Set Apart - A Time For War

What does it mean for someone to be set apart?  It means that in some way they become divided from others.  Is this a good thing?  The answer to that would depend on the reason for them being set apart.  If they are set apart from society by the courts, discovering that their new home is going to be a state penitentiary, then we know that the reason for this is not exactly one to celebrate.  People can be set apart for reasons that bring shame; or this can also be done so that they are honored for their praiseworthy contributions. 

When I was a young boy my favorite TV series was Rin Tin Tin.  There was something a little different about this show.  The thing that made it different would have never happened in real life.  A young boy Rusty, who I believe was an orphan of about ten years of age, and his dog Rin Tin Tin, had actually become part of a US cavalry troop.  Now for my favorite episode.  It began with all of the soldiers of B Company starting out to pay a visit to a band of friendly Indians they knew.  While there, an old Indian chief decided to tell Rusty about the legend of the White Buffalo.  According to the legend, appearances of him were extremely rare.  When the chief was asked by Rusty if he had ever seen this buffalo, he replied that when he was a very young boy he believed that he saw him, and that the vision was followed up by a miraculous occurrence.  It then so happened that not long after talking with the old warrior, Rusty accidentally wandered into the path of a herd of charging buffalos.  He was at a loss for what to do.  He began running but stumbled and fell.  In great fear he could only cover up his head and remain on the ground.  Then the astonishment.  The boy realized that he could no longer hear the horrifying sound of pounding hooves drawing ever more near.  He lifted his head to look.  A distance away every buffalo stood perfectly still.   Rusty was amazed.  Then he noticed that upon a ridge not too far off from where he lay there stood the White Buffalo.   I would say, and I believe that all would agree, that this was a buffalo who in more than one way stood set apart from all the rest.  Every once in a blue moon do I think back to that TV series.  When I do the only episode that I am able to recall is the legend of the White Buffalo.  And as crazy as it may sound, I can still remember the song and its lyrics that was played at the end.

Every Christian across our globe has One who stands in defense of them, even like the White Buffalo with the boy Rusty.  His name is Jesus.  And when He appears we know that every demon is halted in their tracks.  For it is Him and Him alone who has been set apart from every created thing - and this by the Father and God of us all.  But is Jesus the only One who has been set apart?  I would think not.  Many are the verses in the bible that portray every believer as becoming consecrated by Him who lives forever, the One who heaven itself cannot contain.  And since the Head of the body (Christ himself) has become the first to be perfected by the Father, then all of the remaining members of that body must follow where He leads, remembering that God has divided the children of light from the children of darkness in the world in which we live.  However, the one thing that we often forget is that if we are His children, then we have also been enlisted as His soldiers.  Every child of the Most High is not only His offspring but a soldier of a kingdom yet unseen, though seen through eyes of faith.  And because of this we do not grow weary, though tested often.  It is why Paul writes these words to Timothy: “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”  Here we are again reminded that we have become a people set apart from this world - and that by God.

“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life… .”  Strong words by the great apostle of the Faith - and how true.  The reason so many suffer defeat is because they look to embrace two kingdoms which are in direct opposition to one another - a recipe for misery.  The reason being that they will fail to receive from either one the joy and the pleasures that they seek.  Divided affections could never make for success.  It is why Jesus himself once told us to be hot or to be cold.  The words that He had for the lukewarm would surely not put a smile on their faces.  For the believer, full commitment is the key - to have both feet planted firm and deep in one kingdom.  It is the only way to discover all of the precious jewels that have been hidden in the Son.  And there is yet another way to see it.  When He hung in untold agony while the penalty of all men’s sins were being placed upon Him, then His commitment to us couldn’t have been more full.  Should He then be repaid with nothing more than our unsavory offerings?

To be separated from what is of this ever dying and temporal world - and by God himself - should cause the elect to treasure the ground on which they stand more than all things.  Why then reach out for what is vanishing more and more each day?  Could it be that our belief in the upward call is too wavering of a belief?  This will divide the affections of the Christian quicker than anything else.  Then the only answer is to give more time to spiritually based matters - matters such as burying one’s self in the scriptures; gathering together with other believers more often; or perhaps ministry involvement.  But nothing will do it like getting alone with the Master each and every day - to speak our whole mind, to praise Him for who He is, to present our petitions, to simply think on Him.  Such communion will never fail to result in both quality and quantity time, spent with the Lover of our souls.  In such meetings we will catch hold of His Spirit with every encounter.  Some say, “I’ve tried it; it’s not for me.”  Others, “I don’t have the patience for that.”  But to have an intimate time of communion, daily with our heavenly Father is not only for you but for every soul born of Him.  And patience will develop.  The apostle Paul once told us how he fought not as one who beats at the air but he disciplined himself while bringing his person into subjection; and if by this success doesn’t come as quick as we’d wish for it to, then we must stay with it until it arrives, which it will.  We have learned to wait on some things of far lesser importance, until finally we saw the light at the end of the tunnel - and these often being things that fade away.  How much more should we persevere in the matters that carry with them an eternal weight of glory?

Often have I thought of Paul’s words: “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”  It’s a passage that has never failed to stir me.  But once I was a soldier of another army.  From 1965 to 1967 I served in the U.S. Army.  I had no choice.  In those days, if you received the letter that began with “Greetings” then you automatically knew what followed.  It was time to pack your bags.  If you were nineteen, healthy, and had no college deferment,  you would soon belong to Uncle Sam.  This was all due to the fact that the Viet Nam conflict had begun raging.  If I were to be honest, I’d have to admit that Uncle Sam never became numbered among my favorite uncles.  I think it’s safe to say that almost all who were drafted back then felt the same.  It wasn’t an easy thing to be taken away from your safe surroundings and from the people you loved, so that you can travel far from home to be trained for war - and all this before your twentieth birthday.  But on another note I must say that my experience in the military served to my advantage when some years later I was called not to an earthly but a heavenly army.  Though they were different, there were more than a few similarities that they shared.  The first thing that I became aware of as a newly inducted soldier of an army of this world was that my life would now become one of discipline.  If from this I strayed there would be consequences.  Then it wasn’t very long after that I began to realize that I did not belong to myself any longer.  I was now the property of the U.S. Government.  To add, it wouldn’t be me that would choose my line of work - where I would be placed as a working member among the body of  men who would make up our unit.  This decision came from the higher-ups.  Does it all sound familiar?  And so you see, whether it be an army of the earth, or one from the world above, surely there would be things found common among them.

 The comparisons could go on but I would like to zero in on only one more.  And this will bring us back to the place where I began.  Just like the heavenly army of God has been set apart from this world, and that by His hand, so it is with those who become soldiers of the earth.  What are they set apart from?  From society about them.  As I already said, we no longer belonged to the world in which we lived, but we belonged solely to our government.  Yet many believers are offended by the idea of being separated from the rest of the world.  They may view the matter as being so heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good; or they can’t help but  connect the thought of it all to a self-righteous spirit.  Let’s quickly eliminate the first misconception.  There is no such thing as being so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good.  The more heavenly minded you are, the more earthly good you will be.  That is, if we are truly heavenly minded;  now if we are talking about walking around with our head in the clouds, that would be something different.  The reverse also holds true.  The less heavenly minded we are, the less earthly good.  Then there is the matter of a self-righteous spirit because we choose to live set apart.  No doubt there are believers who are more in touch with their own righteousness than with the righteousness of Christ.  However, that doesn’t come from our walk being apart from the world and its ways.  It comes simply from having our mind more on what we have become in the eyes of the Father, than on who the Son has forever been in His eyes.  Maturing in Him will correct this.

To live with some distance between our place in Him, and our place in this world, is of the utmost importance.  And one thing should be made clear.  The separation that the scriptures speak of is far more spiritual in nature than physical. Though at times the physical may be called for.  For this we may need discernment, which God will grant if we truly desire it and pray to that end.  However, for the most part, we are not called to live our lives physically set apart from the world.  Common sense will tell us this.  It is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians that they would need to go out of the world to never have to mingle with sinners.  But what we should be grateful for, and even revel in, is the fact that we have been set apart from this dark world in which we presently find ourselves, not in the body of our flesh but in our spirit man.  And in this we taste a little bit of heaven on earth. 

I said earlier that my experience in the military helped me when one day I surrendered my life to the Triune God.  How so?  In a few ways.  As I already told, in the army I was taught and shown the disciplined life.  Not only this, but something of that life-style carried over into civilian life with me.  And how we all know that discipline needs to be applied daily in the walk and in the warfare that we are called to in Christ.  Secondly, when upon coming to Christ I learned that I would no longer live for or belong to myself, I was not bowled over by it.  I’d already experienced this as a member of the Seventh Army, Fifth Battalion, Seventy-third Artillery.  And as far as the Lord showing me where my place would be in Him - what I would be trained for, and this by the Spirit, myself having no say in the matter, then this too I could easily accept.  Been there, done that.   Never cared for the expression but suddenly it seems to fit so well.

What it all comes down to is this.  I am no less a soldier of God on high than I am a son of that same God.  In fact, I would say that the two cannot be separated - not while there is yet an enemy to be engaged and battles to be fought.  And most certainly this holds true for all who are born from above.  The average believer is far more likely to be minded of the fact that they are a child of God, than to think of themselves as one set apart for war by Him.  But what can be more honorable than to fight for the Father’s cause?  Or what can be more noble than to lay down our lives for those He brings to us?  And what greater privilege can there be than for one to be able to choose the fully devoted life of a soldier?  Gloriously is he separated from all of the throngs of humanity, his life hidden in his God; and great is his pleasure in the sanctuary given him, its strong and high tower risen into the heavens.  Surely the apostle Paul saw this and lived it.  And no doubt it is why he could write about it as he did when he penned these words: “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” 

What is a white buffalo?  He is one who comes between the dark stampeding herds of demons and those who they seek to destroy.  To him it has been given power to demolish strongholds, world forces and wickedness in high places.  It is for him to shatter thrones and dominions, for in battle the Lord is ever at his right hand, and he himself is a weapon hidden in the right hand of his God.  Who is this one?  He is the believer.  And who is his Head?  He is the Lord.  Hear the Lord’s roar?  He leads the charge.

- J. Pecoraro

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