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.

Each month we read all four books, so make sure you're subscribed. Join us. Remember what we say around here a lot.

You don't have to be in the Gospels every day to be changed, but every day you are in the Gospels will change you.

So here is how this works. Most months, I read you three chapters a day, but this month we're reading through the Gospels chronologically from the New International Version or the NIV.

So we'll be reading the stories in the order they took place across all four books. So it means we mix them all up, hit all four books most days.

So I'll share the references with you here at the beginning. You can also find them in the show notes as well as in the guidebook or in your monthly reading plan.

So you can listen or read along in your own Bible, and then I'll pray. And that is it. So today is day six, and I will be reading Mark 2, 1 through 12, Matthew 9, 1 through 8, Luke 5, 17 to 26,

Mark 2, 13 to 17, Matthew 9, 9 through 13, Luke 5, 27 to 32, Mark 2, 18 through 22, Matthew 9, 14 through 17, Luke 5, 33 to 39,

John chapter 5, Mark 2, 23 through 28, Matthew 12, 1 through 8, Luke 6, 1 through 5, Mark 3, 1 through 6, Matthew 12, 9 to 14, Luke 6, 6 to 11, and Matthew 12, 15 to 21 in the NIV.

Jesus heals a paralyzed man from Mark. A few days later, when Jesus again entered cappernum, the people heard that he had come home.

They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they cannot get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it, and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, son, your sins are forgiven.

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there thinking to themselves, why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone?

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, why are you thinking these things?

Which is easier to say to this paralyzed man, your sins are forgiven, or to say, get up, take your mat, and walk.

But I want you to know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins, so he said to the man, I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home.

He got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of them all.

This amazed everyone, and they praised God, saying, we have never seen anything like this from Matthew.

Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a mat.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, take heart, son, your sins are forgiven.

...