Good morning, dear Children. I am blessed to share this message with you about John Baptist. He is the Servant of God who prepared the way for Christ Jesus our Saviour to come and bring us back to The Father.
Before John was born, his parents were Zechariah and Elizabeth. They loved God, but they were very old and did not have any children. One day in the temple, an Angel named Gabriel came to Zechariah and said:
“Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you will call him John. He will be a man with the Spirit and Power of Elijah, the Prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the LORD, preparing the people for His arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and He will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.”
Zechariah was surprised, but God’s promise came true. John was born and everyone knew he was special. (Bible reading: Luke Chapter 1 from verse 5 to 25). Everyone who heard about John and the prophecies upon his life wondered what this child will turn out to be? For the hand of the LORD was surely upon him in a special way.”
When John grew up, he went to live in the desert. He did not care about fancy things; his clothes were camel’s hair coat with a leather belt. His food was wild honey and locusts and his home was in the wilderness near the Jordan river.
While he lived this way he did not forget that his job was to tell everyone to turn back to God! Get your hearts ready, because Jesus is coming! People from Jerusalem and from every section of Judea and from all over the Jordan Valley went out to the wilderness to hear him preach. (Bible reading: Mathew chapter 3 verse 5)
After preaching, John baptised people in the Jordan River. Baptism symbolised washing off the outside to show God was washing hearts on the inside. People would say sorry for the wrong things they did, and John would dip them in the water as a sign of starting new with God.
One day, Jesus came to the river to be baptised by John the Baptist, so he did. Right then, the sky opened, the HolySpirit came down like a dove, and God’s voice said: This is My Son, whom I love. I am very pleased with Him (Matthew chapter 3 verse13 to17).
John always talked about the coming of Jesus. He said, “He must become greater. I must become less.” John knew his job was to get people ready for Jesus, not to be famous himself because this was prophesied upon him by the Prophet Isaiah.
John was very brave and honest. He even told important leaders when they were doing wrong things. Because of that, King Herod put John in prison. While in prison, John sent friends to ask Jesus, “Are you really the One?” Jesus sent back proof of miracles, and John believed.
What can we learn from the life of John the Baptist:
God has a special plan for every child: Before John was born, God already had a purpose for his life. God has a special plan for your life too.
Tell others about Jesus: John’s mission was to prepare people for Jesus. We can also tell our family and friends about Jesus.
Say sorry for your sins and turn to God: John taught people to repent. When we do something wrong, we should ask God to forgive us and choose to do what is right.
Be humble: John said, “He must become greater; I must become less.”We should always give the glory to Jesus instead of trying to make ourselves important.
Be brave and stand for what is right: John spoke the truth, even when it was difficult. We should be honest and do what is right, even if others disagree with us.
Do not chase riches or popularity: John lived a simple life and cared more about serving God than having nice things.
MEMORY VERSE:
John chapter 3 verse 30: He must become greater; I must become less.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank You for the life of John the Baptist. Help me to obey You, be brave, tell others about You, and always choose what is right. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me a new beginning. Help me to make You first in my life. Amen.
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