"Untwisted"

“Untwisted”

Wasn’t it amazing to see Lee Burgard at church on Sunday? I don’t want to miss a Sunday because of the great things I am seeing all around. The Lord has been moving in our services and our discipleship classes. Many new faces are becoming a regular part of our family. The nursery is exploding with several new babies. We are so blessed with many talented and gifted people. Each Sunday there are several people who minister in many different capacities. As we are worshipping in the sanctuary, there are several teachers for adults, children, and infants. We are so grateful for God’s blessing and sending us humble servants who give of their time sacrificially. For instance, I thank the Lord for Sharon Dawson and her artistic ability. She made a huge crown of thorns that is hanging off of the cross at the front of the sanctuary. There is so much symbolism in the crown of thorns made for Jesus to wear on His way to the cross. Let me explain.

The soldiers took vines loaded with sharp, dangerous thorns; then they carefully wove together those razor-sharp, prickly, jagged vines until they formed a tightly woven, dangerous circle resembling a crown. This ended up being the crown that the soldiers violently shoved down upon Jesus’ head on the way to the cross found in Matthew 27:29.

The word used for “twisted” or “entangled” when it talks about how the crown of thorns was made describes something that has been woven together. That is the same Greek word used in 2 Timothy 2:4. It says, “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.” In verse 3, Paul invites Timothy to join him in his sufferings, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. He is essentially saying that as committed Christians, we don’t have the privilege of getting too involved or intertwined with matters that are of this world and have no bearing on things in light of eternity.

That same Greek word, empleko, was used to describe a runner whose garments become tangled in his legs. The runner was running a good race at one time, but then got entangled in his floppy garments. They eventually impaired his ability to run at a pace to win the race.

So in a sense, no one who is a soldier of Christ allows himself to get twisted in the affairs of life. It reminds me of Paul’s message to Galatia when he said, “You were running a good race, who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:7

As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to do everything we can to keep the temporal things of this world in the right perspective. Keep them in your hands but out of your heart. The next time you are sitting in the sanctuary preparing your heart for worship, and you see the crown of thorns, ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas of your life that need to be “untwisted” and brought back into balance. There is nothing in this world worth being entangled and ensnared over – nothing!

This Sunday we will be bringing in new members and continuing our series, “Defining Moments On the Way to the Cross.” Invite someone to come with you. You never know, it may shed light on an area that may need to be untwisted and make an eternal difference for Christ.

Joy in Jesus!

Pastor Mike