THE GOSPEL WHEEL

Awana is centered on the gospel. The very first thing for a ​leader to know is how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ ​with someone. We have a tool that uses Scripture, God’s ​own words, to explain His story.

The purpose of the Gospel Wheel is to help you know and ​share the gospel with confidence. Each section of the ​Gospel Wheel has a key word and Scripture reference.

The Gospel Wheel is designed to be a useful tool for ​presenting the gospel. You don’t have to use an outline. ​Just start sharing with a person from the Scriptures, ​starting at any entry point, and let the Holy Spirit use the ​Word to lead a person to faith in Christ. At the center is the ​gospel. (Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again.)

The entry points align themselves along two dimensions. ​The character line could begin with a discussion of God’s ​character (love) or man’s character (sin). Either entry point ​gets you to the gospel. You could share along the action ​line, that Jesus’ shed blood on the cross provides for our ​salvation, or the corresponding action of a person, which is ​to trust (have faith or believe) in Jesus Christ’s death for ​our sins.

If a child is ready to accept the free gift of salvation, allow ​the child to pray in his or her own words.

Gospel (center)

At the center of the wheel is the summary of the whole gospel message — that Christ died, was ​buried and rose again. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

Related question: “Do you know what the word ‘gospel’ means?”

The segments align themselves along two dimensions: character, action.

God (top)

The character of God goes in the top segment with the references Revelation 4:8b and John 3:16. ​Revelation 4:8b explains God’s holiness and John 3:16 explains God’s love for us.

Related question: “Do you know what God is like?”

Man (bottom)

The character of mankind is that we are sinful and because of that, headed for death. Romans 3:23 and ​6:23 tell how all men are sinful and that sin earns us eternal death.

Related question: “Can a person be good enough to earn God's love?”

Cross (left)

God’s response or “action” is that He sent His son to die on the cross for us. Romans 5:8 explains that ​Jesus came specifically to die for us, even though we were lost in our own sin.

Related question: “Do you know what God did for you?”

Trust (right)

Finally, there is something we have to do. We must “trust” in Jesus. In Acts 16:31, Paul is talking to a ​whole family who has just heard about Jesus. Paul tells them to believe in the Lord Jesus to be saved.

Our response to trust in Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross is a critical aspect of the Gospel Wheel. ​It requires the clubber or person hearing the gospel to respond and make a decision. Because of this, ​it is usually the last section of the Gospel that is shared.

Related question: “What do you think God asks you to do?”

**Be careful not to rush someone into making a decision to trust Christ. Remember that it is ​your job is to share the gospel message. It is God's responsibility to bring a person to a ​saving relationship with Him.

If you have not yet been in the habit of memorizing Scripture verses, those listed here would ​be an excellent place to start. Once you have the verses memorized that make up the Gospel ​Wheel, you will be able to explain the Gospel clearly at any time.