The Family Disciple Me Podcast // Discipleship Starts With a Conversation

THE FIVE FINGER GOSPEL | A Handful of Truths to Lead a Child to Christ | Convo #4: Jesus Knows You!

• Tosha Williams for FDM

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In this episode, we explore the pointer-finger truth of "The Five Finger Gospel":  Jesus knows you. As we point to those entrusted to us, we are personally reminded of how being known by the Good Shepherd changes how we parent, mentor, and lead the next generation. From childhood memories of church members who remembered her name, to the warm, earthy picture of a pastor-farmer who greets a newborn calf with joy, host Tosha Williams traces the thread of John 10 and Psalm 139 through real life.

In this episode, we walk through a quick recap of "The Five Finger Gospel" and then camp on the fourth truth: the Good Shepherd knows His sheep and calls them by name. That means kids don’t have to earn God’s attention, impress Him with perfect behavior, or hide when they fail. It means we’re invited into a relationship where we hear His voice, respond in trust, and follow with confidence. Along the way, we make it practical with a simple habit you can try today: hold up your left hand, point your finger, and say out loud, “Jesus knows you.” Pair it with a short reading of John 10:14 - “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” or Psalm 139, and let that small moment carry big weight.

We also encourage the devotion-driven discipleship framework. Seek Him leads to Speak Him, keeping our hearts grounded in truth as we guide our kids toward Jesus. When we let God’s knowledge of us soak in, we stop performing and start abiding. When we speak that truth to a child, we offer a pathway to courage, honesty, and hope. 

Ready to share your faith using the simple tool that goes with you everywhere you go? Let "The Five Finger Gospel" be part of a meaningful, intentional conversation in your life today! 

The coordinating devotion-driven discipleship guide for this episode can be found on the Family Disciple Me app! Coming soon!

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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

SPEAKER_00:

When I was growing up, I had a whole community of Christ followers who noticed me. They didn't just wave and walk by. No, they took the time to know me. My parents took me to churches where different people made an impact on my life. I already told you about Mr. Chocolate Covered Raisin Man, the man who was so kind along the way to notice me and bring me little treats at church and to remember my name. But there were also other people like him. There was Miss Judy, a very kind older woman who took the time to bend down and remember my name. And then there was a young couple. Their names were Dee and Curtis. And I would see them on a weekly basis at church. But I especially loved it when they came over to my house and they babysat me because I knew that they knew me and they loved me. And then there was my pastor's wife. She was a wonderful woman who actually was the one who helped get me ready for my baptism after I gave my life to Christ. She knew me. She knew my name. She knew my Jesus story. These people did for me in the body of Christ what I believe Jesus does for every single one of us. And that is He knows us. And today in our five-finger gospel series, as we continue in this collection of conversations, we're going to lift up our left hands once again, palms facing outward. And this time we're going to use our pointer finger to point to the truth of John chapter 10, verse 14, where Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me. So in this episode, let's talk about what that means. And not just for us, but for the next generation that's entrusted to us. Hi, my name is Tasha Williams, and I'm honored that you're here joining me and that you're joining the Family Disciple Me Ministry as we continue in our devotion-driven discipleship conversations talking about the five-finger gospel. You know, as we keep walking through these five simple truths, one finger at a time, the reason that we're doing this is to help us have an easy-to-remember way to lead a child to Christ. So far, we've talked about the truth of the pinky finger, and that little finger reminds us of the really big truth, that Jesus sees you. And as we wiggle that finger, we remember that. And then we come to the truth of our fourth finger, and that is the truth that's a part of our ring finger for most of us. The truth that Jesus loves you. The middle finger, the one that has such a bad rap in the world. As we remember its meaning, as we wiggle that, we see that what the world meant for evil, God means for good. And that tall, tall finger can remind us of the tall, tall cross on which Jesus died and remind us of the truth. Jesus died for you. And then today we come to our next finger, our pointer finger. And as we wiggle it, we remember the truth. Jesus knows you. If you're watching online right now, you see what I'm doing with my hand, with my finger. As I say, Jesus knows you, I'm pointing at you. If you're listening to this right now, I want you to hold up your left hand and take your pointer finger and point it and say, Jesus knows you, because that's the action that reminds us of this truth that is so personal. It's so powerful, and it is so true. You see, in John chapter 10, verse 14, Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. And it's almost as if he holds up his finger and says, I know my sheep, as he points to us, and my sheep knows me, he says. You see, Jesus is not a distant savior. He's not a far-off God, he's not an ancient piece of history. He is alive and well, and he knows each of us individually, by name. Just like a shepherd knows each sheep in his flock, Jesus knows every detail about every single one of us. That's what those church members showed me when I was a little girl. They didn't just see me, they remembered things about me. They took the time to ask questions and get to know me. They called me by name. And decades later, I still remember them because they made me feel known. That's what Jesus does in a far greater way for every single one of us. He is the great shepherd who takes the time to know every single one of his sheep. You know, I am married to a pastor farmer. And most days of the week, he's a pastor, but there are those days of the week and hours of the day that he is a farmer. And on our farm, we don't have sheep, but we do have cattle. As of earlier last week, we had six, and one of those cattle was expecting a baby. So there came a day last week where my husband came home from his pastoring job and he put on his farmer's hat and went down to the barnyard. And he immediately called me and said, Shamgar had her calf. And when he found Shamgar and he found her living calf, he said, This baby's name is Hey G. Now, I know that that's really a bizarre name, but our youngest named Journey Grace, we call her JG. And she's been saying, When do I get a calf named after me? And so in her honor, this new baby calf is called Heiji. I know it's a thing. My family's weird. But here's the thing: the farmer knows his calves. And as these calves grow into cattle, the cattle know their farmer. I've seen that for about two decades now, that they know the voice of their farmer, just like their farmer knows each of them by name, long after I forget their names. Their farmer still knows their names. And that's the way Jesus is as a shepherd for us. He knows us. He thought of us and knew us before we were even born. Psalm 139 teaches us all about that. We see it throughout scripture. I knew you before you took your first breath. That's how much Jesus knows about us. He doesn't forget our name. He doesn't forget when we entered into the world, he doesn't forget what happened to us last week or last year. What's more, he knows what's coming tomorrow. He is our good, good shepherd. So as we hold up our left hands, palms facing out, and we take that finger and we point, we can say, Jesus knows you. And we can point that finger right back at ourselves and remind ourselves of that truth. Jesus knows each of us. Thing is, as we think about this truth, as we meditate on this truth, not just for our lives, we want to begin to think about what it means for the kids in our lives. Here's what it means when we point to them and say, Jesus knows you, it means they don't have to earn God's attention. They don't have to impress him, they don't have to pretend, they don't have to perform because he already knows them. He is excited about them, he is happy about them, just like my pastor farmer was so excited about Hey G H A Y G when that little calf was born. That calf didn't have to stand to be impressive to my husband. My husband was already raving about this calf. That's the way Jesus feels about us and about each of those children, each of those in the next generation that's entrusted to us. He knows us. He knows the next word we're going to say before we even say it. He knows our thoughts. He knows when we're going this way, he knows when we're going that way. He knows when we want to stay under the covers and hide, and he knows when we take a stand. Thing is, he doesn't just know us. He wants us to know him. And this is the truth of the gospel. When he says in John 10, 27, My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. We have the amazing privilege and opportunity to teach that to the next generation. We can raise our hands, we can point to the next generation, whoever it is that's entrusted to us, and say, Jesus knows you. And then we can follow that up with the question, would you like to know him too? This is the best news ever. This is the heart of the gospel. This is the amazing invitation that God gives to us and that he invites us to share with others. So this week, whether you're riding in a car, making dinner, tucking a child into bed, holding your grandchild for a while, having a conversation with a teenager, whoever it is that God has entrusted to you, here's what I encourage you to do. Hold up your hand, point that pointer finger, literally, and speak this truth aloud. Jesus knows you. It's a small sentence with eternal weight. As you look for opportunity to say that, I encourage you to spend some time in the devotion-driven discipleship conversation that goes along with this episode. Use that conversation guide to help you seek him before you turn around and speak him. And spend some time with the Lord asking him the questions of what, why, and how, that framework that we set forth in the devotion-driven discipleship guide. And as you use that, and as you hear God speak into your heart, as you hear him affirm to you that he knows you, well, as that truth sinks deeper and deeper into your heart, that's when I challenge you to let seek him lead you into speak him. As you personally meet with God, then let that lead you into making him known. That's how this truth, that's how this truth impacts all of us. That's how this truth begins to create a legacy through you. Because as you let it impact your heart, and then you turn around and you let this truth be laid on the altar of the life of someone entrusted to you, it can begin to impact their heart as well. Oh, friend, thank you for joining me in this conversation, this fourth truth in the five-finger gospel. We have one more finger to go in this next episode. But until then, use what God has given you to reach into the lives of the next generation. If God's given you a left hand, if he's given you a voice, if he's given you fingers, if he's given you eyes to see, ears to hear, you have everything that you need in conjunction with your relationship with him to make an impact on the next generation. Discipleship starts with a conversation. So, friend, skip the intimidation. Let the conversation begin. Go with God, friend. Be encouraged.