What is the Gospel?

We know that some visitors to this site may be confused about the Gospel, so here is an imaginary situation to help you understand it better:

Let's imagine one day you willingly drove through a school zone going 100 miles per hour, killing an innocent child.

You go before the judge and say, "You know, I helped hundreds of children throughout my life. Can you just let this one fault slide?"

Only a corrupt judge would do that, right? 

A good judge would sentence you to either life in prison or maybe even the death penalty.

Let's say you got the death penalty and are lying on the gurney about to get lethal injection, when suddenly that same judge stepped up and said, "I love you so much I am going to take your place!"

If you ALLOWED him to take your place, would it change the way you lived going forward? You probably would spend your life going around the country and helping to prevent innocent kids from being hit in school zones, right?

Well, that is similar to what God wants to do for you. You have sinned (broken God's laws), right?

-- Have you ever lied?

-- Have you ever stolen anything?

-- Have you ever taken God's name in vain?

There's others too . . .

All it takes is one sin to be a sinner, and after you die, you must give an account to God for every sin!

You may ask, "God, can't you just let it slide?" A corrupt judge certainly would, but not a good judge.

A good judge would require that you pay for your sins in hell.  

But God took off the judge's robe, came down in the person of Jesus, lived a perfect life (never sinned once) and suffered on a cross to take the punishment for ALL your sins -- 100%.

But here's the catch: He won't force you to accept it. He waits for you to repent willingly and turn to Him in faith, and then He will forgive you and apply your sins to the cross in exchange for Christ's perfect righteousness.

So spend some time thinking about your sin, and then think about what you will tell God when you stand before Him.

There is still time to turn!

Should you decide to make the u-turn and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior, pray this simple prayer:

Jesus, I am sorry for my sins and I trust that Your work alone on the cross is sufficient to forgive me. I trust You with my life from this day forward!

How's the weather???

Novosibirsk sits in a humid continental climate, which means it has warm summers and cold winters. Whereas temperatures can go as high as 95 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer, they have been known to drop as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit in winter (although these extremes generally only occur a few times per year). Snowfall is generally light and steady, with snow falling about half of winter days. Sun is also quite common even during the winter, although the temperatures tend to be a little higher when it is cloudy and snowy. Although we know the weather will be much different from what we are typically used to in Texas, we know that the God who calls will also provide the grace and strength we will need to develop new routines. However, we can always use additional prayer for the transition to the new climate!