The Three Circles - Repent

 

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

The Three Circles Gospel presentation is a beautiful expression of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  If you have not yet mastered the art of drawing each circle, one by one while you explain the Good News, I want to encourage you to keep practicing.  Ask a trusted friend or fellow church planter to listen to you and help you express the Gospel clearly.  We have a saying in English, “Practice makes perfect.”  It means that in order to improve, you have to practice. This is certainly true with the three circles.

As you draw three circles and explain the Good News to a friend, you are telling a story.  It is a sad story about a broken world.  But it is also a story that is full of hope. There is a better world and Jesus has made a way for us to experience that better world. How wonderful!

Do you remember when you first heard this news?  I do.  I really wanted a better life.  I was tired of feeling guilty all the time.  I wanted to be forgiven.  Knowing that there was a way to be forgiven made me feel glad and gave me hope.  But it seemed like there was a condition.  Yes, Jesus loved me. Yes, Jesus paid the penalty for my sins on the cross. Yes, God wanted to make me his son.  “But.”  But I needed to repent, turn away from my selfishness and put my trust in Christ.  That thought scared me.  I was not sure I wanted to repent.  I was not sure I could repent.

As you draw the three circles and tell the Good News of Jesus, your listeners may respond just like I did.  They may be afraid to repent.  They may be afraid to crown Jesus as the king of their life. So, when you draw the person kneeling at the bottom, right side of the diagram, proceed slowly.  Explain clearly what it means to turn away from our rebellion against God and put our trust in Christ.  Say something like this: “When we turn from our selfish, rebellious, broken ways and put our trust in Jesus, God forgives our rebellion against him. He restores us to a relationship with him and makes us a new creation so that we can begin to live a new life according to his original design.”  Say these words slowly and lovingly.  Check to see how you listener is responding.  This is not a time to condemn.  It is a time to give hope.  God will receive your listeners and help them put their trust in him.

I know that you can be an effective evangelist.  Practice telling the story of God’s love as you draw the three circles. Slow down when you come to the part about repentance and crowning Jesus as King.  Don’t condemn.  Give hope to your listeners.  God is with you.  The Holy Spirit is at work.  You are a co-laborer with Christ!

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

If you have found this message to be helpful, please forward it to a fellow church planter or a disciple maker who may need encouragement. Ask them if they would like for you to keep sharing A word of Encouragement for Village Church Planters with them.  Feel free to share this podcast with those who would like to receive it on What’s App, Facebook, and other platforms you use to connect with church planters and disciple makers.

Be encouraged, God is with us!

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