CMA Rockford, IL - Steel Witness

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CMA Rockford, IL - Steel Witness

A Christian ministry where we incorporate our love for Jesus Christ, and our love for people with our love for riding motorcycles.

STEEL WITNESS #578
Rockford, Illinois

The basic purpose of a CMA Chapter is to support the National CMA effort of “sharing and showing the love of Jesus Christ to motorcyclists,” and supporting this ministry through regular financial support to National. In this, there is a three-fold purpose:

Provide and encourage members to be active in testimony and Christian witnessing to all motorcyclists.

Provide a Christian fellowship ride group. Provide an evangelistic association for motorcycling. As a member of this ministry each member will agree to live and act under biblical principles of conduct. These principles should be effective in your daily life, but must be followed whenever a member is wearing the CMA back patch. Many scriptures can be presented to support a godly lifestyle, but use the following scripture passages as an overview: Titus 3:1-11; Gal. 5:13; Matt. 18:15-19; 1 Cor. 6; James 4:1-10. Each chapter works under the leadership of their State Coordinator and Area Reps to further the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

09/07/2026

A popular saying goes that "if you don't have anything good to say, then don't say it". In these few words lurks wisdom, for in relation to our faith, the good here is the good news of Jesus Christ, and the gospel of our Lord. We were not given a voice to slander and spread ill will, but rather to give encouragement and spread the word of salvation. If one does not have the good news of the gospel on the tip of one's tongue, think twice about what one wishes to say or accomplish through one's words.

We have reflected on the importance of being the yeast of goodness and justice in our community, and now we read of Paul's concern about being the yeast of malice and wickedness. Think about the person that you know who is always gossiping about everyone. This person probably doesn't realize the damage he or she is causing. But the yeast of scandal or disrespect can spread to the detriment of the reputation of the person talked about. We all know the story of the person who confessed to gossiping and for his/her penance was told to take a feather pillow, cut a hole in it and let the wind blow the feathers away, and then go back the next day and pick up all the feathers. Of course this is impossible, and the person realized how impossible it is to stop the spread of gossip and lies. The wickedness is even greater when the person spreading the lies is doing it so that he or she can benefit from destroying the name of the person. In the nineteen forties and fifties, cigarette manufacturers gave out samples of ci******es to teenagers and younger in order to create a market for the product knowing that the ni****ne was addictive. In more recent years, drug dealers did the same. Even drug manufacturers sent samples to doctors encouraging them to give them to patients without warning them of the addictive nature of the drugs. This wickedness has caused more crime as well as deaths than we can even imagine and we are just beginning to get some results in helping those who became addicted. We live in community with others and are yeast in our families and in our community. We have a choice to make: will we be the yeast for spreading God's love, or will we be the yeast of malice and wickedness?

Sometimes it is impossible for us to understand God's divine plan. We can only slightly grasp the enormity of time; now consider existence before time existed! We do not deserve God's grace, but he has chosen to save us. We must take up the call! We must serve him with all that we do. Thanks be to the one and only God!

09/06/2026

Dear Lord my Heavenly Father, hear my prayer for those around me, for servants such as I, who have come from all over the world, united in our faith and trust in You. I pray for Your continual guidance for them, for giving them strength daily to serve in both defending Your name, as well as worshipping You. For I wish not to be selfish, nor to become distracted within my own desires, but wish for the greater good of glorifying Your word and truth with all my brothers and sisters. In Your name I pray, Amen.

Jesus is speaking to us today from his Jewish tradition that had a similar statement, that if two were sitting together and the words of the Torah were between them, there was also the presence of God. I have usually heard these words in the context of group prayer. This indicates the belief that when two or more are praying for the same thing, there is a greater strength. I'm sure you have all heard of prayer groups and prayer lines. In times of difficulty or stress, we often turn to others and ask them to pray for us or for our intention. When tragedies happen, communities gather together to pray for those affected. There are groups of people who live in monasteries and abbeys whose sole purpose is to pray for peace, to pray for the needs of the world, etc. There are men and women in church communities who keep track of the sick or the homebound and pray for them and when they become aware of someone in the community who is in the hospital or has died, they call one another and put them on the prayer list. Today, with the computer age, there are online groups that solicit prayer intentions and then all those who are connected to the online group pray for the intentions that are listed. Jesus is not telling his disciples that God is not present to us all the time, or that God doesn't answer our prayers unless we're in a group, but that we can feel his presence more when we are with others. After all, we are all made in God's image and so we should be more aware that we are in God's presence when we are with another, and they should feel the same when they are with us. We should look for God in others and allow them to see him in us and we can always reach out in times of trouble and invite others to join us in prayer.

It is impossible for any person to fully understand what another person is feeling, but some things bind all of humanity. Nothing binds humanity more than love, and to explain what love is exactly is impossible with words. Love is not a human creation; no, it is divine, and we have the blessing to love because He first loved us. He gave his only begotten son to us. For He so loved us, we must love Him.

09/05/2026

The very nature of freedom poses a choice for us. God, in giving us freedom, in being our Creator and endowing us with individual will, granted us thus simultaneously a choice –choose Him and give thanks, so that you may live a life in His truth, or deny him and invite perdition and darkness. Bring this message to those who do not yet praise His name, and let them know they have been granted the gift of freedom to choose, but let them know that this choice is of vital importance. For its ultimate consequence is to affect one's freedom in the afterlife, in either granting us entry into the eternal bliss of Heaven, or confinement in the fire.

As we read this passage from Paul's letter to the Corinthians, we are looking at a catalogue of the difficulties of being a disciple. Makes it easier to see why people don't drop everything and follow Jesus as quickly as the apostles did in yesterday's Gospel passage! Paul is contrasting what he is experiencing with how the Corinthians are feeling now that they have accepted Christ. They are unaware that there can easily be problems for them in the future because of their newfound faith. They think that they have passed beyond the "folly" of the passion and the cross. Paul is giving them a head's up. The time will come when they, too, could be persecuted for their faith. Paul is also contrasting his present circumstances with his expectations of the joys that eternal life will bring. Eventually he will be fed on the words of Jesus, his thirst for bringing the Gospel to others will be satisfied. Yes, he will still be beaten, and he will be cursed and persecuted, but he is certain of his final dwelling place in the Kingdom of God. We may be cursed when we work for justice; how will we respond? Will we bless those that curse us? In the sixties and seventies, there were many peaceful protests to bring about justice in America's South. These demonstrations were often met with police dogs, fire hoses, arrests and even death. The demonstrators were silent and did not curse those who were persecuting them but also didn't stop their efforts to obtain their ends. Paul tells the Corinthians and us that regardless of what we suffer in Jesus' name, the reward is eternal life and it is all worth it.

Have you ever been happy when something bad happened to a person that you didn't like? "They got what they deserved. " This is not love. This is EVIL. Love always wins, but on a personal level, we must let it. Strive to constantly remind yourself to love others ALL the time. Is this a nearly impossible task? Or is it sad that it isn't easier? Be conscious of it and it will get easier with time.

09/04/2026

Again as seen previously in another passage, these verse from Psalms draw our attention to God's almighty and unrivaled power. To serve the Lord with fear, does not mean straightforwardly that we ought to fear the Lord, as the end of this passage demonstrates. Rather, its meaning is to fear the Lord's retribution and wrath if it is brought out by our own actions. God will not arbitrarily hurt his children, and so we may put our trust in him.

The apostles dropped everything and followed Jesus even though they felt that they were sinners. I'm sure they didn't have a clue what would be expected of them, but they still said yes. We are called by Jesus to follow him. So what is holding us back? Are we afraid of what others may think of us? Do we just not want to do what we are being called to do? Are we more like Jonah than the apostles?

All thine heart. . . soul. . . might. Have you given ALL of your heart, soul, and might to something before? What about just one of those 3 things? Imagine how powerful and good your effort and achievement would be with just one of those things. Combine the efforts of all 3 and it is a recipe for everlasting life.

09/03/2026

Life may drag one down more times than one cares to remember, and so often we may stumble through our days tired, worn, and heavy. Even though a holiday may help, what's meant in this passage here in Matthew is much more profound in suggesting that unlike holidays, the Lord, His word, His truth and His arms, are always open to receive us. Furthermore, His house is also always open. For it is important to make time for the Church, wherever possible. For the more time one may spend there, the more one may feel one's spirit rested, and the stronger one may become in facing the world again.

We should give no one a reason to misjudge our intentions when we speak about God. We are not trying to impress anyone. We are not trying to infer that we who believe are better than those who don't. We are to merely be people who have faith and want to share it with others because we want them to have the same confidence in the love of God and the Good News that we have been redeemed and that the gift of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven is there for the taking! The only one who can judge our intentions is God himself. As Paul says, we are also not justified by being God's servants. We are justified by faith and our faith leads us to do the good works that Jesus commissioned us to do. Paul is doing his job as an apostle, I am trying to do mine by helping others become more involved in reading the Bible, and you do yours in whatever circumstances God has placed you. I'm sure that there who disagreed with Paul, and I'm equally sure that there are those who will disagree with me at times. And there might be those who disagree with you. The important thing to remember is that we don't answer to others as much as we answer to God. If we are honest with our experiences of God when we share our faith, that's all we can do. If my experience is different from yours, it's still my experience, as is yours and they are both valid. When you share your experiences with me it teaches me just as I hope mine help you. And I do read your thoughts and pray for all of you. May we continue to share with each other without judgment!

We want everything done easily these days. Things should be done quickly, easily, and painlessly. It is often too much to even ask for something, we expect it to just be handed to us. All that God asks of us is to ASK! How simple a task is that? Ask for eternal salvation. Ask to love and be loved by him. If we knock, the door will be opened.

09/02/2026

oseph offers also an exemplary case of faith within the Lord. Visited by an angel, instructed of Mary's miraculous conception, these things may have been nearly impossible to accept for all or any without faith or awareness in God and His awesome power. Indeed, one may recall that Joseph was initially skeptical, which as a man devoted to his wife he may be perfectly entitled to. But through the Lord's miracles, the clouds of suspicion cleared. Through our Heavenly Father's works, coupled with a willingness to reject our own arrogant nature, our initial doubts may find the light of grace, just as Joseph did.

We build trust by taking care of the needs of our children as soon as possible. We feed them when they are hungry, change them when they are wet and hold them when they are frightened or just because we love them. We have trust in God because we trust those who told us about him. We have come to know Jesus because we trust the evangelists who gave their lives to bring us the Good News. We trust in the promise, and have hope that we will spend eternity with the Father whose love we have come to know.

Remember the childhood phrase, "Sticks and stones can hurt my bones but words can never hurt me? " Now think about how often we are hurt by the words of another person. Most of us are very sensitive towards the words and actions of other people, rarely seeking refuge in the love of God. Next time someone does something that hurts you, focus on God's love instead of the evil thoughts that can easily follow these times. Gradually, God's love will set you free.

09/01/2026

Christ resurrected, presents one of the most miraculous events in all of our Biblical history. It presents clearly for all followers, the path before us; life towards death, death followed by eternal life. For followers of Christ, life on earth is not the end, it is but the briefest of moments before everlasting peace and glory. In place of fear for death, with belief in Christ, our focus should be on preparing our souls for the world beyond, on embarking on a new journey that brings us closer to God.

Teachers are an interesting lot. We have all experienced teachers who really didn't know their subject very well as well as teachers who knew their subject inside and out. The teachers who know their subject teach with more than authority, they teach with passion and excitement. They want their students to come to love the subject as much as they do. This sets them apart from the others. Jesus loved the Father and he loved God's Word. When he taught in the synagogue or from a boat, or sitting on the side of a mountain, he taught with authority, passion and joy. This is what attracted the crowds to listen to him. They wanted what he had! They wanted the conviction that they were loved by God. They wanted healing from more than their physical needs; they wanted healing from their spiritual needs as well. Jesus gave them hope. Jesus let them know that God had not abandoned them, but that their leaders had abandoned God. The Kingdom of God was at hand and it was time for them to repent and that God was ready to welcome them home. This was especially important to the poor and any of those whom the chief priests and the Pharisees put down as unworthy of God's love and forgiveness. They saw how he had selected a tax collector to be one of his trusted followers. They witnessed him driving out demons and preaching that the poor were beloved of God, not cursed by him. There's an old story about a celebration where two different people were asked to lead the group in prayer. One was a famous orator and the other an old preacher. The both chose The Lord's Prayer. The orator gave a very dramatic recitation of the prayer; the other prayed it as he always did. When the preacher finished, the orator had tears in his eyes. When he was asked about it, he said that he knew the prayer, but the preacher knew the Father. Jesus knew the Father and that makes the difference. We need to listen and learn from him.

It is through Jesus Christ that we have been qualified as children of God. When we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who did all of this so that we could be saved, we are accepting the new life He has given us. This is a life of redemption; a life as sons and daughters of God, whom we became separated from after the Fall of man. We have now come into a life of righteousness and holiness.

08/31/2026

Personally, an operative word in this Colossians passage above is that of 'dwell' as it relates to the riches and reward of wisdom. It suggests a sort of anthropomorphism of Christ's word, wherein it signifies a kind of inhabitant within oneself, with whom one shares and gains. Accepting Christ's word as if it were an inhabitant within one's soul has a profound impact upon one's sense of self, as well as ultimately ones interactions with others. If one learns to love this dweller, through whom we may gain wisdom and love, it then promises to bleed into all other relations, in goodness and in kind -as highlighted in the second part of the passage

We come again to a lesson on greed. This greed speaks directly to those who cheat others in order to get more money for themselves. They long for the Sabbath to be over; and the festivals so they can set up their market stalls and they can lie and cheat and make money. You have probably heard, as I have, of those unscrupulous people who will fix their scales when measuring meat or vegetables. People who don't cool their gas pumps so that the gasoline will swell in the heat and you will pay more for less gas. These are just like those of old. I heard recently of a company that knew it had contaminated product but sold it anyway. We expect gambling casinos to make sure the odds are in their favor and machines don't pay out anywhere near what they bring in, but we expect honesty when we buy a pound of meat or a quart of milk. And others expect it from us. Before it wasn't possible, or at least it wasn't for the average person, people would set the odometer on their cars back in order to lower the mileage get more money when they sell it. People would sell homes that they knew had mold or asbestos or other issues without disclosing them. When someone buys stolen goods, or what are called "knock-offs," they are encouraging others to steal and cheat. If we willingly contribute to sin, we sin. It may be tempting to buy these because they cost less than what we would pay legally, but it's theft. To download music or videos that are copyrighted and then copy them and share them is theft. Thieves won't steal if they can't make money from people willing to buy. The thieves of yesterday are the same as today. And we need to make sure that we do not contribute to the dishonesty of others, or act in dishonest ways ourselves.

We can thank God that this plea has already been answered and fulfilled. God restored us and saved us through His son, Jesus Christ, and now we can stand confident in righteousness and holiness. We can call God our Father, and we can live this life with joy, because of what Christ did for us when He came to this earth. We no longer have to beg God to restore us because we have already been restored.

08/30/2026

The Bible is full of references to 'eyes', of the Lord making the world 'visible' to his followers. On the other hand, many who do not follow are often 'blind' or 'blinded', often by sin or emotions. This simple passage of course is not intended literally, for after the Fall and our entry into sin, our nature has been continually towards that of a state of blindness, towards having had a veil placed over our eyes. Even in our daily life, it is hard not to choose the comfort of ignorance. But we cannot allow ourselves to be blinded, we cannot permit willful ignorance, for God knows these as self-deceptions. Instead, pray to make a change, to look at the world as it is presented, not as how you would wish it -for this is to become blind.

Today, Peter is trying to prevent Jesus from doing anything that will bring about his suffering and death. Peter is putting up a roadblock. We can all be guilty of that at times, and at times we can listen to others who put up roadblocks for us. What do I mean? Doing the right thing can be unpopular. Sometimes it means going beyond our comfort zone, reaching out in order that others might have the same advantages we take for granted. Sometimes it means preventing someone we care about from doing what is dangerous or illegal. There are times when we have to choose to support others, even when it might mean they are putting themselves in harm's way. My sister volunteered at a literacy center while she was in college even though it meant working in a neighborhood that was known for its violence. People volunteer today to travel to the poorest parts of the world in order that people learn how to stay healthy, have an education, shelter and clean food and water. Most of us are not called to missionary work in other countries, or even in the poorer areas of our own country. But all of us are called to support those who are in whatever ways we can, and we are expected to be witnesses to the love of God. That could mean something as simple as not choosing sports over church, treating others in the workplace or school with kindness, choosing to get to know the new worker, new neighbor, family

We can only attain salvation through Jesus Christ and through nothing or no one else. No one else can save us because it is only Jesus Christ who paid the price for the salvation of our souls. We cannot find salvation in any earthly thing or person and we would be fools to try it. Only the name of Jesus, can bring us the freedom from captivity that we need.

08/29/2026

In the early Testament, God often appears as mysterious to His children, especially remaining obscure for unbelievers, whilst also testing the faiths of our forbearers. To this day, for believers, His depth and heights surpass our knowledge. Though God's everlasting presence and love were evident from Genesis onwards, this mystery was once and for all united through Christ, God's word made flesh.

Yes, Lord. So be it. I believe! In saying, Amen, I have committed myself to honor you and your name; to work to make your kingdom present and visible here on earth through my words and actions. I have promised to be content with what you choose to give me and forgive others as I am forgiven. I choose to walk on your path and choose your way over the easy way. Help me to witness you so that others may not only see you in me, but also see you in themselves.

Suffering will be a part of our lives as Christians. The New Testament is filled with warnings about the suffering Christians will incur because of their decision to follow Christ and not the ways of the world. Millions of Christians across the world are subjected to torture, isolation, and mockery just because they have chosen to follow Christ. But Christ has also assured us that we will not endure this suffering alone, and a reward lies ahead for all of those who suffer for the name of Jesus Christ.

Address

Rockford, IL

Telephone

+18155431554

Website

https://cmausa.org/StateChapter/ChapterDetails?CID=9000578&DCID=9000578&ACID=9400014

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