T e a c h i n g   a n d   L e a d i n g   a n   “ I m p a c t   E t e r n i t y ”   S e m i n a r

This is a guide to help and encourage you to teach the material in this seminar to others. You may use the seminar outline provided in the following pages or develop your own. There are four different modules in this seminar. They can be taught as individual classes, as a series of messages or as a five-hour seminar. You may make copies of these materials and distribute them as you wish.

Seminar Objectives:
The overall purpose of this seminar is to reveal God’s heart for all peoples on earth to have the opportunity to know Him. It also is to stir the seminar participants toward commitment and involvement with Him in this plan.

Module 1: God’s Eternal Plan
Objective: That each seminar participant knows God’s eternal plan, is willing to obey God and decides to use his or her God-given gifts to accomplish His purposes.

Module 2: Last Words
Objective: That each seminar participant knows the current state of world evangelization, understands who the unreached peoples are and is a Christian committed to God’s purposes.

Module 3: Sheep Island Strategy
Objective: That each seminar participant knows how to adopt an unreached people group, is committed to adopt and begins to select an unreached people to adopt.

Module 4: The Kingdom of Light
Objective: That each seminar participant knows various options of involvement, is challenged to get involved and acts on a suitable option that will make a difference among a particular unreached people group.

A Seminar Outline:

First hour—God’s Eternal Plan (Part One):
1.Welcome and seminar introduction (10 minutes)
2. Opening activity (5 minutes): Genesis 12:1-4 puzzle
3. Teaching (20 minutes): The plan revealed to Abram, the command and blessings of God
4. Activity (20 minutes): Count your blessings
5. Closing and prayer (5 minutes): Thank God for our blessings

Second hour—God’s Eternal Plan (Part Two):
1. Teaching (10 minutes): Review and emphasize the purpose of blessing
2. Opening activity (10 minutes): “The Golden Thread Through the Bible”
3. Small group discussion (10 minutes): Obedience—the motives, hindrances and benefits
4. Reflection (5 minutes): Do I bless?
5. Drama (20 minutes): Small group dramas on the theme, “Blessed to Bless”
6. Closing challenge and prayer (5 minutes)

Third hour—Last Words:
1. Opening challenge (10 minutes): Your Last Words
2. Demonstration (35 minutes): “Where we are today in reaching the lost”
3. Teaching/Challenge (5 minutes)
4. Prayer and commitment (10 minutes): Pledge cards

Fourth hour—Sheep Island Strategy:
1. Opening activity (10 minutes): Tribal, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Chinese
2. Story (10 minutes): Read “Sheep Island”
3. Activity (10 minutes): Geographic information and “Where in the World” quiz
4. Teaching (15 minutes): Selecting an Unreached People Group
5. Pray and fill out forms (10 minutes)
6. Closing challenge (5 minutes)

Fifth hour–The Kingdom of Light:
1. Opening story (5 minutes): Read “The Kingdom of Light”
2. Small group discussion (10 minutes): Gifts: What I can do
3. Activity and teaching (10 minutes): “Acts 1:8” puzzle
4. Small group activity (5 minutes): Biblical people and their obstacles
5. Stories (15 minutes): Ordinary people making a difference for an unreached people
6. Challenge and activity (5 minutes): Dare to dream and make a plan
7. Closing prayer (5 minutes)

Module 1: God's Eternal Plan: (Part One)

Objective: That each seminar participant knows God’s eternal plan, is willing to obey God and decides to use his or her God-given gifts to accomplish His purposes.

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Outline for first hour:
1. Welcome and seminar introduction (10 minutes)
2. Opening activity (5 minutes): Genesis 12:1-4 puzzle
3. Teaching (20 minutes): The plan revealed to Abram, the command and blessings of God
4. Activity (20 minutes): Count your blessings
5. Closing and prayer (5 minutes): Thanks for our blessings

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Before the meeting:

1. Read through the lesson carefully and pray that God will lead you and guide you.

2. Write out Genesis 12:1-4 and these four questions across a piece of paper and make enough copies for each small group of seminar participants to have one. Each copy can be glued to stiff cardboard (or not). Cut up the page into pieces and place these pieces into an envelope. Do this for each copy, placing it into separate envelopes. (Another idea for this same exercise is to write the Scripture and the four questions in big letters across the face of a world map, and then cut the map up into pieces.)

3. Study sections A through D and make your own teaching notes.

4. Gather enough drawing paper and crayons for each seminar participant to use.

5. Make a copy of each handout for each seminar participant.

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Teaching guide for first hour:

1.Welcome and seminar introduction (10 minutes):
Begin your seminar by welcoming everyone. If it is a small group, have participants introduce themselves. If it is a large group, you might use nametags. Start with saying something like what is written on the “Introduction” page in the opening of this course, then have a prayer like that on the Introduction page, and then you might say something like the opening paragraph of Module 1.

2. Opening activity (5 minutes): Genesis 12:1-4 puzzle
Divide the participants into groups of four, and then give each group one of the envelopes with puzzle pieces of Genesis 12:1-4 that you made up ahead of time. Ask them to put the puzzle together as a group and to answer the questions that they find.

3. Teaching (20 minutes): The plan revealed to Abram, the command and blessings of God. Give a teaching overview of sections A through D.

4. Activity (20 minutes): Count your Blessings
Hand out drawing paper and crayons to each participant. Ask each person to take 10 minutes to draw pictures, write a poem or song, or list blessings that God has already given to them. After 10 minutes, ask for volunteers who would like to share their work.

5. Closing and prayer (5 minutes): Thanks for our blessings.

Outline for second hour:
1. Teaching (10 minutes): Review and emphasize the purpose of blessing
2. Opening activity (10 minutes): “The Golden Thread Through the Bible”
3. Small group discussion (10 minutes): Obedience—the motives, hindrances and benefits
4. Reflection (5 minutes): Do I bless?
5. Drama (20 minutes): Small group dramas on the theme, Blessed to Bless”
6. Closing challenge and prayer (5 minutes)

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Before the meeting:

1. Read through the lesson carefully and pray that God will lead you and guide you.

2. Study Section D, and prepare your teaching notes. You could make an overhead or a poster of the “Sea of Galilee/Dead Sea” drawing to use in class as a visual aid.

3. “The Golden Thread Through the Bible.” Prepare Scripture cards and hang them on a string.

Materials needed: string, index cards or heavy paper, glue, tape, printout of Appendix A—Bible Verse list. Cut up the photocopy into separate verses, and then glue each verse to a card. Do this with as many verses as you’d like to use, but pick ones from different books of the Bible to emphasize that this is a repeated theme. Using tape, attach the cards along the length of the string in biblical order. (Another idea for this same exercise is to use a string of plastic flags with the Scripture written on the flags or to decorate your Scripture cards with pictures of different peoples. If you have time during your meeting, you could just give out the materials and the Scripture references and allow the class to make the thread themselves. They can look up the verses, write them out and attach them.)

4. Make a printout of this page (on obedience to God) for each seminar participant.

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Second hour teaching guide:

1. Teaching (10 minutes): Review and emphasize the purpose of blessing.
You might begin by asking the participants: What did God command Abram to do? What were the blessings promised to Abram? What does Genesis 12 say was the purpose of the blessings? (The purpose was that through him all nations of the earth would be blessed.)
You could now go over the diagram of the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea to emphasize that those who pass on the blessings are full of life and those who don’t can die spiritually.

2. Opening activity (10 minutes): “The Golden Thread Through the Bible” activity begins by having two students hold each of the ends of the string and stretch it out across the meeting room. Ask participants to gather around the string. Tell them that you want those who can to read out the verse nearest to them (or several verses, depending on how many people are participating), AND that you want them to listen for this consistent theme of “ALL nations” throughout the Bible. Have them read out the verses starting in Genesis and ending in Revelation. When they have finished reading, emphasize to them that there are many, many verses from nearly every book in the Bible, that tell of God’s heart for ALL nations to know Him.

3. Small group discussion (10 minutes): Obedience—the motives, hindrances and benefits.
Have the participants sit in groups of four. Give each group the “Obedience to God” handout and give them five minutes to discuss and answer the questions. After five minutes, ask them the first question and have them call out some answers. (You might write these out on a chalkboard, a large piece of paper or overhead transparency, if available.) Continue with the second and third questions.

4. Reflection (5 minutes): Do I bless?
Ask the participants to take out their paper where they drew pictures, wrote a poem or song, or listed the blessings that God has given to them. Ask them to study their blessings and think of whether or not they are reflecting God’s nature by blessing others with what they have been given. Have them spend a few minutes praying to ask God to help them to bless others.

5. Drama (20 minutes): Small group dramas on the theme, “Blessed to Bless.”
Divide your class into groups of at least four people, yet into no more than four groups total. Each group has 10 minutes to prepare a skit (drama) that demonstrates the concept of blessed to be a blessing. After 10 minutes of preparation and practice, have each group present its drama while the others watch.

6. Closing challenge and prayer (5 minutes)

(If there is wall space available, consider taping up the participants’ drawings, poems, songs, lists, etc., of their blessings.)

Module 2: Last Words

Objective: That each seminar participant knows the current state of world evangelization, understands who the unreached peoples are and is a Christian committed to God’s purposes.

Third hour (or third meeting) outline:
1. Opening challenge (10 minutes): Your Last Words
2. Demonstration (35 minutes): “Where we are today in reaching the lost”
3. Teaching/Challenge (5 minutes)
4. Prayer and commitment (10 minutes): Pledge cards

1. Read through the lesson carefully and pray that God will lead you and guide you.

2. Be prepared to begin the meeting by saying or reading the opening section of this module (introduction).

5. Check your meeting room ahead of class time to make sure that there is enough space cleared to have people participate in the “Where We Are Today” demonstration. One side of the room will be for the “gospel access world” (the side with more space available) and the other side, as far away as possible, can be the “no gospel access world.” Place two chairs on the “no gospel access” side of the room.

6.You can create signs to go along with this demonstration if you think it would help the class to understand better. The signs could say, “GOSPEL ACCESS” and “NO GOSPEL ACCESS”; “14,000 People Groups” and “10,000 People Groups”; “98%” and “2%.” Although it is not essential, you could have three hats or costumes for those who will represent the “unreached peoples.”

7. Make enough pledge cards to have one for every participant. You may make these cards as simple or as decorative as you want.

1. Opening challenge (10 minutes): Your Last Words
Say or read the opening section of Module 2 (introduction). Pause after the first paragraph and give the participants a chance to think before continuing. End this part by stating, “It has been nearly 2,000 years since Jesus commanded us to GO into the entire world and take His good news to all ethnic groups. Have we done this? Where are we today in completing the Great Commission?”

2. Demonstration (35 minutes): “Where We Are Today in Reaching the Lost.”
a. Begin this demonstration by telling the group that we are going to see where we stand today in completing the Great Commission. In the course of the demonstration, 10 people will represent the entire population of the world.
b. Ask one person to come and stand. Explain that one out of every 10 people on earth is a “committed Christian." We can count on these people to take seriously the last words of Jesus.
c. Ask two people to come and sit in two chairs right next to the “committed Christian.” Two people out of 10 on earth also call themselves Christians, but they might be considered “nominal Christians.” They probably go to church sometimes, but we cannot look to them to obey Jesus’ last words. They need revival.
d. Ask another four people to come up and stand behind the others. Four out of every 10 people are NOT Christians, but they DO live close to these Christians. There IS a church nearby if they want to go. There IS a Bible in their language. They need evangelization.
e. Ask another three people to go to the far side of the room from the group of seven that is standing. Explain that three out of every 10 people in the world are NOT Christians, AND they do NOT have a church or other Christians living near to them. Most of these people are Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or are from tribal religions. (At this point, if you have three costumes or hats you can put them on these volunteers.)
f. Point out that the seven represent the “gospel access world,” where the church exists, and it’s relatively easy to become a Christian. (You can give them the “GOSPEL ACCESS” sign if you made one.) Make it clear that the other group of three live in the “no gospel access world,” where there is no one to tell them about Jesus. (Give these people the “NO GOSPEL ACCESS” sign to hold up.)
g. Point out there are thousands of different ethnic people groups on earth. Many of these people groups still have not heard the good news.
h. Ask your students how many non-Christians would every committed Christian (point to the person representing the committed Christian) have to share the gospel with in order to evangelize the entire world? (The answer is seven: the four non-Christians who live near them and the three among the unreached peoples.)
i. Point out that while it is easy to share with the non-Christians who live nearby, it can be difficult to evangelize the unreached peoples. There are many barriers that lie between the reached and unreached worlds. Ask why it is that in these modern times, 30 percent of the world does not know who Jesus Christ is. (Let them guess some reasons. Some barriers: geographically remote, unique languages, no Scriptures, no evangelistic materials, lack of religious freedom, governmental prohibition, suspicion, Christian disinterest, lack of prayer, lack of giving, lack of Christian workers.)
j. Now have nine or 10 people come up and stand closely to the people with gospel access. Explain to your audience that while the greatest need is for Christian missionary workers to cross these barriers and go to the people who have little chance to hear the gospel, 98 percent of all missionaries go to the people who do have that chance. Have one person (perhaps a child) go and stand with the people without gospel access, and explain that only 2 percent of the current missionaries are working in their part of of the world. Now explain that of all the money given for missions, only 2 percent goes to the work among the people without gospel access, and that 98 percent of all missions funds goes to where strong churches already exist.
k. End this demonstration by asking if something looks a little out of balance. What is wrong with this situation? Is it fair that we hear the gospel over and over while billions of people have never heard it even once?
l. Thank all the participants and have them sit down.

3. Challenge (5 minutes)
Ask what their response will be to this situation. You can challenge them to “stand in the gap” (from Section D).

5. Thank them for their participation and encourage them to attend the next meeting.

Objective: That each seminar participant knows how to adopt an unreached people group, is committed to adopt and begins to select an unreached people to adopt.

Outline for fourth hour:
1. Opening activity (10 minutes): Tribal, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Chinese
2. Story (10 minutes): Read “Sheep Island”
3. Activity (10 minutes): Geographic information and “Where in the World” quiz
4. Teaching (15 minutes): Selecting an Unreached People Group
5. Pray and fill out forms (10 minutes)
6. Closing challenge (5 minutes)

1. Read through the lesson carefully, and pray that God will lead you and guide you.

3. Pick one person to represent each of the five religious blocks, and give them each one of the stories to read for the class. (This may be done just prior to the meeting.)

4. Make a copy of Section C for each person.

5. Study Section D on deciding which people group to commit to adopting. Prepare your notes for teaching this. Think through the various categories and how they might apply to your nation.

1. Opening activity (10 minutes): Tribal, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Chinese introductions.
Open the meeting by saying that you would like to introduce some of the unreached peoples to the class. Invite your readers to come forward (with their masks or costumes) and each read his or her story. After a person reads his or her introduction, you can then read the corresponding paragraph (from Section B) about their religion. For example, have the Hindu woman, Poona, introduce herself and then you read out loud the paragraph on Hinduism from page Section B. When they are all finished, thank your readers and have them sit down. (To keep a visual reminder in front of your group for the remainder of the session, you could have five different containers filled with rocks or sand. Place a mask in each container by inserting the attached stick into the sand or rocks after this activity is over.)

3. Activity and share time (10 minutes): Where in the World?” quiz.
Hand out a copy of the geographic information (Section C) and the “Where in the World?” quiz to each person. Tell them that you are hoping that everyone will learn a few new things and that perhaps one of these regions will be where they “adopt” a people group. Give them five minutes to read the handouts and work through the quiz. After five minutes, read out loud the quiz questions from the “Where in the World?” quiz and call for the answer. (Correct any mistakes.) Now, ask them to share if there is a particular area of the world that is most interesting to them and tell why.

4. Teaching (15 minutes): Selection
Go over several of the factors that could help in selecting a people group (from Section D). Try to involve people in determining what some of these factors might be for them personally and culturally by asking questions and letting them respond.

5. Pray and fill out forms (10 minutes)
Hand out a copy of the selection form to every participant. Tell them that you will now pray and that afterward they can continue to pray and fill out their forms. Pray something like this prayer example. Allow enough time for them to continue to pray and fill out their forms.

6. Close (5 minutes)
Challenge them to get involved (Section E). Hand out copies on how students can get further help selecting an un-reached people group (Appendix B). Close with an invitation to come to the last meeting.

Objective: That each seminar participant knows various options of involvement, is challenged to get involved and acts on a suitable option that will make a difference among a particular unreached people group.

Outline for fifth hour:
1. Opening story (5 minutes): Read “The Kingdom of Light”
2. Small group discussion (10 minutes): Gifts: What I can do
3. Activity and teaching (10 minutes): “Acts 1:8” puzzle
4. Small group activity (5 minutes): Biblical people and their obstacles
5. Stories (15 minutes): Ordinary people making a difference for an unreached people
6. Challenge and activity (5 minutes): Dare to dream and make a plan
7. Closing prayer (5 minutes)

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1. Read through the lesson carefully and pray that God will lead you and guide you.

2. Wrap up three medium-sized boxes to look like nice gifts. Make three large labels—“TIME,” “TALENT” and “TREASURE”—and attach one to each gift.

3. Write Acts 1:8 on a piece of paper and make a copy for each small group of seminar participants. Cut up each copy into medium-size pieces and put each set of pieces in an envelope.

4. Study and prepare to teach section A. Be able to explain the modern-day equivalents of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost part of the earth from Acts 1:8.

5. Make a copy of the section “Overcoming Obstacles” (Section B) for each small group of seminar participants.

6. Study section C on the various options of involvement. Be prepared to teach on how a person can get involved in reaching an unreached people group. Read each of the stories from this text so that you’ll be ready to read or tell them to your class (or you can use other stories if you have better examples).

8. If you would like to close with a song, find one that goes with the theme of reaching the nations. (You could ask someone ahead of time to sing a solo, lead the class in a better-known song or play a song from a cassette or CD.)

2. Discussion (10 minutes): Gifts
What I can do Show the three wrapped gifts that represent time, talent and treasure. Ask your students to think about ways that they can use these three gifts to expand the Kingdom of Light, especially to the unreached ethnic groups that do not know Jesus Christ or even have a church. Now pass the “gifts” around the room or have volunteers come forward. As someone has an idea for one of the gifts (either time, talent or treasure), they hold the appropriate gift in their hands and tell a specific way that this gift might be used to expand the Kingdom of Light.

a. Divide the participants into small groups and give each group an envelope with the verse pieces to put together. When they have done this, have one person read the verse out loud.
b. Ask them, “What is the greatest gift that our King, Jesus, gave us to help with the task of preaching the gospel to all peoples?” (Wait for a response. The answer is the Holy Spirit and His power.) Next ask two people to look up verses and read them out loud. Have one read Matthew 28:20, and have the other read Joshua 1:9.
c. Explain what Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth could mean today (from here). Ask the participants what people group would represent their “Jerusalem,” “Judea,” “Samaria” and “ends of the earth.”
d. Challenge them to not forget the ends of the earth peoples—the unreached who lack a Christian church where they can hear about Jesus.

4. Small group activity (5 minutes): Biblical people and their obstacles
Hand out one “Obstacles” worksheet to each group and give them three minutes to work on it, matching up the biblical person with the obstacle that they had to overcome. After three minutes, have them call out the answers. Make the point that even these biblical heroes were ordinary people who had things to overcome so God could use them in big ways. We all have obstacles to overcome, but if we are willing, the Holy Spirit will help us and enable us to do the task that God has given to us.

5. Stories (15 minutes): Ordinary people can make a difference among unreached peoples in the uttermost part of the earth.
a. Begin by telling your class that there are many different ways that they can use their time, talents and treasures to help in the cause of reaching an unreached people group.
b. Explain that they could do research and/or pray regularly for a particular unreached people group. Tell or read the story about Sunita. End by stating, “Buddhists now know Jesus because Cindy researched and prayed.” (At this point, if you still have the mask that represents the Buddhist religious block, you can place it on an altar or below a cross.)
c. Explain that they can give of their treasures to support work among an unreached people group. Tell or read the story about giving from here. (You can place the Hindu mask on the same altar or below the cross with the Buddhist one).
d. Explain that they can go as a short-term worker or form a team to go with them to work among a particular unreached people group. Tell or read the story about Maelee. (Place Chinese mask with the others.)
e. Explain that anyone can be an advocate on behalf of a particular unreached ethnic people group. An advocate is someone who commits to a specific unreached people group and gets others involved. They research, pray and find out what needs to happen to see churches begin in their ethnic group, and they seek to get help from others. Tell or read the story about Kent. (You could now move the Muslim mask to the altar or cross.)
f. Explain that they can go as a long-term missionary worker to an unreached people group. Tell or read the story of Daniel and Fatima. (Place tribal/animist mask with the others.)
g. Explain that they could stay home and help those who go as career workers to their unreached people group.

6. Challenge and activity (5 minutes): Dare to dream and make a plan.
Challenge your class to take action and make a plan of some things that they can do now. Quickly read to them from the list of ideas. Ask them to write down at least one next step that they will do.

(If the drawings, poems, songs or list that the students made of their blessings are still hanging on the wall—from Module 1, in the first hour of this seminar—you might suggest that during the closing song and prayer, the students may take theirs off the wall. Then have them go to the altar or the cross and ask God to help them use their gifts to make a difference among an unreached people group.)

7. Closing prayer (5 minutes) Read Matthew 24:14 from the Bible. Ask your students, “When the King returns, will He find you faithful?” (If you would like, you might have an appropriate song and then close in prayer. You might want to use a prayer like the one here.) Thank everyone for coming.