How West Main Arts Fest went
West Main Arts Fest was held on May 14th, 2022. This was my second time being a vendor at this particular event and it overall went better than it did the year before. This year, my booth was right across from the food vendors and right next to one of the entrances, which allowed for a lot of traffic into my booth. I had a different booth set up than I did last year since I now have coasters, mini canvases and jewelry. I had a lot of traffic going through my tent that day and had several purchases. So overall the event was a success and I am looking forward to being a vendor next year.
While sales and traffic through my booth are both important parts of these events for me, my main goal was not necessarily sales. My main goal was to share Christ with others. Two weekends before West Main Arts Fest, my church had a class on evangelism. The class was specifically over one evangelism tool called 3 Circles. This tool helps you think about and break down the gospel for someone who may have never heard it before. It is super easy to put into your own words so that you become more comfortable sharing the gospel. The first few times are always nerve-wracking and you trip over your words sometimes but eventually you get the hang of it. While I was in the class, I kept thinking about how to make 3 circles on my own. I had images of each circle and what I could paint to have something physical to share with others. So over the next week, I came up with the image you see below.
What is 3 Circles?
the way 3 circles work, is to start with the top left circle and go around clockwise as you are explaining each circle and sharing the gospel
The First Circle is God’s design for the world. God had a perfect plan for us and all of creation. He created the Garden and would walk with Adam and Eve and was in perfect relationship with them. That was until Adam and Eve sinned against God.
When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they were forced to leave the garden and we no longer in perfect harmony with God. This is now the world that we live in. Our world is broken and so many things seem to go wrong all the time. In our broken world, it seems like nothing will ever be fixed. We try as hard as we can to escape our broken world by turning to things that become addictions or idols. Sometimes, it seems like we can never be fixed, but there is hope.
The hope that we have lies in God’s plan. God had his perfect design for us and when we sinned against Him, he needed a way to bring us back to into his design. His plan was his Son, Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus, who was perfect, to die for our sins. He died and on the third day rose again, having taken our place for our sin against God. So if repent and believe in Jesus we will be saved. If we accept that Jesus Christ is Lord, believe that He died for our sins and confess that He is our Lord and Savior, we can be saved. This is how God brings us back to His perfect design. When we accept Christ and begin following Him, we now have a path to rejoin God’s design.
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
Experience from sharing 3 Circles.
Near the front of my booth, I had the 3 Circles painting set up next to my portfolio. I always allow people to flip through my portfolio and they generally comment on what I’ve done and sometimes ask me about the pieces. I had several people throughout the day notice the 3 circles painting and ask what it meant or they pointed out that it looked really cool. I would always ask if I could explain the imagery to them before I shared 3 circles with them. Out of about 7 people that that, 6 of them wanted to hear what I had to say. I only had one who wasn’t interested and quickly left my booth afterwards. Of the six people that I shared the image with, most people were already Christians and a few were somewhat on the fence but didn’t really want to talk about it any further. This was only my first experience with sharing Christ at an event like this. I love that I was able to take 3 circles and really make it my own. This makes it easier to share Christ with others and helps me not be so nervous that I am going to trip over my words. I think visuals also tend to help people understand what someone is saying to begin with.
Eph210Artstudio’s mission is to spread the Gospel and love on people through art. 3 circles help me do that even more than I was before. At the last show I was at, I did not have an opportunity to share the gospel with others but I know God will continue to provide opportunities as I move forward this year.
If you are already a Christian, I encourage you to use 3 circles to help share the Gospel with others and to make it your own. 3 circles is available in an app and can easily be done on paper or even a napkin. If you are interested about 3 circles, check out their website below.
If you are not a Christian, I would pray and encourage you to read through my explanation of the gospel and reach out to me or to someone in your life who is a Christian who could answer any questions and begin a dialog with you. I pray that God places someone in your life who can share the Gospel with you and that your heart would be open to the Gospel message.
Until Next time,
God Bless.