A Wisdom Greater Than Solomon's

I once had a cousin whose name was Chris. I guess you can say that he and I were close. In fact, I chose him to be best man for my wedding. Speaking of that day, I find it hard to believe that my bride and I - as I still sometimes call her - tied the knot over twenty-eight years ago. Where does it go, says the old cliché? But getting back to Chris. I believe that one of the reasons that we had such a good relationship was because of how much we had in common, our taste for so many things seeming to always run together.
A long time ago there was a movie that we both really liked a lot. I would say it came out sometime around 1980. It was called The Wind and the Lion. Oftentimes, just in fun, we’d quote lines from it to one another. Whenever we did, he would begin to call me by the name of the main character - The Razuli - who lead and lived with a band of Arabs in a desert region. “Razuli!” he’d cry out to me in the man’s accent, “we have lost everything…but it is good, for was it not all upon the wind?” I have to say that at times I really miss Chris. It was in 2001 that the Lord chose to call him home.

Whenever I think of the words of the Razuli’s friend, I can’t help but think of Solomon. I believe that the man’s closing statement could have also been spoken by Solomon - one whose wisdom was such that it was unrivaled in his day. And who knows if any man’s knowledge and understanding of the things of this life had ever surpassed his. At the same time, it was he himself who told us that with much wisdom and knowledge there goes much grief and sorrow. No doubt this is because our world is a fallen world.

I have always been captured by one thing in particular that troubled Solomon. It runs akin to the words of the man in the movie: “Was it not all upon the wind?” This is what he shouted at the end, when all was lost. In other words, what he was saying, was that the things of this life have no real roots. Everything is passing; nothing can really be held on to. You may as well have to lay hold of the wind. I’ve heard parents of troubled teens talk about how they wished that they could have kept their kids little always, not realizing that our lives are on the wind. And so, needless to say, everything must move on; not only this, but it moves on quite quickly. You often hear it spoken of in those terms by the middle-aged and the elderly.

When I take walks in the summertime I pass by a field overrun by weeds. Once, many years ago, that field was called Hub Field. It was where many of the kids in the neighborhood played Little League Baseball. It almost always saddens me to look on it. Could it be that all of that happened over a half century ago, I’d ask myself. But where did it all go? It would become bewildering to me. I’d continue to look on and try to imagine certain kids at bat again, or others who were good fielders running for a fly ball or scooping up a ground ball. Sometimes I’d begin to wonder what kind of lives they may have gone on to have; if some never made it to adulthood due to sickness or disease; who of them might have taken wayward paths resulting in years of imprisonment; or how many may have lost their lives on foreign soil in defense of their country. But once we were all happy and carefree kids, I’d think to myself. Now I would start to feel melancholic, and if not careful, become trapped in the enemy’s web with my thoughts starting to run along the same lines as Solomon’s. Life suddenly begins to appear futile, senseless, and with satisfying answers not easy to come by.

What we as believers don’t often realize is this. Though Solomon had great wisdom, his wisdom had only to do with life as it appeared under the sun - and then without God, since he had become estranged from Him. Under the sun was a phrase that Solomon used over and again. In other words, the wisdom and knowledge of Solomon was connected to nothing more than a fallen world with its fallen inhabitants - and to this it was confined. Believe it or not, that is no longer the case for the one born of the Father in the New Day in which we live. With the offering up of the Son of God all has changed. A great shift has taken place in matters pertaining to the things of the Spirit. What does that mean, you may ask? Very simply, it means that grace now abounds. And as we move into its dispensation the results become benefits untold, one benefit being that we have come into a wisdom greater than Solomon’s - a wisdom pertaining to things not under the sun, but above it; a wisdom that Solomon would never know anything of.

No doubt, one of Solomon’s greatest achievements was the building of a temple for the God of Israel. And we can believe that he knew well how it was all to be laid out. He knew of where the bronze altar for burnt offerings was to go, along with the sea of cast bronze for ritual washings by the priests. He understood the setup for the golden incense altar, the table of showbread, and the lampstands. Then beyond all this was the greatly revered Most Holy Place. With its articles also was Solomon familiar. Not that he had involvement with any of these things, but surely the layout of them was known to him. Now here is what Solomon would never in his lifetime come to know. Nor would he have ever dreamt for it to one day be. But today it is common knowledge to the one born from above. In the wise king’s wildest imaginings, he would have never thought that the time would come when there would be millions upon millions of temples built to God - and none by the hand of man - but God Himself would fashion each one. Moreover, they would not be of dead materials but they would each one be alive and walking. Within them wouldn’t be the showbread, but the Bread of Life on which they would feed; neither would there be the light of lamps, but the Light of God by which they would walk. Petitions and praise would arise from their altars, to the Father, through the Son. To add to it all, He would make each one priest of their temple and prepare each one for the sacrifice. Then from out of a new heart regenerated - their Most Holy Place - would they ever come into communion with the God and Father of the whole family on earth and in heaven. These truths would have boggled the Old Testament mind to the max - Solomon’s included. And is there something amiss with believers today if we aren’t effected likewise?

Still there is more. As wise and knowledgeable as Solomon was concerning a vast array of things, how amazed he would have yet been over another mystery. First of all, he understood from the earliest inspired writings that Israel was to expect the coming of a Messiah one day. Though never would he have believed that it would be God in flesh. More than this, he certainly wouldn’t have imagined that all who looked for this coming One would become joined unto Him in one body - He being the Head, and all of the faithful the remaining members; that this merging would be likened unto a marriage, the two becoming one, believers brought into perfect union with the One never knowing beginning of life nor end of days. Intimate beyond description it would be - a calling granted not even to angels. Because of the day in which Solomon lived, neither he nor any of his contemporaries were privy to the things unimaginable, once kept secret by the Maker of the heavens and the earth.

It continues. In Solomon’s day there were certain men set apart by Jehovah God as prophets to the people. The Spirit would come upon them at the appointed times. At these times they would act, write or speak, in accordance with the mind of the Spirit. As servants of the Most High they performed the duties to which they were called. Upon completing the task, the Spirit would take leave of them. All of this Solomon understood. Yet this is what he would never know: that far off in a future Day, no longer would just the specially chosen speak by divine inspiration, but all who were of faith would do so, and by the Spirit abiding within them - no longer just upon them. In this way He would remain with the elect forever, never departing; not only this but upon His entering them He would cause for their own spirits to become alive unto the Father - born of God - so that they would now walk before Him as sons, and no longer as servants. Had this been shown to Solomon, it too would have sent his mind whirling.

And it goes on. As I pointed out earlier, Solomon was familiar with all that was set on display in the temple. What he didn’t know was that these things were not an end in themselves. Instead they were types and representations of the real - what would arrive in the New Day. Such items merely foreshadowed the things of true significance. But I doubt that Solomon ever gave any thought to what the articles of the temple may have stood for. If he did, I highly doubt that he came to the right conclusions. Let’s take the showbread for instance. We today know that it pointed ahead to a time when Living Showbread would walk the earth - the Bread who would be food to a man’s spirit, His blood becoming drink indeed. Together they’d be all that would be needed for life abundantly; daily is the man of faith to partake, now and forevermore. The understanding of this also would have staggered Solomon along his way.

But then there would come the ultimate. There was some light given in the Old Testament to what would befall the Messiah at the end. However, nobody of that day would understand the matter clearly. For it wasn’t shown to that ancient people that the blood that would flow from Him would flow to the ends of the earth. Enough then would it be to ransom every man’s soul from the sin that had come upon the whole world; for He would drink of its Cup for all. Nevertheless, being pure as He was before the Father, the Cup hadn’t the power to seal Him in the grave. And since He had died for all, so also would His rising be. In all that Solomon contemplated throughout all of the years of his sojourning, would such a plan ordained from on high have ever entered his mind? I think not. But to us of the New Day it has been revealed.

About many things under the sun was Solomon wise, but about the true and meaningful and eternal things above the sun, he had no clue. The writer of Hebrews once told us that God had provided the greater things for we of the New Testament age. Believers who walked the earth prior to this time had only the types and the shadows and the representations. Are we then better than they? I would say not. For the day will come and now draws near when all will be glorified together - made whole, and made perfect, and made every bit likened unto the Son of God, ageless in the heavens. Great Glory be unto the Author of all things.

　

- J. Pecoraro


　

Soldier Of God

On the road where the bold have trod,
Splurge on men the gift of God,
That they not leave you as they were,
Since they had met His angel there.

But when that road turns toward the sky,
A rugged mountain rising high,
Take heart my brother, and don’t despair;
His eye is on your every hair.

And when the nights turn long and cold,
Then to the promises you must hold.
The day will break; the sun will shine.
Again the Life flows from the Vine.

But one day that long road will end.
And there you’ll spy your dearest Friend.
Full of Truth and full of Grace,
You shall see Him face to face.

- J. Pecoraro

Greater Than His Miracles

No doubt it has been from the beginning of time that men have marveled over the supernatural - even at the thought of it. Can you imagine the look of wonder upon the faces of those who beheld the hand of Jesus at work? As they witnessed leprosy disappear from before their very eyes, it stupefied them, I’m sure. As the blind were suddenly made to see, and the dumb to speak, most certainly it sent minds into a whirl. In times past I’ve tried to imagine the expression on Peter’s face, when in obeying the words of Jesus, he saw a tremendous miracle unfold. I could see his eyes opened wide while his face became as stone. When able to speak, his words were few. “Depart from me o Lord, for I am a sinful man.” The one who the Lord would choose to lead and feed His sheep was feeling unworthy to even be in His presence. How heaven-sent were the miracles of Jesus; how the people benefited immensely by them; and how many came to believe in Him because of the wonders He performed. Yet in saying all of this, we need to be sure we understand that miracles - they are not His greatest works. He has a greater thing in store for us than signs and wonders; yes, even while we are still bound to life upon the earth. What can it be, you may ask? Simply put, it is that we may come to know Him. Jesus’ sacrifice was not only for the salvation of the human soul, but that in and through the person of Himself, we may come to know the Father.

It can all be likened unto a man who gives his young son a much longed for gift for his birthday. The child is truly elated, thanking his father over and over again for what he has presented him with. But for the most part, the young lad’s thoughts are all about the gift. Though the father is glad that his son will have a grand time with what he has given him, his own mind is on something else. He thinks of the love that he has for the boy while hoping that their relationship will be a close and meaningful one through the years to come.

So it is with us and our heavenly Father. A miracle could be looked at as a gift coming from His hand into our lives. We, like the young boy, may praise Him and thank Him unceasingly for it. But I’d say that more than not we would be swept away by the gift, rather than having in mind what the Father has in mind. Though He would be glad over our gladness, He wouldn’t see the gift being near as important as we do. His thoughts are on another matter - that as we grow we draw ever closer to Him, knowing Him and loving Him increasingly more with the passing of time. We are about what is in His hand, while He is about knowing His own and making Himself known in the perfect bond of love.

Over the centuries men have gazed into the vastness of the night sky. We have pondered the mystique and the immenseness of His universe about us. It has made us feel small, insignificant, and at times even meaningless. But it is we and not the cosmos who are His great creation - rivaled not even by the angels. For who has He made in His own image but us? And it is for man that He has reserved His fondest affections and His deepest love.

Suppose there was a man and a woman who were about to become parents. The time was drawing near and their excitement could hardly be hidden. Daily they worked on the room that would soon belong to their newborn. By now all of the wallpaper was up and a crib and a changing table were in place. Colors were carefully chosen, as was a carpet for the room. All that was still needed was for certain items to be set in place. It was a grand and joyful time for the soon to be parents. Anticipation was growing and it wouldn’t be long until the tiny resident would arrive. How wonderful a thing it would be if it always worked out that way. Let’s say in this case that there were major complications. The baby never made it beyond the hospital. Imagine the grief of the parents. Maybe they would have to let some days pass before they could even look into the room they had prepared. But eventually they’d have to muster up whatever courage they had in order to bring the room back to what it once was. It would make no sense at all to leave it remain in its present state. Why? Because without the little one that the two of them together had procreated, the room no longer had any meaning. It was only their offspring that had meant something to them.

I wonder; if there was no backup plan for the man and the woman when they failed the test in Eden, would God have taken apart the entire universe and done something altogether different? Who knows? Maybe so. But I will say this. In my own mind I am convinced that He created the universe for man and not man for the universe. At the beginning of the epistle to the Hebrews it’s written that the Father has appointed the Son heir of all things. This means that Christ will be heir of a new creation in all its entirety - one that will come into being from the groans and birth pangs of the present creation. That universe and all that is in it will be forever under His feet. But who are the coheirs? It will be those who are of His very body, since, “He has along with the Son freely given us all things.” If then heirs with the Son, could it then be possible that we may explore new worlds forever - and in like manner go on discovering the Triune God?

But maybe we would consider such an existence to be too fantastic for us, or too high a call for what we see ourselves to be. If so, we need to remember that it is none but the faithful who have been formed together to make up the body of the One who is God in the flesh - His eternal partner, a marriage put together by the Father himself. And we must also remember that we are His living creations, alive unto God, and made likened unto Him. Could this be said of the universe? Not at all. It is what He has made in His image that He treasures. And so the universe was made for man - not man for the universe. It’s just as in the case of the baby who would never go on to live. Would his surroundings have mattered anymore to the parents? Though they were put together so carefully and with much thought, they’d mean nothing. And just as with the newborn, we too died in infancy. But for us there would be a backup plan, a second birth, though it being so much greater than the first for all who would believe. And as far as the new creation about us will be concerned - if today we think we can see shades of it when we look into the heavens, then God only knows how we have seen nothing of it yet.

Miracles? Though they’ve blessed us mightily, I highly doubt that they’ll have any place in the world to come. Why? Needs will no longer be a fact of life - and for one reason only. “He has along with the Son freely given us all things.”

-J. Pecoraro

All Along The Way

I felt Him in the cool spring breeze;
I heard Him in a robin’s song;
I saw Him in a young girl’s face;
He was with me all along.

The pompous clouds proclaimed His Light,
Their silver lining heaven’s song.
A bird in flight revealed His strength;
He was with me all along.

When I doubt the presence of my God
And fear somehow I’ve gone astray,
He softly whispers in my ear,
“I am with you all along the way.”

　

- J. Pecoraro

Oz Is As Uz

Back in September of 1976 I decided to enroll in a small bible college on Chicago’s north side. It’s moved out of the city now. I only attended for three semesters, seeing that my only purpose in going there was to gain a better understanding of the scriptures. One day a teacher shared something with the class that has stayed with me for all of these years. He told us that one of the most popular movies ever to hit the big screen was taken from the story of Job - that movie being the Wizard of Oz. He then went on to tell of some parallels. The land of Oz sounding so much like the land of Uz (Job’s homeland) was only his starting point. But continuing he reminded us of things such as the horrific crises that had befallen both Job and Dorothy. Then there was the fact that both of them had three companions who would make an effort to guide these hurting souls through their storms. Whether he made any other comparisons I don’t remember. However it was for some years that I would every now and then think back to that day. No doubt this was because I’d found what he had to say very interesting, especially since the Wizard of Oz was always a favorite movie of mine. Whenever I did give the matter thought, I myself would try to come up with a similarity or two in the stories. At times I was successful. In one of these instances I thought of the unnerving tone of voice that the Wizard spoke with when addressing Dorothy and her friends. Then I realized how the Almighty broke in on Job and his companions at the start of the 38^th chapter; it seemed evident that He too spoke in this manner. On another occasion I remembered how the wicked witch - like Satan - would devise scheme after scheme, while being bent on the destruction of a righteous one. Then lastly, Dorothy like Job, sought help from a power who was believed to have no limitations in bringing one through a crisis - even of the most burdensome kind.

In the end we know that both Job and Dorothy were delivered from their trials and restored to their former states - Job over and beyond. Once again all was well. I would say that it’s the minority of the earth’s people that undergo the kind of troubles that are the worst of the worst, while others are moved to comfort, advise, and support them. Nevertheless, if it were you or I under such attack, we may not want friends like Job’s to be delivering their thoughts to us daily. Surely we’d choose Dorothy’s companions. But in speaking of them, we see that they had problems of their own. They represent the vast majority of the world, their afflictions not exactly earthshaking. I in fact see everyday believers being a lot like Dorothy’s newfound friends. I believe they exemplify us well.

Let’s take the scarecrow. When the meek little girl from Kansas first encountered him, directions were the main thing on her mind. But the scarecrow wasn’t very helpful. He pointed one way, then the opposite way, finally telling her that it may be both ways. When asked to make up his mind he replied that he couldn’t because he hadn’t a brain. Think of it. What a terrible situation to be in. Well, the fact of the matter is, that upon our conversion to Christ, we will often find ourselves with the mind-set of the scarecrow. What I’m saying is, that if we honestly devote ourselves to seeking out the truths of God, through communion with Him, as well as searching the scriptures, then a tough road lies before us. There will be times when we see a matter one way, then another way, then possibly where it can be a little of both. At times, like the scarecrow, we may even wonder if our mind hasn’t taken leave of us. Take heart; it’s only growing pains. The apostle Paul has the answer for us in the 13^th chapter of I Corinthians. “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then (in His presence) face to face.” In other words, spiritual matters can often appear a bit blurry as we gaze through the veil that hangs between heaven and earth - but not so when we one day cross over to the other side. However, from where we presently find ourselves, our understanding will never be made complete. Even the Christian who wholeheartedly dedicates himself - and with prayer - to adopting a right theology, will spend a lifetime in seeing its development, and then the fine tuning of it to follow. But until then it will not be a rarity to change our outlook on an issue. I once had a friend who opened my eyes so that I saw a matter differently. I was looking forward to seeing him again, so that I could tell him that he had convinced me. When we met I told him of the new insight I had received from him. He only replied, “Oh that; I don’t believe that way anymore.” Being as influential on me as he was, I was left hanging in limbo for the next few days. Nevertheless when the smoke cleared I was fully sold on my newfound belief, and I hold to it today - thirty years later.

To search for truth is so major a part of the believer’s pilgrimage in this world. For I’m sure it is evident to us by now that all churches do not believe all things alike. More than this, we’ve seen how all of the people of the same church aren’t in total agreement with one another on some theological issues. It is why Paul writes, “And He himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers…till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”. You can be sure that this will never occur, until like Jesus we are glorified at the great catching away; though up until then our heavenly Father ever spurs us on, saying in Jeremiah, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Who then will discover the most precious pearls? And who will come upon the finest jewels? They will be those who with a humble heart dig the deepest with the most resolve, and love the truth above all things. These will gain the mind of God. No longer will they be like Dorothy’s scarecrow friend. No more will they believe one thing about a matter, only to change their conviction as they travel on. They will cease from pointing a fellow seeker in one direction - and then another. Instead they will come to the place where their God will remove from them a head of hay and grant them the mind of Christ. At that time, “we will no longer be as children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine,” like Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “but we will speak the truth in love, growing up into Him in all things; that is into the Head who is Christ.” Praise be to the Lord for His great grace and all of His tender mercies.

As Dorothy and the scarecrow continued on the yellow brick road they came across a man made of tin. The man was rusted at all of his joints; even his mouth had rusted shut. Discovering an oil can Dorothy began to oil his mouth first, enabling him to speak. He then started telling his story. The man of tin had been going through a very discouraging time in his life. And so it came about that while he was chopping wood one day it began to storm. Seeing no reason to escape the rain - for his life had become a heavy burden - he remained where he was until he had rusted solid. After describing what had happened to him he then began to tell Dorothy and the scarecrow of what his great misfortune was. The tinsmith forgot to give him a heart. I can easily see how the tin man can depict some believers who have wholeheartedly set out to follow Christ. However, on their journey they hit a roadblock - and there they chose to remain, allowing the storm that the enemy sent their way to convince them that they had seen the last of the sun; they then let the gray clouds speak to them of a bleak future while the rain poured down upon their heads, rusting them solid. But the regenerated man of God must never give up, no matter the circumstances - not when we serve the One who is always stirred from His place by faith and hope - not to forget patience. Hold your ground! It is the call to us from heaven. And if the call is answered, then we can be certain that the sun will return one day - and not a moment late. Instead of the gray steel sky above there will shine the rainbow; and in the place of rust there will be oil. Although it won’t be applied to us from a tin can but it will be poured upon us by the Holy Spirit from heaven - the healing life of God coming down like never before. We are on the move again.

The tin man was so glad upon receiving a heart of his own. For the first time in his life he could actually feel love. His great day had arrived. Good for the tin man. But hear this. There is something within every soul born of God that is infinitely greater than a new heart, though a new heart is a part of it all. It has to do with seven simple words that Jesus once spoke to his hearers - words not at all difficult to interpret: “The kingdom of God is within you.” I see this as an astounding statement. Not only do we receive of God a new heart along with our new birth, but everything that pertains to the eternal kingdom to come is now made a living part of us as it becomes housed in our human temple. We know that it doesn’t come in its fullness, though as we grow we receive of its increase. Something more to be considered is that Jesus spoke those seven words to Old Testament people, who in their day could neither receive the kingdom nor the birth from above. This tells me that simply because of the fact that we have been made in His image, we are then born into the world with something of His kingdom already within us. This then would be the meaning of the scripture, “That was the true Light which lights every man that comes into the world.” That Light is the Life of God, and a Light that is ours, that is if we love the Light over the darkness. Surely it beats the tin man’s gift; for the kingdom of God in all of its power and wisdom and glory, will one day belong to the seed of the Most High - an inheritance forevermore.

Lastly there was the lion. His problem was fear. And this king of the jungle was fearful to the hilt. He begged Dorothy to speak to the Wizard for him. So fearful was he that it never even entered his mind to speak for himself. I think it safe to say that those who suffer from the kind of fear that tormented the cowardly lion are the few. But as followers of Christ, I’m sure that we have all become afraid at times. Only on occasion it may have been to the extreme, though we must understand that any type of fear can be used as a weapon against us by the dark army of Satan. And it is what that army has been commanded to employ against those who truly devote themselves to the Triune God. There is but one remedy for his lies and his fears - these two always intertwined like a rope. That remedy - Holy Spirit. It is He who gives courage in those anxious and troublesome moments. But we must trust Him. There is none who inspires boldness in the believer like the Holy Spirit of God. After He had come upon Jesus’ disciples on the Day of Pentecost we know how they were filled with courage; yes, and courage to spare. The Spirit searches the earth for one whose heart is in pursuit of God, that He may uproot their terrors and send them forth unafraid. There is no greater example of this in scripture than Gideon. Once fear was all he knew. However, a visitation from heaven turned him into the mighty man that his God had already seen him as. The upshot - he led an army to defeat the Midianites. It was a victory by which Israel would enjoy peace for forty years.

In February of 1991 I entered into an itinerant preaching/teaching ministry. It lasted up until February of 2006. How did this happen? One day I believed that God told me to drop my mop and step out. When I told my pastor, he confirmed it. He had me speak in our church about once a month for a period of a year; then he told me I was ready. My experience could have been put in a thimble. However, I felt as my pastor did. And so I had brochures printed up, sent them out, and followed with phone calls. Today when I look back I truly believe that this endeavor was successful. But if the truth was told I would have to say that fifteen years of public speaking was many times accompanied by fear. Why? From the very beginning I understood all too well that I hadn’t much experience in what I was setting out to do. Nevertheless the day of my first engagement had arrived, and I had no choice but to put my best foot forward. I did - He met me. Then He did what He always does in these cases. In my weakness He put His strength. And He made me to see how the message touched many hearts that morning. I had launched out. But this was just the beginning; there’d yet be times when within minutes of being called to the pulpit I’d have feelings of inadequacy. Then there were those instances when I feared that my message may not have been as prepared as it ought to have been. On some occasions I’d just feel terribly out of sorts; and knowing that my introduction would be soon, I realized that something had to awaken my spirit quick. Twice the flu came suddenly upon me while on the way to my destination. And the list goes on. But it’s not the list that’s important. Although we have an enemy who would like us to think that it is. What is important is to turn away from ourselves in times of adversity and towards our Heavenly Father, and in faith believing He will meet us where we are.

I lie not when I say that whenever the enemy had a plan to make me stumble, it never came to pass. In fact - believe it or not - it was in those situations that I was the most effective, including two times with the flu fresh on me. Explain it? The Living God. Somewhere deep within me I believed that in my weakness He would put His strength, just as He did on the very first day I ventured out. I don’t ever remember being disappointed.

We who are followers of Christ, so often settle for a good deal less than what the Father has in His hand to give. Yet I am not one who believes in claiming anything I have a mind to. Such thinking leaves no room for trials, through which we become strong and wise. And so, discernment is needed in some instances. But if we should discern that deliverance or healing is just up the road, then we need to prepare ourselves to embrace it. Now the time has come for the Lord’s medication. It’s called, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” I don’t know what the Wizard gave to that old cowardly lion - or for that matter, what the wizards of this world give to those who seek after them. However I know this. If its potency was multiplied by ten thousand, it would still be worlds away from what the Father has in store for those who seek Him, know Him, and love Him.

When all is said and done, I sometimes think that it is Dorothy and not her friends that we believers identify with most. Just like her, we all want to go home someday. We look ahead to that time more than we could ever put into words. In this we are just like the young girl from Kansas. Home meant everything to her. And though we have never walked within the walls of that marvelous city, built and designed especially for us, we may at times feel like we have. That’s because it is in us - in the deepest part of our being. However, there it is not so hidden a place to our spirit man. I believe that it’s when we tap into him that we may experience a fleeting connection with that heavenly country. This shouldn’t be too hard for us to accept. After all, we know the day will come when the full reality of our departure will be but a breath away. One day we will breathe our last, only to find ourselves heading through the birth canal and out into an indescribable land. The silver cord is severed - we are born again. The Light is like nothing ever before seen. We are home.

Dorothy was so glad to find herself home at last and in her own room. This was because the land she had visited was foreign to her and she had no citizenship there. Likewise it will be with us when we open our eyes to the world that we’ll surely know as home. We will know for certain that it was only for a time that we had become a stranger in a land not our own. It will be then that our joy will exceed Dorothy’s - and by many times more than can ever be counted. For one day Kansas will cease to be. But His kingdom is forever.

- J. Pecoraro

Where Jesus Dwells

When my eyes fall upon the broken,
Whether people or places or things,
Then I see they belong to Jesus
And I’m awed by the mercies He brings.

When the poor and the lame and the prisoner
Are scorned by the proud and the wise,
Do not walk in their path to incur the Son’s wrath -
It is they who are Him in disguise.

On a dimly lit street in a city;
In back-alleys of rank sights and smells;
There the outcast lies down in a slum-ridden town;
They’re the places where Jesus dwells.

- J. Pecoraro

A Tale of Two Towers

 Image courtesy of posterize/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How technology has advanced over the last century. Think of all that has been introduced to us. We have witnessed the invention of the automobile, flying machines, the telephone, and who can count all of what has been set at our disposal? Because of the cars we drive, we no longer have to walk for long distances to see friends and family. Because of flight, we need not have to take long voyages across our oceans as we once did. And because of the invention of the telephone - which now we carry in our pockets - it became possible for us to chat with others without having to pay a visit. How all these things have served to bring us so much closer together - to shrink our world, if you will.

In the last half of the twentieth century there came an invention surpassing the popularity of all that has been mentioned. We call it the internet. When you talk about bringing together millions upon millions who call the earth their home, nothing will do it like this tremendously popular tool. Nation may be rising against nation as scripture predicts will happen near the end. But in another sense the people of our globe have never become more united - all due to the internet.

Now the whole earth had one language and one speech…And they said, come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of man had built. And the Lord said, Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they purpose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.


The people of the earth today - have we not built for ourselves a tower? And have we not made for ourselves a name? And nothing that we purpose to do is being withheld from us in the day and age in which we live. For in great leaps and bounds is our technology advancing, so much that many are becoming frightened over it, while wondering just where all of it is heading.

Don’t misunderstand. Does it sound like I am saying that an invention like the internet is evil? If so, why would I be making use of it? The internet is no more evil than a gun or a knife. Such things, having neither a mind nor a heart of their own, could never be found to have iniquity in them. But not so for the user. Here is where evil may lie. There are two different types of people who use the internet. There are those who are of a right spirit before God. Then there are those who are of the spirit of Babel. If the spirit is true before the Creator, then there is no sin. Rebellion against Him is not to be found. However, for the one who is of a haughty or of a foul spirit, in him, not only will there be rebellion present, but also every evil thing. This is the one, who when joined together with those of like minds, defiantly fly in the face of God. Look at all that we have achieved, is their thinking. They echo the words of their fathers of long ago. “We have built for ourselves a tower whose top is in the heavens; and we have made for ourselves a name.” I’m sorry to say that when He comes their ruin will be sure.

The first Babel had nothing redemptive to come from it. But following the present-day return of it there will be a long season of the mercies of God for all whose hearts have become joined to His own - the millennial reign of the Son. Then we will truly be united as a people, a universal harmony among the nations for a thousand years, something that at times was worked for by men but it wasn’t the Father’s time; neither was our thinking right in the matter of it.

In today’s rebellion the thoughts and desires of the people to be exalted to the place of God may be greater than ever before. Nevertheless it will be for the sake of His elect that He will bring the kingdom down to us. Then peace, love, and full devotion to the Father and the Son will flourish for a thousand years. And for a thousand years there will reign over us a Lion - a King such as the world has never seen. Once he was a Lamb, who allowed the world to have their way with Him. But it was all in the wisdom of God, even as His reign as conquering King will be. A Great Light will He be upon the earth, so that war will only be spoken of as a thing of long ago. Just as it’s written of at the end: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

　

- J. Pecoraro

Teen Challenge-A Brotherhood

Don’t let the name fool you. I remember two men in their seventies who came to us; it was for teens in the early years only.

Apart from God granting me an eternal salvation, followed up with a family of my own, it was then Teen Challenge that became the third great blessing of my life. When I was only about eight years old my brother Jack showed me how to draw human figures. I quickly picked up the knack, and getting a little carried away, I drew about a dozen young men all in one night. Above every head I printed a name, along with a rhyming nickname. They became my guys. A couple of years later I developed a big interest in the U.S. Cavalry due to a TV series that I’d always watch. I asked two of my uncles if they would put yellow stripes down my younger cousins’ blue jeans. I wanted a cavalry of my own. As a teen I loved belonging to a gang of guys who hung out in Hale Park, mostly looking for trouble. All my life I’ve been fascinated with the idea of being a part of a body of people, beginning with make-believe ones as a young boy, pretend soldiers a couple of years later, and troubled teens in the days when I was troubled.

In 1973 a miracle occurred in my life. I became what Jesus referred to as “born again”. I had become thrilled over much of what I was learning about Christ and the scriptures. But what I was also excited over was the fact that I’d become a member of a body of men and women of faith - both of the church where I attended and of the worldwide body of Christ. But then came the autumn of 1995. The ministry of Teen Challenge had visited our church. They told their stories and they sang their songs; they laughed and they cried; and I knew that night that I had to become a part of who they were. I afterwards spoke shortly with the director. We set up a day to meet and talk further. By February of the next year he brought me on as part-time staff. For seven years, nearly to the day, I conducted bible studies with the men and led them in prayer sessions. I was numbered among them and bound together with them whenever we came before the Lord. I couldn’t have been more grateful or have felt more privileged for the door that God had opened to me.

Some things last a lifetime but not so for everything. In January of 2003 the four story building where the men stayed was ravaged by fire. It wouldn’t be habitable again for an entire year. The ministry along with the men moved far from Chicago’s inner city, where it had been located for about two decades; so far was the move that there was no way I could follow. For a good while I felt a bit lost and empty inside. From time to time, while on my regular full time job, I’d drive by the building on the corner of Cortland and Central Park. I’d look up at the fourth floor windows and remember the prayer times we had together, along with the studies; it blessed me to recall it. After about four years from the time of the fire I began going back every couple of months to speak in the chapel hour. Every now and then I’d run into an old student who had enrolled in the program again, or who had just stopped in to visit. It was always so good to see them. We’d talk a while and maybe even catch some lunch together.

It will be two years this May that I entered into retirement. Once I had done that I began looking for part-time work - something of a ministerial nature. A program like Teen Challenge was what I had in mind. I knew that there were many in Chicago. However there was one that I would exclude - Teen Challenge itself. Why? I never did like the idea of trying to recapture the past, of retracing my steps. And so I began to cover north, south, east and west. To my surprise I would find nothing. I’d say it was early in December of the year I retired that I was to be speaking in the T.C. chapel hour. Upon entering the building I met the director. After we talked a few minutes he turned to one of the staff, a man that I worked alongside before the fire hit. He told him how they would be needing to hire a teacher soon. Your teacher is right there, said Darren. And the rest, like they say, is history.

The ministry that I excluded early in my search was the Lord’s choice all the while. Sometimes we can really miss it. Well, I’m at Teen Challenge again for over a year now, and glad to be back. And in some ways the ride is better than it was the first time around.

- J. Pecoraro

Who of us would have liked to remain in elementary school up until our adult years? Doubtless there would be none. This is because in elementary school we learn things that are merely elementary. And so there came the day for all of us when it was time to close the books and move on to higher learning. We called it high school. Now our knowledge and understanding of certain subjects would become broadened. Following high school many would choose to further their education and go on to college. Here we’d grow in the knowledge of the world about us like never before. I repeat “in the world about us.” But how should all of what I have written thus far apply to the world above us? For here too there are plateaus to scale, by which our knowledge and understanding of the Holy One may be ever increased - and not just of Him but of His eternal kingdom and all of His ways.

I’ve heard it expressed by some, that in the church by and large, we’ve become content with an elementary knowledge of God and the things of God. I’m inclined to agree; no desire for high school; college, out of the question. But this is nothing new. I’m reminded of the words penned by the author of Hebrews: “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” I believe all of this could have been written to the church today.

Not wanting to be critical, I think it’s a sad scene when Christians who were born of God three and four decades ago, yet continue to speak to one another of nothing but the base things of their walk in Christ. Have our ears not heard enough - and how long will our words run on from cliché to cliché? We must awake from our slumber. There is a Ladder to climb. I believe we’ve heard it referred to as Jacob’s Ladder, on which the angels of God are ever ascending and descending. And that Ladder is Christ. He is the Great Mediator who stretches from earth to heaven. Upon Him messengers of God, chosen by the Father, would lead us on to higher heights in the Son. For in those heights we will gain a greater knowledge while embarking upon a more firm understanding, concerning the things that are not passing, but eternal. Not this only, but also that we should be granted a knowledge of The Holy.

Still, in all of this we are led down again into the shadow lands. For as long as we walk in the tent of this flesh our work is not done on the earth; neither has our fellowship with friends and family been made complete here. Though while we remain in this world we should never fail to encourage others to scale the only Ladder that abides. Consequently we may shine as the stars in the sight of God forever and ever. Moreover, we have pointed out the way for another, that they may come to possess a fuller knowledge of things above.

 　As we ascend the Ladder between heaven and earth we learn that not all things are as they once appeared. Certain works that we thought of as being good, we’ve now found to be rather dark in the eyes of God. On the contrary, some things that we may have looked at as wrong or harmful, we now learn have been done of God - and in righteousness, since He can work in no other way. While I watched TV one night many years ago, there was money being raised for the cure of a disease. As I continued to watch, a man looked angrily up into heaven and this is what he said. “If this is someone’s idea of a great cosmic joke, I’m afraid I don’t understand.” I was stunned. Believers should know this for certain. No matter how noble the work may appear, whenever a perfectly holy and righteous God is angrily accused and judged by perfectly filthy rags, we can quickly cross out the word good from good works. Sometimes what appears to be light isn’t light at all, even as the scriptures teach. Contrariwise, the apostle Paul once struck a man blind for a season, all because the man stood between Paul and a potential convert. Moreover, it seemed that God’s servant wasn’t worried about being an offense. For he knew the leading of his God. But how could this have been a righteous act? It was a righteous act for one reason only. The scripture states that when Paul carried the act out he was filled with the Holy Spirit. This and this alone made it every bit right and altogether justified. And so, even as what may appear to be light is not always light - likewise what may appear to be dark is not always darkness. It’s never about the manifestation of a thing as much as it’s about the Spirit who is at work. We then must pray for discerning spirits.

  As we ascend the Ladder that Jacob beheld in his dream, we will become surprised at some things that the Spirit of God will unfold. And we can become confident that it is He who unfolds them. For the prudent child of God learns of His voice. Not only this, but when it is the Spirit who speaks, He will not leave us with a single revelation of a matter. He will bring it to us again and again, adding well fitting pieces to the foundation which He had formerly laid.

So much is there to be learned as we walk with the Saviour - our Ladder to the heavenlies. What if perhaps He should show us this? That what pleases the Father more than anything else is simply when a believer’s heart is right before Him. Let’s say that this one had chose the wrong direction to go at times; once or twice there may have even been detrimental consequences. The fact that his heart blessed the Father will override the blunders of the man. But if one’s heart - though he be a son - is not right in the eyes of God, then it matters not how wise his decisions are. His Creator is not pleased with him.

Despite the mistakes of king David, his heart was most pleasing to the Almighty. This is why the Lord referred to him as a man after His own heart. Actually David was a man ahead of his time, understanding certain New Testament concepts in an Old Testament world. For instance, he believed in the Spirit of the law as being over the letter of the law - a thing pretty much unheard of in his day. He knew that the Spirit of the law would always meet human need and save human life, something which the letter often failed to do. Once when David and his men had gone for days without food, he entered the house of God and asked the priest for whatever showbread he had. The priest’s response (the letter) was that it was unlawful for anyone but the priests to eat of it. David pressed him. In the end David and his men ate the bread. Their dire need for food was met - end of story. Or was it the end? I like to think that the final stamp of approval was given to David about a thousand years later - and then by Christ himself. It happened one day as Jesus and His disciples walked through the grain fields. The men were hungry; and so they began to pluck the heads of grain and to eat them. It wasn’t long and they were approached by the Pharisees. These men asked why Jesus’ followers did what was unlawful on the Sabbath. This was the Lord’s response - and here’s one for David. “Haven’t you read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God and ate showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?” But how is it, that in the same breath Jesus both commended David, yet stated his actions to be unlawful? There’s no contradiction. David did act unlawfully - according to the letter of the law. However David kept a much higher law that day - the Spirit of the law. In the third chapter of II Corinthians and the sixth verse, we read of the Spirit of the law. It is always what meets human need and saves human life. And it is for this that Jesus commended David. It was His way of stating that man was not made for the law, but the law for man. In fact those were once His very words. The apostle Paul clearly let the Corinthians know that the letter of the old covenant kills, but the Spirit of the new brings life. Good for king David, a man ahead of his time, and one whose heart was truly right before God. And it was that right heart that made him who he was. He was a man after the very heart of God. Now what about us? Do we merely look to be legal in the eyes of our Creator, or do we act from out of a right heart - a heart such as David’s?

 Hear the words that the apostle Paul once wrote to Titus. “Unto the pure all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.” These words go far beyond our actions, our decisions, and even all of our good works; and they cut right through to the heart of a man. If the heart should appear polluted before God then nothing from that man can please Him - be he a son or a stranger. On the other hand, if one’s heart mirrors His own, then He is ever glad over him, always showing him the way, should he become turned around.

 I am convinced that in the church of Jesus Christ today we say one thing yet do another. Our intentions may be good but we are not quite accurate in our practice of the truth. Example: We as believers may make a statement like, Our walk is not by works but by faith. But are we saying these words merely because they are religiously correct? Probably more so than not. For the truth of the matter is that in reality we live pretty much the opposite. Our goal for the most part is to make ourselves think right thoughts; to follow that up with right behavior; and then to go on and live overall right lives before God. We’ll put it another way - works. Instead our focus should be on the heart, the spirit man, the new man born from above that Paul now recognized as the new him. We’ve read about it at the end of the seventh chapter of Romans. To walk in that man is our victory, since it is that man who is in Christ and altogether justified.

A righteous life, well lived out, is no doubt very important. However we will only begin to have success in this as our eye is on the new man and not on the one who we see in the mirror. Even then the flesh will have its moments and we will stumble and fall. But it is at this time that we must look again within, to the inner man born from above, to whom is imputed no sin. And that fact does Paul emphasize to the Romans. And so, the more we recognize the man of the heart, the more we will walk pure before our God. We then can believe what is written of us. “To the pure all things are pure.” Contrariwise, the more our eyes are upon the temporal man of this world, the more we become defiled and unbelieving in His sight. About such it is written that nothing is pure. Why? Because we have come to look to our own abilities and to trust in ourselves to do right; meanwhile the entire person grows corrupt. We’ve learned to walk in the first man, who we have been told is of the earth - Adam. However it is the second man from heaven that we must behold - Christ in us.

We need not look to the ways and the wisdom of the world; we need not lean on our flesh or on our own understanding to live right before our Maker. Simply we are called to have faith; to believe. Such things are in league with the spirit man. And it is through that man that we must daily come into communion with the Father. Here as we sit before Him and learn of Him, He directs our way. He unfolds to us in accordance with how heartily we seek. But one thing He will always bring to mind is to never cease scaling the Ladder that rises from earth to heaven; to ever go on gaining new heights in the Son. For the Son is all we need. It is in Him and no other who all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden, even as it has been written. And no doubt these treasures will be uncovered to us through ages unending. In this shadowy life upon the earth we only begin to discover them. But, Christ our Living Ladder, ascends into the heavens and beyond since He being of the Godhead is also infinite in nature. Therefore we will continue to discover through eternity the treasures that the Father has set in the Son. May our desire be kindled from heaven even now, that we may know Him who stands between heaven and earth - that we may allow His holy ones who ascend and descend upon Him to always show us of his Greatness, of his Glory, and of his Power - yes, even of the Life that is in Him.

- J. Pecoraro