Sharing your faith with people and pointing them to the good news of salvation through Christ can be a challenging but very rewarding task. Not everyone is interested in knowing about Jesus and entering into a relationship with God. But when people do receive a witness and come to Christ—whether on the spot or later—it is a wonderful privilege to be a part of that in some way.

As ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), we are like farmers. We do our part to till the ground, plant the seed of truth, and water and fertilize it, but only God can make the seed grow in people’s hearts. No matter how effectively you share the gospel with others, the outcome of your witness is in the Lord’s hands and depends on the response of the individual. (See “The Parable of the Sower” in Luke 8:5–15.) You may never see the results of your witness, and many people may be part of a person’s journey to Christ over time. One person may till the ground, another may plant the seed, and others may water it. But God is the one who makes it grow (1 Corinthians 3:6).

As we are faithful to share a witness, a gospel tract, or a New Testament with people, we can trust that the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts and lives. Whether that person chooses to come to Christ or not, we are being faithful to our calling to give them the opportunity to know Him (Romans 10:14).

Tips for effectively sharing the good news

Our commission is to share the good news with all people and to be a living example of God’s love (Mark 16:15; John 13:35). In doing so, it is important that we look at each person as having intrinsic worth in the eyes of God and being loved by Him. We have to look past people’s outward appearance to see them as God does. “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV).

Jesus gave us an example of reaching out to people who society looked down on. He spoke to the hated tax collectors, such as Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10), and called one of them, Matthew, to be His disciple (Matthew 9:9). He reached out to outcasts and healed the “untouchables” of His day. We need to ask God to help us to see each person He sends our way as He sees them and to love them with His love.

It often takes time, love, and patience to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus. In some cases, it takes friendship-building and being a good neighbor, friend, colleague, or fellow student. Some people are drawn to Christianity by the way we live and our outgoing love and concern for others.

If the people we interact with aren’t ready to receive a Christian witness, we shouldn’t give up on them. It may be that our influence is just one part of their journey to Jesus, which in some cases may take years. We can pray for them and ask the Lord to keep working in their hearts. We can let them know that we’d be happy to continue having conversations with them. We can provide a living example of God’s love through our caring actions (1 John 3:18).

Some people we share a witness or a gospel tract with will be open and ready to receive the message, and will want to learn about Christianity. But don’t be surprised if some people express disinterest. It can be a bit disheartening when you reach out to people to share the truth that will set them free (John 8:31–32), only to have them brush you off or change the subject. When that happens, don’t lose heart.

Some people’s reaction to a Christian witness may be negative because they were caught off guard. They weren’t expecting or prepared to get into a discussion on such a deep topic as faith in God or their ultimate destiny. Others may have had negative experiences or heard arguments against Christianity that left them disillusioned.

Some people may be concerned that if they were to receive Jesus as their Savior, they would be betraying the religion in which their parents raised them or would be ostracized from their family and culture. Others have yet to realize the futility of seeking truth and purpose in the things of this world, or don’t want to be reminded of death, the afterlife, and their eternal destiny.

Some people will criticize your faith or debate Christianity because they are skeptical and unbelieving and want to air their views. But some sincere seekers will argue or debate the Bible and Christianity because they are truly seeking answers; they want their objections to be overcome.

The ways in which Jesus answered the questions He was asked offer helpful examples. Some questions came from people who sincerely wanted to know the truth, like Nicodemus who asked Jesus how one could be born again (John 3:1–21) and the Samaritan woman at the well who asked Him about the living water (John 4:5–29). Jesus answered their questions with compassion and pointed them to the truth of who He was and how they could enter the kingdom of God.

In other cases, He challenged those whose questions were not sincere, such as when the Pharisees asked Him whether a woman caught in the act of adultery should be stoned for her sin. Jesus replied by saying, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:3–7).

When we encounter people who respond negatively or oppose our faith, the Bible teaches us to always be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you,” but to do so “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Often the best way to handle points of disagreement is not by refuting what the other person says, but by hearing them out and then presenting the truth in a loving and positive way (Colossians 4:5–6). If you find that someone clearly doesn’t want to hear about God’s truth from the Bible, you can politely bow out of the conversation.

A winsome witness

The Apostle Paul declared: “I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them… I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:19–23).

We too can seek to relate to people in their situation, background and culture. We can try to establish as much common ground as possible. When sharing our faith with people from non-Christian backgrounds, we can focus on the person of Jesus, the only religious figure who gave His life for the redemption and salvation of humankind. We can talk about His great love for all people and His power to transform broken hearts and lives for eternity.

As Christians, we have been called and commissioned to be a witness for Jesus and to share the good news with people the Lord places in our path (2 Corinthians 5:20). It is a privilege to play a part in the Lord’s transformation of people’s lives, and to know that someone we shared the truth with has been brought to eternal salvation. “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10 NIV), and we, as God’s instruments on earth, also partake of that joy.

It is not always an easy task, and it helps to remember that every sacrifice we make in this life will be worth it all when we see Jesus. One day we will experience the joy of knowing that we played a part in the salvation of others and have been faithful to Jesus’ Great Commission.