Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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Over the years in campus ministry, I always put on a special push to reach football players, because, you know, they're pretty strategic people on campus. And there was one event that football players always enjoyed. We called it "The Great Cheerleader Put-On." What we would do is we'd invite in four cheerleaders and then four football players to be their coaches. You say, "What? Coaches for what?" Well, we brought in most of the pieces of football gear: shoulder pads, knee pads, hip pads, helmet. And then we wanted to see which cheerleader could get fully dressed in a football uniform first.
You know, it's not always easy to figure out where all that stuff goes if you've never put one on before. Now, the football player was their coach. He couldn't touch her, and he couldn't touch the equipment. He had to be just verbal in his instruction. And once those girls got all the equipment on, it was pretty clear that they would not be taking the field next week. No, they're not players, but they do play a valuable part on behalf of those who are. They cheer, they encourage—even if, well sometimes they don't know the difference between offense and defense. That's okay. They encourage; they stir up support when the players need it the most. And man, do we need those kind of people!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Great Cheerleader Shortage."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Exodus 17. The Jews are in the desert, the Amalekites have attacked their rear flank where the weak, and the sick, and the old are. And now God sends Moses and Joshua to fight them. Moses decides he'll take the staff of God up to a mountain where they can see him. And then the story goes like this, "Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill."
"As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword."
Okay, you've actually got three ingredients here: You've got an important battle, you've got a depleted leader, and then you've got the people who made the difference—the loyal supporters. The cheerleaders as it were. Moses had reached his limits. I mean, you know, even the greatest leaders wear out and they have no more to give physically, emotionally, or spiritually? I've been there. Chances are you may very well know a spiritual leader like that whose arms are dropping. We are in an ultimate battle; it is a terminal battle for people's lives. You say, "Well, boy, we need more Moses. We need more leaders!" "Well, there might be more Moseses if there were more Aarons and Hurs."
The church is experiencing right now a major cheerleader shortage. And you could be a part of the Aaron and Hur brigade that's part of the answer. Maybe not a player, but you could encourage a leader; you could stir up support for a leader; you could offer praise to someone who has a bucket full of criticism already. Don't wait till the funeral to give it to him. Maybe you could meet a need in the life of that spiritual leader. Aaron and Hur saw a need. They said, "We've got to roll a stone over here for him to sit on." And they found a way to meet that need. Ultimately there's nothing more powerful or more meaningful you can do than specific, fervent, consistent prayer for a spiritual leader.
One of our staff said the other day, "Ron, I am so pumped! A lady just told me she's praying and fasting for my ministry twice a week." Wow! You could make a difference if you ask God for radar to see the need in a leader; to be a minister to him or her. They may appear strong and like they've got it all together. But let me tell you, they struggle with disappointment, discouragement, weariness, and failure.
As the loyal arm holders go, so goes the leader. And as the leader goes, so goes the battle. You can help decide the outcome of this spiritual warfare where you are if you'll be part of the answer to the great cheerleader shortage.