Sharing Abundant Life
A pocket-guide to help you tell the story of Jesus, and what he’s done in your own life.
The gospel in five circles
Start with a question
You don’t have to steer the conversation. Ask, then really listen. Listening earns you the right to be heard.
01
What do you think about the person of Jesus?
02
Where would you say you are in your spiritual journey right now?
03
Have you ever heard how Jesus speaks to what you’re walking through?
Remember: one person plants, another waters, and God gives the growth. Your job is to be faithful, not to force a decision.
Tell the gospel story
Every great story has the same shape: something good, something broken, a rescue and a new beginning. That’s because they echo the real one. Tap each circle to walk through the five parts.
Part 1 of 5
Made for life with God
God is Father, Son and Spirit, a family of love. Out of the overflow of that love, He made us to share life with Him. Life flourishing with God was always the plan.
“So God created man in his own image.”
Genesis 1:27
Part 2 of 5
My will be done
We chose our own way. The Bible calls it sin, which is simply saying ‘my will be done.’ Like an infection we all caught, it pulls us into brokenness: anxiety, broken families, addiction, injustice. We try to escape through relationships, success or pleasure, but it pulls us back every time. No one can get out alone.
“For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23
Part 3 of 5
Jesus came for us
God loved us too much to leave us there, so He sent Jesus. Jesus showed us how the Father has felt about us the whole time. He took what we deserved when He died for our sins. Then He rose from the dead, proving He was right about everything and has the power to do what He said.
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures... he was buried... he was raised on the third day.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Part 4 of 5
Turn and trust
The way out is to repent. In the Greek, the word is metanoia: it means to change your mind, to agree with God and align yourself with His truth. In the Hebrew, it’s shuv: to turn back, return to where you belong, and walk with God again. So yes, repentance is turning around, but notice the order: it starts in the mind. We agree with the truth first, and that agreement is what turns our feet, our direction, and our whole life around. Sin says ‘my will be done.’ Repentance says ‘God, Your will be done.’ Then we trust Jesus: that He’s right about everything and can lead our life better than we can. That’s what it means to make Him Lord.
“Repent, and believe in the Good News.”
Mark 1:15
Part 5 of 5
Walk with Him
Now you’re never alone again. Eternal life isn’t only heaven someday. It’s knowing God, starting now and lasting forever. Jesus makes you into a new kind of person, full of His presence and power, and invites you into His mission to bring wholeness to the world.
“This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.”
John 17:3
The 60-second version
When there’s no napkin and no time.
God made us for life with Him, a relationship of love. But we chose our own way, ‘my will be done,’ and that led to brokenness in us and in the world. We try to escape it, but we can’t get out on our own.
So God sent Jesus. He showed us how the Father has always felt about us, He took what we deserved on the cross, and He rose from the dead to prove He was right about everything.
The way out is to turn and trust. We say, ‘God, Your will be done,’ and we make Jesus Lord. Then we get to walk with Him every day, never alone, becoming new people and helping heal a broken world.
Where is the person?
Listen to their answer first. Then tap what fits the person you’re talking with to see how to help them take their next step.
They’re in the brokenness
They don’t have to stay there
Listen well first. Then share how Jesus met you in your own brokenness. If they’re ready, you can pray together.
A prayer you can pray together
Jesus, I’ve been living my own way, and it has left me broken. I believe You died for my sins and rose again. I turn from my way to Yours. Your will be done in my life. I trust You to lead me. Be my Lord. Thank You that I will never walk alone again. Amen.
The words aren’t magic. It’s the heart turning toward Jesus that matters.
After they pray
- Celebrate. Heaven does.
- Encourage them to tell someone else about the decision this week.
- Invite them to sit with you on Sunday, then to Life Step 1 and baptism.
They’re curious, still thinking it over
No pressure, just an open door
Ways to keep the door open
- Ask, ‘What questions do you still have about Jesus?’
- Offer to read the story of Jesus together, starting in the book of John.
- Invite them to sit with you at a Sunday service.
- Keep praying for them. You may be planting, and someone else may water.
They said yes, but it felt like a ticket to heaven
The good news is better than they thought
Salvation is less like airline status and more like a marriage. The point isn’t the minimum to get in. The point is life with Him, and that starts today.
Help them take a step
- Pray ‘Your will be done’ together before you part.
- Encourage them to do the next right thing, and do it with God.
- Invite them to Life Step 1 to discover who they are in Christ.
They’re already walking with Jesus
Their next step is to lead
It’s a battleship, not a cruise ship. They get to be part of the rescue.
Bring them along
- Practice this story together.
- Pray for three people by name who don’t yet know Jesus.
- Invite them into a Dgroup to learn to make disciples.
Share Your Own Story
The story of Jesus becomes our story, and your story helps others see Him. Write it in three short parts so it’s ready when someone asks. Aim for about 90 seconds out loud.
01
Before
Where were you looking for life? What was broken?
02
How Jesus met me
When did you turn and trust Him?
03
Now
What’s different about doing life with Him?
Write it on your phone. Open the Notes app, title a new note “My story,” and write these three parts. Then say it out loud once so it’s ready.
Practice, then go
Start with an underhand pitch. Practice on someone safe first, like your Dgroup or a friend who follows Jesus. Then take it outside your circle. This story is for the people who haven’t heard it yet.
This week
1
Walk through the five parts of the story on your own.
2
Draw it and tell it to someone in your group or a friend who follows Jesus.
3
Write your story in your Notes app and say it out loud once.
4
Ask one person outside your circle, ‘What do you think about Jesus?’ and just listen.
Keep going in a Dgroup
You don’t have to do this alone. A Discipleship group meets every week to grow together. It’s where you learn to make disciples who make disciples.