Hi, friends. I am Annie F. Downs. Let's read the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

These are the stories of Jesus Christ's life on earth, the friendships, the parables, the sacrifices, the meals, the miracles.

We will read three chapters a day, usually, and finish in 30 days, usually. So each month, we're going to read all four books. February, obviously, is a little different because we will have to finish in 28 days.

So a few days, we will read a little bit extra. Go ahead and subscribe today and join us as we read the Gospels together. I hope you'll be with us all month.

But something we say around here a lot is you don't have to read or hear the Gospels every day to be changed, but every day you read or hear the Gospels will change you.

So I'm really glad you're here with us today. This month, we'll be reading from the English standard version, and we're reading in the order that the Gospels are presented in the Bible, starting with Matthew, which we are halfway through, and then Mark, Luke, and then John.

If you would like the reading plan printed out for you for February, or to grab our Let's Read the Gospels guidebook, just head to Annie F. Downs.com slash Gospels.

So let me share with you how this is going to go today. I'll read you three chapters, and you can listen or read along in your own Bible, and then I'll pray, and that's it.

So today is February 5th, day 5, and I'll be reading Matthew chapters 14 through 16, and the translation I'm reading from this month is the ESV.

Matthew 14. At that time, Herod the Tetrake heard about the fame of Jesus, and he said to his servants, this is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.

For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodius, his brother Phillips wife, because John had been saying to him, it is not lawful for you to have her.

And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people because they held him to be a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodius danced before the company and pleased Herod so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

Prompted by her mother, she said, give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter, and the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests, he commanded it to be given.

He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there and a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, this is a desolate place, and the day is now over, send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.

But Jesus said, they need not go away, you give them something to eat.

They said to him, we have only five loaves here and two fish, and he said, bring them here to me.

Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass and taking the five loaves and the two fish.

He looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

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