Pursuit - Issue 43, Spring 2021

Hungry Hearts Ministries

by Marisa Shoop Contributors: Pastor Bill Shults, Evangelist Kelly McDonald, Jr., Elder Joe Perry, Eldress Kasey Perry, and Deaconess Sarah Raynor

Bill Shults Pastor

Kelly McDonald, Jr. Evangelist

Sandy Clifford Eldress Francis Story Deaconess

By Pastor Bill Shults

By Pastor Bill Shults

By Evangelist Kelly McDonald, Jr.

By Evangelist Kelly McDonald, Jr.

By Deaconess Sarah Raynor

By Elder Joe Perry

By Eldress Kasey Perry

From Pastor Bill

Jesus Christ is the reason for this season. The season of Passover is the season of Jesus dying on a cross to pay for our sin. It is the season of Jesus taking the undeserved loss to pull us out of the Lake of Fire. We do not recognize this well enough and we surely don’t thank Him enough. We can start by keeping Passover! We can start by coming to Him in the run up to Passover and telling Him what stinkers we too often tend to be. In these last days it is surely time to come clean with Jesus.

America is the single greatest nation of all time. We have been a truly fantastic force for good in this world. Nonetheless, we tolerate a lot of sin. This is not for our government to confront, but rather it is for those of us in church to sort out. We do not want our government to be the sin police. We just need to do a better job of leading sinners to repentance, as opposed to leaving them in it. We need serious teaching against sin.

There is a well known and very famous preacher advertising feel good messages on TV right now. He is preaching against “negativity.” Evidently Jesus message to “repent for the kingdom of God is at hand” is not welcome there. Who doesn’t love a “feel good” message? How about preaching against sin and I feel good because I over came them! With all of the peril in the world at large and the perils in the country as a whole, the most serious peril is weak teaching in our churches. “But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’” (1 Corinthians 14:24-25 NIV). How can any of us repent, when we fail to preach against sin? I was a stinker when I first came to church; praise God they were not too shy to preach against sin. How can we believe unless we hear? How can we change, when no change is presented? What happened to: “I came to church to learn how to become converted?” When I first got saved, we talked a lot about conversion; when did we stop? At Hungry Hearts we didn’t!

“Sin is the transgression of the Law” (1 John 3:4 KJV). Not at all meaning the law of this land, but rather meaning the Law of God. As a nation, as a Christian people, at our local churches, we need to get back into our Bibles and rediscover the faith once delivered to the Saints. The Holy Hebrew Bible is the greatest story never told. We talk about theology, when we need to talk about Bible.

We talk about right and wrong as if we could figure it out without God and His Bible. We have a cogent, thoughtful, impartial set of rules for human living that have never been tested and will never be bested. We have a breadth and depth of human experience to probe and explore for the good of everyone. The cures to our nation’s ills are all in that great book. We have to blow the dust off of it and get inside.

Why is Socialism wrong? Didn’t Jesus say to help the poor? Socialism is wrong because it is organized theft. Stealing is wrong; see also the Ten Commandments. It is no less theft if the country steals from its citizens. Jesus told people to voluntarily help the poor. Not expropriate their money and give to undeserving people. Who decides who is undeserving? That is why Jesus left it to us as individuals to decide and not to the government. Why should I or any other Christian have to subsidize rampant sin? Our loss of Bible understanding is leading our country astray. Only a return to basic Bible understanding can restore the soul of our nation.

Our churches have to lead this. We need to government to be an impartial referee of our nations laws and not the arbiter of our religions. It is time for our churches to get strong for God. It is time for our members to pray for their churches, especially for their Pastors to get strong in the Word. We also have to support them in this, even when they are pounding away at our favorite sin. It is high time for the USA to get strong for God.

Revival begins with you. Jesus wants you. He called you, and you answered His calling. He saved you by applying His blood to your life and you accepted His sacrifice. Conversion requires your participation. We have to use the Holy Spirit to overcome sin, not wallow in it. We have to use the Holy Spirit to stop bad behavior and pursue good behavior (one of the reasons for our magazine title). If we love Jesus, if we love our country, if we love our families, if we love ourselves, let’s get strong for Jesus. And, we can start with this Passover. For more information email me at Hungryheartsmin@aol.com and I’ll get you the information you need.

God Bless,

Bill Shults

By: Pastor Bill Shults

What a wild year for 2020! Who could have thought? With godlessness on the rise, America has lost her way. We need a determined return to the Holy Hebrew Bible. We need to reconnect with the Creator God.

The Bible lays out a way of life that is rewarding, industrious and caring for those in need without destroying those who produce. That way of life is based on personal human freedom. That way of life treats all of its citizens fairly and uniformly. Simple rules for a simple time? How about simple rules for all time. How about rules that re ward hard work and initiative? How about rules that feed the hungry, yet still give them an incentive to work? How about rules that bring rewards down through generations?

God laid out a very simple system of low taxation, sound money and easy to understand regulation. It was so simple the cavemen could do it. Maybe it is too simple for us. God in those first five books of the Bi ble capitalized families with a land grant. Land that could not be sold in perpetuity. Land, that even when sold, came back to the family in the fiftieth year. Why is land so import ant? Try doing anything constructive without land and a building. If your family farms, you are ready to work. If your family trades, you are ready to trade. If your family makes things, you are ready to do business. Regardless of the vocation, capital works. Everyone is now free to pursue their talents. These property rights were protected. This means no arbitrary lockdowns. This means your capital is safe from confiscation.

What we wouldn’t give for sound money now a days? Have you seen the price of bitcoin? That is a clear demonstration that we realize our money is not sound. The last time we had this was in 1979 when the Hunt brothers tried to corner the market in silver. Anything but our useless paper dollars. It was not always like

this. God set up the bi-metallic system that we used 120 years ago. God set up gold and silver for use as money. Great plan. The only problem with gold and silver is that the politicians can’t manipulate the money to run up giant debts. Or, inflate away those debts rather than pay them.

Sound money is essential for the nation and for its people. Sound money is what allows for the expansion of goods and services. If the inflation adjusted value of what I produce changes over the course of production, then how do I price my goods? Thos of us with gray hair remember the 1970’s when inflation was the scourge and the high interest rate cure was worse than the disease.

The other real need for sound money is to hold the purchasing power of savings. All money cannot be invested into the stock market, which is what they want us to do now. Some money has to be kept liquid in a safe bank. That money has to be able to earn a low return and still purchase the same amount of goods and services which it did when deposited. Inflation from uncontrolled paper money means that it will always purchase less. This is a real dis-incentive to save. Why is this a problem? Savings are the source of financial capital. We deposit our excess money for a low rate and the bank loans it out and splits the difference. This is how savings fuel economic growth. Lack of liquidity (savings) means deprivation and want all across the economy.

We are now debating tax rates again. God set them at 10%. Arthur Laffer the great economist used the curve on a graph to explain that at 0% tax rate, the government will collect no taxes and at 100% tax rate the government will collect no taxes. There is the perfect rate at which the government will collect the most taxes possible from the economy. We don’t have to guest,

God gave us the number: 10%. With a stable, low rate all of the productive people can know what they have to do. Our problem right now is that our officials do not care about extracting the most that they can from us. They want to control our behavior and they are no longer shy about telling us that. They raise our taxes to make us obey them. They are power mad.

Rather than prisons, the Bible system requires restitution. No expensive buildings, no expensive staff, no potential for abuse. You work and pay back what you took or destroyed. The other really good thing about this is that those who commit crimes are kept in the workforce and quickly rehabilitated. The Ten Commandments as explained in the Law of God is a very simple, clear set of equitable regulations. They are easy to understand: “Thou shalt not steal.” They are not burdensome. And, everyone is treated the same. No one in our government understands the regulations that they write. Those regulations are purposely written vaguely so that the regulators can enforce them against anyone they desire. Our administrative law state is completely out of control. The Covid -19 lockdowns are a perfect example. They are enforced on an ad hoc basis. The people who issue the orders do not follow them. And, right now they are being enforced against the political enemies of the governors and mayors. Who gave any of these people the power to do what they are doing?

The Ten Commandments would restore the family unit as the basic building block of our nation. “Honor your father and mother, so that your may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” How about that a commandment with a promise. How about honoring parents? It worked in the past. Are our young people too far gone to do it today? As parents, our experience can help our children. Why should every generation have to learn everything all over again from scratch? There is plenty to learn from scratch for every generation, a few things can be passed down. Besides, I kind of like that live long thing at the end! It wouldn’t hurt my feelings to enjoy a long life.

The Ten Commandments require personal responsibility from us. It is not up to the government to police our conduct; it is up to ourselves to police our own conduct before God. That’s the rub, isn’t it? We no longer want to admit that there is a God. We even less want to admit that after death He is going to judge our conduct. Nonetheless, it is true and He is going to do it. His rules are simple and easy. We could learn them quickly and live really good lives by living them. There is no reason to fear judgment by God, because we have everything we need to live up to God’s requirements.

Our United States government was based on the Ten Commandments. “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” James Madison [1778 to the General Assembly of the State of Virginia] This is one of the primary architects of the US Constitution and a member of the Convention that gave us the Declaration of Independence telling us that the Ten Commandments are the basis of our government and civilization.

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other” --October 11, 1798, John Adams. It is up to us as a people to govern ourselves. Our fundamental process of innocent until proven guilty demands a people who live by the Ten Commandments. Those who are bent on doing evil require an authoritarian government to keep them under control. Our freedoms as Americans require us to maintain ourselves in a decent and wholesome manner. Government is the cost of sin. Violent and property crimes require policing. Moral sins require social services to clean up the mess.

“I verily believe Christianity necessary to the support of civil society. One of the beautiful boasts of our municipal jurisprudence is that Christianity is a part of the Common Law. . . There never has been a period in which the Common Law did not recognize Christianity as lying its foundations.” [Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States p. 593] Justice Joseph Story It was our adherence to the Ten Commandments that made us a great nation. If we truly want to make this country great again, we have to return to the Creator God who gave us these Commandments. This is the source of our strength.

If we desire to remain a free people, then we need to return to the Ten Commandments. As our people become more and more lawless, we will continue to see our freedoms erode. As we see our people degrade both morally and criminally, it will require more and heavier policing to maintain order. As we desire more control over the lives of our fellow citizens, it will require even greater loss of our freedoms to control the populace. For more information, you can order our book Freedom Under the Law of God, in bookstores, or online at hungryheartsministry.com.

Bill Shults is the Pastor of Hungry Hearts Ministries. He also oversees the churches in Jackson, Murfreesboro and Cookeville TN and Corinth MS. Bill has also written eleven books on how to have a closer walk with Jesus Christ.

By: Evangelist Kelly McDonald, Jr.

In recent years, many Christians have taken a greater interest in Passover. Yet they often wonder what this day means and if it has any meaning for Christians.

At the end of the book of Genesis, we learn about Jacob, or Israel, and his twelve sons. God used one of his sons, Joseph, to save the nation of Egypt from a terrible famine. To show appreciation, the Pharaoh, or chief ruler, invited Joseph’s family to live in Egypt. They accepted the offer and moved.

While there, they prospered and increased in number. But as time passed, a Pharaoh came to power that did not remember Joseph. He enslaved the children of Israel. After many years of this terrible condition, God chose a man named Moses to lead the people to freedom. He sent Moses to Pharaoh with the message that he should let the people go free.

The ruler of Egypt refused every time that Moses approached him. In response, God sent plagues on the land to loosen Pharaoh’s heart. During the last plague, God sent the death angel throughout Egypt to take the firstborn of all living things.

Just before this plague, God gave the children of Israel special instructions. He commanded each family to take a one-year old lamb on the tenth day of the first month of the Hebrew calendar (Aviv or Nissan). They were commanded to kill it, put its blood mixed with hyssop on the top and sides of the door posts of their homes, and eat it in their homes on the evening of the fourteenth day. They were also to eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

When that evening came, the death angel went throughout Egypt. The first born of all living things died, including Pharaoh’s son. The Israelites were spared; they followed the Lord’s instructions. On the evening of the fifteenth of Nissan, they left Egypt. Pharaoh’s forces were then defeated in the waters of the Red Sea. God’s people were finally free!

These events are recorded in the first fourteen chapters

of the book of Exodus. They serve as the foundation for our understanding of Passover.

In Isaiah chapter 53, God foretold about one who would suffer as a lamb for the sins of many. As the early disciples watched the life, suffering, and death of Jesus, they began to realize that He was the lamb of Isaiah 53. They realized that He was greater than the lamb from Exodus because He came to suffer for the whole world (John 1:29, Acts 8:32, I Peter 1:19-20).

The end of Jesus’ earthly life occurred at Passover, which confirmed Him as the greater Lamb. “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15b). He revealed Himself as the unleavened bread which they ate every year. “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me’” (Luke 22:19). He revealed the shedding of His blood would institute the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). He also told His disciples to keep Passover in remembrance of Him.

The early disciples certainly understood this as well. They gave instructions to others about keeping Passover (see I Cor. 5:6-8, 11:17-34). Historical documents inform us that early Christians continued to keep Passover annually on the 14th of Nissan. We reviewed this history in the spring 2017 edition of Pursuit magazine.

For Christians, Passover is the annual remembrance of Christ’s suffering for our sins. His death allows us to be spared from God’s wrath; we can also leave a sinful life in the same manner that the Israelites left bondage in Egypt (Rom. 5:9-11; I Peter 2:19-24; Heb. 9:14). These events happened at Passover; He is our Passover Lamb (I Cor. 5:6-8). We follow Jesus’ words to keep the Passover every year on the 14th of Nissan in remembrance of Him. The events of Exodus foreshadowed Christ, which is much greater. With His sacrifice as the Passover, the whole world has hope (Eph. 2:11-13). This is a brief understanding of the Passover. It is followed by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is discussed later in this magazine.

By: Evangelist Kelly McDonald, Jr.

As we approach the Passover Season, it is vitally important that we take time to reflect upon our lives. We need to take account of where we fall short, ask the Lord to forgive us, and turn away from our sins. It is also crucial that we consider the suffering Jesus went through for our sins and transgressions.

Romans 3:23 reads, “for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” We have all fallen short of the glorious radiance of God’s presence. We have not lived up to His standards and thus fallen short. Jesus suffered so that we could be forgiven of our sins and given a new life.

“8 But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from the wrath of God through him. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life; 11 and not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation...” (Romans 5:8-11)

“…14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14)

We have new life because Jesus suffered for us. We have hope, love, and reconciliation to the Father. Who would want to live without these wonderful blessings? But throughout the year we fall short. We sin, express rebellion, complain, and misrepresent God’s Word. However, by God’s grace we can turn to Him, receive forgiveness, be cleansed, and walk in newness of life.

The goal of a Christian life is to grow closer to our Lord and Savior. While we make mistakes, we should learn from them and decide with our love for Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit to make the appropriate changes. There is mercy to those who forsake sinful ways.

“He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper; But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Our relationship with God can be compared to a potter working with clay. “But now, O LORD, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand” (Isaiah 64:8). This analogy is overtly made in the Prophets, but hints of it are scattered throughout the Bible. This potter-clay relationship was first described in Genesis.

“The LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed” (Genesis 2:7-8).

In these verses, the Hebrew word translated as formed is yatsar. It means to squeeze into a shape in a way similar to a potter. The Hebrew word translated as ‘dust’ is aphar, and it means dust, mud, or clay. It refers to the loose dirt on top of the ground.

The Lord took the dust of the earth and formed us. He formed us like the work of a potter. Just like clay, we are fragile. We can be easily broken or marred. However, we can also be worked in the way that the Potter desires to mold us. The Lord, our Maker, wants to mold us into the shape He originally designed for us.

Sometimes we have engrained attitudes and behaviors that have to be worked out over a period of time. Sometimes we have been disobedient and caused ourselves to be marred – so He has to sculpt us back into the proper shape. Sometimes He mars us to keep us from getting too far away from Him. Sometimes we harden up and we are difficult to work with – not because of Him but because of us. Sometimes we are pliable in His hands; His waters wash over us and keep us flexible. Sometimes others hurt us and it causes cracks.

Each of us are at a different place in God, and we must periodically examine ourselves through the lens of our

Potter-Clay relationship with God. “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith” (2 Cor. 13:5, KLV).

During the months coming up to Passover, we can examine our relationship with God using the Potter-clay analogy. It starts by self-examination and answering some simple questions.

What is your mindset toward God? Is it – “Lord, mold me after your will?” Or is it: “Lord, I want you to accept my will?” If are all honest with ourselves, we have all been hard-headed towards God at some point in lives (past or present). We can choose to be pliable in His hand and easy for Him to sculpt – or we can be difficult to work with. We cause ourselves unnecessary frustration when we tell God what we are going to do. We have a choice in this matter.

We must acknowledge that the Lord God of Israel is the Potter. We are the clay. HE forms us, not the other way around.

“9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! a pot sherd among the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?” (Isaiah 45:9).

No one can manipulate God. We often think we can do just that. What we must com prehend is that He made us. This means that He knows what’s best. We do not. It’s similar to someone who creates an invention – the inventor knows how the invention works. God already has a purpose and destiny for your life. It is better than anything you could ask for or imagine.

“Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16).

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph. 3:20).

You see, too often we limit God by telling Him what we want. What He has for us is so much greater! But we have to submit to Him; this means that we must surren-

der to the process. This is the hard part for us. We like to control our own lives according to our fleshly desires. This is destined to end in ruin. As Brother Coleman used to say, “If you will yield, He will build!”

Chasing our own desires started in the Garden of Eden with the first Adam. But through the last Adam, Jesus Christ, we can turn it around.

“14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the likeness of Adam’s transgression, who is a figure of him that was to come. 15 But not as the trespass, so also is the free gift. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound unto the

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (I Cor. 15:22).

How do we fully surrender to God? How can we make the molding process easier on ourselves? First and foremost, we must remind ourselves that Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins. This is a necessary part of preparing for Passover.

“…for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body” (I Cor. 6:20). Christ paid for us with His precious blood. He owns us now. That means our vessels – body, emotions, spirit, feelings – must be submitted unto Him. By accepting His salvation, we have surrendered the right to do whatever we want.

As Passover approaches, I encourage you to carefully read the end of the Gospel accounts. Familiarize yourself with HIS suffering for our sins. He had to go through all of that because of the times we wanted to do it “our way.” We must take culpability in His death. Our entire lives must now be put in the context of what Jesus did for us so that we could live a new life.

Secondly, we must acknowledge His authority over us. Romans 9:21 reads, “hath not the potter power over the clay” (KJV). The Greek word translated as power is exousia. It means authority, privilege, jurisdiction, or right.

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The Potter’s Hand, continued A potter has a right over the clay. In the same way, the Lord has rights over us. This is especially true since HE bought us with His own blood at Passover. He’s also a perfect gentleman, so He lets us choose. Just because the Lord allows us to make mistakes does not mean that He approves of our behavior. It means that He recognizes that we have free will to choose the right way from the wrong. The onus is on us to acknowledge His conviction and repent. He desires a willing vessel.

Ask yourself this question: Have you given Jesus Christ permission to exercise His right over you? Have you released governance of your life over to Him so He can mold you? Are you still trying to tell Him what to do?

Third, we have to let go and let GOD. One of the issues that tends to compromise our surrender to Him is holding onto things from the past. Too often we hold on to traditions, hurts, unmet expectations, unfulfilled dreams, and even preconceived notions of who we think we are and what we think our lives should look like. Biblically, many of these items are called vain imaginations. We must learn to let these things go – it is part of the process of surrender.

“…for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds); casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4-5).

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, these vain imaginations can be removed from our lives. When we let go of our pre-planned life, then we start to ask the Lord: “What do you want my life to look like?” In this step, we stop telling the potter how our clay should be handled. A lot of our confusions and frustrations come in life because we try to force our will on God. You shouldn’t imagine; you should empty yourself of selfishness and seek His will. Keep Seeking and you will keep finding (Matthew 7:7).

Fourth, rely on God’s Strength and not your own. As part of acknowledging Him as the Potter, we have to stop doing everything in our flesh. We must acknowledge our human weakness and inability to function without Him. Right after His last Passover on earth, Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

As we surrender, we have to acknowledge that we are not strong; we must take in from Him to live. Here are

some more verses to guide you (Proverbs 3:5-6, Zechariah 4:6, 2 Cor. 12:5-10).

What appears to be a set-back in our carnal minds can be turned into a boost forward when we let His Spirit work. We need Christ’s willpower within us activated. “And he went forward a little, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39).

Sometimes we must allow ourselves to become weak to God so that His strength can manifest. The moment where Jesus was in agony in the Garden, He chose surrender and the will of the Father.

Next, check your commandment keeping inwardly and outwardly. The Commandments of God assist in shaping our vessel into proper form. Then with that formed clay we are supposed to go forward to do acts of service for His Kingdom. All humans are made of clay – but our clay is supposed to stand out in the way it looks. It should be fashioned after the commandments of God.

In the New Covenant, this also includes the inner parts, which only God can see. So there’s the formation of clay everyone can see and there’s the formation of clay that no human can see, but God can. “that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man” (Ephesians 3:16)

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus gave us some examples of how we are supposed to inwardly conduct ourselves in the commandments of God. That was a sample from which we can look at all of them for inner application. We have to let God work on the inside of us. Some people only work on the outward person. This makes him/ her look to others like the clay God desires, but on the inside they are hollow.

Sixth, check your Kingdom Service. What is your purpose in God’s Kingdom? The other half of Romans 9:21 reads, “from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?” Some people will be shaped by the Lord into vessels of honor; others will be made into vessels of dishonor. This is true even though they come from the same lump. While works cannot earn salvation (Eph. 2:8-10), they do determine your reward. In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus said that some will be called greatest and some will be called least in the Kingdom of God. Works and teachings were the key details that separated the groups (see also Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 19:11-27).

Sometimes we are holding the standard of His commandments and we have let go of our past, but we still haven’t fully surrendered in the area of Kingdom service. This can cause our clay to be misshaped even just a little bit because of our neglect. It can keep you from being shaped into the vessel of the highest honor possible. There are plenty of areas to serve in the Kingdom of God. We will have articles about this in future editions of Pursuit magazine.

Among the items where you can help: greeting people when they come to church, setting up the meeting hall/ preparing it for services, cleaning up the meeting hall, teaching the word, stewarding teachings by helping others practically apply them; writing; sharing truth on social media; inviting people to services; passing out magazines trifolds or other literature; praying for the needs of the church (including but not limited to, leaders, outreach, new people to surrender to God, and so forth). The list goes on and on! There are plenty of ways to build reward.

Last, but not least, some people are a broken, marred vessel because of abuse from others or a situation that occurred out of his/her control. “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the LORD delivereth him out of them all” (Psalm 34:18-19).

The Hebrew word translated as broken is shavar. It means broken to pieces or broken apart. The Hebrew word translated as saves is Yasha (it is the root word for Jesus’ Hebrew name Yeshua). It means to be saved, delivered, freed, rescued or in a wide/safe place. The word contrite is dakka; it means to be crushed to powder or dust.

If you find yourself in a place where you feel broken because of things that happened to you, remember that the Lord is close to you. Sometimes circumstances or other people’s poor decisions crush you. God has an answer for your situation!

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Bring your brokenness or shavar and dakka to Him. He will not reject that sacrifice. He can then put you back together. He is the only one who can do it.

Broken people must avoid a potentially dangerous situation; they sometimes allow others to put them back together. Said another way – it is dangerous to look to others to complete you. Only God can put you back together – He is the sole source of life. He certainly can

use other people to help you, but you must not look at other people to be your Savior.

Give your broken pieces to the Lord. You thought your crushing was the end of you, but it was the foundation for God to build you back the way that pleases Him. A pile of dust can have water added to it and be formed into whatever the Potter desires.

You may read this article and decide that you have a combination of issues to deal with. Sometimes people who are broken/hurt withdraw from serving God. Sometimes they sinned and it resulted in brokenness. Ask yourself the following questions:

1) Am I a broken mess because of sin, rebellion, or a lack of repentance? Then follow the steps of repentance outlined in Psalms 31 and 51. Acknowledge the Lord’s righteousness; acknowledge your failure to live up to that, which we call sin, and your rebellion, and ask Him to put you together again.

2) Am I going through cycles? Said another way: Do you seem to be on the verge of breakthrough and then suddenly face frustration? More likely than not, you are trying to shape your life in a way that is out of God’s will. The general course of your like is not where it

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Hungry Hearts Ministries

One of the purposes of Hungry Hearts Ministries is to provide resources for believers to learn more about Jesus (or Yeshua, in Hebrew), and His word, the Bible.

We believe that the Bible is truth and that living according to Torah is the beginning of this truth, which allows us to grow spiritually These resources are designed to facilitate this growth.

Holy Time with God

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath,” are Jesus’ own words about the amazing gift He has given us each week. We get to rest from our work, and rest in Jesus. Keeping the Sabbath, and keeping it Holy is the fourth commandment. Discover how to be obedient to that command, and to cultivate the appreciation of the gift of the Sabbath. Your Christian walk will never be the same.

Pastor Bill Shults has been serving the Lord as a Sabbath-keeper for 34 years. He is the Founder of Hungry Hearts Ministries with seven churches in the USA and missions overseas. The ministry hosts a variety of feast celebrations in Tennessee. He is also a gifted author of books, articles, and pamphlets.

In addition to our quarterly Pursuit magazine, we offer:

• Books and CDs available through our website and Amazon

• Free Booklets available through our website in PDF format or in print, by request

• Sabbath Sermons available live on RevMedia every Saturday at 3pm/4pm Central/Eastern and later on Youtube

God’s Plan of Salvation in the Holy Days

God’s Plan of Salvation brings hope during life’s trials and challenges. This plan is best understood by studying The Lord’s feast days, as outlined in Leviticus 23. Learn the prophetic meanings of the feasts as well as the spiritual significance of each celebration. Find out how God’s plan will unfold, and the role you will have in it.

Evangelist Kelly McDonald, Jr. currently serves at the President of the Bible Sab bath Association (BSA) in addition to a variety of roles at Hungry Hearts Ministries. He is a prolific author of books, articles, and blogs. He has been preaching for 13 years and is available to speak at your church upon request.

Hanukkah reminds me that no effort is too great when it comes to guarding His Truth. It reminds me to be grateful for those who have loved The LORD and demonstrated courage in protecting His Word and His Ways for generations who were to follow.

Kasey Perry Eldress

Hanukkah is celebrating Jesus being The Light of the World, and sharing that joy for eight nights. We have it all--fire, faith, family, friends, food, fun, fellowship, and a future--because of Jesus, and Jesus is what it’s all about.

Studying about and celebrating Hanukkah awakened me to the Truth that GOD was not silent for 500 years between the OT & NT as I was taught growing up. He was, as He remains, alive and well & working in those who love and obey Him, working miracles against each attempt against His people by the prophesied Anti-Christs, of which there will be a final one that is closer than many realize.

Raynor Deaconess

Jill Pettis Deaconess

Sarah

The Potter’s Hand, continued needs to be. Surrender fully to His will; don’t dictate it to Him.

3) Am I being gently corrected by the Lord? When you are generally walking the right way with the Lord, you will receive gentle correction here and there. If this is the case, stay humble and listen to His voice. Make changes as He reveals them – His hand will gently smooth you out.

4) Am I broken because others have wounded and hurt me? When a person is going through this situation, then he/she usually faces a lot of condemnation. You will have feelings that you are never good enough or that you can never measure up. Give your brokenness to the Lord and He will make it beautiful. “to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3)

The Hebrew word translated as ashes is epher. It is the root word for aphar meaning the dust from Genesis. Acknowledge to Him that you cannot figure it out on your own; you cannot go forward without Him. Acknowledge that He’s the only one that can fix you. Acknowledge that He will make you whole and give you freedom. Give Him your mourning and heaviness – you will receive joy and praise! This will help you to go forward.

Conclusion

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves” (2 Cor. 4:7).

The Spirit of God within us is the Treasure within our clay vessel. The goal of this treasure is to display HIS GREAT POWER and that IT IS OF HIM – not us. We think we have all this control over ourselves. We try to exercise our might over our clay and treasure. It only causes us confusion. The great power comes from Him, and it will allow us to defy the tides of worldliness and godlessness around us.

The best attitude we can have towards God is surrender. That will make the process of molding much easier. This physical treatment of clay corresponds to how we are spiritually stretched and pushed beyond our limits by God.

As the Lord, the Potter, molds us there will be times we are stretched, contracted, and bent in an uncomfortable

position. Sometimes the clay must rest. It is a necessary part of Him forming us into who HE made us to be. We must remind ourselves that HE’s the maker. He knows what He intended for your life to look like. If we yield to that purpose, then the end result will be so much greater than what we could ever dream or realize. He paid the ultimate price; He owns us.

When we are going through a hard time with our clay, we can be tempted to look at other people. We tend to think that they are the reason that our lives are not going the way that we would like. We need to look at ourselves first and foremost. It all goes back to the heart of Passover. We have to accept our culpability in Jesus’ death – and acknowledge our stubbornness to submit to Him. We are our biggest impediment.

I have definitely experienced this process of the potter-clay relationship between God and myself over my life. Up until I fully surrendered to God starting in 2006, I told Him I would be everything but what He planned for me: “Baseball player”; “Lawyer”; “College Professor.”

I faced disappointment, heartbreak, and unpleasant memories. I was marred, crushed, and reshaped. I was trying to tell the potter what I was going to be instead of letting Him form me into what I want. Before the summer of 2006, I used to tell God I would never be a minister, sell insurance, and a slew of other things. When I surrendered things got so much better. I allowed Him to shape me according to His will. Our lives will be so much more fulfilling when we do this.

In all of this, we must also learn to recognize the Potter’s hand. This requires a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you see, know, consider, and understand when the Lord’s hand is acting? Or is it strange to you?

We are usually too caught up in our own drama, drama with other people, or distractions to recognize that the Lord’s hand is at work and WHAT the LORD’s hand is doing. If you are obeying Him, then we should perceive all the shaping He is doing to prepare you for His will. It could be preparation for the next season, assignment, and future purpose for your life. Learn to see progress when He is at work on our clay, whether it appears that way or not.

The Lord has steady hands – He won’t fail or make a mistake like a human potter would. However, we must be in tune with the Potter’s hand to know which area of our lives need His affection or correction. We must be in tune with...

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Life’s wisdom tells us that we need to earn our daily bread and warns us to not take bread out of people’s mouths as well as to know which side of our bread is buttered. Biblical wisdom tells us to break bread in fellowship (Acts 2:42, 20:7; 1 Corinthians 10:16), warns that man cannot live on bread alone (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4), and not to eat the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27).

No matter how you slice it, there are many bread idioms in our culture. That is not surprising because bread is the most essential food for human survival.

Bread is a staple in the Bible as well. In fact, one sev en-day feast, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, is about eating a particular kind of bread. Outside of Judaism, this feast is not as well-known as the feast that immediately precedes it, which is Passover.

Instructions to keep Passover and the Feast of Un leavened Bread appear in four of the five books of Torah. These references can be found in Exodus (12:1-17), Leviticus (23:4-8), Numbers (9:1-14), and Deuteronomy (16:1-8).

Unleavened bread is bread made without a leavening agent. Leavening agents make bread rise, and the oldest leavening agent is yeast.

The Hebrew word for unleavened bread is matzah. In Hebrew, the letters started out as symbols, and those symbols give us insight into further defining the word. Matzah is spelled with three Hebrew letters, mem (water or chaos), tsadeh (harvest, need, pull towards, or desires), and hey (behold, show, or Holy Spirit).

These letters give us the physical formula for matzah.

By: Deaconess Sarah Raynor

If you mix water (mem) and harvest or flour from grain (tsadeh), behold (hey), you get matzah.

There are always multiple meanings in Scripture, and Hebrew reflects this as well. There is a spiritual formula revealed by the letters spelling matzah as well. Chaos (mem) desires (tsadeh) the Holy Spirit (hey). There is an innate desire built into humans to seek the divine by seeking a relationship with Jesus.

Most Biblical translations define unleavened bread as the bread of affliction (Deuteronomy 16:3). This is because that is the kind of bread that the Israelites took with them during their exodus from Egypt. They did not have time to let their bread rise before they left, so they hastily made unleavened bread without yeast. This leads to a lot of Rabbinic thought about remembering the affliction of the Israelites and an emphasis on doing without bread made with yeast during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

While we are commanded to not eat bread made with yeast during the Feast of Unleavened Bread and to remove all leaven from our homes, I want to examine the idea that unleavened bread is the bread of affliction and the emphasis on doing without.

Affliction, according to the dictionary means “the state of being afflicted; a state of pain, distress, or grief. The cause of continued pain of body or mind, as sickness, losses, calamity, adversity, persecution” (Webster).

When the Israelites left Egypt, were they afflicted? Well, they took the spoils of Egypt with them when

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Biblical Archeology Corner:

Pontius Pilate

By: Elder Joe Perry

He is one of the central figures in the saga of Yeshua’s death and burial; yet little is known of the life of Roman government official Pontius Pilate. What we do know comes mainly from three sources; the Bible; Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews and Wars of the Jews); and Philo (Legatio ad Gaium). Of these writings, Josephus gives the most information and is more reliable than Philo while the Bible deals almost solely with Pilate’s encounter with Yeshua.

Nothing is known of Pilate’s early life. Judging from his government position in the gospels, it probably occurred before 1 B.C. His birthplace is also unknown though Italy is a likely location. The meaning of his name is uncertain. “Pontius” may be connected with a bridge, while “Pilate” may refer to being armed with a javelin. Matthew’s gospel (Matt 27:19), shows that Pilate was married, but no source indicates that he had children.

Pilate’s career track is also a mystery, but he probably held some civil and/ or military posts before being appointed prefect of Judea in 26 A.D. His area of authority included Judea, Samaria, the ancient kingdom of Archelaus, and extended east to the Dead Sea and south to Gaza. For many centuries it was thought his position was that of procurator as noted by the ancient historian Tacitus. However, an inscription bearing Pilate’s name was discovered at Caesarea Maritima that set the historical record straight. The inscription indicates he was actually a prefect. A procurator deals with financial matters, while a prefect is an official that handles military affairs. There would not be a procurator in that area of the Roman Empire until the reign of Claudius.

Pilate’s years as prefect in Judea would be tumultuous. He had a knack for antagonizing both the Jewish reli-

gious authorities and the people. Josephus relates that when moving Roman soldiers from Caesarea to Jerusalem, Pilate had his legionaries put icons of Caesar on their standards. This caused uproar in Jerusalem as the Torah expressly prohibits the making of images. He knew very well what he was doing, for the images were brought into the city and set up at night so they would be a fait accompli when the inhabitants discovered them in the morning. This flagrant violation of Torah caused six days of Jewish protests. Fed up with their insolent behavior, Pilate sat in judgement and ordered his soldiers to surround the crowd. The people were given the choice to desist or die. Whereupon they flung themselves to the ground to indicate they chose death rather than submit to transgression of their laws. “Pilate was deeply affected by their firm resolution to keep their laws inviolable, and presently commanded the images to be carried back from Jerusalem to Caesarea” (Josephus, Antiquities, Bk xviii, chap iii, sec 1).

Much like the Seleucid ruler Antiochus Epiphanes, Pilate was persistent in stirring up the Jews by his disregard for their religious beliefs. Unlike Antiochus, his attempt to flaunt civil authority quickly collapsed when faced with religious opposition. Although his authority over everyone except Roman citizens was absolute, Pilate was forced to walk a narrow path in his dealings with the Jews because they had been granted a degree of liberty and self-government. For instance, the Sanhedrin meeting at Jerusalem was allowed to wield the power to make judicial decisions. This made Judea a very difficult province to govern.

Continuing his reign of poor judgement and stubbornness in attempting to exert his authority, Pilate next seized the Corban money from the Temple treasury in order to build an aqueduct. The Jews reacted to this act

“History has not been kind to Pontius Pilate.

Philo of Alexandria, quoting Agrippa ‘I, called attention to “his corruption,...insolence,...his habit of insulting people, his cruelty, and his continual murders of people untried and uncondemned, and his never-ending, gratuitous and most grievous inhumanity.’”

of sacrilege by rioting. This time Pilate did not heed the wishes of his subjects and instead quelled the riot by using force. His soldiers killed many rioters. The aqueduct was then built with the confiscated Corban.

Luke records an incident of violence against the Galileans sanctioned by the Roman prefect: “There were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices” (Luke 13:1). This is apparently another incident of Pilate’s zeal in ruthlessly suppressing Jewish resistance.

Pilate’s rule as prefect would last for ten years. It would not end well for him. His downfall came about when a Samaritan put forth a claim that Moses had buried treasure relating to the Tabernacle on Mt. Gerizim. This was obviously a false supposition because Moses had never crossed the Jordan River and could not have visited Mt. Gerizim. Nonetheless, a large number of Samaritans gathered at the foot of the mountain to conduct a search for the purported treasure. Pilate had been informed of their assembly and seeing that they had unwisely armed themselves, grew concerned that a rebellion was underway. The Roman legionaries were ordered in to put down the supposed insurrection and many Samaritans were slaughtered. This ended an incident that was no real threat to Roman rule.

Pilate had by now managed to antagonize the Judeans, Galileans and Samaritans. He had killed so many people with this last incident that the Samaritans filed an official protest with Vitellius, who was the Roman governor of Syria and Pilate’s superior. Vitellius stripped Pilate of his position and had him sent back to Rome to face trial and the judgement of Emperor Tiberius. Pontius Pilate’s ten-year reign as prefect was over.

To Pilate’s benefit Tiberius died on March 16, 37 A.D., while the ex-prefect was still on his way to Rome. The historical record indicates that he was never brought to trial. What did happen to Pilate is unclear. A number of accounts would be written over the next few centuries making different claims for Pilate’s fate. One spurious account, the Acta Pilati or Acts of Pilate, claimed that the former prefect eventually confessed that Yeshua was the Son of God! Another of those books proclaimed that Pilate was martyred and this apparently led the Coptic church to declare him a saint! They celebrated his feast day every June 25.

Eusebius may have come closer to the truth. He wrote that Pilate was exiled to Vienne in Gaul and there committed suicide. Professor Johannes G. Vos, who has studied Pilate’s life and the writings about him, concurs that it is likely that Pilate committed suicide, though not

necessarily in Gaul. Whatever his eventual fate it seems that Pilate never again held high office.

Of course the reason Pilate is studied at all is because of his relationship with Yeshua Messiah. The facts of the encounter are well known and will not be repeated here. However, one can see that Pilate earns no plaudits with his handling of Yeshua’s case. Holding the authority to condemn Yeshua to death, Pilate attempted to pass the decision on to Herod who sent him back (Luke 23:612). Pilate then tried literally to wash his hands of the whole affair (Matt 27:24). Yet it’s a futile gesture as Yeshua’s fate is ultimately his responsibility.

While he professes to be afraid of causing a rebellion by releasing Yeshua, we have shown that he had no qualms about using violence to subdue riotous crowds in the past and would do so again when dealing with the Samaritans some years after Yeshua’s death. Instead of facing down the mob, he sentenced Yeshua unjustly to a horrible death by crucifixion (John 19:16).

Professor Vos characterizes Pilate as being extremely callous as he did not prevent his soldiers from going to extremes when inflicting pain and suffering on Yeshua;

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Bust of Pontius Pilate, The Collector

By: Eldress Kasey Perry

In Luke 7:36-50, we see one of the most beautiful, humble, and heartfelt demonstrations of love. The account details that the immoral woman, who poured out her love on Yeshua, was ill thought of and not accepted in the “better” social circles of the time. Still, she had come in search of Yeshua, and the almost certain disapproving stares were inconsequential. We don’t know if this was possibly her second encounter with Yeshua and she was returning to show her overwhelming gratitude, or if she had heard that he could change her life and she was there to ask for mercy and forgiveness and prepared to lavish her thanks for this chance to start anew.

Here is what we do know. Yeshua was invited to dinner at the house of a Pharisee, Simon, one who was not a Believer—though he calls Yeshua, Teacher. It is very likely that this dinner was another ploy to “catch” The Lord in a mistake or to “trip Him up”. Yeshua accepted the invitation, arrived at the home, and reclined in the dining area.

For the more affluent persons of this time, it was customary to dine in a reclined position. The usual arrangement was to have three couches that sat at an incline and in the shape of a “U”. If you were to view this setting from the open end of the “U”, the host would be seated on the left and the most honored guests seated near the host. The lesser the guest’s status, the farther he would be seated from the host, moving around the “U”. Another seating idea was for the honored guest to be seated at the middle couch, looking toward the open end, as this would usually face the garden or a pleasurable view, and the guest would still be close to the host. Food would be served to the guests from a low table in the center of the “U”. Regardless of where Yeshua was placed, He was close enough to His host for the Pharisee to see what this woman was doing.

Yeshua comments in this passage indicate that He was not treated as a truly honored guest when He arrived, and the woman’s actions placed this discourtesy in a glaring light. It was normal to show hospitality to a guest by providing water for their feet when they entered the house. Often, a servant would take care of

washing for the guest. This Pharisee didn’t have a servant wash Yeshua’s feet, nor did Simon give Him a bowl of water, so He could clean His own. Another customary act of hospitality was to provide oil or anoint a guest entering the home. It was a way of showing them that they were welcome. Yeshua did not receive this welcome either, as He noted. It definitely feels as though Simon was delivering something of a slight.

Simon is well aware of his own status and position; it can be heard in his condescending and disdainful thoughts regarding both Yeshua and the woman (vs 39). Yeshua knows Simon’s thoughts, and He relates the parable of the forgiving moneylender. He also used this event to make note of the lack of hospitality shown Him. This is an act of love toward Simon. Through the parable and pointing out his poor behavior, Yeshua shows Simon that he too could be forgiven. It is meant to show Simon that he was not above the woman, as he thinks, but Simon offers no apology. This reflection of Simon’s heart presents a stark contrast to the woman washing Yeshua’s feet.

Whether Yeshua was sitting next to Simon or at the center table, His reclining position would have made it easy for this woman to reach his feet and provide Him with this loving act. She stepped in and acted where Simon failed, and she did so wholeheartedly. When she was finished, His feet had been washed, kissed, and anointed, and He had been given love, gratitude, and respect in front of everyone present. This woman was selfless in her mission.

It isn’t clear whether this woman had encountered Yeshua prior to the dinner. However, it is interesting that when Yeshua speaks about her sins to Simon, He says, “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much…” (vs 47) And to her, he says, “Your sins have been forgiven.” When we read other accounts of forgiveness, Yeshua usually states their forgiveness in present tense, i.e., your sins are forgiven. Perhaps she was so overwhelmed by His forgiveness and an earlier life-changing encounter that day that she returned home to retrieve the perfume

and set out to find Him so she could thank Him with as much extravagance as she could manage. This may seem speculative, but it is possible.

She clearly entered the room already crying. I have often wondered how many tears it took to wash his feet. Had she been collecting them in a tear bottle prior to entering this home? There is so much we don’t know. We have no idea how dirty Yeshua’s feet were, but it didn’t matter to her. What was not on His feet was her priority, not what was in her hair. I wonder why she stood behind Him. Was it because the bottoms of His feet were dirtier? Was it because she knew her shame and would not position herself where she could meet His eyes? Was it because of the cultural norms? Who knows. We do know she was humble in her act of love for The Master. We know He had forgiven her, and He tells her that her sins have been forgiven. She saw the stark difference between the woman she was known to be and the opportunity that had been opened up to her by Yeshua—her new life, and she loved much!

Do we? Do we love much? There’s the question of the day. We come to Him broken and dirty, full of shame and unable to stand; we are basically dead (Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:1). But He doesn’t leave us like this. That is His love. Just like He heals the physical conditions, He heals us on the inside as well. How many times do we read the account of a physical healing followed by words like, “…go and sin no more?”

His word washes us. It tells us how to live our lives effectively and with joy. In John 15, Yeshua is talking to His disciples and explaining that we must remain in Him if we are to thrive and produce. In verse three, he tells them, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” His Word removes our dirt and stains. Our salvation means that because of His mercy and grace we are forgiven, and we are to separate ourselves from the sinful acts in our lives. This requires staying in Him and staying in His Word. With every sinful habit we agree to remove from our life (our active participation is required), we are being transformed. In order to do this, we have to be able to identify sin. I John 3:4 says, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” Here we have our definition. God’s law was given for us; it guides and teaches us. This has not changed, and His expectation for how we live a holy, righteous life has not changed. Make no mistake – Yeshua’s Bride will be holy and righteous.

Yeshua gave Himself for us and gave us His Holy Spirit, so we can be overcomers. In Ephesians 5:25-27, Paul writes to husbands about how they should love their

wives, holding up Yeshua and The Church as an example. He delivers this beautiful picture. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” This should be our goal: holy and blameless. We get here by accepting Yeshua Messiah as our Savior, and then we live an ever-changing life because we are constantly washing ourselves in His Word.

In John 14:15, Yeshua states, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” We have to take an honest look, and ask—Do we? Do we love much? Sadly, when Yeshua tells about the end of the age in Matthew 24:12, He says, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” He has warned us; increased lawlessness/sin equals decreased love. We must walk out our lives by living according to His Ways, His Laws and His Commandments. As we learn from this changed woman, we must love much!

References

Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible. Revised Ed. Spiros Zodhiates. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2008. Print. Perkins, B., 2020. The Last Supper: Who Sat Where? - Compass International. [online] Compass International. Available at: <https://compass.org/the-last-supper-who-sat-where/> [Accessed 1 November 2020].

The Potter’s Hand, continued His Spirit to know which area needs yielding to Him. Our service comes in degrees; let’s not settle for good or better. Let’s walk in the best.

“And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

God declared that the works of our hands are blessed when we obey Him (Deut. 2:7). Don’t you think that you and I –the work of His perfect hands – should also be blessed? Do you know His hand? I encourage you to have such an intimacy with Him that you know His hand on your life. This is especially true as we eat Unleavened Bread as the token of becoming one with Him.

“26 Help me, O LORD my God; Oh save me according to thy lovingkindness: 27 That they may know that this is thy hand; That thou, the LORD, hast done it” (Ps 109:26-27).

Unleashing the True Feast Continued

they left (Exodus 3:21-22, 12:35-36). That does not match the affliction definition.

When the Israelites left Egypt, they did take food, and they had bread made without yeast. It was fairly common for people to serve unleavened bread, particularly when unexpected guests arrived (Genesis 19:3). Unleavened bread was used during the ordination of Aaron (Exodus 29:23), and it comprised some of the bread before the Lord (1 Chronicles 23:29). Bread without yeast was part of the offering that someone completing their Nazarite vow would bring to the priest (Numbers 6:15-16, 19). Gideon offered unleavened bread to the Lord (Judges 6:19-20). The medium who fed King Saul, made him bread without yeast (1 Samuel 28:2425).

These examples show that unleavened bread was used as offerings to the Lord, in the Lord’s service, to serve a King, and honored guests. Therefore, there is nothing in these examples that associates affliction with unleavened bread.

Once the Israelites ran out of their unleavened bread they brought with them when exiting Egypt, the Lord provided food for them, manna, bread from heaven, and also meat in the form of quail (Exodus 16, Numbers 11). The Lord even gave the Israelites a double portion on Friday so that they could rest on the Sabbath. Although they grumbled against the Lord, the Israelites were given abundant provisions which they only had to gather and cook. They had spiritual food set before them (1 Corinthians 10:1-4), and they did not have to grow or mill their wheat. This does not sound like affliction.

So when were the Israelites afflicted? They were afflicted when they were in slavery in Egypt. When have we been afflicted? When were in slavery to sin (John 8:31-36; Romans 6:6-7, 16-22; Galatians 5:1, Titus 3:3).

Throughout the Bible, yeast is metaphorically used to represent sin because yeast puffs up bread like pride puffs up a person. Jesus warned against the yeast of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees (Matthew 16:6, 11-12, Mark 8:15, Luke 12:1) as well as the yeast of Herod (Mark 8:15). Paul also taught that sin spreads like yeast (1 Corinthians 5:6); this reminds us that “a little yeast grows through the whole lump (Galatians 5:9).

The opposite is true as well. When we have been forgiven of our sins, then we are called unleavened. “Purge

out the old yeast, that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened” (1 Corinthians 5:7). We can only be made unleavened by someone who is already unleavened: Jesus.

In fact, Jesus tells us multiple times about who he is, and how he can provide us with spiritual food. Jesus taught, “Most certainly, I tell you, it wasn’t Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world” (John 6:32-33).

Jesus explained, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).

And just so we really get this point, Jesus repeats this ever-important message a few verses later saying, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:48-51).

These repetitive messages about Jesus giving us eternal spiritual food follow right after he has fed the multitudes physical food. The Bible talks about two different times that Jesus miraculously fed a large gathering of people. Jesus fed 5,000 men near Bethsaida (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-16; John 6:115) and 4,000 men in the region of Gerasenes (Matthew 15:29-39; Mark 8:1-9). In the first feeding, the region was Jewish and there were 12 baskets of leftovers symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel while in the second feeding, the region was Gentile and there were seven baskets of leftovers symbolizing completeness and the seven days of creation (Harvey). The good news is that Jesus came to feed everyone!

Since Jesus was certainly afflicted and suffered greatly when He died on the cross for our sins, and we are now like Him, it may be more appropriate to translate the bread of affliction in Deuteronomy 16:3 as the bread of His affliction (Parsons). If we are joining Jesus since we have been transformed by His righteousness, then eating unleavened bread is something that we get to do. It is an honor for us to partake of this kind of bread! The focus should be on us celebrating Jesus, and that He has delivered us rather than the suffering that happened in the past.

In fact, there is a supernatural blessing that comes from

eating unleavened bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The amount of bread we consume during this feast is symbolic of how much we want of Jesus in the upcoming year (McDonald, p50). Don’t you want more of Jesus?

Under the renewed covenant, we have the example of Jesus keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1). If we are going to follow Jesus, wouldn’t we want to do what He did?

Jesus raised the bar on keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread when He taught on earth. Instead of just keeping the physical commands of not eating yeast for seven days, or having yeast in our homes, Paul told us how to spiritually approach the feast. “Therefore let’s keep the feast, not with the old yeast, neither with the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8).

If we can keep the physical and spiritual aspects of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as well as all of His commands, then Jesus promises a reward: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows but he who receives it” (Revelation 2:17).

Feasting on Jesus is the greatest thing since (and before) sliced bread!

References

All Bible verses are from Kingdom Life Version: Old and New Testaments with Text Notes and Words of Jesus in Red Letters, 1st Edition, Public Domain. Harvey, Ted. “What’s the Difference Between the Feeding of the 4,000 and the 5,000?” www.somersethillsbc.org, 15 November 2020. Web.

McDonald, Jr., Kelly. God’s Plan of Salvation in the Holy Days. Hungry Hearts Ministries, July 2015. Parsons, John J. “Unleavened Bread: Partaking of the Bread of His Affliction.” www.hebrew4christians.com. 15 November 2020. Web.

Webster, Noah. American Dictionary of the English Language. Webstersdictionary1828.com/ Dictionary/afflication, 15 November 2020, Web.

a man Pilate claimed to be innocent and then had executed. About the only decent thing he did in the whole affair was to agree to let Joseph of Arimathea bury Yeshua’s body (John 19:38). During his questioning of Yeshua, Pilate rhetorically asked “what is truth” (John 18:38)? Sadly, he did not understand that Truth was standing before him.

History has not been kind to Pontius Pilate. Philo of Alexandria, quoting Agrippa I, called attention to “his corruption,...insolence,...his habit of insulting people, his cruelty, and his continual murders of people untried and uncondemned, and his never-ending, gratuitous and most grievous inhumanity”.

(Johnnes Vos quoting from Philo, Legatio ad Galum). Though Philo is exaggerating here, Pilate did at times display the ruthlessness that was a highlight of the Roman governmental system. His handling of the charges brought against Yeshua showed the misuse of his power of life and death over people. It was not the first such incident. It would not be the last. Eventually it would lead to his recall to Rome, the stripping of his power and influence, and the condemnation of history.

Addendum

As noted above an archaeological finding of an inscription that mentions Pilate’s name was discovered at Caesarea Maritima. The rough translation with missing parts in brackets reads: “[Po]ntius Pilate, [pref]ect of Jud[e]a, [made and d]e[dicated] Tiberieum to the [divine August]us.” This inscription was a dedication plaque to a building apparently known as the Tiberieum. The stone was later found by archaeologists in the old Herodian theater that had been remodeled to hold nautical games. It was being used as a step embedded in a staircase. Thus this recycling fortuitously preserved the inscription to show the historicity of a prominent Bible figure and to clarify his governmental position as that of prefect.

References

New American Standard Bible. Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible. Chattanooga, Tennessee, 2008.

Notley, R.Steven.” Pontius Pilate: Sadist Or Saint.” Biblical Archaeological Review, July/August, 2017.

Vos, Johnnes G. “Pontius Pilate.” The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia Of The Bible. Vol 4. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1976.

Whiston, William trans. Josephus, Complete Works. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1960.

I’m thankful for my Savior Who conquered sin and the grave. Rewarded eternal life! I praise my dear Yeshua, Tasting the bread of freedom: Matzah.

I am thankful for my Christ Who freed me from slavery. The chains of sin are broken! I revere my Yeshua, Eating the bread of freedom: Bread sans yeast.

I am thankful for my Lord Who rested from Your labor. Your Sabbath reigns forever! I glorify Yeshua, Consuming bread of freedom: Unleavened bread.

By: Deaconess Sarah Raynor

I am thankful for my God Who removes heavy burdens. Your yoke is easy and light! I celebrate Yeshua, Enjoying bread of freedom: Spiritual manna.

I am thankful for my Priest Who heals my sickness and pain. Transformed by Your righteousness! I magnify Yeshua, Savoring bread of freedom: My abundant portion.

I am thankful for my King Who teaches Your perfect Law. Great shalom is in Your truth! I proclaim my Yeshua, Chewing on bread of freedom: Provision by providence.

I’m thankful for my Bridegroom Who is my hope and my light. My spirit is one with You! I honor my Yeshua, Feasting on bread of freedom:

2021 Holy Day Schedule

Passover

Unleavened Bread

Pentecost

March 27th*

March 28th-April 3rd

May 16th

Trumpets September 7th

Atonement September 16th

Tabernacles September 21st-27th

Last Great Day September 28th

*Remember ALL Holy Days begin the previous evening at sunset. For more information, please contact Pastor Bill Shults at hungryheartsmin@aol.com

Missions

Looking for a great overseas mission to support? Look no further than...the Hungry Hearts Ministries Congregations of Kenya and India. When you support our overseas missions, 100% of your contribution goes to the mission of your choice. Payments can be made securely online using PayPal through our website or by mailing your contribution to Hungry Hearts Ministries PO Box 10334 Jackson, TN 38308. For more information, please contact Pastor Bill Shults by telephone at (731) 736-1055 or by email at hungryheartsmin@aol.com.

Hungry Hearts Ministries Sabbath Services maintains sound doctrine using Hebrew Roots, has charismatic worship, and lively fellowship. For more information about attending a Sabbath Service at a congregation near you, please contact Pastor Bill Shults at hungryheartsmin@aol. com or (731) 736-1055. We look forward to celebrating Shabbat with you!

Murfreesboro, TN Congregation

1111C Memorial Blvd

Murfreesboro, TN 37129

(615) 967-7393

Time to Jackson, TN Congregation

189 West University Parkway, Suite F

Jackson, TN 38305

(731) 736-1055

Services begin each Sabbath (Saturday) at 1:30 p.m. This service is LIVE on RevMedia at 3:00 p.m. CST/ 4:00 p.m. EST and is archived on the Hungry Hearts Ministries YouTube Channel.

Services begin each Sabbath (Saturday) at 11:00 a.m.

Corinth, MS Congregation

717 Taylor Street

Corinth, MS 38834

(662) 594-1780

Services begin each Sabbath (Saturday) at 10:00 a.m.