Faith Walk / William Carroll
Faith Walk / William Carroll
Ep 44 : Chariots of Light and the Journey of Evangelism on Wheels
Have you ever felt the electricity of shared faith at a roaring motorcycle rally? I'm William Carroll, and today's episode of 'Faith Walk' is a testament to the power of outreach and the joy of spreading God's love on the open road. We zoom in on the thundering heartbeats of the Chariots of Light as they throttle through life's highways, offering a hand of fellowship to all they meet. My friends Dennis, Steven, and Will's stories shine a beacon on the impact of lifelong dedication to volunteerism, proving that service knows no age limit and the spirit of soul-winning burns brightly across generations.
There's something captivating about a cross extended in friendship, especially in the unexpected setting of a biker event. This episode recounts a transformative moment where a simple gesture led to a life pivoting towards the light of Jesus. We share the journey of a man, the earnestness of volunteer Will, and the cross that bridged their worlds. The narrative isn't just a tale; it's a celebration of personal evangelism and the indelible marks we leave through faith. The Chariots of Light are more than a club; they're messengers of hope, riding out to etch the message of the Gospel into the hearts of those they encounter.
Witnessing miracles may seem like a story of yesteryear, but I invite you to explore the contemporary signs of God's healing power in this episode. From immediate relief from physical pain to the subtle mending of broken spirits, the stories shared here serve as a stirring reminder of the miracles that faith can still usher into our lives. If you're standing at the crossroads of skepticism or belief, let this episode be your guidepost. For anyone ready to embark on a transformative faith walk, step into the embrace of the divine and discover how your journey can be a beacon of hope to the world.
Well, good morning and welcome to Faith Walk with William Carroll. On this program, as you know, I talk about my faith walk. I try to encourage you on your faith walk. I try to encourage you to take God out of the box that religion puts him in and experience him in a relationship. Man, I tell you what God is. So good, you know. Does he always answer my prayers like I want him to? No, but there's a reason why God and he's always there. He never leaves me, he's there with me, he's there for me. He will be there with you if you trust in him. See, god loves us so much that he sent his only son, jesus Christ, to die upon the cross for us, buried rose again to die upon the cross for us, buried, rose again, according to the scriptures. Well, today, you know, last time on 43, this will be 44, podcast episode 44. You know I was talking about.
Speaker 1:I talked some about how God had checked me in, and I also talked about how we started going to the rallies and started going to local events and started, you know, getting out there and witnessing, and the thing that we used was the hand of God. The hand of God is our hand outstretched and when we were prayed up and we're on a mission for God to share his word, and somebody takes your hand it's not your hand, it's God that's got them by the hand. All right, so that that that's, and it's real easy to share the word of God with people. Listen, people, people are excited a lot of times to hear the word of God. Sometimes, if they have hurt in their life, they're not, but that's okay, that's okay, you share it. If they don't want to hear that, walk away, you know, or they'll tell you to get away and that's fine, you know. Then you can pray for those. You can put them on a prayer list. See, listen, I've been encouraging y'all to get a journal and start writing in that journal every day as you go about your work and as you go about your day, and as you go about grocery shopping, and as you ponder it and keep in your mind that you're on a mission for God wherever you go. See, that's what the early Christians did. It wasn't about hey, let's go to church. They went out and they wanted to share Jesus with everybody. They wanted to share what God did in their lives. And that's what we need to do. We need to share what God has done in our lives and the lives of others. And as I was thinking about this, you know we had a.
Speaker 1:There used to be a rally for a couple of years in Longview, texas. I think the first year we had 7,000 at that rally and then the second year, I don't remember I think it was up to 13,000, 14,000. And then they quit having it for whatever reason, but it was such a blessing. I had two of my guys with my group, the Chariots of Light, that they had asked me in the meeting before the rally. They wanted people to help guide the rides and people to help do different things.
Speaker 1:And I went to the meeting and they said do you have anybody that could come back behind the stage? And you know, whataburger and McDonald's was going to furnish breakfast, whataburger and McDonald's was going to furnish breakfast, Whataburger, lunch and and just, you know, uh, give these out to the people, the bands and the singers and the stuff like that. And I, I had two guys I I Dennis and uh and Steven and I said, hey, would y'all? Oh, man, we'll be there. What time do we have to be there? I said, well, you don't have to be. Oh well, we're going to be there early, so we give them a coffee pot and coffee and water and cokes.
Speaker 1:And they went back there and they stayed from the early that morning, before it was even the stages were set up till the next day when it was completely over and all the bands had gone. One of them was a veteran, stephen was, and he got on the stage with a Marshall Tucker band because they honored him as a veteran and gave him shirts and just honored him and there was a, you know, I don't know how many, there was a lot of bands there. Well, anyway, we had a tent outside. We had a tent outside and we were set up and the banditos was down here on the right and the free wheelers was across from us, down on the right a little bit, and there was other tents and vendors selling stuff, you know, and we're just out there, we're giving out information about the chariots of light and we're just there to witness and share with people and to pray with people.
Speaker 1:Now I have a good friend that was in the Bandidos down there, you know, and I went down and visited with them, talked with them, spent a little time there, and then I came back up and we were there and one of my friends from Shreveport chapter of the Chariots of Light had come in Will and he said, man, he said I got to go get something to eat. And I said, all right, go get something to eat. He said man. He said you know what he said I just he said there's nothing more than I love than winning souls to the Lord. And you just got to understand this guy's. He was a little he's a little older than me, you know. I forgot how old he is right now, but at that time he was like 70, you know 71, and me and him went on a trip to Fayetteville with Janie, my wife, and to an outreach like this, you know, and I said you want to go? He said yeah, and I said do you need to stop and eat? And he said I'm with you, man, I'm 72 years young and you know that's kind of the attitude he has.
Speaker 1:But I had been talking about the hand of God, how we use the hand of God. See, god had given this to our international national director of the chariots of light, bill Horn, and he's got a little book on it on how to use the hand of God that you know when you put your hand out. If someone took it, then you need to see that as it taking God and being open for us to share the gospel with all right. So I had been praying about that and when Will got there you know we had been there early that morning we had this tent set up and Dennis and Stephen was behind back over yonder there. I went and checked on them one time. They said we're fine, we're fine. I didn't go back there anymore. But we were sitting there and I was tired.
Speaker 1:I'd been sharing with Christ, with everybody all day long. I've been praying with people. I had people come up and then a lot of times I'd just stand outside in the front of the tent and when I'd see somebody I'd say, hey, how you doing? And just put my hand out. Hey, how you doing? Like I would shake it and they would come over here and shake my hand.
Speaker 1:Well, when Will got back from eating lunch, he went over there and he was standing there and he said man, I'm ready to win some souls, I'm ready to win some souls for Jesus, man, and I said well, I said I'm going to sit down over here and I'm going to pray for you and I said I'm just going to rest a minute, I'm tired, and he says, oh yeah, go ahead. So I sit down and I was watching, you know, and I watched Will share with some people and I watched him pray with some people and lead a couple to the Lord, you know, and just pray for some people's healing, pray for people's family. He just asked them, you know, what do you need, do you know? Oh, I know the Lord, you know I'm in a good relationship with him. Well, what do you need? Well, my mother needs prayer, my father needs prayer, you know, and he was just, he was just ministering to people and there was a space of time.
Speaker 1:It just kind of it seemed like everybody cleared out, but they were having some biker games on down the road, you know, and I could hear all the screaming and laughing and carrying on down there, and so we see this one guy. Now, listen, we're on the side of a road. It's a street in Longview, texas, that they had closed off right in front of the newspaper, and so we're on the sides that. We're on one side and then the other tents are on the side, so the whole road's kind of open, you know, not not to traffic, but it's. It's open for people walking and and um and all that, and so, um, there was a guy and he was coming down the road and I mean he was walking right down the stripe of the road and he was on a mission.
Speaker 1:He was on a mission, I believe, to get down to the games where the biker games were going on and I mean he was hoofing it. He was on a mission, you know, he was going somewhere and he was going fast and I saw Will and Will's standing there and Will had a little cross. And it's a cross that we give whenever we pray for somebody and they accept Jesus, or we pray for them for a closer walk or whatever, and we give them a cross and it says Jesus saves on one end, and it says chariots of light on the other end, and it gives our scripture verse you know, philippians 2 and 15, where I ministered, and it looks like this it's just a little key chain, it's just a little cross. Well, will had it on his hand like this and he just kind of had it on his hand like this and really I think, if I remember right, he just had it like this and he had his hand stuck out and this guy was going and he said, hey brother. And this guy was going and he said, hey brother, and the guy was walking, didn't even look at him. He said hey man, and didn't even look at him. And the third time he said he said hey man, and the guy turned and saw him and did a 90 degree turn and went straight over to Will and grabbed his hand and shook his hand and Will, using the hand of God, will said you know, began to talk to him.
Speaker 1:Where are you from? Who you know? How are you doing today? You know. And then he says listen. He says where were you going? He said I'm going to the biker games. And he said he said okay. He said well, I'm not going to hold you out long, said I just want to know one thing. He said we ask everybody this question. You know, if something were to happen today or next week or 20 years from now, do you know where you'd spend eternity? And he said he said no, I really don't. He said I don't know where I'd spend eternity. And Will said, well, would you like to know? He said you know, jesus died on the cross to pay the price for your sins, that if you would confess him with your mouth and believe in your heart that you shall be saved and you will be saved. And he said, yes, I would. And I'm telling you, uh, will prayed with him and that guy's whole continent changed. He started glowing, he started thanking him and Will said, well, I don't want to keep you from going down to the games. And he said, no, sir. He said I want to thank you so much for speaking to me, for calling me out. And we visited a little while and he went on down the games.
Speaker 1:I told Will. I said Will, I have just seen what the hand of God really means. I practiced it. I taught my men it. I taught people who came and visited with us and wanted to witness that never witnessed to people before. But they said, man, I'd like to do that, I'd like to pray for people, and so I would share the hand of God, which Bill Horn is the one you know. God gave it to him while we was at Sturgis one year. And so I told Will. I said Will. I said, sitting down right here and watching this and watching you, I said I saw the hand of God. I said you had that cross on your finger and you had your hand out to shake.
Speaker 1:And I said you called him one time. He was on a mission. He wasn't thinking about nothing but going where he was going. You called him the second time, hey man, he was still on that mission. But when he got up to you and you said, hey man, that third time, he did a 90 degree turn and it looked like he ran to him. I'm sitting back and I'm going, oh my gosh. And he grabbed Will's hand and Will prayed for him and Will ministered to him and then prayed for him and led him to the Lord. You know you can't be led to the Lord by just a prayer. It has to be by the spirit of God. But the spirit of God was leading that man to Will. The spirit of God anointed Will to minister to him and to lead him to the Lord. That man was born again after that. And then Will said, hey, I want to give you this cross. You know, as a remembrance today, that you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Now listen, I want to tell you we gave those away all the time when we prayed for somebody still do. And I was hey, rico, stop that. I was over here and I was over in.
Speaker 1:We were in Sturgis and some of our group came back that night and they was testifying about. You know what we'd always do when we come back and we'd have service the next morning or that night, we would talk about the people that we had the opportunity to minister to, the people we had the opportunity to pray for. And when we was in Sturgis that week, some of our people came back and they said man, we met this young guy. We met this young guy. He was 20 years old, he was camping. He told us where he was camping in a yard, because in Sturgis they let people, they charge people to put a tent up in their yard and they have a porta potty for them, but they can go in the yard and camp in the yard. And he was camping with a bunch of friends. He was 20 years old.
Speaker 1:When he came by our booth and some of the people there, they prayed with him, they asked him, they used the hand of God and he had never accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. And they used the hand of God, they led him to the Lord, he prayed the prayer of salvation and they gave him a cross and he was so excited, he was so happy, he wanted to go back and tell the people back where he was camping, about what took place in his life. And he said, man, I don't have y'all got a pin. So somebody had a pin and they pinned that cross on his vest that he had, on his leather vest that he had. Well, listen, I'm going to tell you, when you have the opportunity to share Christ, you don't ever know if that's going to be the last opportunity for anybody to share Christ with them. You know, don't miss an opportunity. Listen, this guy, I'm telling you, this guy.
Speaker 1:The next day they went over there, the ones that had met him, had shared with him, visited with him, prayed with him, led him to the lord, said let's go over and see him and see the people and talk to the minister, the people that he's staying with. And they went over there and they asked about him and the people had a look on his face. Well, we knew that there had been an accident right up by the high school. See, the high school up there furnishes breakfast and for $10, you get all-you-can-eat breakfast. And so they were furnishing breakfast up there at the school and he had gone up there to eat the school. And he had gone up there to eat and leaving the school, you know, it kind of went into a four lane, like into a two lane and he had hit a curb. He hit a curb and he flipped over and he wrecked his bike and he was killed.
Speaker 1:And so when our, when our group had gone over to where he was staying, they were asking about him, they said well, didn't you hear? They said you know the wreck that happened last night or yesterday morning, actually it was in the morning and they said you know the wreck that happened that was out there by the school. They said that was him. He hit a curb. Now, if I believe, I'm right, if it was the same one, he also had a girl on the back of the bike, but the girl was uninjured at all, she wasn't injured at all, but it took the life of this, this young man. And and they said, well, you know, he met us over at our booth or our tent, you know, and we were sharing Christ with him. And they said, yes, he came back. And they said we want to tell you. We want to thank you so much for what you do, for praying with him, because when he had that wreck and he went to meet the Savior, he had that cross was still pinned on his vest. So you never know. You never know If you miss an opportunity and you have an opportunity and somebody's hurting and somebody's down and out, to share the love of God with them and to share in just a simple thing.
Speaker 1:It is not a hard thing to ask people if they know the Lord, if they're saved. It's not a hard thing. I don't know why people want to make it to be such a hard thing. I don't understand it myself, you know. I mean, yes, I used to think, oh, I can't do that, I can't do that. But then God gave me the boldness you know, through the spirit and the power. God gave me the boldness, you know, through the spirit and the power, that power we keep talking about. You know you need to go to Acts, chapter one and Acts, chapter two and you need to read about the power of God and how that all in Acts, the Acts of the church, you know people were willing to give their life to share Christ because they thought they found such a treasure that it couldn't be kept. You know, it's kind of like a candle can't be hid under a bushel. This little light of mine, you know, I'm going to let it shine. I'm just telling you I'm so um this, these stories, you know, uh, these are not stories, they're not made up, they're testimonies.
Speaker 1:I had the opportunity when I was there that morning. I had gotten pressure on my eye and it felt I never had pressure on my eyeball before, but it felt like my eyeball was going to explode. And we were there at the service, you know, as we were seeking a word for the day and praying for each other before we went out. And I'm just sitting there and I'm going, man, I don't, I don't understand, I don't. I don't know why I have this pressure on my eye, but it feels like I have pressure on my eye. So I went and I, when they said, does anybody need prayer? I went and prayed. I said, yeah, I do. I need you to pray for my eye. I said I feel like I've got pressure on my eye and my eyeball's about to bust. So, brother Bill, our international director, he said well, y'all come up here. And he said y'all come up here and lay hands on him and I'm going to lay my hand on his eye and we're going to pray, and we're going to pray that God relieves that eye so he can go out and do what God's called us to do today. And they prayed for my eye and I'm telling you, the pressure on my eye just it left the pain in my eye left.
Speaker 1:Well, when I got out on the street, you know, there was a veteran group that came by and they had, you know, their veteran vest on and it was a bigger guy, man, he was bigger than me and I'm a pretty big guy and he's limping and I said hey, sir. I said come here. And I used the hand of God and visited with him, visited with his friends, and I was talking to him, sharing with him, and he said that you know. I asked him you know if something happened today? He says yes, I know the Lord, I have a relationship with God. And he said I know where I'm going, you know. And I said okay. And I said well, okay, so we prayed for a closer walk. I said, well, we could all have a closer walk with Christ, right? He said yes. He said I said well, why don't me and you pray together that we have a closer walk with Christ than we have right now? So we did.
Speaker 1:And then afterwards I said hey, I saw you limping. What's going on with that leg? And he said man, my leg has been hurting me. I'm you know. And I said what do you? I said listen, I believe that God is God and that God can heal. And I said I believe that I'm not a healer, but God is, and if you would like me to pray for your leg, I'd like to pray for your leg. He said please do. He said because it's hurting. And I prayed for his leg and he said man, that's you know, that's already better. I said well, it's nothing I have to do, it's God. I said listen.
Speaker 1:I said this morning I had pressure on my eye. I said it hurt so bad. I didn't know what happened. I said I just knew that I could feel pressure on my eye. I felt like my eyeball was swollen and that it was going to just bust. And I said they prayed for me.
Speaker 1:I asked for prayer and I said that pressure is gone. And he says you know what? I got pressure on my eye. Would you pray for me and I said, yeah. So his buddies was there too and I said, hey, y'all come over here. So I shared with them that I had had pressure on my eye, that my friends with the chariots had prayed for me, that pressure's gone. And I said and your friend has pressure on his eye and he wants to believe God to heal him and relieve that pressure. I said, would y'all pray with us? And they all said yes. So we prayed for him. I prayed for him, the men prayed for him, some of my chariots prayed and we prayed that God would touch him and relieve the pressure on his eye. And as soon as we got through praying he looked at me and he said that pressure is gone and I said that's God, that's my God, that's the God I serve. I said that's the God you serve. I said you know, so many times we just won't. We just won't believe that God can and will and do the things that he said in the scriptures. You know Jesus. Listen.
Speaker 1:Mark, chapter three. Read Mark chapter three. Mark chapter six, starting in verse one, when Jesus went to Galilee and Jesus had been in Jerusalem and all around and he'd been healing people, and then his mom and his brothers, his half-siblings, came and wanted to talk to him because they thought he had a devil. You know, they thought he was well beside himself. They thought he was going crazy because they grew up with Jesus. See your friends. And Jesus said you know, a prophet's not without honor, except in his own land and in his own kin and his own country. Well, he had gone back to Galilee and all these people had followed him and they wanted him to touch him and lay hands on him and pray for him, because he had been praying and healing for people. But the people of Galilee, when he got there, the people of Galilee said isn't this Jesus? Mark, chapter six, says isn't this Jesus? Isn't this Joseph's son, the carpenter's son? Isn't this who grew up with our kids, who we have known all our life? Isn't this that same Jesus?
Speaker 1:And then they couldn't believe that he was the Messiah. And it says because of unbelief, jesus could do no, except a few miracles, because the people didn't believe. You see, in Jerusalem and everywhere else he went. In Samaria, when Jesus went, people believed and heard that hey, jesus is coming. The blind eyes was opened, the lame walked, the sick was healed, because they believed that Jesus was the son of God, he was the Messiah that God had sent from heaven. And they knew that the church had no power. The synagogues, the priests had no power because they were corrupt, worrying about their self. But they knew this man, jesus, but in his hometown, in his home area, they didn't believe. They didn't have faith to believe that that was the son of God because he grew up there See.
Speaker 1:So, your friends and family, if you reach out your hand and you believe somebody says I'm sick, I've got cancer, and you say, hey, I got a God. That's a big God, he can heal that, can I pray for you? And you lay hands on and pray the prayer of faith and God heals them, your family's going to think you're crazy, but it's okay Because that's the kind of God we we serve. You know I mean Jesus even said that. You know he said did I come to peace? No, I came in. A mother against the children, against the parents and the parents against the children.
Speaker 1:Why? Because when you believe in God and you're radically saved and you believe God is who God is and he can do what he says he does, then people, religious people, are going to tell you God can't do that today. God don't work that today, you know, once I have somebody tell me well, I've never seen nobody healed when I prayed for them. And you know, my first question is have you ever prayed in faith, the word of God, that God would heal them? Did you ever lay hands on them and pray that God would heal them? Well, did you ever lay hands on him and pray that God would heal? The prayer of faith? No, I said. That's why you've never seen God work in your life.
Speaker 1:If you don't believe, if you don't believe that God can and God will and step out, you know what? If God doesn't heal somebody you pray for he's God, he's God, he's God, you know. Just do what his word says to do. Go into all the world and preach the gospel and them that believe, baptize, and these signs shall follow them that believe, they shall speak in new tongues. They shall take up serpents. If they eat any deadly thing, it shall not harm them. They shall lay hand on the sick and they shall recover. Mark, chapter 16, at the end of the chapter. That is our job as a church. That is our job.
Speaker 1:Anyway, listen. This is William Carroll, with Faith Walk. Thank you for listening to the broadcast. You can find it anywhere. Hit the like, hit the share you know, but really you know subscribe and then hit the bell where you can be notified when one of these drop. And I hope it encourages you, and I just know that God wanted me to share some of this with you to encourage you.
Speaker 1:It's not about me and it's not really about what God's done in my life, except it's a testimony to God's glory and God's power that he does and he will and he will do the same for you and for the Christians that stand up and take him out of that religious box that we put him in. So many people have put him in a religious box and says, well, god don't work like that anymore. So where in his word does it say God doesn't work like that anymore? He doesn't work that like anymore. Because you have no faith, you have no belief, you won't walk on your faith and walk in the word of God and believe what he says and then do what he says. Be a witness unto all the world.
Speaker 1:Listen until next time. Start your faith, walk today. If you don't know him, ask him into your heart. Pray this prayer Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Be the Lord of my life. Forgive me of my sins, wash me clean, teach me your word and send your Holy Spirit that I might be endued with power to be a witness into all the world. In Jesus's name, amen. See y'all next time.
