The Three Circles on Paper or Sand

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis, and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. The Three Circles Gospel Presentation is an awesome way to share the Good News of Jesus and invite people to crown Jesus as King of their lives. I encourage everyone I teach to practice telling God’s Big Story over and over again so it becomes automatic. Practice telling The Three Circles so often that once you say “The world we live in is broken” and you draw the circle that looks like a cracked egg, you easily remember all the words to say and all the illustrations to draw from start to finish.

Practice telling The Three Circles Gospel presentation on paper. You can use pages from a student's notebook and cut them into small pieces. You can use large sheets of newsprint or flipchart paper with markers. The important thing is to be able to tell the story clearly and draw it easily. As you practice drawing on paper, practice drawing each figure. At first, it may be hard for you to draw a heart. It may be difficult to draw a stick figure of a person who has rebelled against God or who is kneeling in prayer. Don’t get discouraged; don’t say “I can’t do this.” Just practice. Practice when you are alone, practice with members of your family. Practice at church.

You don’t even have to use paper and pencil to draw The Three Circles. You can draw them in the sand or in the dirt as you simply share God’s Big Story and invite people to crown Jesus as Lord of their lives. Find a stick. Cut it or break it off to the right length. 70 – 90 centimeters works for most people. Then practice sharing the Good News as you draw circles in the sand. 

I remember the first time I shared The Three Circles in the sand. I went to a recently planted church in Togo. When I arrived, I asked a young man to get me a stick. He looked surprised. He asked my translator to say it again. I confirmed I needed a stick. He came back with three, and I chose one that was sturdy. I broke it so it was the right length. The members of this new church had just built a roof they could meet under. There were about 25 or 30 people present. I was the preacher. I started my message and gave some introductory remarks for about six or seven minutes. Then I invited everyone to come stand in the front of the church as I drew in the soil. The circles I drew were about 60 centimeters in diameter. The whole diagram was about three meters wide. The sandy soil under the roof was loose. I had to be careful not to step on the circles I drew.

But I knew that the power of The Three Circles is not in the stick or in the soil. The power is not in how perfectly the drawing is made. The power of the Three Circles is in the Gospel Story it tells. So I drew and explained and told the Gospel as well as I could. The Spirit of God did his work and eight people indicated decisions to make Jesus the king of their lives. You too can expect the Holy Spirit to work as you tell the Good News illustrated with three circles. So, practice telling it using a pencil and small pieces of paper. Practice telling The Three Circles using a stick and loose soil or sand. Then look for opportunities to share The Three Circles with others. Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel; it’s the power of God for salvation. The Spirit of God will do his work in the hearts of those who watch and listen. And you will be an instrument of His grace.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #TheThree Circles