Historical Aspects - John the Baptist the predecessor of Jesus

1. Class 10 – John the Baptist
Junior’s Class 10-12yrs
November 8th, 2015

2. Agenda
• Nov 1st – Class 9 – The 10 Commandments
• Nov 8th – Class 10 – John the Baptist – Historical Factors
• Nov 15th – Class 11 – Jesus’ Teachings
• Nov 22nd – Children Day Celebration
• Nov 29th – Jesus’ Miracles
• Dec 6th – Preparation for Christmas Celebration
• Dec 13th – Christmas Celebration
• Dec 20th – Winter Break
• Dec 27th – Winter Break

3. Opening Prayer
Dear God!
Thank you for this marvelous
day!
Where we can pray together.
Forgive our tardiness.
And protect us when we are
on our way here
Amen

4. WHO WAS JOHN THE BAPTIST

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4uK6kUfoyQ

6. Who was John the Baptist
• John the Baptist was the Messenger of Christ.
• Preparing, through his preaching, the hearts and minds
of individuals to the message of Jesus.
• His task was of great importance, since John gave
witness to the Mission of Christ, opening the way to
the passage that the Baptist declared:
• "I am not worthy to untie her sandal straps“
• (OJ, 1:27)

7. Who was John the Baptist
• John the Baptist was the one who started preaching
before the promised Messiah to prepare the way,
according to the ancient prophecies, and as Jesus
himself.
• Cousin of Jesus, born six months earlier, son of old age
of Zacharias and Elizabeth.
• He became a Prophet in Judea, feeding on locusts and
wild honey and fur clothing.

8. Who was John the Baptist
• Preached in the desert the imminent coming of the
Messiah promised and urged the people to repentance
and conversion errors for a new life, which was
initiated by a ritual dip in the waters of the Jordan
River, which became known as baptism by water.
• It was with the baptism of John, and with the
recognition of this that Jesus was the promised
Messiah, the master started his public life three years
before his crucifixion.

9. Who was John the Baptist
• John was arrested by Herod Antipas, King of Galilee,
who had criticized for marrying illicitly with his sister-
in-law, Herodias.
• The King sent behead him to please his stepdaughter,
daughter of Herodias, called Salome.
• Notable is the moral fortitude of John and his
testimony without par in the defense of truth.

10. Did you know…
• That Jesus was baptized.
• That his disciples were not baptized.
• There was a prophecy (message) from that time which
stated the Messiah would be baptized.
• Jesus let himself be baptized by John the Baptist so this
prophecy would be fulfilled.
• It was also necessary that the warning John received
about how to recognize the Messiah would be fulfilled.

11. Did you know…
• When Jesus prayed soon after the Baptism, the Sky
opened, a light descended upon the place, a dove
appeared over Jesus’ head and a voice was heard:
• "This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well
pleased."
• John understood that Jesus was the sent from God to
teach men the practice of love - the pathway to
happiness.

12. Questions
• Does anyone have to be baptized when they begin to
study at the Spiritist Doctrine?
• Why?
• No. Baptism is a ritual and there are no rituals at the
Spiritist Centre.

13. Questions
• What makes someone be a child of God?
• Is it the fact they have been baptized?
• No. We are children of God because we are spirits who
were created by him.
• We are all children of God; independently from being
baptized. Goes doesn’t make any distinction between
his children, he loves all of them equally.

14. Questions
• Does the baptism with water transform someone into
a better person?
• No. the spiritist doctrine is based on rational faith.
• All rituals, dogmas, sacraments and symbolisms loose
sense because these are external practices.

15. Questions
• These ceremonies don’t encourage the inner reform
each individual needs to carry out.
• The way we can demonstrate adoration to God in
Spirit (with our heart) and Truth (with our attitudes),
as Jesus said, is to get to know the Divine Laws and
check if we are living according to them.
• If we are not living according to them, we should
change our acts and thoughts; our way of living so we
can live and act with resignation.

16. STORY TIME
THE WEDDING

17. The Wedding
Leticia was looking around her families pictures and
found one of her parents’ wedding. She was quite surprised to
see her mom dressed as a bride, with a long white dress, veil
and a beautiful bouquet of white flowers.
Soon later she had a question… She saw the difference
between her mom’s wedding dress and the one that was
bought for her sister’s wedding who was just about to get
married. She then questioned her mom:
- Mom, why isn’t my sister getting married in the church,
with veil and tiara, just as you did?

18. The Wedding
- Your sister and her fiancé are Spiritists just like us.
Spiritists don’t follow any rituals such as baptism or wedding
ceremonies as the other religious do.
- Oh, I see. My sister is not getting married. She is just
going to live together with her fiancé – Leticia said.
- No my daughter – Sonia explained. They will have a
civil wedding in the presence of a judge. The judge is someone
who gets people married in accordance with the civil laws that
rule the society we live in. Your sister will get married, but
there will be no religious ceremony.

19. The Wedding
Leticia was satisfied with the answer she was given by
her mom Sonia. She was a very curious girl and had yet
another question:
- But mom, you and dad are Spiritists. Why did you get
married in the church?
- Your dad and I were brought up in another religion.
When we got married, the religious ceremony meant a lot to
us. Some time later, we got to know Spiritism. We then
understood that God blesses the union of the ones who love
and respect each other, without the need rituals or external
forms of worship.

20. The Wedding
- Is that why me and my sisters were not baptized?
- Yes, that’s right. That’s why you take part on weekly
Spiritist education classes for children and youth at the
Spiritist Centre. You don’t go to catechesis’ classes as most of
your friends do. We don’t ‘graduate’ in Spiritism. The Spiritist
Doctrine needs to be studied during all our...
- During all our life! I know that! - Leticia interrupted her
mom, feeling quite confident with her answer. We need to
study the Spiritist Doctrine all the time since it explains Jesus’
message. He is our Guide and Model.

21. The Wedding
Sonia was amazed. How did her daughter learn to
say such beautiful words?
In the meantime, Leticia thought:
- Thank God our Spiritist teacher always reminds us
of these things. Mom seems to look quite surprised. She
thinks I know so much about Spiritism.

22. FLUIDIC THERAPY (PASS)

23. Agenda
 Nov 1st – Class 9 – The 10 Commandments
• Nov 8th – Class 10 – John the Baptist – Historical Factors
• Nov 15th – Class 11 – Jesus’ Teachings
• Nov 22nd – Children Day Celebration
• Nov 29th – Jesus’ Miracles
• Dec 6th – Preparation for Christmas Celebration
• Dec 13th – Christmas Celebration
• Dec 20th – Winter Break
• Dec 27th – Winter Break

24. COMMUNITY PRAYER