Tuesday Toolbox: How to Share the Gospel Using the Three Circles
By MTC Nashville Team
Welcome to the Tuesday Toolbox — a weekly series of simple, practical tools for everyday disciple making.
Every Tuesday, we'll hand you one tool you can learn in a few minutes, practice this week, and share with someone else by the weekend. No seminary required. Just a willing heart and a pen.
Tool #1 is one of our favorites: the Three Circles. If you've ever wanted to share your faith but weren't sure where to start, this is the tool for you.
What Is the Three Circles Method?
The Three Circles is a simple visual way to explain the gospel through a story everyone already knows — because everyone is living it. You draw three circles on a napkin, a notepad, or the back of a receipt, and walk through God's story: how life was meant to be, what went wrong, and what God has done about it.
It's easy to learn, easy to remember, and easy to share. And because it starts with brokenness rather than a lecture, it opens natural conversations with people who would never set foot in a church.
Here's how it works.
Circle 1: God's Design
Begin with how things were meant to be.
When God created the world, everything was good — really good (Genesis 1:31). Humanity enjoyed a perfect relationship with God, with one another, and with creation. We were designed to:
- Know Him personally
- Walk with Him daily
- Experience real peace and purpose
- Live according to His will
We still see the fingerprints of that design everywhere — beauty, love, longing for more. But we all sense it too: this world is not the way it was meant to be. That ache is the bridge to the second circle.
Circle 2: Brokenness
The Bible teaches that sin entered the world and broke everything — including us (Romans 3:23). Brokenness shows up in ways nobody has to be convinced of:
- Pain
- Conflict
- Addiction
- Fear
- Loneliness
- Injustice
- Separation from God
Here's the part your friend will feel in their bones: people try to escape the brokenness through success, pleasure, religion, relationships, or self-improvement — and none of it fully satisfies. The circle always closes back on itself.
Draw that tension, and you're not arguing with anyone. You're describing their Tuesday.
Circle 3: The Gospel
Now the good news: God did not leave us in our brokenness.
Jesus came, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again so that we could be restored to a relationship with God (John 3:16). Restoration begins when we:
- Repent — turn from our sin and our failed attempts to fix ourselves
- Believe in Jesus and His finished work
- Follow Him as Lord of our lives
And God begins restoring us according to His original design — that first circle becomes our destination.
It Doesn't Stop There: Restoration and Multiplication
Following Jesus is not a one-time transaction; it's a lifelong journey of transformation. As we follow Christ, He restores our lives — and then sends us to help others discover the same hope (Matthew 28:18-20).
The gospel doesn't stop with us. We become part of God's mission to make disciples who make disciples. That's why this series exists — so you'll always have a tool ready when God opens a door.
How to Practice This Week
The best way to learn the Three Circles is to use it. This week:
- Draw the Three Circles on paper until you can do it from memory — three circles, a few arrows, that's it.
- Practice explaining it in three minutes. Out loud. To a mirror, a spouse, or your dog. It will feel awkward the first time — that's normal, and it fades.
- Share it with a friend or family member. Start with someone safe, and just tell them you're practicing sharing your faith.
- Pray for opportunities for spiritual conversations. God loves to answer that prayer.
Remember: your goal is not to have all the answers. Your goal is to point people to Jesus.
Take the Next Step
- ✅ Share the Three Circles with a friend this week.
- ✅ Order Three Circles stickers to keep the tool with you wherever you go: Three Circles sticker from Sentones.
And if you want to practice tools like this with a whole community of people learning together, join us:
- Our Disciple Making Training in November will give you hands-on practice in gospel tools like this one — register here.
- The next semester of our residency program begins January 11 — learn more and apply.
Small tools can lead to life-changing conversations. Pray for God to open a door — and be ready to share the hope you have in Christ.
Scripture
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." — John 3:16
Prayer
Father, You designed us for life with You — and You did not leave us in our brokenness. Give us eyes to see the ache in the people around us, and courage to draw three simple circles and tell Your story. Make us ready — with a napkin, a pen, and the good news. And let the conversations You open this week lead to restored lives. Amen.
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