I’m proud of my pastors.

Besides just being generally nice fellows, they’ve proven they’re willing to do whatever the Jesus Lord asks them to do. I appreciate that.

But, they sometimes need a hand. In fact, they need quite a few hands. If those hands aren’t forthcoming, these two will fail. If they fail, we do face time, nose down, on the floor. We’re surrounded by the Amalekites and they would like nothing more than to absolutely obliterate us. If you are asking “Who are the Amalekites?” take a peek at Exodus 17:8-16.

The Israelites are a mere two months out of Egypt. Minding their own business, these Amalekite dudes jump out of the bushes with the express intent of inflicting some serious hurt on these runaway slaves. Moses sends Josh out to take them on while he climbs up a hill to watch them duke it out. He discovers that if he keeps his hands up in the air, Josh and company whomp the Amalekites big time; if he drops his arms, the Jews get slaughtered. Solution: keep hands in the air. Problem: hard to do this for an extended period of time. Result: Josh and the Jew crew get a serious butt kicking because Moses can’t hold his arms up but for so long. Not good — two months after freedom from Egypt, the fledgling Israelite nation is about to go the way of the dodo bird.

In steps Aaron and Hur. They sit Moses down, literally. Grab his arms and lift them up. Instantly the tide turns and Josh begins to control the battle. Aaron and Hur hold up Moses hands until sunset, the Amalekites are massacred, the Israelites get new respect as some really bad dudes and Moses has some really funky feeling arms.

My point? Lifepoint, like the fledgling Israelites, is surround by the Amalekites who’d like to see us disappear. Who are they? Organized religion, the Evil One and his cohorts, the status quo. Our pastors, like Moses, have a vision. God never intended for them to accomplish it alone — he wants to spread the blessings around to us all. If we expect them to do it all, we seriously misunderstand the nature of the battle. We’ve not been called to get a bus ticket punched on the ride into heaven; we’ve been called to get down on the battlefield and draw blood. We are the Aaron and Hur who must hold their hands up or we get our spiritual spiritual heads handed to us on a platter.

Lifepoint is one year old and we’ve come a long way in just twelve months. The most exciting is definitely still ahead of us. If we’ll merely step into the roles prepared for us before time began, whether as Moses, Joshua, Aaron or Hur, what Lifepoint will accomplish for the Kingdom will amaze this town . . . and the Amalekites.