Our Patches and What They Mean

One of the key parts of being a Motorcycle Club is forming an identity, and sharing that identity with others. This is normally done through the use of patches sewn onto the leather vest bikers wear. DISCIPLE CMC has a number of patches that are earned in various ways, here are some of the patches, and some history and reasoning behind them.

I was at a gas station in Detroit one time, and the Muslim owner taking my money asked a simple question that he probably asks a thousand times a day. "How are you?" I was feeling good that day so i said "God is Good". The owner got really serious, and in his heavy accent said "No! God is Great". It made me think of the Arabic saying, "Allahu Akbar", God is Great.

Its true, God is Great.

All the time we say grape soda is great, or playing a video game. Maybe you've toked up and said that was great, i know i have in the past. Or had a shot of scotch and said that was great. But truth is, nothing i have ever felt is as great as the feeling of the Holy Ghost. Thats why all us crazy pentacostals are there in the church during praise and worship with our hands lifted high, worshiping like only the black churches used to

In fact, i propose to you that if your life is not great, its because you dont talk to the one who made you as often as you could. I find that talking to Him, knowing Him, is better than anything.

So the first thing i want people to see, when they see me on my motorcycle, with my patch, is God is Great. Thats why we wear it on the right chest of our colors, so its the first thing you are liable to read when you meet us.

DISCIPLE CMC is cool and all, but GOD IS GREAT!

One patch you see a lot out there in the biker world is a little embroidered black one that says: DILLIGAF. We used to have a lot of fun with the non-bikers, betting them they couldnt figure out what it means. In fact, my favorite thing was to walk up to a biker i didnt know, and say "No you dont!" as a greeting. They would rarely know what i was talking about (a favorite thing of mine), and i would point at their DILLIGAF patch. It means Do I Look Like I Give A ****.

As a Christian, there are a number of things that i stand for. Doing my best to ignore the world around me, or "ignorance" is no longer what i stand for. I do in fact now give a ****. I care about my life, and that of others. I want to see myself come closer to being a DISCIPLE, a follower of Jesus, and i want to see others do the same.

Instead of having DILLIGAF, i want to have DILIGENCE. DILIGENCE in my study of Christ, DILIGENCE in my relationship with my wife, DILIGENCE in my struggle with fatherhood, DILIGENCE in living a life that's worth looking at.

In order to wear the DILIGENCE rag in DISCIPLE CMC, you have to demonstrate DILIGENCE in your Christian walk. You dont have to be perfect, we just need to see you try, over a period of time, to walk in away from sin, hatred, vicious or dirty speech, and the things of the world.

One tenet of DISCIPLE CMC is that we believe that Jesus Christ was a real human, who walked the earth and did miracles, as told in the true historical document, The Bible. We also believe that Jesus Christ is God in the Flesh.

For the public profession of faith in Christ, as found the Apostles Creed (see below), you earn the 888 patch, which is sewn on the left chest of your vest, or colors

888 has long been known as the symbol of the name Jesus, because when you add up the numerical value of the Greek letters of Jesus name, you get 888. A post from a web page explaining this has been copied here:

One of the interesting features of Hebrew and Greek is that in both written languages there are no numeric characters. Where we have numbers and letters, they have only letters. So, in each language, the letters are also used as numbers. In a small way we do the same thing in English. For example is "O" a zero or a letter of in the alphabet. Is "l" a one or a small L? When they are used, the context tells us which is which and we have no problem understanding it. The same goes for Hebrew and Greek. They knew when they were writing numbers and when they were writing letters.

But the interesting thing is that when a word is written, it also has a numeric equivalent. For example, the word "Jesus" in Greek is "iasous." Since each letter has a numeric equivalent, we can add up each number and get a value. The value is the gammatria. Therefore, the gammatria of "Jesus" in Greek is 888 because i = 10 a = 8 s = 200 o = 70 u = 400 s = 200.

The Apostles Creed reads:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

the Maker of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,

and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;

the holy universal church;

the communion of saints;

the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body;

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Finally, my favorite patch of all, the Name of the Lord, as a side rocker.In Deut 28:10 it says "Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the Name of the Lord is on you, andthey will respect you."

The truth is that no one will respect me as a Christian Biker if i don't live it when I am around them. So regardless of where i am, i need to act Holy. And if I do, the Bible says others will respect me. Thats what i want.

To wear this rocker on your rag, you have to abide by the bylaws of the club. Daily Word and Prayer time, living Holy, no drunkenness, no drug use, being ready to minister the Word and pray with others whenever needed. Trust me, if you see this patch on a DISCIPLE, I guarantee you that is a Man of God.