MARSHALL, MO—The power of evangelism doesn’t lie in any tool, trick, or person. It lies solely in the person and work of Jesus. Paul says in Romans 1:16 that the gospel—not the method, not the presentation, not the person doing the sharing—is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

Even so, God uses people and tools to spread this wonderful message of salvation. This semester, God has been using the 3 Circles tool to train students for evangelism, open doors for evangelism, and work in hearts for salvation within The Bridge Collegiate Ministry.

3 Circles Evangelism Tool

The 3 Circles is an evangelism tool developed by the North American Mission Board. It breaks the gospel down into a simple visual composed of three circles representing God’s design, brokenness, and the gospel. These circles serve as a guide to concisely explain the beauty of God’s original design, the nature of sin, the response of repentance, the pursuit of sanctification, and the hope of final restoration. The combination of simplicity and visual aid help believers, even those who have never shared their faith before, to share the gospel confidently and invite the listener to respond. NAMB has even created an app as well as fidget spinners and bracelets to serve as conversation starters.

3 Circles in Action

Campus missionaries Marita Avilez and Scott Westfall have been utilizing the 3 Circles within their ministries at Mizzou and Missouri Valley. “The 3 Circles is an easy tool for sharing the gospel, and the bracelets have proven to be very effective for helping our college students share their faith,” says Avilez.

One Missouri Valley student, Hailey, has been gathering some of her volleyball teammates for a Bible study this semester. “She shared the 3 Circles with them from her bracelet and now they all want one too,” Avilez wrote in her September campus ministry report.

“At Mizzou, we give out three circle bracelets as we table each week,” Westfall says. “We share the gospel 5-15 times per week. We purchased 1000 bracelets last May, gave them away, and ordered 2000 more. These have proved to be great tools for initiating gospel conversations quickly on campus.”

Earlier this semester, student David Petrov had a student shadowing him at work on campus at Mizzou. She asked about his 3 Circles bracelet, and he shared the gospel with her. Westfall says, “God was obviously working on her heart, and she gave her life to Christ! We have had several students follow up with this young lady.”

3 Circles in Mexico

Over Thanksgiving break, The Bridge took a mission trip to Mexico. Avilez shares this story, “The first day we had a devotion time and passed out 3 Circles bracelets. We broke into groups, each with a Spanish speaker. Then we went shopping at the market and tried to have gospel conversations using the bracelets. I was in a group with Paulino, so I reviewed the 3 Circles with him using the app on my phone. I changed it to Spanish (since he would be sharing it in Spanish and understands Spanish better than English).

“Soon after we started shopping, we saw a vendor who wasn’t busy. I suggested we stop there. Paulino went right up to the lady and started a conversation. He gave her the bracelet and went through the 3 Circles with her. They talked for a while and then we left. I asked him if he had shared the 3 Circles before and he said no, that was his first time. He said he had never seen it until earlier this semester when Nelius, one of the guys on our leadership team, shared it with him. It was awesome to hear that our students are sharing the Gospel with others and equipping each other with being able to share it with others.

“That day as we shopped, I got to watch Paulio share the Gospel with about 10 other people. From what I could tell, he did a good job. He was friendly and he didn’t seem nervous. Most of the people he spoke with seemed interested and listened intently.”

3 Circles in Secular Class

Toward the end of the semester, Missouri Valley accounting major Dakota Zaugg had the opportunity to share the gospel using the 3 Circles with his entire world religion class. Avilez had recently done a lesson at The Bridge on the 3 Circles and passed out bracelets. Zaugg asked her for 25 bracelets to incorporate into his class presentation on Christianity. “I gave them out and was able to spread the gospel to my whole class,” Zaugg says.

Zaugg, originally from Santa Maria, California, has been in a season of fiery spiritual growth since a revival this summer that sparked his faith to turn from lukewarm to religion to passionate relationship with Jesus. Being a part of The Bridge has “taught me to serve Him and to put the kingdom of God first. He has taught me many people don’t know about Jesus and we need to tell them before it’s too late.”

The 3 Circles tool has been crucial in helping him develop the skill and confidence to tell them. “The bracelets give me confidence because I get to look at what I am talking about and it feels less religious and more like a relationship,” he says.  “The 3 Circle bracelets are a great tool I use to spread the good news.”

He explains that the God created our hearts originally sinless, “but then we ran and fell into since and ever since we are broken. When we are broken, we feel bad and want to fix it. The only way to fix it is to repent, but we can only do that because Jesus Christ who came down to earth died on the cross and rose again. Now He is the perfect advocate to the Father. And once we put our faith in Jesus and repent and ask Him for forgiveness, we are made whole.”

His evangelistic efforts haven’t just been limited to campus. “With the bracelets I have been able to reach a lot of people,” he says. “When I came home to California I brought some with me. I have given them out to my old teachers and some family who did not believe or just asked for one.”

Zaugg recognizes that his campus is desperately in need of the hope of the gospel. “The spiritual climate on my campus is a struggle,” he says. “People our age are getting their freedom and want to use it and party. I would like to bring people on campus and off to Christ before it’s too late. I would like to get people from my sports team to come to church with me and for them to start a relationship with Christ.”

We don’t praise the people or the tools, but we praise the God who saves. And we thank Him for the tools that are helping equip the next generation to make disciples wherever they go.