The Great Commission: The 3 Circles

Good morning, church!

Hasn’t it been another wonderful morning in the Lord’s house, this morning?

This morning, we are going to continue in our discussion about the Great Commission.

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the authority of Jesus to give such a command as the great commission. How the resurrected Jesus has the authority to issue commands and how the expectation for them is to be obeyed. We talked about how this is a command for all of the followers of Jesus.

Last week, we talked about going and making, going and sharing the gospel.

I do believe that we over-emphasis the passages that talk about our lives reflecting the light and love of Jesus to the world while ignoring the passages that tell us to “GO!” with intentionality and use your words to tell them!

We talked about God’s part in the gospel presentation being the authority of His Word to save and the power of the Holy Spirit to witness. That only Jesus has the authority and power to save! So, relax a little...

We talked about our part being commitment, intentionality and steadfastness.

Intentional to pray and ask the Spirit to lead us to right person. Intentional to go wherever He might lead us.

Steadfast enough to continue to cast the seed as often and with whoever He might ask regardless to how many people say yes.

Some are called to plant, some are called to water, and some are blessed enough to witness the Lord bring the harvest.

There is no 100% success rate when it comes to sharing the gospel. Remember, if they reject you, they rejected Jesus first.

We also talked about putting our “yes” on the table to whatever, whenever, and whoever the Lord asks us to share with.

But the part from last week that I want to recap and talk about this morning is the part about our commitment to preparing to share the gospel and commitment to prayer for the lost.

We looked at 1 Peter 3:15

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)

always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;

We talked about our commitment to preparing to share. Preparing to share the gospel and study the scriptures about the gospel and being prepared and ready to share!

So, this morning, I want to do something a little different. I want to help you prepare to share.

I want to share with you a simple gospel presentation tool or process that you can present in 3 minutes. Its simple and easy. I want you to see that it doesn’t have to be complicated or as difficult as we may think.

So, I’m going to walk you through the 3 circles gospel presentation and then we are going to walk through it slower and give you scripture references to show you that is biblically sound and so that you can be study and know the references to support what you are saying!

So, sometimes I preach up here. This morning is going to be more of a teaching. But my job is to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry, right?

So, this is best used on a piece of paper or a napkin or anything that you have. There is also an app called the Life of Mission app that you can use to walk you through this visual.

So, this time, just watch. We are going to go through it slower and with references in a minute.

(walk through it without slides)

So, let’s slow down for in here and I hope you are ready to take some notes. But it’s really not complicated!

Have you ever seen the 3 circles? Let me show you something.

We live in a broken world, don’t we?

Romans 8:18–25 ESV

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

You just have to turn on the tv and see that, don’t you?

We see pain, suffering, war, disease and division everywhere?

But did you know that that is not how God designed it?

God’s Design Genesis 1-2

God’s design was perfect and without pain, suffering and death.

God’s design was for humans to live in perfect relationship with Him forever.

But mankind decided to leave God’s design and go our own way. Romans 3:23, John 3:18

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

John 3:17 ESV

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

The Bible calls this sin. Sin is anything that goes against God’s design. What do you think sin is?

Lying, stealing, murder, hate,...

Our sin caused us to live in the broken world around us.

We all try many different things to escape this brokenness, don’t we? John 4:13-14

John 4:13–14 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

We try drugs, alcohol, sex, relationships, our phones, tv, games....

But the thing about those things are they are like bungie cords that just snap we back into the brokenness, don’t they? They are temporary escapes.

The good news is that God doesn’t want to leave us in this broken world. Luke 4:18

Luke 4:18–19 (ESV)

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

The good news is that God knew that we can’t escape this broken world and we needed a Savior, a Rescuer.

God sent His Son, Jesus, to this earth, to die on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin, and raised Him from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

And God made Him Lord over everything! Ephesians 1:21-22

Ephesians 1:21–22 ESV

far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

So, if we turn and believe, through Jesus, we can escape this broken world and return back to God’s design. Acts 20:21

Acts 20:21 ESV

testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

To turn towards Jesus is to turn away from the broken things of this world and look to Jesus the Lord and let Him lead you and guide you. Matthew 3:2, Acts 3:19

Matthew 3:2 ESV

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Acts 3:19 ESV

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

And believe that Jesus died to remove your sins and pay price of death for our sins. 1 John 1:9, John 3:16

1 John 1:9 ESV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

If you do that, Jesus restores you to God’s design of defeating sin and relationship with God by making us a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Doesn’t that sound like good news?!

Let me ask you a question, which circle do you see yourself in?

If world, is there anything that is stopping you today from turning towards Jesus and believing in Him?

What if I told you that you don’t have to clean yourself up before turning and believing in Jesus? You can come to Him just as you are right now.

Would you like to do that, now?

What you can do now is pray this prayer of the circles.

Jesus, I know that I have sinned and turned away from your design.

I have tried many different things in life but they have left me broken.

I believe that you came to this Earth, died on the cross for my sins and was raised again from the dead.

I turn away from the things of this world and turn to you the Lord of my life.

I believe that you have made me a new creation, to restore me to a relationship with God.

Help me to share this good news with others.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

So, there is it broken down scriptures included. Isn’t it simple and biblically based!

Now, I’m going to run through it one more time for you to see it again.

Does anyone want to give it a shot?

(Run through it again)

Then I have homework for you. You have to practice it with someone you know and trust and ask them to practice it back to you.

Maybe you are here this morning and you have never heard this presented before.

Maybe you have something similar but something about this morning, you know that you don’t know Jesus and you have never turned to Him and believed in Him.