Gospel* & 3 Circles**
Green Bay XA
God's Design
Read Genesis 1:1.
Who was present at the beginning?
What does this tell us about God?
Read Genesis 1:26-28.
What is special about how God created human beings?
What mandate did God give the man and woman? (verse 28)
What does it mean to subdue the earth?
To subdue does not mean to beat into submission or to dominate in a harmful way. Instead, it means to steward and to care for. Adam and Eve were tasked with caring for the earth and causing it to flourish.
Read Genesis 2:16-17. What was God’s command?
When drawing the first circle (God’s Design), talk about the following points:
- I believe that there is a God. He is eternal. He has no beginning and no end.
- I believe He created all things (name some of your favorites!)
- I believe He created humans in His image, which means we are set apart from all other created things.
- I believe he created us for 3 reasons:
* To have a relationship with him
* To have relationships with others in community
* To take care of the earth.
- What God designed was perfect
- When God created humanity, He only asked that to be in relationship with Him, we would trust Him with our lives, we would worship Him, and walk with Him.
Who was present at the beginning?
What does this tell us about God?
Read Genesis 1:26-28.
What is special about how God created human beings?
What mandate did God give the man and woman? (verse 28)
What does it mean to subdue the earth?
To subdue does not mean to beat into submission or to dominate in a harmful way. Instead, it means to steward and to care for. Adam and Eve were tasked with caring for the earth and causing it to flourish.
Read Genesis 2:16-17. What was God’s command?
When drawing the first circle (God’s Design), talk about the following points:
- I believe that there is a God. He is eternal. He has no beginning and no end.
- I believe He created all things (name some of your favorites!)
- I believe He created humans in His image, which means we are set apart from all other created things.
- I believe he created us for 3 reasons:
* To have a relationship with him
* To have relationships with others in community
* To take care of the earth.
- What God designed was perfect
- When God created humanity, He only asked that to be in relationship with Him, we would trust Him with our lives, we would worship Him, and walk with Him.
Rebellion
Read Genesis 3:1-6. Note: The serpent is Satan, the devil. (See Revelation 12:7-9)
What did the serpent tell Adam and Eve that tempted them to eat the forbidden fruit? (vs. 4-5)
What choice did they make regarding God’s command?
Adam and Eve desired to “be like God” and decide for themselves what was good and evil, rebelling against God’s standard of good and evil. They disobeyed God, which is sin. This self-willed independence from God is the root of sin in all of us, resulting in bad fruit (rage, discord, jealousy, lying, drunkenness, rebellion, sexual immorality).
Read Isaiah 53:6.
What choice have we all made?
Isaiah 53 is a prophecy about Jesus. Our iniquities (wrongdoings or sin) and stubborn “turning to our own way” were laid on Him like a sacrificial lamb.
Read Romans 3:23 and Romans 5:12.
What have we all done?
What is the result for us all?
Read Revelation 20:11-15 and 21:8.
What happens during the final judgement?
Note: Those who have returned to God in repentance have their names written in the book of life.
When drawing the first line (Rebellion), talk about the following points.
- Humanity rejected God’s design and rebelled against him
- We all, in our own way, show God we want to design for ourselves what is right.
* We wanted autonomy from Him. We destroyed our relationship with the God who created us.
- Have you ever had someone violate your trust, or have you seen a relationship destroyed in your own life? How did it make you feel?
* In the same way, we violated God’s trust and destroyed our relationship with Him.
- We all have expectations in relationships, and God does as well. The problem is that God requires absolute PERFECTION and we can’t achieve it.
* Have you ever lied? God’s standard is that we never lie.
* Have you ever looked at a person with lust in your heart? God’s standard is that if you even look at a person with lust, you’ve broken God’s laws of purity.
* Have you ever hated anyone? God’s standard is that if you even hate someone, you’ve committed murder in your heart.
- We have all done things that are outside of God’s Design, which is why we are separated from him.
What did the serpent tell Adam and Eve that tempted them to eat the forbidden fruit? (vs. 4-5)
What choice did they make regarding God’s command?
Adam and Eve desired to “be like God” and decide for themselves what was good and evil, rebelling against God’s standard of good and evil. They disobeyed God, which is sin. This self-willed independence from God is the root of sin in all of us, resulting in bad fruit (rage, discord, jealousy, lying, drunkenness, rebellion, sexual immorality).
Read Isaiah 53:6.
What choice have we all made?
Isaiah 53 is a prophecy about Jesus. Our iniquities (wrongdoings or sin) and stubborn “turning to our own way” were laid on Him like a sacrificial lamb.
Read Romans 3:23 and Romans 5:12.
What have we all done?
What is the result for us all?
Read Revelation 20:11-15 and 21:8.
What happens during the final judgement?
Note: Those who have returned to God in repentance have their names written in the book of life.
When drawing the first line (Rebellion), talk about the following points.
- Humanity rejected God’s design and rebelled against him
- We all, in our own way, show God we want to design for ourselves what is right.
* We wanted autonomy from Him. We destroyed our relationship with the God who created us.
- Have you ever had someone violate your trust, or have you seen a relationship destroyed in your own life? How did it make you feel?
* In the same way, we violated God’s trust and destroyed our relationship with Him.
- We all have expectations in relationships, and God does as well. The problem is that God requires absolute PERFECTION and we can’t achieve it.
* Have you ever lied? God’s standard is that we never lie.
* Have you ever looked at a person with lust in your heart? God’s standard is that if you even look at a person with lust, you’ve broken God’s laws of purity.
* Have you ever hated anyone? God’s standard is that if you even hate someone, you’ve committed murder in your heart.
- We have all done things that are outside of God’s Design, which is why we are separated from him.
Brokenness
Read Genesis 3:7-13.
How did Adam and Eve’s disobedience impact their relationship with each other?
Even though God was seeking them, how did they react to Him?
Adam and Eve’s rebellion resulted in guilt and shame that separated them from God and from each other. They died spiritually and relationally and would eventually die physically. The remainder of Genesis 3 describes how their death-producing sin corrupted the perfect creation and shifted their relationship from co-rulers to one ruling over the other.
When drawing the second circle (Brokenness), talk about these points:
- Rebellion led us to where we are now, a place of brokenness.
- When we walked away from God, it brought shame and guilt upon all of us, and we can’t escape it.
* It’s a spiritual death that we can’t see, but we feel the effect of it.
- We know something is missing in our lives; there’s got to be more than this.
*We experience suffering, loss, and grief.
When drawing the squiggly lines off of brokenness, talk about these points:
- We try to fix our brokenness with many things
* Relationships: hoping another person will fill the gap
* Grades, Careers & Achievement: hoping success will make us feel better
* We try to numb or escape the pain of brokenness with substances, food, entertainment, social media, self-harm, or anything else to distract us from what we know is wrong inside.
* Some people even try religious practices. If we just do enough good things, we can fix what was broken.
- But we still feel the guilt, shame, and brokenness.
THIS IS WHERE THE “BAD NEWS” PART OF YOUR TESTIMONY IS SHARED
How did Adam and Eve’s disobedience impact their relationship with each other?
Even though God was seeking them, how did they react to Him?
Adam and Eve’s rebellion resulted in guilt and shame that separated them from God and from each other. They died spiritually and relationally and would eventually die physically. The remainder of Genesis 3 describes how their death-producing sin corrupted the perfect creation and shifted their relationship from co-rulers to one ruling over the other.
When drawing the second circle (Brokenness), talk about these points:
- Rebellion led us to where we are now, a place of brokenness.
- When we walked away from God, it brought shame and guilt upon all of us, and we can’t escape it.
* It’s a spiritual death that we can’t see, but we feel the effect of it.
- We know something is missing in our lives; there’s got to be more than this.
*We experience suffering, loss, and grief.
When drawing the squiggly lines off of brokenness, talk about these points:
- We try to fix our brokenness with many things
* Relationships: hoping another person will fill the gap
* Grades, Careers & Achievement: hoping success will make us feel better
* We try to numb or escape the pain of brokenness with substances, food, entertainment, social media, self-harm, or anything else to distract us from what we know is wrong inside.
* Some people even try religious practices. If we just do enough good things, we can fix what was broken.
- But we still feel the guilt, shame, and brokenness.
THIS IS WHERE THE “BAD NEWS” PART OF YOUR TESTIMONY IS SHARED
Gospel
For us to be reconciled to God, the penalty for our rebellion and wrongdoings must be paid by an innocent substitutionary sacrifice. It reveals the awful cost of our sin and the fathomless love of God.
Read 1 Peter 1:18-19.
How is Jesus described as an innocent substitutionary sacrifice?
Read Romans 5:7-8.
How did Jesus show his love to us?
Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-7.
What important facts do you find in this passage?
Jesus rose from the dead! The promise of resurrection and eternal life is for all who repent.
Read Romans 6:23.
What are we “earning” when we do what God says is wrong?
What does God want to give us instead?
Jesus was executed on a cross to make atonement for the sins of every person in the world. Everyone has access to this costly gift paid for by Jesus. But not everyone is willing to return to God and receive the gift of life. They choose death instead.
Jesus, God himself, loved us so much that He took our penalty and died in our place. He rose from the dead, promising resurrection and eternal life for all who repent.
When drawing the third circle (Gospel), talk about these points:
- The Gospel, or in current terms, “Good News”
- God knew we could never achieve the perfection required of us to restore the broken relationship with Him.
* So, he sent his son, JESUS, to live among us.
- He lived by God’s Design perfectly
*He taught us to love one another and even to love our enemies
* He healed many people and did many other amazing things
* He did nothing wrong, and yet religious people hated him so much that they had Him killed by crucifixion.
- Jesus came to rescue us – to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He took all that we had done wrong and our shame to the cross, paying the penalty that should have been ours by His death.
- Jesus then rose from the dead 3 days later, proving that He is the Son of God – and to provide the only way for us to have our relationship with God restored.
But simply hearing this Good News is not enough.
Read 1 Peter 1:18-19.
How is Jesus described as an innocent substitutionary sacrifice?
Read Romans 5:7-8.
How did Jesus show his love to us?
Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-7.
What important facts do you find in this passage?
Jesus rose from the dead! The promise of resurrection and eternal life is for all who repent.
Read Romans 6:23.
What are we “earning” when we do what God says is wrong?
What does God want to give us instead?
Jesus was executed on a cross to make atonement for the sins of every person in the world. Everyone has access to this costly gift paid for by Jesus. But not everyone is willing to return to God and receive the gift of life. They choose death instead.
Jesus, God himself, loved us so much that He took our penalty and died in our place. He rose from the dead, promising resurrection and eternal life for all who repent.
When drawing the third circle (Gospel), talk about these points:
- The Gospel, or in current terms, “Good News”
- God knew we could never achieve the perfection required of us to restore the broken relationship with Him.
* So, he sent his son, JESUS, to live among us.
- He lived by God’s Design perfectly
*He taught us to love one another and even to love our enemies
* He healed many people and did many other amazing things
* He did nothing wrong, and yet religious people hated him so much that they had Him killed by crucifixion.
- Jesus came to rescue us – to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He took all that we had done wrong and our shame to the cross, paying the penalty that should have been ours by His death.
- Jesus then rose from the dead 3 days later, proving that He is the Son of God – and to provide the only way for us to have our relationship with God restored.
But simply hearing this Good News is not enough.
Repent & Believe
We return to God by repenting.
Read Acts 3:19
Repentance means changing direction. You turn from going your own way, ask God to forgive you, and turn to go his way.
Read 1 John 1:8-2:2.
What will God do when we confess our wrongdoings to Him?
In verse 9, it says that God is both faithful and just. For justice to be satisfied, every wrong demands that someone has to pay a penalty.
What truth in 1 John 2:2 reveals how God can be just in forgiving us?
We believe (trust) that Jesus’s death and resurrection paid the penalty for our wrongdoings.
Read Ephesians 2:8-9.
Note: Grace is unmerited pardon.
Are we made right with God (justified) by the good things we do?
How are we saved from the penalty of our sins?
We have faith (trust) in His sacrifice alone to justify us before God and do not depend on the good things we do. Then, we do good in the world out of grateful obedience to Him (Ephesians 2:10).
When drawing the second line (Restore & Pursue), talk about the following points:
- We must admit that we have done things that broke our relationship with God and stop trusting ourselves.
- We don’t have the power to escape this brokenness on our own. We need to be rescued.
- We must ask God to forgive us – to repent, which means to change our minds, to go in another direction. We must turn to and trust Jesus.
- Trust that He is who He said he is, the Son of God
- Believe that He died for us and rose from the grave.
TALK ABOUT HOW YOU TURNED AWAY FROM THE SINFUL DIRECTION OF YOUR LIFE AND RETURNED TO JESUS. TELL THE “GOOD NEWS” PART OF YOUR TESTIMONY.
Read Acts 3:19
Repentance means changing direction. You turn from going your own way, ask God to forgive you, and turn to go his way.
Read 1 John 1:8-2:2.
What will God do when we confess our wrongdoings to Him?
In verse 9, it says that God is both faithful and just. For justice to be satisfied, every wrong demands that someone has to pay a penalty.
What truth in 1 John 2:2 reveals how God can be just in forgiving us?
We believe (trust) that Jesus’s death and resurrection paid the penalty for our wrongdoings.
Read Ephesians 2:8-9.
Note: Grace is unmerited pardon.
Are we made right with God (justified) by the good things we do?
How are we saved from the penalty of our sins?
We have faith (trust) in His sacrifice alone to justify us before God and do not depend on the good things we do. Then, we do good in the world out of grateful obedience to Him (Ephesians 2:10).
When drawing the second line (Restore & Pursue), talk about the following points:
- We must admit that we have done things that broke our relationship with God and stop trusting ourselves.
- We don’t have the power to escape this brokenness on our own. We need to be rescued.
- We must ask God to forgive us – to repent, which means to change our minds, to go in another direction. We must turn to and trust Jesus.
- Trust that He is who He said he is, the Son of God
- Believe that He died for us and rose from the grave.
TALK ABOUT HOW YOU TURNED AWAY FROM THE SINFUL DIRECTION OF YOUR LIFE AND RETURNED TO JESUS. TELL THE “GOOD NEWS” PART OF YOUR TESTIMONY.
Restore & Pursue
When drawing the third line (Restore & Pursue), talk about the following points:
- SHARE HOW YOUR LIFE IS DIFFERENT SINCE FOLLOWING JESUS. THE ENDING TO YOUR TESTIMONY.
- What God did in my life, I believe He can do in yours too.
- When God restores our relationship to Him, we begin to discover meaning and purpose in a broken world.
- Now we can pursue God’s Design in all areas of our lives.
- Even when we fail, we understand God’s pathway to be restored – this same Good News of Jesus.
- God’s Spirit empowers us to live our lives according to His Design and assures us of His presence in this life and for all eternity.
- SHARE HOW YOUR LIFE IS DIFFERENT SINCE FOLLOWING JESUS. THE ENDING TO YOUR TESTIMONY.
- What God did in my life, I believe He can do in yours too.
- When God restores our relationship to Him, we begin to discover meaning and purpose in a broken world.
- Now we can pursue God’s Design in all areas of our lives.
- Even when we fail, we understand God’s pathway to be restored – this same Good News of Jesus.
- God’s Spirit empowers us to live our lives according to His Design and assures us of His presence in this life and for all eternity.
How to finish presenting the 3 Circles
Ask: When you look at the 3 circles diagram, where do you see yourself right now?
Now that you’ve heard this Good News, God invites you to respond to Him.
Is there anything that would keep you from repenting and believing the Gospel right now?
If they say no (they are ready to turn to Jesus):
- Lead them in a prayer of repentance and belief in Jesus. (Use your own words or there is a suggestion in the PowerPoint)
- Encourage them to pray, to join community, to get into the Word (offer to get them a Bible if they don’t have one), and to share their faith with someone else.
- Show them where to find the 3 Circles presentation in the App
- Exchange info with them to help them get connected into community.
If they say yes (something is keeping them from repenting):
- Listen to where they are at.
* Offer to meet again to answer questions they have
- If they are just not ready, still invite them into community and friendship
- If they don’t seem open to that, give your number and tell them you’re available whenever they have questions or just want to hang out
If they have questions or want to learn more, have them scan the QR code at the end of the presentation.
Now that you’ve heard this Good News, God invites you to respond to Him.
Is there anything that would keep you from repenting and believing the Gospel right now?
If they say no (they are ready to turn to Jesus):
- Lead them in a prayer of repentance and belief in Jesus. (Use your own words or there is a suggestion in the PowerPoint)
- Encourage them to pray, to join community, to get into the Word (offer to get them a Bible if they don’t have one), and to share their faith with someone else.
- Show them where to find the 3 Circles presentation in the App
- Exchange info with them to help them get connected into community.
If they say yes (something is keeping them from repenting):
- Listen to where they are at.
* Offer to meet again to answer questions they have
- If they are just not ready, still invite them into community and friendship
- If they don’t seem open to that, give your number and tell them you’re available whenever they have questions or just want to hang out
If they have questions or want to learn more, have them scan the QR code at the end of the presentation.
* Some material taken from Tools for Mentoring by Joy Schroeder. Father Heart Ministries, Bozeman, MT 2021.
** The 3 Circles Teaching comes from the North American Mission Board. https://www.namb.net
** The 3 Circles Teaching comes from the North American Mission Board. https://www.namb.net