A genealogy of Jesus Christ, a descendant of David and Abraham.

Jacob of Joseph, the husband of Mary, who was the mother of Jesus, who is called 'Christ'.

So the whole number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen; from David to the Exile to Babylon fourteen; and from the Exile to Babylon to the Christ fourteen.

The birth of Jesus Christ took place as follows:--His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but, before the marriage took place, she found herself to be with child by the power of the Holy Spirit.

He called together all the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law in the nation, and questioned them as to where the Christ was to be born.

Now John had heard in prison what the Christ was doing, and he sent a message by his disciples,

And to this Simon Peter answered: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

Then he charged his disciples not to tell any one that he was the Christ.

At that time Jesus Christ began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and undergo much suffering at the hands of the Councillors, and Chief Priests, and Teachers of the Law, and be put to death, and rise on the third day.

"What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" "David's," they said.

Nor must you allow yourselves to be called 'Leaders,' for you have only one Leader, the Christ.

for, many will take my name, and come saying 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray.

And, at that time, if any one should say to you 'Look! here is the Christ!' or 'Here he is!', do not believe it;

For false Christs and false Prophets will arise, and will display great signs and marvels, so that, were it possible, even God's People would be led astray.

But Jesus remained silent. On this the High Priest said to him: "I adjure you, by the Living God, to tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."

"Now play the Prophet for us, you Christ! Who was it that struck you?"

So, when the people had collected, Pilate said to them: "Which do you wish me to release for you? Barabbas? Or Jesus who is called 'Christ'?"

"What then," Pilate asked, "shall I do with Jesus who is called 'Christ'?" "Let him be crucified," they all replied.

The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ.

Jesus cured many who were ill with various diseases, and drove out many demons, and would not permit them to speak, because they knew him to be the Christ.

"But you," he asked, "who do you say that I am?" To this Peter replied: "You are the Christ."

If any one gives you a cup of water because you belong to Christ, I tell you, he shall assuredly not lose his reward.

While Jesus was teaching in the Temple Courts, he asked: "How is it that the Teachers of the Law say that the Christ is to be David's son?

And at that time if any one should say to you 'Look, here is the Christ!' 'Look, there he is!', do not believe it;

For false Christs and false Prophets will arise, and display signs and marvels, to lead astray, were it possible, even God's People.

But Jesus remained silent, and made no answer. A second time the High Priest questioned him. "Are you," he asked, "the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"

"He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Let the Christ, the 'King of Israel,' come down from the cross now, that we may see it and believe." Even the men who had been crucified with Jesus reviled him.

This day there has been born to you, in the town of David, a Savior, who is Christ and Lord.

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Then, while the people were in suspense, and were all debating with themselves whether John could be the Christ,

And even demons came out from many people, screaming 'You are the Son of God.' Jesus rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

"But you," he went on, "who do you say that I am?" And to this Peter answered: "The Christ of God."

But Jesus said to them: "How is it that people say that the Christ is to be David's son?

"If you are the Christ," they said, "tell us so." "If I tell you," replied Jesus, "you will not believe me;

And they began to accuse him: "This is a man whom we found misleading our people, preventing them from paying taxes to the Emperor, and giving out that he himself is 'Christ, a King.'"

Meanwhile the people stood looking on. Even the leading men said with a sneer: "He saved others, let him save himself, if he is God's Christ, his Chosen One."

One of the criminals who were hanging beside Jesus railed at him. "Are not you the Christ? Save yourself and us," he said.

Was not the Christ bound to undergo this suffering before entering upon his Glory?"

"Scripture says that the Christ should suffer, and that he should rise again from the dead on the third day,

For the Law was given through Moses, love and truth came through Jesus Christ.

He confessed and did not deny it, he confessed--"I am not the Christ."

And their next question was: "Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor yet 'the Prophet'?"

He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him: "We have found the Messiah!" (a word which means 'Christ,' or 'Consecrated'.)

You are yourselves witnesses that I said 'I am not the Christ,' but 'I have been sent before him as a Messenger.'

"I know," answered the woman, "that the Messiah, who is called the Christ, is coming; when once he has come, he will tell us everything."

"Come and see someone who has told me everything that I have done. Can he be the Christ?"

Yet here he is, speaking out boldly, and they say nothing to him! Is it possible that our leading men have really discovered that he is the Christ?

Yet we know where this man is from; but, when the Christ comes, no one will be able to tell where he is from."

Many of the people, however, believed in him. "When the Christ comes," they said, "will he give more signs of his mission than this man has given?"

"This is certainly 'the Prophet'!"; others said: "This is the Christ!"; but some asked: "What! does the Christ come from Galilee?

Is not it said in Scripture that it is of the race of David, and from Bethlehem, the village to which David belonged, that the Christ is to come?"

His parents spoke in this way because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that, if any one should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, he should be expelled from their synagogues.

When the Jews gathered round him, and said: "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us so frankly."

"Yes Master," she answered; "I have learned to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, 'who was to come' into the world."

"We," replied the people, "have learned from the Law that the 'Christ is to remain for ever'; how is it, then, that you say that the Son of Man must be 'lifted up' Who is this 'Son of Man'?"

Isaiah said this, because he saw Christ's glory; and it was of him that he spoke.

And the Immortal Life is this--to know thee the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent as thy Messenger.

But these have been recorded that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God--and that, through your belief in his Name, you may have Life.

And referred to the resurrection of the Christ when he said that 'he had not been abandoned to the Place of Death, nor had his body undergone corruption.'

So let the whole nation of Israel know beyond all doubt, that God has made him both Lord and Christ--this very Jesus whom you crucified."

"Repent," answered Peter, "and be baptized every one of you in the Faith of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

All who became believers in Christ held everything for the common use;

But Peter added: "I have no gold or silver, but I give you what I have. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I bid you walk."

But it was in this way that God fulfilled all that he had long ago foretold, as to the sufferings of his Christ, by the lips of all the Prophets.

And that he may send you, in Jesus, your long-appointed Christ.

Many, however, of those who had heard the Apostles' Message became believers in Christ, the number of the men alone amounting to about five thousand.

Let me tell you all and all the people of Israel, that it is by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead--it is, I say, by his Name that this man stands here before you lame no longer.

The kings of the earth set their array, and its rulers gathered together, against the Lord and against his Christ.'

There have indeed gathered together in this city against your holy Servant Jesus, whom you has consecrated the Christ, not Herod and Pontius Pilate only, but the nations and the people of Israel besides--

The whole body of those who had become believers in Christ were of one heart and mind. Not one of them claimed any of his goods as his own, but everything was held for the common use.

And never for a single day, either in the Temple Courts or in private houses, did they cease to teach, or to tell the Good News of Jesus, the Christ.

Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and there began to preach the Christ.

However, when they came to believe Philip, as he told them the Good News about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Saul's influence, however, kept steadily increasing, and he confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by the proofs that he gave that Jesus was the Christ.

Peter, while traveling from place to place throughout the country, went down to visit the People of Christ living at Lydda.

"Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ cures you. Get up, and make your bed." Aeneas got up at once;

Giving her his hand, Peter raised her up, and, calling in the widows and others of Christ's People, presented her to them alive.

God has sent his Message to the Israelites and told them, through Jesus Christ, the Good News of peace--and Jesus is Lord of all!

The story, I mean, of Jesus of Nazareth, and how God consecrated him his Christ by enduing him with the Holy Spirit and with power; and how he went about doing good and curing all who were under the power of the Devil, because God was with him.

And he directed that they should be baptized in the Faith of Jesus Christ; after which they asked him to stay there a few days longer.

Since then, God had given them the very same gift as he gave us when we became believers in Jesus Christ the Master--who was I that I could thwart God?"

When the Governor saw what had happened, he became a believer in Christ, being greatly impressed by the teaching about the Lord.

As John was drawing towards the end of his career, he said what do you suppose that I am? I am not the Christ. But there is "One Coming" after me, whose very sandal I am not worthy to untie.'

On hearing this, the Gentiles were glad and extolled God's Message; and all those who had been enrolled for Immortal Life became believers in Christ;

The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish Synagogue, and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed in Christ.

Some of the Pharisees' party, however, who had become believers in Christ, came forward and declared that they were bound to circumcise converts and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.

After much discussion, Peter rose and said: "You, my Brothers, know well that long ago God singled me out--that through my lips the Gentiles should hear the Message of the Good News, and become believers in Christ.

Who have sacrificed themselves for the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Among other places Paul went to Derbe and Lystra. At the latter place they found a disciple, named Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess who had become a believer in Christ, while his father was a Greek,

She had been doing this for several days, when Paul, much vexed, turned and said to the spirit within her: "In the Name of Jesus Christ I command you to leave her." That very moment the spirit left her.

He laid before them and explained that the Christ must undergo suffering and rise from the dead; and "It is this man," he declared, "who is the Christ--this Jesus about whom I am telling you."

As a consequence, many of them became believers in Christ, besides a considerable number of Greek women of position, and of men also.

There were, however, some men who joined him, and became believers in Christ. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and several others.

But, when Silas and Timothy had come down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself entirely to delivering the Message, earnestly maintaining before the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.

Crispus, the President of the Synagogue, came to believe in the Lord, and so did all his household; and many of the Corinthians, as they listened to Paul, became believers in Christ and were baptized.

When he wanted to cross to Greece, the Brethren furthered his plans, and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival he proved of great assistance to those who had, through the loving-kindness of God, become believers in Christ,

For he vigorously confuted the Jews, publicly proving by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

"Did you, when you became believers in Christ, receive the Holy Spirit?" "No," they answered, "we did not even hear that there was a Holy Spirit."

Many, too, of those who had become believers in Christ came with a full confession of their practices;

And now I commend you to the Lord and to the Message of his Love--a Message which has the power to build up your characters, and to give you your place among all those who have become Christ's People.