Restor ing the Br anches M inistr y is an assem bly of believer s w ho ar e par t of the body of Yahshuah HaM ashiach, Jesus Chr ist. We acknow ledge that w e have been r edeem ed to ser ve our Elohim , and w e exist to take YAH's healing, tr uth and light to the nations. We ar e disciples of Yahshuah (Jesus) w ho ar e str iving to w or ship YAH in spir it and tr uth and ser ve Him in w holehear ted obedience. We acknow ledge that YAH's instr uctions ar e sum m ar ized by loving Him w ith ever ything and loving our neighbor as w e love our selves.
S halom
3
Over the cour se of last year , people have endur ed death, setbacks, illness, m ass pandem onium , econom ic har dships, and societal divisions fr om politics to new m ar ker s on m or ality. W hen I speak of last year I am speaking of a spir itual count w hich is not r ooted in the tr aditions of m en nor in the establishm ent of pr ideful r egim es. The Holy Scr iptur es ar e a r oad m ap for an eventual encounter w ith God M ost High and His Son Yahshua. In the book of Ber esheet (Genesis), the cr eated (Adam & Eve) had a per sonal r elationship w ith the Cr eator. The love of Elohim is a dr iving factor on how HE w ill r estor e a lost fr iendship. Fr om the m om ent the M ost High spoke all things that w e see or do not see into existence, tim e began to w or k . Stepping back fr om the r elative r ules of m atter , space, and tim e w e see that m ost science attr ibutes tim e beginning once m atter began to occupy space. As believer s and occupants of the Holy Scr iptur es, our God M ost High existed befor e ther e w er e any elem ents of w hat w e call ?m atter ?. Ther efor e His existence is pr eem inent befor e the w or ds r ecor ded ?In the beginning God cr eated? ? This becom es im por tant because the tim e, seasons, and m oedim ar e avenues for r elationship, w or ship, and blessings fr om the sour ce of Life. As the scatter ed offspr ing of disobedient Isr aelites m ake their r etur n back to living Tor ah, ther e ar e a plethor a of obstacles in applying Yah?s w isdom to our lives. It is my opinion that the Ancient One knew w e w ould be in such disar r ay that technical r eplication of festival Holy Days w ould be im possible. W hat is possible for us today is the sincer ity of our hear t, and the intensity of how w e seek Him . In Shem ot (Exodus) the Childr en of Isr ael took the blood of the lam b and sm ear ed it on thr ee par ts of their door , but tw o w eeks later people for got about the w onder s of Yah and w anted to
be back under their cr uel m aster. Passover should expose sin as the cr uel m aster. We should be deter m ined to r id our selves of our old natur e. Passover is our national independence day, and just like any people or nation it took w ar ! For the saints of Yah w e did not fight but som eone else fought for us and defeated our oppr essor. In the days of M oshe (M oses) Phar aoh and the Egyptians w er e defeated, in the days of King Josiah ever y pr iest that bow ed to Baal and all the high places w er e destr oyed so the people w er e fr ee to w or ship the God of Isr ael only, and in the beginning of the AD er a the Son of the M ost High w as cr ucified as our Passover lam b conquer ing the law of sin and death against m ankind. This par ticular feast is set at the beginning for us because w e all need a r estar t. The w or ld hated Yahshua and did not r eceive Him , and w e ar e no better than our M aster. Unfor tunately our w alk is not alw ays as str ong as our M aster and w e say, think, and even do things (actions) that ar e not like HIM . ?We? acquir e guilt, str ess, and distr actions thr oughout the year. How w onder ful is the Father to r ealign us w ith HIM alongside natur e? It is not a coincidence that as the flow er s pr oduce beautiful bloom s, and tr ees r etain their leaves that w e have an oppor tunity to say YES to Yahshua HaM ashaic! This is the tim e of year w her e w e pr epar e our selves for a dinner date w ith the King. He is like his Father and w ants to r etur n our r elationship to a place w her e God com es to our hom e in the cool of the day. This feast is the fir st cer em ony and r equir es us to take the br ead (His body) and w ine (His Blood) and confir m our selves to the r enew ed covenant of Yir m iyahu (Jer em iah) chapter 31 betw een Judah and Isr ael. We m ust say Yes to Him and NO to our selves and allow the finger of Elohim (God) to w r ite the Tor ah on our hear ts. Yahshua has a r estar t for us and an oppor tunity to star t the fir st m onth in cooper ation w ith Him . ?Com e unto m e, all ye that labour and ar e heavy laden, and I w ill give you r est. Take my yoke upon you, and lear n of m e; for I am m eek and low ly in hear t: and ye shall find r est unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my bur den is light.? (M attiyahu/M atthew 11:28-30). M y pr ayer is that w e unload ever ything w e gather ed the last 12 m onths that w ill hinder us this upcom ing year. The Father and the Son have plans for you, but
they cannot be accom plished w ith a vessel that is m or e flesh than Ruach (Spir it). Com e and com m em or ate His death; let the Elohim of our for efather s Abr aham , Issac, and Jacob com plete a w or k in you! Shalom !
MorehJeremyVonner
Sel ec t ing t h e L am b
" On the tenth day of the fir st m onth, M oses instr ucted the childr en of Isr ael to select a lam b for their households. Accor ding to the Holm an Study Bible, ?because of w hat the Lor d w as about to do in the cur r ent m onth, the Isr aelites w er e to consider it the fir st m onth of their year. Its Canaanite nam e w as Abib and its Babylonian nam e w as Nisan. It over laps w ith por tions of our m onths of M ar ch and Apr il? (Holm an Study Bible NKJV, 2013, p. 112).
Now the LORD spoke to M oses and Aar on in the land of Egypt, saying, ?This m onth shall be your beginning of m onths; it shall be the fir st m onth of the year to you. Speak to all the congr egation of Isr ael, saying. ?On the tenth of this m onth ever y m an shall take for him self a lam b, accor ding to the house of his father , a lam b for a household (Exodus 12:1-3 NKJV). God?s appointed tim es (Leviticus 23)
consistently point us to M essiah. Leviticus tells us that God expects the offer ings to be w ithout blem ish and offer ed of our ow n fr ee w ill (Leviticus 1:3). It is tim e for us to select the lam b. W ill w e choose the lam b of God or w ill w e select the goat of self-r ighteousness and w or ldliness? Ther e is alw ays a choice: selfless vs. selfish, good v. evil, r ight v. w r ong, giving v. taking, love v. hate, holy v. unclean, r ighteous v. unr ighteous, function v. dysfunctional, and tr uth v. lies; and the choice m ust alw ays be w eighed accor ding to the scr iptur e. In Deuter onomy 30:19-20, the M ost High encour ages us to choose life. ?Ther efor e choose life, that both you and your descendants m ay live; that you m ay love the LORD your God, that you m ay obey His voice, and that you m ay cling to Him , for He is your life and the length of your days? ? (NKJV). We m ust choose the lam b of God in His fullness, w ithout par tiality, doctr ines, or false theologies. The Wor d of life
cannot be m ishandled for our per sonal benefits, daily com for ts, and/or our r elaxed pur suit of Him . ?The Next day John saw Jesus com ing tow ar d him and said, ?Behold! The Lam b of God w ho takes aw ay the sin of the w or ld! This is He of w hom I said, ?After m e com es a M an w ho is pr efer r ed befor e m e, for He w as befor e m e?I did not know Him ; but that He should be r evealed to Isr ael, ther efor e I cam e baptizing w ith w ater ? (John 1:29-32).
Have you selected the Lam b of God? Is His Wor d being w r itten on your hear t? Repent and believe the gospel. We m ust align our selves w ith tr uth and nothing less. M ay the Wor d of the God dw ell in you r ichly as you seek Him today. ?For w e have becom e par taker s of Chr ist if w e hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, w hile it is said: ?Today, if you w ill hear His voice, do not har den your hear ts as in the r ebellion? (Hebr ew s 3:14-15).
The Lam b of God? the Per fect One, com plete, unblem ished, obedient unto death, the Way, the Tr uth, the Life, the Light of M en, the Son of M an, and the Pr ince of Peace. ?Wor thy is the Lam b w ho w as slain to r eceive pow er and r iches and w isdom , and str ength and honor and glor y and blessing? (Revelation 5:12)! We have a choice to m ake folks, and the Father has been slow to anger and has exhibited gr eat longsuffer ing tow ar ds us, as is His char acter (Exodus 34:6-7).
Shalom . Kelly Vonner is the wife of M oreh Jeremy Vonner and mom to three YAH-given sons--Jeremiah, Joshua, and Josiah. She is the author of A Boldness for Him and is a lover of the Word, graphics design, and all things righteous. Kelly started RESTORATION M agazine in 2017.
T r u e L o v e is U n c o n d it io n a l by Shau der i c Avad W hen thinking about the w or d love w e usually attach that w or d to a par ticular feeling. In w ester n cultur es w e tend to think of love as this bubbly feeling you get inside w hen in a r elationship, or str ong affection and kinship. W hat if I told you the w ay w e have been taught w hat love is is all w r ong? W hat if I told you that love is not based on feelings or affection? You w ould pr obably question that thought pr ocess. Well let?s take a look at the tr ue m eaning of love fr om an easter n Hebr aic per spective. Now , w hen w e look at the w or d love in the hebr ew it is ahav (???) w hich m eans an ACT of being a fr iend, hum an love tow ar ds another , and hum an love tow ar ds Yah. W hen w e look fr om this per spective w e see that love is action-based and not feeling
based. W hen w e begin to think of love as action-based and not feeling-based, love becom es m or e sincer e and less conditional. Now , you ar e pr obably w onder ing w hat this act of love looks like. Let?s take a look at a few scr iptur es to see a tr ue act of love. 2 Yochanan (2 John) 1:6 says, ?M or eover , love is this: that w e should live accor ding to his com m ands. This is the com m and, as you people have hear d fr om the beginning; live by it!? So, w e see that a tr ue act of love is being obedient to the w or ds of Yah. Being obedient, w hich m eans to live out or act out, w hat the Father says show s that you love him . How can you tr uly love som eone if you never listen, if you'r e being disr espectful, or alw ays causing pain? That is not tr ue love. So if tr ue love is being
obedient to Yah?s com m ands (His Tor ah), if w e w alk contr ar y, that is an act of hate because Tor ah teaches us how to act in love tow ar ds Yah and our br other. 1 Yochanan (1 John) 4:7 says, ?Beloved fr iends, let us love one another ; because love is fr om God; and ever yone w ho loves has God as his Father and know s God.? Yah, the w or d (Tor ah and Yahshua), and love ar e all w r apped in one. Thr ough Yah?s love he spoke the w or d and br ought for th life. The w or d he spoke is Yahshua w ho is the em bodim ent of Tor ah w hich is the em bodim ent of love. In D'var im (Deuter onomy) 6:4-6 it says, ?Sh?m a, Yisr a?el ! Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad [Hear , Isr a?el! Adonai our God, Adonai is one]; and you ar e to love Adonai your God w ith all your hear t, all your being and all your r esour ces. These w or ds, w hich I am or der ing you today, ar e to be on your hear t." It also says in Vayikr a (Leviticus) 19:17-18 ?Do not hate your br other in your hear t, but r ebuke your neighbor fr ankly, so that you w on?t car r y sin because of him . Don?t take vengeance on or bear a gr udge against any of your people; r ather , love your neighbor as your self; I am Adonai. These tw o ver ses in the Tor ah ar e ver y im por tant because w hen you love Yah and you love your br other , you can w alk in tr ue obedience to ever ything else that is w r itten. In M attiYahu (M atthew ) 22:36-40 it says, ?Rabbi, w hich of the m itzvot in the Tor ah is the m ost im por tant?? He told him , ??You ar e to love Adonai your God w ith all your hear t and w ith all your soul and w ith all your str ength.?This is the gr eatest and m ost im por tant m itzvah . And a second is sim ilar to it, ?You ar e to love your neighbor as your self.?All of the Tor ah and the Pr ophets ar e dependent on these tw o m itzvot.? We see her e Yahshua explains that
LOVE is the sum m ation of the Tor ah. Tor ah w as never given to be legalistic, but r ather given to build char acter. Ever ything w r itten in the law has a higher pr inciple m eaning and spir itual connotation to it. Now , m any of you m ay still be thinking that just because you do an action doesn?t m ean it is sincer e. And I w ould tell you that I agr ee, so let?s look even deeper at love and how the tr ue m eaning of the w or d is not just an action, but it?s also an act of selflessness. I?m going to dig into my hebr ew r ules to pull out a m or e tr ue m eaning of the w or d love. W hen Aleph (? (is pr efixed in a w or d it is alw ays fir st per son futur e tense m eaning I w ill. Hav (?? (m eans to give. Ahav (Love) in a deeper m eaning m eans to give unconditionally or unconditional love. Or it can m ean I w ill alw ays give. The ver y essence of the w or d love (??? (in the or iginal language is to alw ays give or to love unconditionally, no m atter w hat. Yahshua em bodies this w or d because he tr uly leads w ith love. In Yochanan (John) 13:34-35, he told his disciples to lead w ith love. This is w hat the Tor ah is all about. Selflessness at all tim es tow ar ds the Father and your br other. Love doesn?t com e w ith str ings attached, love isn?t som ething that?s given som etim es. Love is not only given to those you r eally car e for , but love is to be given even to those you don?t like, even w hen you ar e not in the best m ood, those tim es w her e you get nothing in r etur n, those tim es w hen you ar e at your low est, love should alw ays be given. W hen love is conditional, you only act it out w hen your conditions and r equir em ents ar e m et. But Tor ah teaches us that love is not based on conditions, but based on doing r ight unto Yah and other s at all tim es. Love is not to be r ationed, but to be fr eely given. Rem em ber , love cover s a m ultitude of sins, so w e m ust under stand that thr ough love healing, under standing, and all other for m s of r ighteousness can pr oceed.
Shalom .
I In a time full of war, be peace In a time full of doubt, just believe Yeah, there ain't that much difference between you and me In a time full of war, be peace
In a place that needs change, make a difference In a time full of noise, just listen
'Cause life is but a breeze, better live it In a place that needs a change, make a difference In a world full of hate, be a light W hen you do somebody wrong, make it right Oh, don't hide in the dark, you were born to shine In a world full of hate, be a light
In the lyr ics of this song ?Be a Light? by Thom as Rhett. Scr iptur e after Scr iptur e r esonated in my m ind. Join m e on this jour ney, as w e dig deeper in the w or ds piece by piece. Blessed ar e the peacem aker s, for they shall be called the sons of Yah. M atthew 5:9 We ar e living in w ar s against the ?r aces?, w ar s in our m ind, w ar s against our neighbor s. Ar e w e choosing peace in the place of w ar , so that w e m ay be called the childr en of The M ost High?
Sir ach 32:24He w ho believes the law gives heed to the com m andm ents,and he w ho tr usts the Lor d w ill not suffer loss.
Bel i eve:
M ar k 9:23 And Jesus said to him , ?If you can! All things ar e possible to him w ho believes.
SHEEP WHO SH'MA
Genesis 15:6 And he believed theLor d; and he r eckoned it to him as r ighteousness. 1 M accabees 2:59 Hanani?ah, Azar i?ah, and M ish?a-el believed and w er e saved fr om the flam e.
Habakkuk 1:5 Look am ong the nations, and see w onder and be astounded.For I am doing a w or k in your daysthat you w ould not believe if told. M ar k 5:36 But ignor ing[a] w hat they said, Jesus said to the r uler of the synagogue, ?Do not fear , only believe.?
M ar k 11:24 Ther efor e I tell you, w hatever you ask in pr ayer , believe that you r eceive it, and you w ill. John 1:12 But to all w ho r eceived him , w ho believed in his nam e, he gave pow er to
becom e childr en of God; John 3:36 He w ho believes in the Son has eter nal life; he w ho does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the w r ath of God r ests upon him . Belief is a ver y pow er ful topic in the Scr iptur es. Do w e w ant to be r ighteous? Do w e w ant to be w ithout loss? As the pr ophecies, about the nations, unfold befor e our ver y eyes, w ho of us doesn?t need to escape the w r ath, r eceive w hat w e pr ay for , becom e HIS childr en and bask in the fullness of eter nal life. Our lives ar e just a m ist or vapor. W ill w e m ake a differ ence or a change? A sm ile, a kind w or d, a helping hand, a listening ear , a w or d of cor r ection, r evealing Tr uth, consistent and genuine pr ayer for the w ayw ar d soul, love and com passion to those w e know and those that ar e our enem ies, only to nam e a few. Jam es 4:14 w her eas you do not know about tom or r ow. W hat is your life? For you ar e a m ist that appear s for a little tim e and then vanishes. M ake it Right: The Tor ah Study cover ing Exodus Ch. 21-24, has countless exam ples if you do som ebody w r ong m ake it r ight! If you lose som ething your neighbor has entr usted to you, r eplace it. Help your neighbor and even your enemy get his ox out of the ditch. If you hur t som eone, m ake sur e to com pensate them for tim e lost and help them to r ecover. You get the idea. So, if w e consider our thoughts, actions and deeds accor ding to the guidance of the Scr iptur e, w e w ill r estr ain our selves fr om har m ing other s and be w illing to m ake r estitution for the accidental occur r ences. Th e Li gh t : Psalm s 18:28 Yea, thou dost light my lam p;theLor dmy God lightens my dar kness. Psalm s 27:1TheLor dis my light and my salvation w hom shall, I fear ?
Psalm s 43:3 Oh send out thy light and thy tr uth;let them lead m e,let them br ing m e to thy holy hill and to thy dw elling! Psalm s 97:11 Light daw ns[a] for the r ighteous, and joy for the upr ight in hear t. Psalm s 119:105 Thy w or d is a lam p to my feetand a light to my path. Pr over bs 6:23 For the com m andm ent is a lam p and the teaching a light,and the r epr oofs of discipline ar e the w ay of life, Sir ach32:16 Those w ho fear the Lor d w ill for m tr ue judgm ents, and like a light they w ill kindle r ighteous deeds. M att 5:14 ?You ar e the light of the w or ld. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. M att 5:16 Let your light so shine befor e m en, that they m ay see your good w or ks and give glor y to your Father w ho is in heaven. John 1:5 The light shines in the dar kness, and the dar kness has not over com e it. John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them , saying, ?I am the light of the w or ld; he w ho follow s m e w ill not w alk-in dar kness, but w ill have the light of life.? John 12:46 I have com e as light into the w or ld, that w hoever believes in m e m ay not r em ain in dar kness. ?THE LIGHT? exposes dar kness, is our salvation, is a lam p to our path, helps us to per for m r ighteously and teaches us HIS w ays. We ar e com m anded to let ?THE LIGHT? that lives w ithin us to shine to other s to br ing glor y to the FATHER. As w e appr oach this Passover season, let ?THE LIGHT? expose the dar kness w ithin us. Let us exhibit the discipline to conquer /over com e the dar kness and w alk in HIS m ar velous light to becom e HIS childr en and inher it eter nal life.
Coming Soon...
Hum ility accor ding to the M er r iam -Webster Dictionar y is defined as: fr eedom fr om pr ide or ar r ogance: the quality or state of being hum ble. This is an extr aor dinar ily str ong definition, but is it the tr ue definition? Does hum ility just stop at you putting your pr ide aside? Andr ew M ur r ay said ??Hum ility is sim ply the disposition w hich pr epar es the soul for living on tr ust?. How can w e pr epar e not only our selves, but other s ar ound us to live on tr ust? We m ust be hum ble enough to give our lives for other s, to show them thr ough us, the love The M essiah has for them . 1 Peter 5:5-6(CJB) says 5?Likew ise, you w ho ar e less exper ienced, subm it to leader s. Fur ther , all of you should clothe your selves in hum ility tow ar d one another because God oppose the ar r ogant, but to the hum ble he gives gr ace. 6 Ther efor e, hum ble your selves under the m ighty hand of God, so that at the r ight tim e he m ay lift you up.? Rom ans 10:14(CJB) says 14? But how can they call on som eone if they haven?t tr usted in him ? How can they tr ust in som eone if they have not hear d about him ? And how can they hear about som eone if no one is pr oclaim ing him ?? We have been called to br ing Yah?s healing to the nation, for us to be able to do that w e m ust hum ble our selves. A gr eat leader w ill w alk beside his people, not in
fr ont of them . Jesus show ed this kind of leader ship and hum ility w hen he w alked w ith his disciples not ahead of them . He did not hold him self higher , he held him self as one of them . He w as hum ble to his calling fr om The M ost High. Hum ility is one of, if not the m ost im por tant attr ibute in a leader. We m ust be w illing to pour our selves into other s just as Jesus pour ed him self into us. ?So, if I, your M aster and Teacher , have w ashed your feet, you also ought to w ash each other ?s feet. I have given you an exam ple you should do for each other w hat I have done for you? John 13:14-15 (TLV). Ar e w e answ er ing our call to hum ble our selves to the point of holding the light, and pr oducing the fr uit as w e stand in the gap for our fam ily, our fr iends, our childr en, our cow or ker s, and our spouses? Hum ility m ay be putting your pr ide aside for other s, but tr ue hum ility is not about being openly hum ble. Tr ue hum ility is about doing som ething for som eone that has an outcom e gr eater than your ow n benefit. If you m ust m ake it know n that you ar e hum ble, you ar e not being hum ble but pr ideful. We should all have the sam e goal in m ind, salvation, and healing. We should be w illing to help ever yone get to that goal, our fr iends, fam ily and foes. ?We cannot allow our situation to outw eigh our salvation? (Jer emy Vonner ). 2
Chr onicles 7:14 (TLV) says, 14 ?W hen M Y people, over w hom M Y NAM E is called, hum ble them selves and pr ay and seek M Y FACE and tur n fr om their evil w ays, then I w ill hear fr om heaven and w ill for give their sin and heal their land?. We m ust hum ble our selves and live-in tr ue hum ility. The kind of hum ility that w ill heal this Nation, not br ing us car nal r ew ar ds. I leave you w ith this quote fr om C.S Lew is, ?Tr u e h u m i l i t y i s n ot t h i n k i n g l ess of you r sel f ; i t i s thinking of you r sel f l ess?.
w w w.jacobsseedpodcast .com
Br ot h er Sh au der ic Avad Shauderic Avad is from Little Rock, Arkansas. He is currently pursuing a Master ?s degree in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership working towards one day fulfilling the role of principal of a school where he can help impact and mold future generations. He is 25 years of age and is dedicated to serving Yah, his wife, his family, and his community. Shauderic believes that growing in selflessness is the key to an impactful and prosperous life.
Pr oph et ess Bever ly Holiday Beverly Thomas Holiday is a wife, mom, ?meme?, sister, aunt, friend and mentor to many that she comes in contact with. She writes from experience and has overcome so much in her life. Currently, she lives in West Tennessee and specializes in womb care and home health care. She has been married to her husband, James, for over twenty years. Together, they have two sons and five grandchildren.
M or eh Jer em y Von n er Jeremy Vonner is a native of West Tennessee. Comissioned by YAH to take His healing to the nations is what birthed Restoring the Branches Ministry. He loves family, fellowship, and seeing people rise to their full potential in YAH through Yahshua.
M r s. Kr ist in a Holiday Kristina Holiday is a native of Crockett Co. She is married with three beautiful daughters. She is a member of Restoring the Branches and will be graduating with an associates in Foreign Language in the Spring of 2020.
www.restoringthebranches.org