Have you ever finished telling a Bible story and in that moment wished you knew how to tie it in to the Gospel Message? In my early days I would feel the Holy Spirit nudging me, but I just didn’t know how to make a smooth transition. I would feel so unprepared and even if I decided to muddle my way through, when I was finished I would cringe for days afterward realizing my presentation had been incomplete or lacking clarity.
Below is a simple outline that’s easy to remember and great to follow in such moments. It gives you a starting point that can easily be transitioned from any Bible story and includes all the key elements needed to share the Gospel message.
1. Talk about Heaven.
Transition your story toward eternity. Describe Heaven as a wonderful place where God lives—a place where we want to go when this life is over—a place without sin, pain and suffering. But, explain that there’s a problem…
2. Talk about Sin—what it is and what it does.
Explain sin. Define it as anything we do that displeases God. Give examples: lying, stealing, disobeying, selfishness, pride, etc. Tell what sin does—it separates us from God and keeps us from Heaven. Explain that the Bible tells us that all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23), even when we try to do what’s right, sometimes we mess up. Explain that the penalty for our sin is death (Romans 6:23) and eternal separation from God. Explain that God knew sin was a problem for us and so He made a plan…
3. Talk about Jesus.
Explain that Jesus was God’s answer to our sin. Jesus is our way to Heaven. God sent Jesus, His one and only Son to Earth as a baby. He grew up living a sinless, perfect life and then died a brutal death upon a cross. Jesus didn’t deserve to die. He was perfect, but He allowed it to happen so that He could pay the penalty for our sin. Jesus died in our place. Then He was buried and rose from the grave on the third day, showing the power of God to restore life. Explain that knowing this story isn’t enough, we have to make a choice…
4. Talk about Choice.
It’s our choice whether we believe this story about Jesus or not; whether we believe we are sinners and need Jesus. We must believe that God sent Jesus to Earth as a baby, that He died in our place on the cross, and that He rose again so that one day we could go to Heaven. The Bible says that if we will believe, we will live in Heaven forever (John 3:16).
5. Talk about Relationship.
Explain that God doesn’t need us to do anything but believe in Jesus in order to go to Heaven. Jesus is a free gift that doesn’t require any work from us. God sent Jesus to Earth because He loves us so much and wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to be able to live in Heaven with Him and to know Him, like He already knows us. We get to know God by reading the Bible and learning what it says. Hanging out with other people who also want to know God can grow our relationship too. But, learning what the Bible says is only the beginning, doing what it says is the way God wants us to live.
Very clear and simple guidelines to help others in their ministry. It will be also a great help for parents teaching their children. Great teaching tool.