Three Circles: God's Design - August 9, 2026

Sharing the gospel begins with the promise that God gives power for the thing God calls ordinary people to do. Acts 1:8 says the Holy Spirit comes upon believers so that witnesses can speak in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Weakness is not the enemy of witness, because weakness is the place where surrender to the Holy Spirit actually starts.

The gospel itself is simply beautiful and beautifully simple. John 3:16 gives the whole thing clean and plain: God loved the world, gave his one and only Son, and everyone who believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. The gospel is not wrapped up in ceremonies, transactions, or a bunch of religious stuff to do. The gospel says, “I need a Savior, and Jesus is the only one that can save me.”

Acts 4 shows Peter and John as rough handed fishermen, not polished religious experts. Their boldness amazed the council because they were “uneducated and untrained men,” but the council recognized that they had been with Jesus. The gospel does not require a long Christian résumé, a degree, or somebody else to do the talking. The gospel is shared by bold, ordinary people who love Jesus.

The three circles gives a simple, conversational, non confrontational way to move from everyday pain into gospel hope. The conversation does not have to start with an argument about religion. The conversation can start when someone says work is miserable, marriage is broken, health is failing, the schedule is crushing, or the world feels off. The question becomes, “Do you think that’s how it’s supposed to be?”

Genesis 1 answers that question by showing God’s design. God created order out of disorder, purpose through work, companionship through relationships, marriage and sex as good gifts, food and health, time and rest. God looked at all that he had made and called it “very good.” Creation was not random junk thrown together; creation had design, order, beauty, and purpose.

Brokenness enters because the world is not now the way God designed it to be. Creation groans, relationships groan, marriages groan, bodies groan, and time itself feels exhausted. Romans 8 says all creation has been groaning, and believers groan too while waiting for full restoration. The door for gospel conversation opens when broken people can honestly say, “Something’s wrong,” and the hope of Jesus says God sent his Son to buy sinners back, restore relationship with God, and one day put it all back together forever.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Weakness makes room for power [02:56] Human weakness in sharing faith does not disqualify a believer from witness. Weakness can become the honest place where dependence replaces performance. The Holy Spirit’s power is not given to polished people only, but to surrendered people who know they need help to speak. [02:56]
• 2. The gospel is beautifully simple [03:29] The gospel does not need to be buried under religious clutter. Its center is clear: sinners need forgiveness, and Jesus died and rose to save. A faith that cannot be spoken plainly may need to be freshly seen in its own beauty. [03:29]
• 3. Ordinary people can speak boldly [07:29] Peter and John did not impress the council with education or status. Their courage came from having been with Jesus, and that was enough to make their witness unmistakable. Boldness is not a personality type; it is the fruit of nearness to Christ. [07:29]
• 4. Brokenness opens gospel doors [23:23] Every honest person knows something is not right with the world. Pain in work, marriage, health, creation, and time can become a doorway rather than a dead end. The question “Is this how it’s supposed to be?” helps brokenness point back toward God’s good design. [23:23]
• 5. Creation still groans for restoration [29:32] Romans 8 gives words to the ache that creation and human hearts already feel. The groaning is not just sadness; it is longing for release from sin and suffering. Christian hope looks beyond coping and waits for Jesus to put everything back together forever.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:14] - Learning To Share Faith Simply
• [02:18] - God Gives Power To Witness
• [03:29] - The Gospel Is Beautifully Simple
• [05:57] - Bold Ordinary People Love Jesus
• [08:19] - Why Sharing Faith Feels Hard
• [09:59] - Introducing The Three Circles
• [11:29] - Circle One: God’s Design
• [12:27] - God Creates Order From Chaos
• [17:08] - Work, Purpose, And Responsibility
• [19:00] - Relationships, Marriage, And God’s Gifts
• [21:43] - Rest And God’s Very Good Creation
• [23:23] - Asking, “Is This How It’s Supposed To Be?”
• [27:33] - Circle Two: Brokenness
• [29:32] - Creation Groans For Hope

Bible Reading

Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” [02:47]

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” [05:31]

Acts 4:12-13
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” [07:11]

Genesis 1:1-31
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. [continues through creation account] And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” [11:35]

Romans 8:22-23
“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” [29:32]

Observation questions

1. According to Acts 1:8, what does Jesus promise believers will receive, and what are they called to be? [02:47]
2. In John 3:16, what does God do, and what is promised to the one who believes in his Son?
3. In Acts 4:12-13, what stood out to the council about Peter and John, and what did the council recognize about them? [07:26]
4. What are some parts of God’s design in Genesis 1 that were highlighted: creation, work, relationships, marriage, food, and rest? [21:43]

Interpretation questions

1. If the Holy Spirit gives power for witness, what does that suggest about why weakness does not have to stop a Christian from speaking about Jesus? [03:16]
2. Acts 4 says Peter and John were ordinary men, yet they spoke boldly. What does it mean that boldness comes from having been with Jesus rather than from education, personality, or status? [07:38]
3. If God’s design was called “very good,” what does that help explain about why people feel so much frustration with work, relationships, health, and time when those things are broken? [22:18]
4. Romans 8 says creation groans and believers groan too. How does that help explain why gospel conversations often begin in places of pain instead of places where everything seems fine? [30:19]

Application questions

1. Where does sharing faith tend to feel hardest right now: fear of awkwardness, fear of debate, feeling unprepared, or something else? What would it look like to depend on the Holy Spirit in that specific weakness? [09:31]
2. The gospel is simple enough to say plainly. How would each person in the group explain the gospel in one or two sentences to a friend who has no church background? [05:22]
3. Ordinary people who have been with Jesus can speak boldly. What practices help a person stay near to Jesus so that courage grows in everyday conversations? [07:38]
4. Brokenness often shows up in normal conversation about work, marriage, health, stress, or the world feeling off. Which kind of comment comes up most often in this season of life, and how could that become an open door for a gracious gospel conversation? [23:23]
5. The question “Do you think that’s how it’s supposed to be?” can move a conversation from pain to hope. Is there a relationship in life right now where that question might fit naturally and gently? What makes that situation a real opportunity? [23:26]
6. God’s design includes purpose in work, goodness in relationships, and rest in time. Which part of that design feels most broken in life right now, and how has that brokenness affected faith, joy, or hope? [17:08]
7. Jesus restores sinners to God and will one day put everything back together forever. Where is there a need to hold onto that hope more firmly right now: in the body, in the home, in work, or in some other place of groaning? [31:05]