The Gospel, Clearly: The Five-Color Method
A testimony opens the door. At some point, though, the conversation needs to move from your story to the gospel itself, the actual content of what Christ has done and what a response to Him looks like. That transition is where a lot of well-meaning believers freeze, not because they don't know the gospel, but because they've never organized it into something they can walk through calmly under pressure.
The five-color method, popularized by the ministry Time to Revive, solves that problem with five words, five colors, and five verses. It's simple enough to memorize in one sitting and sturdy enough to carry an entire conversation.
Yellow: Sin
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Start here, plainly. Every person, regardless of background or behavior, falls short of a perfect standard. This isn't an accusation aimed at the person in front of you specifically; it's a description of the human condition you share with them.
Black: Death
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Sin has a consequence, and the consequence is death, meaning separation from God, not merely a biological event. This is the point where the conversation gets honest about what's actually at stake. Don't rush past it to get to the good news; the good news only means something once the bad news has landed.
Red: Love
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). This is the turn. God didn't wait for anyone to clean up first. Christ died for people while they were still in the condition Yellow and Black just described. Emphasize the timing: while we were still sinners, not after.
Blue: Faith
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Here's where a lot of people, especially those from a works-oriented background, need the clearest explanation. Salvation isn't earned by good behavior or religious effort; it's received, the way any gift is received, by trusting the giver.
Green: Life
"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Now you're extending an invitation, not delivering an argument. If the person you're talking with is ready, this is the moment to ask directly: would they like to give their life to Christ right now? If they say yes, pray with them. If they're not ready, that's a real and acceptable outcome; remember what Part 2 of this series said about faithfulness over forced results.
Walking Through It in Practice
Time to Revive built physical tools around this framework: a five-color wristband and a matching tabbed New Testament, so the colors correspond to actual verses someone can read for themselves rather than just hear from you. Reading the verse aloud, in their own voice, tends to land differently than hearing you recite it.
Time to Revive's training page walks through the full conversation script in more detail, including how to open with prayer for the person before you even reach Yellow: timetorevive.com/training. Their YouTube channel also has video walkthroughs of the method in action, which are worth watching before you try this in a real conversation for the first time: youtube.com/c/TimetoRevive.
After Someone Says Yes
If someone does respond and trust Christ, the conversation isn't finished. Time to Revive's tabbed Bibles include a sixth section, orange, covering what it means to be new in Christ, how to grow, and how to share what just happened with someone else. The next parts of this series pick up that thread: how to start these conversations naturally in the first place, and how to close them well no matter which direction they go.