Author Archives: bongobarbie

Reason #2 Obedience

Romans 5:19

So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

What is Obedience?

Obedience is the act or practice of following instructions. It is complying with rules or regulations; also it is to submit to someone who has authority over you. Obedience can bring comfort  or discomfort; physically or emotionally.

Let’s look at Jesus’s obedience, what it cost Him and what was accomplished. 

Hebrews 5: 7-9

In the days of His flesh (Jesus) offered up definite, special petitions and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him, Who was (always) able to save Him (out) from death, and He was heard because of His reverence toward God (His godly fear, piety, in that He shrank from the horrors of separation from the bright presence of  the Father).

Although He was a Son, He learned (active, special) obedience through what He suffered.

And ( His completed experience) making Him perfectly (equipped), He became the Author and source of eternal salvation to all who give heed and obey Him.

What Becoming Human Cost Jesus!

Obedience has a cost. It can be painful,  cause anxiety and sleeplessness. But the rewards of obedience to God, always brings blessings. 

Separation – Internal Pain.

The cost to Jesus was separation from His Father. Jesus was made to be sin for us. A Holy God cannot look upon sin. When Jesus hung on the cross, He experienced the shame of sin as He bore our sins. Jesus understood that this was the only way to secure salvation for the world. On the cross, Jesus experienced the pain of, separation from His Father. 

Scourging and Crucifixion – Physical Pain.

” Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged.”

Jesus endured excruciating pain at the hands of the people who whipped Him. Scourging was the Roman custom done to criminals before they were put to death. This scourge, also called the flagellum was a short whip made with many leather thongs attached. Sharp objects; bones, spikes and metal balls, were fastened to the ends of the leather thongs.

With each stike of the flagellum; the flesh is torn away, there is profuse blood loss, the inards are exposed, the spine becomes exposed. The body is disfigured beyond recognition.

And then they crucified Jesus. He was nailed to a cross. A crown of thorns was forced on His head. His legs were broken. 

Jesus felt the anguish of being separated from His Father. He called out to His Father, ” My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?

Just think….Jesus did this for you. He loves you so much.

What Did Jesus’s Obedience Do For Us?

Jesus’s obedience fulfilled the will of His Father. His sacrificial death paid the price for the sin that had entered the world. ‘ By one man sin entered the world, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned. ‘

By His suffering, Jesus made atonement for us. We are reconciled with God because of Jesus’s sacrifice. Our relationship with God has been restored. Jesus did His part, now we have our part.

What Do We Have To Do?

What is our part to receive this gift that Jesus paid the price for…..believe! Believe what Jesus did for us.

Believe that you are a sinner.

Repent from your ways and turn to God’s ways.

Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.

Be obedient to what He instructs us to do.

Receive His gift…eternal life.

Jesus is the Author and source of our eternal salvation if we give heed and obey Him.

Do you see the condition in the above scripture? We have to listen and obey His instructions.

The choice is yours. The result of obedience to God always brings blessings.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed are they who trust in Him.

I pray you will get a revelation of what Jesus’s obedience cost Him. And also what His obedience provided for us, His gift…..Eternal Life.

Bless you dear ones.

Pastor Barbara. 37/23

Jesus,  the Anointed One

Matthew 3: 16 -17

And when Jesus was baptized, He went up at once out of the water; and behold,  the heavens were opened, and he (John) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him.

And behold , a voice  from heaven said, This is My Son, My Beloved, in whom I delight.

This scripture describes Jesus’s baptism at the age of thirty. John the Baptist was baptizing  people in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. Jesus comes along and asks John to baptize Him.

After Jesus is baptized He comes up and out of the water, the heavens open and the Spirit of God descends on Him like a dove. A voice from heaven speaks ‘ This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased and delighted.

The moment the Spirit of God descended on Him, is when Jesus received the anointing of the Holy Spirit and power.

This is the moment when Jesus became the Christ. He is Jesus Christ the Anointed one.

Christos is the Greek word for Christ. It is the same word translated ‘messiah.’

The Hebrew word for anoint is Maseiah and is translated Messiah or the Anointed One.

What Is The Anointing?

The anointing is the manifested presence of the Holy Spirit, operating to accomplish a God given purpose.

Prophecy Predicted God’s Spirit on Jesus.

Isaiah had predicted that God would put His Spirit upon Jesus.

Isaiah 42:1

Behold My Servant, whom I uphold, My elect in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice and right and reveal truth to the nations.

Jesus Confirmed ‘The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me.’

Isaiah 61: 1-2

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord God has anointed and qualified Me to preach the gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and the afflicted; to proclaim liberty to the (physical and spiritual) captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes of those who are bound.

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.

This is the acceptable time for us to declare Jesus Christ; He is our Lord and Savior ! He loves you so much, He gave His life so you could have eternity in Heaven with Him. Trust Him today. Join us on our Freedom Journey, as many others have; as we believe and proclaim that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.

I will be praying for you. May you trust and believe that Jesus Christ loves you.

Blessings. Pastor Barbara. 34/23

Part 4

His Name!

His Name was to be Jesus!

Luke 2:21

And at the end of eight days, when (the Baby) was to be circumcised, He was called Jesus,  the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

The Jewish custom was to circumcise a baby boy eight days after his birth. The circumcision was preformed by the head of the family or a physician. A blessing was said and the child was named.

The angel of the Lord had instructed Joseph and Mary what the name of the Baby would be….. you shall call His name Jesus.

The Name ‘ Jesus ‘ is His human name.

The name Jesus was the human name given to the Son of Mary, eight days after He was born. Jesus is not a heavenly or divine name. It is an earthly human name, given by His  Father, for His Son, when He became human.

Jesus was a common name like John or James. Several men are called Jesus, Joshua or Jeshua in the Old and New Testament. 

Jesus is also called ‘ Emmanuel ‘ This Hebrew name means God with us. Jesus is God, who took on human form and walked among us.

Think about it…..God walked on earth. One day we will see Him. What a day that will be. There is a song that says,  ‘what will we do when that day comes’….Will we be able to stand, or will we fall at His feet.  Will we be able to speak or will tears of thankfulness fall from our eyes.

At this time we are alive and living our lives. Where we spend eternity is dependant on our decision, do we believe God, the Son came to earth as a baby.  He grew in stature and went about doing good.  Jesus, the Son of God, gave up His earthly life, He died on a cross to pay the price for our sin. Trust Him today to be your Lord and Savior.

I’m praying you will make that decision today.  Blessings.

Pastor Barbara. 33/23

Part 3

The Humanity of Jesus

The humanity of Jesus begins with His conception and birth.

Jesus’ Conception

Matthew 1:18-21

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances: When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant (through the power) of the Holy Spirit.

And her (promised) husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly.

But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary (as) your wife, for that which was conceived in her is of (from, out of ) the Holy Spirit.

She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins (that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God).

All this took place that it might be fulfilled which the Lord had spoken through the profit.

Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which when translated, means God with us.

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: he took (her as) his wife.

But he had no union with her as her husband until she had born her firstborn Son: and he called His name Jesus.

We learn from scripture that:

An angel, Gabriel, was sent from God to Nazareth. He appeared to Joseph in a dream, to instruct him to not be afraid but to still take Mary to be his wife. Gabriel explained to Joseph that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit. She would give birth to a Son and she was to call His name, Jesus. This Son would save His people from their sins. A profit had spoken this was to happen and that He would be called, Emmanuel, God with us.

In Luke 1:30-35

Gabriel comes to Mary to tell her, she had found favor with God. That, she would conceive in her womb and give birth to a Son and call Him Jesus. Gabriel speaks that He would be great and called the Son of the Most High.

The Birth of Jesus

Luke 2: 3-7

And all the people were going to be registered, each to his own city or town.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house of David.

To be enrolled with Mary, his espoused (married) wife, who was also about to become a mother.

And while they were there, the time came for her delivery.

And she gave birth to her Son, her Firstborn; and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room in the inn.

We See From Scripture:

Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem because a census was being taken. All the people had to register in their own hometown. While they were there Mary’s time came to deliver her baby. They went to the Inn to get a room, but there was no room for them. The city was full to capacity because of the census.

So Mary and Joseph go to a cave that housed animals. Her time came and she gave birth to her Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger.

A manger was a large stone that had been carved out to form a hollow, the hay was put there to feed the animals.

Swaddling clothes described in the Bible consisted of a cloth tied together by bandage-like strips. After an infant was born, the umbilical cord was cut and tied, and then the baby was washed, rubbed with salt and oil, and wrapped with strips of cloth. The pieces of cloth were wrapped tightly around the baby’s body, from the shoulders to the feet. They believed this would help the baby to develop a strong, straight back.

Mary and Joseph leave Bethlehem eight days after the birth of their Son, and travel to Jerusalem and then to Nazareth.

Think of it…..this baby that was born, was God with us, Emmanuel. God, the Son left Heaven to be born a human and dwell with mankind. Jesus did this for you and I. He made a way for us, sinful mankind, to have a way to be restored to a holy God.

Trust Him today. He loves you and came to give you a future and hope.

Blessings Pastor Barbara. 32/23

Part 1

Intimacy with Jesus will change your life.

Do you know the Lord Jesus or do you know about Him? There is a big difference. Knowing Him intimately will change your life for the better. Just knowing about Him will just be information that you heard. When you start to learn about Him you will fall in love with Him. Your life will start to change because you will start to change. He loves you so much. He came to earth as a baby. He gave up His diety, He laid it aside. He grew into a man and died for you. He didn’t have to, He did it because of love for you.

SIN HAD COME TO ALL!

Sin had entered the world through Adam and Eve. Romans 5: 12. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned.”

Romans 3:23. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. We all became sinners because of Adam’s disobedience.

But the good news is Jesus paid the price for our sin. We have been given a choice, to believe and receive; or not believe.

If you believe; Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved.

For the one who believes with his heart will be saved. For one believes with his heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.

We were created with a strong inner desire to be in a close relationship with someone. I pray you will choose Jesus, first.

Who that someone is depends on who we chose. We all have a specific measure by which we will decide who that special person will be. God created us, and He knows what is best for us. But we have freewill. Freewill is the ability to make our own decisions. Deciding what we want, not what is best for us or what God wants for us.

Part 2

God created us and He made us as one body or being, but we have three parts to our being. We can’t see them, but they are there and are always functioning. They are body, soul and spirit.

To be continued…….

This series will be continued. I pray you will consider and pray over this teaching. Trust Him today. He is here, listening to your hearts desires.

Bless you and may God guide you into all truth.

Bless you dear ones. Pastor Barbara. 30/23

Genesis 1:1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

We see that the heavens were created by God. The Hebrew word used here for God is Elohim, which means ‘Gods’. Elohim is a plural noun that shows us that more than one person is indicated by the word God. God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. We see three Gods, one in unity. Each with their own purpose. All were present at creation.

Where is it?

The heavens ……. there are more than one. The Bible refers to three heavens.

1. The clouds or atmospheric heavens…this is where water is stored in the clouds for rain. This is where birds and planes fly.

2. The starry space…where stars and constellations are between planet earth and planet Heaven.

3. The planet Heaven… this is where God lives; and also where believers in Jesus will spend eternity when our time on earth is over.

What is Heaven like?

Heaven is comfortable in every way.

John 14:2-3 In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Heaven’s residents will never be sick or upset, hungry or thirsty. It is a beautiful place. A crystal clear river flows from God’s throne, and God Himself will give Heaven its light.

How do I get there?

Romans 10:9-10. Tells us how!

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

John 14:6

“Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

The answer is clear from the Bible …..there is ONLY one way to Heaven. Jesus, is His name! Believe and receive Him as your Savior and Lord.

Who else will be in Heaven? Heaven is the home of those who have believed and received Jesus as their Savior. The Bible indicates that we will know each other in Heaven. How comforting, to be with loved ones for eternity.

If you haven’t believed in Jesus, I pray today will be the day to make the best decision of your life.

Bless you dear friends. Pastor Barbara. 29/23

                  

                   

           

Freedom is what most, if not all of us want. We think, then I will be happy…..I will do what pleases me, go where I want, eat what I want, believe what I want, work when I want, do anything I want.

God did give us a freewill, so we can make our own decisions. Some decisions we make can be productive and some may be destructive to our wellbeing. As always I am going to take you to what our Creator tells us.

John 8:31-32

” Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ” If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

:36 ” Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

We see here, that Jesus is talking to people who believed. He gives us a Key to freedom…..abide in His word. To abide is to follow, observe, obey and hold to.

Jesus gives us a promise…..we will then know the truth, and this truth will make you free.

Does God have a right to tell us what to do?

I believe He does. He created us with His plan to give us a future and a hope. So He definitely knows what is best for us.

Psalm 139:13 For you formed me in my mother’s womb. :15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in my mother’s womb. 16: Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

We see clearly in these scriptures that God intricately formed us. He saw us before we were born. Every day of our life has been recorded in His book.

The truth is that the Creator knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we do, where we go, what we think, what we say, all that our heart desires, and all that we need.

So now you have to decide. Are you going to believe what God tells you. He leaves this to you.

Our ‘Freedom Journey’ is one that believes, trusts and follows the teachings of the Bible.

Set Free to Soar Ministry believes every word written in the Holy Bible. The truth in it does renew your mind, the way you think. A gradual transformation takes place in your thinking and doing. You will experience freedom in different areas. A new joy will start to fill your emotions, past wounds will be healed, a new zeal for life and all that God has for you will fill your soul.

Your past, will be past!!!!

And the best freedom is when you believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins. Repent from your sin and turn to Him, and His truth. His free gift to you is eternal life in Heaven. Forever and ever with our loved ones together in Heaven.

Bless you on our Freedom Journey. I’ll be praying for you. Pastor Barbara. 28/23