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Are these lists meant for actual play at 500pts or just to teach the game rules to people who've never played before? If the latter, then screw balanced points. Just try to set things up so that you have a a squad or two of basic troops, a tank, some jump infantry (preferably not crisis suits since they don't move 12"), and some variation in weapons for when you teach AP and weapon strength.
Having taught well over 70 or 100 people how to play 40k and/or fantasy, I've found the rule of thumb when teaching is to go over the rules first, outside of playing a game. So go over stat lines and the basics of a d6 system, then movement, then shooting, then assault one step at a time, without worrying about deployment or terrain. Going over statlines first is key, I think, since a lot of the game revolves around how two statlines interact. Explaining what weapon skills, save, leadership, and all the other are right in the beginning makes learning and understanding the rest of it much easier.
Once they understand that, then play a small battle in which you make sure to let them win in some dramatic form, whether its by charging your shooty fire warriors into a termy squad or by having your general get into CC with his.
A lot of the adjustment's to that method will come from the other person. If that person is really interested in tactics, army composition, back story, choosing a race, etc, then by all means talk about it! If the person just wants to blow stuff up, then save the other stuff for another time.
Good luck!
SteveW
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