HAS ANYONE EVER SHOWN YOU THE THREE CIRCLES? *
Each circle represents a part of everyone's journey towarding finding peace with God. We live in a broken world, surrounded by broken lives, broken relationships, and broken systems. But it hasn't always been like this.
God's Perfect World
In the beginning, God created a perfect world, one where everything and everyone fit together in harmony. The Bble says in Genesis 1:31 that “God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased.” Then, to complete His work of creation, God formed man and woman and placed them in that perfect world. (See upper left circle) God gave them purpose; to know Him, love Him, and worship Him. The upward arrow reminds us that we were created to know God, while the heart and hands-raised person remind us that we were created to love God and worship Him. Everything was good in God’s world until man and woman sinned.
Sin Broke the World
Life doesn’t work when we ignore God and His original design for our lives. When we selfishly insist on doing things our own way, the Bible calls this sin. Murder and stealing are obvious sins, but lying and cheating are just as bad in God's eyes. The Bible reminds in Romans 3:23 that “everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence.” The consequence of our sin is separation from God — in this life and for all of eternity — and it always leads to a place of brokenness. (See upper right circle) We see this all around us and in our own lives as well, in things like drugs, divorce, depression, disease, and death, just to name a few. Yet, more than this, sin is dangerous. Romans 6:23 warns us that the wage of sin is death. This means eternal and permenant separation from God.
When we realize life isn't working as we hoped, we begin to look for a way out. We try to get back into a right relationship with God. People will try to do this by going to church, praying, getting baptized and doing good things, but none of these can fix a person’s broken relationship with God. Because, as it says in Proverbs 14:12, “What you think is the right road may lead to death.”
God's Hope for the World
But there is good news! Because of His love, God did not leave us in our brokenness. The Bible says in John 3:16 that "God loved the world in this way; He gave His One and Only Son” to rescue us — to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He took our sin and shame to the cross, paying the penalty of our sin by His death. (See lower circle) Jesus was then raised from the dead — to provide the only way for us to be rescued and restored to a relationship with God.
The Bible says there were two thieves that died beside Jesus that day. One rejected Jesus and is never mentioned in scripture again. The other one placed his faith in Jesus and the Bible says he went to paradise, or Heaven, after he died. When we place our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven and we have the promise of eternal life. Plus, when God restores our relationship to him, we begin to discover meaning and purpose in spite of our broken world. We can pursue “God’s Design” in all areas of our life as we know Him, love Him, and worship Him.
This is all possible for you today! It says in Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” We must admit our sinful brokenness and stop trusting in ourselves. We don’t have the power to escape this brokenness on our own. We need to be rescued. We must ask Jesus to forgive our sins. This is what it means to repent and believe.
God wants you to respond to Him. If this is the desire of your heart, you can ask Jesus to forgive your sins and become your Savior. You can do this by praying a prayer like this: My life is broken — I recognize it’s because of my sin. I need You. I believe Christ came to live, die and was raised from the dead — to rescue me from my sin. Forgive me. I turn from my selfish ways and put my trust in You. I know that Jesus is Lord of all, and I will follow Him. Amen.
If you sincerely prayed that prayer, meaning it in your heart, th Bible says you are now a Believer. Romans 10:13 says "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Welcome to the family of God!
* Excepts taken from the North America Mission Board's, 3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide. Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/3circles/ for more information.
