In June of 1972 I bought my first new motorcycle, a 1972 Honda CB350. I
didn’t know it at the time, but I had bought a bootleg motorcycle, as Ralph’s
Honda in South Orange, New Jersey was not an authorized Honda dealer. At the
time, Japanese bike sales were growing exponentially, and could be bought new in
anything from hardware stores to old store fronts. These dealers had no
investment in parts or service, and dealt only in cash, and you paid up front,
sometimes waiting weeks for your new ride. And Ralph’s Cycle was one, except he
sold accessories and parts, just could not perform warranty work. He was better
than most, but still unauthorized by the factory. But like most of us at the
time, we had connections at the dealer, but Honda’s were reliable, and at 18 who
knew what a warranty even was. If it broke, you fixed it. And the price of
$825 saved me almost $100 over VIP Honda, who was authorized. A lot of folding
green from cutting yards, a paper route, and evening job at Sears. So Ralph’s
it was, and filling out and sending in the warranty card when I got home, I was
registered, time to go riding. But not necessarily under the warranty...
Warranty policies were vague at the time, and many dealers may not get
reimbursed from the factory for warranty work. Maybe parts at cost, but no
labor, which some did because you bought from them, you were loyal. And just
because you sent in the card, didn’t mean the factory would recognize the sale,
if from an authorized dealer, you were buying into potential problems. No
consumer laws or advocates like today, you paid yer money and takes yer
chances. And although many stores may have an authorized sign to sell helmets
or accessories, it didn’t mean the bike you bought with all your hard earned
money made them an authorized dealer. Without the investment required from the
factory, the authorized dealer was their supplier. There were some good
mechanics, but with out the up to date training and knowledge of the new bikes.
If your bike said Honda on the tank, you still had to render the things of Honda
unto Honda, the Triumph or Harley store may fix their brands under warranty,
they were authorized for their brand, you needed to take it where your brand was
authorized. Many independents grew into dealerships, many bootleg dealers as
they were known, went out of business. The market was growing, the industry
with it, all we cared about and wanted to do was ride.....
When the disciples questioned Jesus about paying their taxes, he who had no
money, nor carried any, reached into the sea and pulled out a fish. No mere
feat, ask any fisherman. But when he pulled out the coin, a meaner feat, and
told his audience, “render the things of Caesar unto Caesar, and the things of
God unto God,” he was referring to the face of Caesar stamped on the coin. The
coin was authorized for trade and paying taxes, but only Jesus was and is
authorized to save. Over the years many bootleg religions have thrived, and
many do today. They promise wealth, money, a good life, maybe even a planet
upon death for you to be God, but none can but Jesus. The root word for
religion means bound, and religion binds us up to rules and legalism, just like
the Pharisees. You may attend the church, belong to the denomination, even have
a membership card, but unless you have your name written in the book of life,
unless you are authorized by Jesus to enter heaven, you aren’t. You have bought
into a bootleg religion, and from Mormonism, to Jehovah Witnesses, to
Scientology, to the Universal Church, they all deny Jesus. Oh some may take his
name in vain in the name of their religion, but deny his deity. Some will say
he is a way, but not the way. They will claim he was a great teacher or a
prophet, but not God. Some will accept him as God, but still tell you that you
must work out your salvation, and may be at risk of losing it if you don’t obey
their doctrines. You may save a little in relationship, but you are not saved.
Only Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Only he is authorized to
forgive your sins, and salvation is a free gift from him. Beware the
counterfeiters, if they deny the deity of Jesus Christ, and of the trinity, of
which he is part, they deny the spirit also, and denying the spirit is the only
unforgivable sin. For the spirit is directing us to Jesus when we are lost, and
within us after we are saved. No other can promise you this, only Jesus.
And who better to correct and repair your life than the one who created
it? Pick up your Bible today, and before reading, ask God to “show me the
truth. Show me how to be saved.” And watch as when his spirit guides you, the
words on the page come alive. That as others trip over them, you ride freely in
the spirit. When the spirit awakens you, it may mean losing friends or leaving
your church, but true freedom is only found in the spirit. How many of us were
saved at unauthorized churches, not recognized by the mainstream, where it was
all about Jesus and not religion? Who just because they weren’t ordained by
man, the preacher was ordained by God himself? When Jesus pulled the coin from
the mouth of the fish, were the disciples getting his true meaning? Are
we?
Human authority, like a warranty, is limited in scope and duration. One
mile or one day after the warranty runs out, you are out and you are
responsible. The laws may have rule and reign over our lives, but not to our
souls. And when we are saved, it is forever. The New Covenant of Jesus, a
contract with no ending dates is eternal. As is he and as we are in him. The
ultimate issues of life belong to him, we come to him in faith, some walk in it,
some by obedience. But when we walk in trust, in the spirit, when we truly know
we are forgiven and heaven bound, we too can have heaven on earth and all its
blessings. Would you buy a new car or motorcycle without a warranty? Then why
are you buying into a religion that can not offer you one? Bootleggers, from
Hondas to booze, they are a poor substitute for the real thing. The only thing
in life that the law has no control over is your spirit, your will. Give it to
Jesus, and watch the blessings grow and multiply. Jesus is the ultimate power
over death, and in life too. Parts and labor included. Only authorized people
will enter. Only Jesus saves, and at today’s prices, that still is a miracle.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com