Go & Tell Ministries: Great Commission Study: Facilitators Guide

By Jim Halstead

Jesus' last words, the Great Commission, can be found in Matthew 28:18-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

The Great Commission has become "The Great Omission" in the life of many churches and church members. Today, many Christians falsely believe that attending church is all that is required. A recent church survey revealed that the majority of US churchgoers (51%) have never heard of the Great Commission.

The Great Commission summarizes Jesus' life and what it means to be called His disciple. The command that He gave us was to make disciples who would make disciples. The three ways His disciples fulfill this call upon their lives are to Delight in God, Declare the Gospel, and Disciple Others. This 7-week video series will equip you to do just that! It will instruct and inspire the believer to grow in love with Jesus, share the gospel, and make disciples who will, in turn, make disciples. This study is perfect for individuals and small groups who want to live out the Great Commission and become a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

The Go & Tell Great Commission Study is a 7-week video series. There is a facilitator's workbook and a participant's workbook with a daily study. This workbook is for a disciple of Jesus Christ who wants to fulfill the Great Commission.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Apr 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781667836805

Book preview

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GO & TELL: GREAT COMMISSION STUDY

ISBN (Print): 978-1-66783-679-9

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-66783-680-5

Copyright © 2021 by Jim Halstead

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from Go and Tell Ministries.

Go & Tell Ministries

P. O. Box 15755

Ft. Wayne, IN 46885

www.goandtellministries.org

All Scripture verses are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

The L.A.W. acrostic found in Session 4 is an adaption from Living Waters (The Way of the Master). They have granted permission to use this resource.

Dedicated to my friends, co-labors, and faithful followers of our Lord Jesus Christ who have helped me Delight in God, Declare the Gospel, and Disciple others. Special thanks to those who have helped make the Go & Tell Great Commission Study with me:

MAUREEN ADAMS LITTLE

Retired Missionary

HENRY MULLIS

Mullis Media Group

IAN S. OTTO

River City Creative

DAVE FARIS

Pastor who discipled me

&

To a host of other faithful men and women who are helping me fulfill the Great Commission.

Table of Contents

Welcome to GO & TELL: GREAT COMMISSION STUDY

SESSION 1 - INTRODUCTION

The More We Delight In God, The More

We Will Declare The Gospel, And Disciple Believers

SESSION 2 - DELIGHTING IN GOD

Five Things Disciples Who Delight In God Consistently Do

SESSION 3 - DECLARING THE GOSPEL: STEP ONE

Building Relationships: The F.I.R.E. Acrostic

And Effective Listening Skills

SESSION 4 - DECLARING THE GOSPEL: STEP TWO

Comprehending Our Sin: The L.A.W. Acrostic

SESSION 5 - DECLARING THE GOSPEL: STEP THREE

How Must I Be Saved? The Cross Graphic

SESSION 6 - DISCIPLING A BELIEVER

Beginning a Relationship with God: The Disciple Graphic

SESSION 7 - DISCIPLING AND ACCOUNTABILITY

A Biblical Model for Mentoring

BIBLIOGRAPHY

APPENDIX A

Suggestions for Delighting in God

APPENDIX B

Disciple-Making Game Plan

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY

Welcome to

GO & TELL: GREAT COMMISSION STUDY

Thank you for choosing the Go and Tell: Great Commission Study. This study was designed for small groups, but it is also perfect for individuals or couples looking for ways to share the gospel with their family, friends, and acquaintances.

If you are facilitating this study, the role you play and the responsibility you have are significant. It has the potential to deepen the participants’ relationship to the Lord and to increase their desire and willingness to reach the lost with the gospel. This is kingdom work! To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…and love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-40

This facilitator’s guide, along with the videos, will help guide you through leading your group through the Great Commission Study. We pray that the outcome of this study will encourage participants to be bolder in building relationships with non-believers, sharing the gospel, and helping new believers grow in their walk. It will probably lead each of you into a deeper relationship with Jesus and create a desire for ‘more of Jesus’ in your daily walk.

Overview

The Facilitator’s Guide

This guide has the same material as the participant’s guide but with additional content such as:

The Overview

Facilitation Tips

Session Introductions

Facilitator’s Video Outline

Post Video Discussion Questions and Suggestions

Answers to some questions in the 5-Day Personal Study

The Format

If you have facilitated a Bible Study in the past, this will probably seem familiar. Each week there will be an easy ice breaker followed by a short introduction to the video. After the video, you will lead a short discussion of the video material and, for some sessions, a role-play activity. Also allow time for sharing pray requests and prayer. During the week, each group member will work through five days of personal study material on their own, using their participant guide.

Session Outline

Ice Breaker

Review Personal Study from previous week

Introduction to video

Video (Approximately 25 minutes)

Discussion of video content

Role-Play (some sessions)

Overview of Personal Study material

Prayer Time

Close

Personal Study Overview

Participants will complete five lessons on their own each week. The lessons deepen the understanding of the principles discussed in the videos. Each question includes corresponding Bible verses to research and spaces to write answers. Each day should take no more than 30-40 minutes to complete. The participants will need a Bible to research the answers. Several sessions will require Bible verse memorization.

Facilitation Tips

In the Beginning

Introduce yourself and facilitate participant introductions

Give a course overview

Review the format

Discuss the importance of the 5-Day Personal Study

Hold attendees accountable for attendance, timeliness, and homework

Be Authentic

You will most likely know most of the attendees coming to this study. Sessions 1 and 2 discover each attendee’s relationship and commitment to Christ. When they sense your open and honest approach to a topic, they will be more comfortable sharing their struggles and honest opinions. A small group will only be as transparent as the facilitator. If you aren’t willing to get personal, the group won’t either. Let God speak through your own struggles and weaknesses. Don’t shy away from tough questions! Be honest! If you don’t know the answer, offer to research it and report results at the following session.

Don’t Fear Silence

Silence can be intimidating, yet very effective if used correctly. The rule of thumb is six seconds. That is an appropriate pause as you wait for a response. People sometimes need to think about their answer. They appreciate some extra time to do so before responding.

Use Role-Plays

Encourage participants to step out of their comfort zone and practice what they learned. Practice makes perfect! Role-plays work best if you divide the group into triads with one person being the believer, the second person being the non-believer, and the third person being the observer. Encourage the observer to take notes, writing down both good things that happened and suggestions for improvement. When the observer shares comments, they should always start with the positive things and not be overly critical about improvement areas. Recommend that the observer avoid generalizations - i.e., You did good! The presenter needs specific information - i.e., When you asked the non-believer why they didn’t believe in hell, that really made him pause and think. Each role-play should be done three times so each person gets to play each role once. Remember, the first role-play is the most uncomfortable. It is usually smooth sailing after that as the participants see how much they learn by doing them. You can work in dyads and eliminate the observer role if you are short on time.

Pray for the Participants

Pray for the participants by name. This is discussed in Session 2 of the study. As you learn of specific participant needs, bring them before the Lord. Follow up with people who have presented specific prayer requests throughout the week as well as during the prayer time at the study.

Further Tips - You may want to review The Art of Listening presented in Session 2 homework for additional tips.

SESSION 1 - INTRODUCTION

The More We Delight In God, The More We Will Declare The Gospel, And Disciple Believers

Facilitator Introduction

Ice Breaker: Ask participants to introduce themselves and share something they did in the past completely out of their comfort zone. Give them a few minutes to think about their response before starting the introductions. It may be helpful to give a few examples and then introduce yourself first.

Say: The Go & Tell: Great Commission Study will lead us through a process that must be part of every believer’s journey toward Christlikeness. When we are first saved, we begin a sanctification process. At first, we don’t know what we don’t know! But as we start the journey and understand the depth of what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, then we love and Delight in Him more and more. We soon discover that we don’t want to keep this gift