A Light Unto My Path: Embracing Thetruth of God's Word

© Copyright 2013 Jay R. Leach.

Cover by: Magdalene J. Leach

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture questions are from the New King James Version

of the Holy Bible, 2007 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, TN

isbn: 978-1-4907-1236-9 (sc)

isbn: 978-1-4907-1235-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013915338

Trafford rev. 08/24/2013

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Contents

SECTION 1- YOUR WORD IS TRUTH

Chapter 1       God’s Word, His [Gps]

Chapter 2       Truth or Consequences

Chapter 3       The Christian’s Treasure

Chapter 4       The Abiding Word

SECTION 2- WHAT GOD REQUIRES

Chapter 5       The Spirit Filled Church

Chapter 6       Remember Who You Are

Chapter 7       The Church’s Highest Priority

SECTION 3- TRUTH IN CHRISIS

Chapter 8       The Promise Of The Father

Chapter 9       Receving The Promise Of The Father

Chapter 10       When Power Comes To Church

SECTION 4- GIVE YOURSELF AWAY

Chapter 11       Take It To The Streets

Chapter 12       Have A Contagious Spirit

Chapter 13       Seeing Tomorrow Today

Chapter 14       Contend For The Faith

SECTION 5- TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Chapter 15       Strengthening The Right Hand Of God

Chapter 16       Everyone Must Witness

In honor of my father, the Reverend Curtis A. Leach

who set the standard high

and lived a life worthy of the prize

of the high call of God in Christ Jesus.

His shoes are too big to fill,

but hid footprints will most definitely be followed.

INTRODUCTION

But when the Helper comes, who I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from theFather, He will testify of Me. . . . . He will guide you into all truth…"

(John 15:26; 16:12)

On the Andy Griffith show one day, Opie and another boy were arguing, the little boy took three steps backward drew a line on the ground and dared Opie to cross it. Opie looked around at his friends who were nudging him on. He stepped across the line and the bully took off. Christian Philosopher Francis Schaeffer warned this nation in the 1970’s that the line had been drawn—and unless we changed as a nation, someday we would wake up and find out that the America we once knew is gone. After four decades we have all awakened to find, that day is here.

We have crossed the line, and the bully is not retreating. In fact it seems that in crossing the line we were actually duped into moving [through spiritual ignorance] down a river of no return. The institutional church in America is also being swept right along with the nation by a powerful secular media and mainstream culture that is pushing the local churches and forcing a collapse of the church culture; as they struggle with a myriad of critical issues that must be addressed in order to understand contemporary change in reality: because of rejection of Christianity for humanism, relationships, relativism, multiculturalism, the new tolerance, responsibility, racial and gender-based inequities, sexuality, spirituality and many others. This brief assessment and related shifts provide a picture of the enormous challenge facing the church today.

Many congregations and church leaders have after assessing the situation, retreated into their four walls and created church programs as substitutes for the Christ-given mission to make disciples and thy kingdom come. These churches huddle together treating anyone or anything not like them as the enemy. In abandoning their mission they have actually abandoned their real identity and reason for existence. Others have gone to another extreme; while claiming to continue the mission to make disciples, they chose to sell out to the secular culture. Their worship service is a period of entertainment with the objectives to be happy feel good and have a good time.

In 1998, when Magdalene and I founded the Bread of Life Bible Institute a Barna poll reported that 20 million born again Christians turned off by the institutional church had left the church. A recent poll increased that figure to 115 to 117 million. The prediction is that that figure will double in the next decade. Many of these Christians have found refuge in the Bread of Life and like ministries across America. As a result of this group not only are we establishing other campuses (7 in several States), but also the planting of churches (5) and networking with other restoration ministries and churches. Some of the people in the institutional church have names for us, radical, rebel, troublemaker, etc. The point is because the institutional church has given up their reason for existing; God did not change His plan. He simply made an end-run on the institutional church [where the members serve the church]—and the people (115 million) hit the streets to continue His mission to make disciples and extend His kingdom on earth. There is hope! If you want to be a part of the present move of God:

•   First, realize that the situation is beyond human strength [the flesh] to solve.

•   Second, the church must realize that Nothing is too hard for God! He has already sent the Spirit of truth to guide the church. Acknowledge Him church!

•   Third, regroup, retrain, and get rid of the access baggage of tradition and return to Christ’s grace of the Holy Spirit’s supernatural anointing, power, gifts, signs and wonders established [to continue] in the early church.

•   Fourth, return to God’s GPS, the Spirit-guided truths of the Bible to keep you on the right path.

•   Fifth, repent, and return to your Christ-given mission and reason for existing, to make disciples and extend the kingdom of God.

We must preach and teach the true gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation (1 Corinthians 15:2-3). The church must dispel the fear of the Holy Spirit through anointed teaching and training in the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: His Person, His work in the church and the world, and His work in you. Renew your minds through the truths of God’s Word and pray that every Christian come to the realization that we are a supernatural people a kingdom of kings and priests capable of great exploits in Christ Jesus (see Romans 12:1-6). Clearly, to influence the nation through the Spirit and God’s Word demands that we be vigilant in monitoring the forces of change through the eyes and power of the Holy Spirit. Only then can we receive and put in place truthful responses based on God’s Word that are helpful and not harmful; only then are we positioned to have influence for God’s glory.

A look at history reveals how other nations of the past have traveled this same path. Each once stood as the World Power just as America stands today. The Scripture informs us of their ends, and predicts what will be America’s destiny if there is no national repentance, renewal, and return to serving the Living God:

"The wicked

Shall

Be turned into

Hell,

And all the nations

That forgets God"

(Psalm 9:17).

This passage and similar ones confirm the promise of the New Testament affirmation that a day of final judgment is coming in which the righteousness of God will be displayed and the sin and wickedness of unrepentant humankind will finally receive their just punishment" (see Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 14:10, 11).

Yet, God has provided a way for the righteous to escape the coming judgment. He has given us, the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible, a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. The Holy Spirit is the Lamp and the truth of God’s Word is the Light of revelation and understanding to empower us to be able to illuminate the world’s darkness. I’m excited! My goal in writing is to help you to get on board!! A study guide is provided at the end of each chapter to aid you in walking out those truths revealed to you in this resource.

Jay R. Leach

SECTION 1

YOUR WORD IS TRUTH

Chapter 1

GOD’S WORD, HIS [GPS]

KEEPS US ON THE RIGHT PATH

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us"

(John 1:1, 14).

Jesus is Lord! He is the Word, He is the Christ, He is the Savior, and He is the Head of the Body, the Church. In these last days there are those who deny all of the above; and are fervently working with Satan to smite any and all knowledge of the same, Jesus Christ, from the public square.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him, as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts are darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping thing. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen" (Romans 1:18-25). [Emphasis is mine throughout].

The wrath of God here is not some impulsive outburst of anger aimed at people whom God is upset with or hate; but following closely behind many tragedies and major catastrophic events, this idea seems to always surface with saints and sinners alike. He is still God and He is still Sovereign! The MacAuthur Study Bible notes on Romans 1 offers two ways God reveals His wrath:

•   Indirectly through the natural consequences of violating His universal moral law.

•   Directly through His personal intervention.

Further it explains the most graphic revelation of God’s holy wrath and hatred against sin when He poured out divine judgment on His Son on the cross.

God has various kinds of wrath:

•   Eternal wrath, which is hell.

•   Eschatological wrath, which is the final Day of the Lord.

•   Cataclysmic wrath like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

•   Consequential wrath, which is the principle of sowing and reaping.

•   Abandonment wrath, which is removing restraint and letting people go to their sins (for examples of this wrath, see Psalm 81:11, 12; Proverbs 1:23-31; and also see Hosea 4:17 to pursue their sin and vv. 24-32), its consequences.¹

God has revealed Himself to humanity through the evidence from:

•   Conscience (see 1:19; 2:14).

•   Creation (see 1:20).

•   The truth of God’s Word (The Holy Bible).

Therefore through these three elements, humankind is without excuse (see 1:20).

Research reveals that Christianity in America has become more diluted, marred and spiritless with each new generation. In Christian circles many opinions and suggestions are floated in answering the [why?] for this degradation. However, the truth of this matter is spelled out in God’s Word. Scripture after Scripture proves that this lack of reverence, conformity in thought, word and deed are the results of people choosing to oppose, choosing to suppress, and choosing to resist the truths of God’s Word even unto blood in some instances.