THE FIVE FINGER GOSPEL | A Handful of Truths to Lead a Child to Christ | Introduction

A crowded church gym, a sea of bright eyes, and a whisper that changed everything. That’s where "The Five Finger Gospel" began—not as a program, but as a moment of clarity: we are called to lead. When you raise your left hand and notice the simple L made by your thumb and pointer finger, you’re holding a mission statement you can carry anywhere. We walk through the heart behind this tool, why simplicity honors the depth of the gospel, and how Psalm 78:4 charges us to tell the next generation about God’s power and the wonders he has done.

Host Tosha Williams shares why making profound truths simple enough for a child is not dumbing down faith; it’s opening the door. With this practical framework, you’ll hear how each finger becomes a step in the story of salvation—clear, memorable, and ready for real life. This conversation speaks to parents, grandparents, teachers, youth leaders, and any follower of Jesus who wants a portable, pressure-free way to begin. You’ll find language that fits little hearts, space for questions, and a warm invitation to keep the focus on Jesus.

Then we get specific: who are your five? Naming five kids in your world turns intention into action and builds a ripple that can reach far beyond your home or church. We close with a commitment to lead, to welcome, and to speak the truth we will not hide. If you’re ready to wave a welcome to the next generation and walk with them toward Christ, raise your left hand and join us. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who leads kids, and leave a review to help more families find these conversations. Will you lead them with us?

The devotion-driven discipleship guide that goes along with this podcast episode will be available on our soon-to-be-released FDM app! Stay tuned!

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The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media.

Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

Chapters

• 0:05 A Defining Moment At VBS
• 1:09 Birth Of The Five-Finger Gospel
• 2:11 The Mission: Tell The Next Generation
• 3:56 The Left Hand And The L Of Lead
• 6:02 Who Are Your Five
• 7:39 Commitment And Next Steps

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:05

I had a really significant moment a few years ago when I was standing on the stage at my church's vacation Bible blast. As I stood there, I was looking out on a sea of faces. All these little eyes of children who were preschool all the way up to sixth grade were looking back at me. They were sitting there with their leaders, with their junior leaders, and they were so excited about what was about to unfold with Vacation Bible Blast. As I prepared to speak to them and welcome them, I heard God first speak to me. And he whispered this. It was just a moment. It was just a little, a little blip of time in the midst of the whole scenario of vacation Bible blast. And yet that moment when I heard God speak to me became the seed, which eventually grew into what I'm sharing with you now, something that I call the five-finger gospel. This isn't just a tool for kids, it's for all of us. But it started with that vision, that way that parents, grandparents, leaders, teachers, high schoolers, junior hires, anyone can have a way to use something as simple as their hand to share the greatest story ever told with the next generation. Hi, my name is Tasha Williams, and I am the founder and the executive director of the Family Disciple Me Ministry. And I have to tell you that what I'm about to share with you is one of my very favorite devotion-driven discipleship conversations. Out of everything we've ever published with Family Disciple Me, I love this the most, I think, because it teaches such profound truths. You know, when I started the Family Disciple Me Ministry, I was so inspired by a quote from the leader of the seminary where my husband and I attended school, Dr. Chuck Swindall was the president of Dallas Theological Seminary. And he said, the greatest theologian is someone who can make the truth of the gospel simple enough for a child to understand. And I believe that, well, the five-finger gospel is one way that we can live that out. So welcome into this collection of conversations. I believe that what we're about to do, what we're about to discover with the five-finger gospel, literally lives out what God told us to do in his word in Psalm 78, verse 4, which says this we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. I love that verse so much. It's not just a suggestion. It is a mission statement. It's a mission statement, friends. When we raise our left hand to proclaim the five-finger gospel, we're saying we're not going to keep silent. We're not going to let the world shut us down. We are going to welcome in the next generation. We will wave to them the truth of God's word, and we're going to lead those entrusted to us to know God better. Isn't that an amazing invitation for you, for me, for all of us who claim to be Christ's followers? I believe that it is. It's a welcome from God to us, and then we get to turn around and welcome the next generation. So what I want you to do right now, whoever you are, whatever your age, stage, man, woman, teenager, wherever you are in life journey, will you please with me hold up your left hand, palm facing out. Just look at it for a moment. This is what we're going to come back to time and time again in the five-finger gospel. And something that I want you to notice first, as you hold out your hand, and my hand is facing you right now, but I want you not to look at the screen, but look at your hand. And when you have your hand in front of you, as you have your fingers out, your palm facing the opposite direction, as you look at your hand, you're going to see an L shaped by your pointer finger and your thumb. Do you see it? You see that L? That L is a powerful reminder. And the reminder is this: we are called to lead the next generation. We're called to lead them. We're called to teach them. We're called to train them. We're called to disciple them. We're called to do this in so many ways. But friends, the way that I want to point out to you right now is that we're called to lead them to the truths of the gospel. We're called to lead them to better understand who Jesus is and how much he loves them. And friends, I think that this is such an amazing, exciting opportunity that we get to do this. So think with me for a minute. Who are the little ones entrusted to you? Maybe it's your own children, maybe you have grandchildren or nieces and nephews, or maybe some neighbors or children that you have interaction with at church. Who has God placed in your life? Here's what I know: He's placed them there for a reason. And he has given you not just a responsibility, but he's giving you a simple, memorable way to begin sharing truths about the gospel with them. The five-finger gospel is a way. With every finger, we're going to talk through the story of salvation in a way that you can literally hold in the palm of your hand and you can share anytime, anywhere. But it all begins here with the left hand and a desire to not just seek him, but turn around and speak him. And with that left hand, you can wave a welcome and you can say, I want to show you something about the God of the universe and how much he cares for you. So I want to ask you, will you commit with me and say, we will not hide God's truth, but we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord. We will tell the next generation about his power, about the wonders he has done. This left hand can be our starting point. The five-fingered gospel is a way that we can welcome, we can welcome those that he's placed into our lives and walk with them closer to the God of the universe. I am so excited about this conversation collection. And I am honored that you're here joining me with it. If every person who listens to this podcast, this video cast, and every person who goes through this collection of conversations with me turns around and shares this. Let's just say with five children. Five. Who are the five in your life? I can't even begin to imagine the impact that this can have on eternity. Friends, we have the opportunity together now to change the world for Jesus. He's given us tools to use. And I believe amongst those, he's given us our left hand to wave to the little ones entrusted to us and to welcome them into the kingdom of heaven. So, friend, hold up that left hand and look at that L. Will you lead them with me? If you will, I want to say, welcome into the five-finger gospel. I'll see you in the next episode as we get started with, well, the littlest finger, the pinky finger. Until then, go with God, friend. Be encouraged, be challenged, be blessed. In Jesus' name. Amen.