I enjoy the rumble a group of bikes make when powering up the road in unison. But, just as Rolling Thunder became a memory in my mind, so will the rumble of our bikes be a distant memory in the minds of the people in each town we pass through.

But, we have an opportunity to leave something behind in each town we go through, and with each person we come in contact with, that will far surpass any physical sound from a set of Longshots or Tab Performance pipes.

…how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

The word preacher in this verse, is translated as a herald or public messenger proclaiming the message. How shall they hear without ASR?

Did the last town only hear how loud my pipes were, or did they hear about a Savior, who laid down His life for them while they were yet sinners?

Did the people at the last fuel station only hear the roar as I left the parking lot, or did they have an encounter with a messenger of Jesus Christ?

Does the general public only remember the rumble of the bikes as they passed by, or do they remember a leather clad biker, wearing a message of hope on his back, coming up to them with the love of Jesus shining forth, bringing glad tidings of good things?

As we head into a brand new riding season, take some time alone with God, and embrace the calling that you have on your life, so when you hit the road, there is purpose beyond the ride.

What a tragedy for them to have only heard us, and to never know HIM.

Jeremiah Hayes
President
Azusa StreetRiders International