Intentional Reaping

Ways to Make the Ask

As a culture, we've become wary of making the ask. We're afraid of offending someone or pushing too hard, but often the response is, "I would have done it sooner, but no one asked me." Below are some ideas to help you make the ask to call people into life with God.
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Ways You Personally Can Practice Reaping

1. Share your personal faith story and ask for a response.
2. Write a reaping letter to a friend.
3. Share the “One-Verse” Gospel presentation from Romans 6:23.

Ways to Reap as a Small Group
Pick an activity that everyone in the group enjoys. This could include:

• A common interest event (e.g., sports events, shopping, meals, bowling, arts and crafts, board game nights
•  A thought-provoking movie

Consider who to invite to your small group reaping party. (Open Your Eyes to people around you.)
The evening of the activity, Open Your Ears. Listen to hear where people are coming from.
Take care of the people who come. Open Your Hands.

• Pay for the meal, coffee or movie as a small group.
• Meet people's “Valid Human Needs” throughout the night (i.e., acceptance, affection, appreciation, approval, attention, comfort, encouragement, respect, security, support)
• Share your personal faith story (including the gospel) and challenge your spiritually lost friends with this question, “What’s keeping you from having a friendship with God?” or use the One-Verse gospel presentation.

Reaping as a Large Group
There are, of course, many ways you can use large group events to pull people in and help them experience the love of God. Here is one example, what we called the Anybody Thirsty? Worship Gathering. Below, I've laid out a sample schedule for the gathering.

6:00–6:30 p.m. Meet & Greet Time 
Gathering room with seeker friendly environment. This could include:

•  Food (snack food or a coffee bar, finger foods, etc.)
•  Music (playing in the background)
• Ice breakers (games, mixers, etc.) providing intentional interactions
• Ambiance (furniture, lighting, decorations)

6:30–8:00 p.m. Program (message element)

• Walk-in video: slideshow or video presentation showing the church serving, playing, worshiping etc.
• I’m Thirsty drama (guy in restaurant who can’t get thirst satisfied)
• Disciple Story (Testimony from disciple how Christ satisfied thirst)
• Talk (John 4) Jesus can satisfy everyone’s “inside thirst.”

At the end of the message element, encourage guests who have more questions or know that they want their “inside thirst” quenched by initiating a relationship with God.

Whenever you're in reaping mode, asking someone to respond to what God is up to, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Be tactful, but not timid.
It is true that when Jesus interacted with people, He carefully controlled the volume of truth He shared in portions that matched the individual’s capacity to receive. Most people tend to err on the side of being overly cautious about just the right timing and delivery. So, don’t be overly concerned about tactfulness. Be bold in proclaiming the Good News about Jesus.

Spend less time talking about evangelism and more time actually sharing Good News.
Jesus knew that talking and training versus action could be the tendency of His followers. So he gave his disciples opportunities to share what they had seen and experienced.
“Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and . . . they went out and preached that people should repent.” Mark 6:7, 12

If we are faithful in proclaiming, God will be faithful to draw people to himself..
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6

Just ask.

Scott Christensen, Kairos Recruiting Director