The one-minute gospel explanation

As an evangelist I am always on the lookout for useful tools to helpfully explain the gospel. But there are some that just make me cringe. In a recent catalogue there was the ‘Eternity is Forever Pen’. Described in enthusiastic terms as, 'The ultimate carry anywhere evangelism tool! Pull out the spring-loaded hidden sheet printed with the images to ‘Simply Share Jesus’ with anyone, anywhere. This incredible pen starts with a ‘wow’ and ends with a gospel presentation’.

I can't even begin to describe my horror that people would think this was a good idea. But I can understand WHY they produced it. The designers recognised that telling the gospel should be a joyful priority for Christians, and that most people can't do it in a coherent way. So they had a meeting and someone says, ‘I know! We'll make a pen with a scroll-out gospel presentation and then Christians will just be able to explain it’.

Let me offer something else. I've had the opportunity to tell people the gospel hundreds of times, and so I developed my own gospel diagram. The idea is that I can explain the gospel in under a minute (See Bill Hybels’ Just Walk Across the Room) and I just need a serviette and a pen.

The completed diagram looks like this:

But I will demonstrate how I draw and explain it step-by-step. The dialogue happens while I am drawing. This is not something to be learnt by rote, but rather each concept needs to be understood and communicated with warmth and joy. I've put a frame around each section so that as it appears in print it is clear which bits go together. Obviously I don't frame it when I'm speaking.

So, which bits of this do you understand or agree with? Do you believe that Jesus lived a perfect relationship and therefore deserves to be with God? Do you believe that we have a problem and deserve to be away from God? What do you think about Jesus dying in our place and rising from the dead? And do you understand the swap?

OK, so you can have this (point to Punished) or this (point to Freedom). What do you want to chose? God will allow you to choose either. (I always give the completed diagram to the person.)

The conclusion of this explanation leaves the hearer with a clear and concise understanding of the gospel and a way of asking questions that are very specific.

I've had all sorts of questions:

• What are we free from?
• How can Jesus take the punishment?
• Why did he take the punishment?

So, when you are thinking of buying a pen with a scroll-out gospel presentation, please consider a much more simple solution—a clear gospel presentation that you can do in under a minute, with an ordinary pen and a serviette.

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