When I was in third grade, my mother enrolled me in Children’s Bible Drill. It was certainly a well-titled activity. After hours of memorizing Bible passages, the class “drilled” together, competing to find and recite passages the quickest—at military attention, no less.
I can’t say I enjoyed those drills. But what I’ve enjoyed over the past 30 years is being able to share the gospel using all the Scripture coded into my memory. You can do the same—and you don’t even need to sign up for Children’s Bible Drill. The key is memorizing some of the Bible’s simple verses for evangelism (besides the “Romans Road”). Let’s consider a few.
Memorize the Gospel
If you’re going to share the gospel, you’ll want to know verses that succinctly summarize the good news of Christ. One of my favorites is from 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, but there are others. These are passages that get to the gospel’s heart in a few short words:
- “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3–4).
- “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18).
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Memorize the Bible’s Storyline
You might also consider memorizing verses that follow the Bible’s storyline of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Even if you don’t quote them verbatim, they can help you remember the movements of the gospel story. Here are some suggested verses to learn:
- Creation: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).
- Fall: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
- Redemption: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4–5).
- Restoration: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3).
Memorize Individual Bible Stories
I served as a missionary among oral learners. That means their preferred means of learning wasn’t through reading but through sharing stories. This made it easy to “bridge” to the gospel. A gospel bridge is a simple question or statement that moves the conversation in a spiritual direction.
If you’re going to share the gospel, you’ll want to know verses that succinctly summarize the good news of Christ.
In the course of any conversation, I could find a bridge to a Bible story. For example, I met a man named David. So I simply asked him, “Do you know the story of David?” He didn’t, which gave me the opportunity to tell him. Could I quote that story word for word? No way. But I could still tell it by heart.
Here’s the best part. At the end of the story about David, I said, “But if you really want to know about David, I need to start at the beginning.” Then I proceeded to walk through the Bible’s redemptive storyline, starting at creation.
You don’t have to live among oral learners in another culture to retell Bible stories; you can do it with children or anyone. Here are a few stories to consider committing to memory:
- The tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1–9): This story clearly displays people living to make a name for themselves instead of God. That’s an easy bridge to the nature of sin and a person’s need for a Savior.
- The healing of the paralytic (Mark 2:1–12): Jesus reveals himself as One who doesn’t just heal people but even forgives sin. What a great bridge to a person’s deepest spiritual need.
- The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32): Depending on the person, you can use this story as a bridge to God’s acceptance of the sinner (the prodigal son) or to God’s rejection of the self-righteous (the older son).
Memorize Jesus’s Words
Who evangelized better than Jesus? Many of his words were powerful and direct statements of the gospel:
- “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24)
- “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (10:11)
- “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (14:6)
At the same time, Jesus’s words were often simple and inviting. These can lead to deeper gospel conversations. One of the best examples of this is in John 1:38. Jesus kindly asked, “What are you seeking?” Jesus cared about people’s deepest desires, and he knew those desires ultimately revealed their need for him. We can follow his example and ask others, “What do you want most in life?”—then genuinely listen to what they share.
You don’t have to live among oral learners in another culture to retell Bible stories; you can do it with children or anyone.
There’s another simple phrase of Jesus’s that’s easily overlooked but shows up in numerous places, including John 3:35: “The Father loves the Son.” What’s Jesus saying here? That he’s deeply loved. He was a man who lived in that constant security. Maybe you won’t quote this verse directly. But you could tell someone about the security of God’s love for you, how you’re assured of it, and how that shapes your life. What could be more compelling to people longing, above all things, to be loved?
Always Prepared
For more than 30 years, I’ve been enjoying the benefits of my childhood Scripture memorization. It’s allowed me to immediately call to mind God’s Word when I needed direction and comfort and when sharing the gospel and making disciples.
The same can be true for you as a faithful witness to the gospel. In 1 Peter 3:15, the apostle urged his readers toward “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks [them] for a reason for the hope that is in [them].” Scripture memorization is the best way to do that. Yes, the drilling will be worth it.