After half a century of following Jesus, I can say that, to me, a lot of people who talk about Jesus sound a bit nutty. They don’t know how to read the room. They turn people off. They come across as know-it-alls or judgmental.

If you love Jesus, you of course want the people you care about to know and love Him too. Unfortunately, some approaches make people less interested rather than more interested.

The good news is that effective witnessing—#66 on my list of 70 things every man needs to know—is actually much simpler than we make it out to be. The Bible shows us that sharing our faith is less about mastering techniques and more about following the example of Jesus and the apostles.

Three simple practices can help you talk about Jesus in a way that feels natural, authentic, and compelling.

1) Develop rapport.

When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, He didn’t begin with a sermon. He started with a conversation about water.

Jesus understood an important principle: People are trying to solve their problems, not ours. Before people care about what we know, they want to know we care about them.

A young man and his girlfriend moved in next door to me. About a month later, he became discouraged because he couldn’t find work. I tried to help him get a job. Although the opportunity didn’t work out, something more important happened. We built a friendship.

Because I cared about him as a person, trust developed. Eventually, he gave his life to Jesus Christ. He also married his girlfriend! But our friendship came long before any conversations about faith.

People can usually tell whether you see them as a project or a person. Build rapport by taking a genuine interest in their life. Listen before speaking, and serve before persuading. Rapport communicates respect. And it opens doors that arguments never will. People are not argued into the Kingdom.

2) Be relevant. 

The Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul both preached the same gospel, but they didn’t use the same approach.

In Jerusalem, Peter spoke to a crowd of religious Jews who already understood the language of Scripture. His message was direct and urgent: “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38b, NIV).

In Athens, Paul faced philosophers and intellectuals who knew little about Jewish beliefs. Rather than beginning with Scripture, he started with something familiar to them: an altar inscribed with the words, “to an Unknown God” (Acts 17:23b, NIV).

The message never changed. But the starting point did. In the same way, being relevant when you’re witnessing means speaking in a way people clearly understand. It means connecting eternal truth to their present realities.

Someone once said that theology is best done with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. That’s a memorable way of saying that we should connect timeless truth to everyday life.

Many people today are wrestling with loneliness, anxiety, broken relationships, lack of purpose, identity confusion, financial pressures, and disappointment. They may not be asking theological questions, but they are asking life questions. And those questions create opportunities to introduce God’s answers.

3) Recommend Jesus.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2, NIV).

Why was Paul so focused on Christ? Because Jesus had made a remarkable promise: “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32, NIV).

Paul understood something many Christians forget. Our job is not to convince people. Our job is to introduce people to Jesus. He will draw them.

Too often, we get sidetracked into arguments about politics, denominational differences, social issues, or cultural controversies. While those conversations may have value, they are not the heart of the gospel.

When it comes to witnessing, the power lies not in our ability to win debates. The power lies in Jesus Himself:

• Talk about who Jesus is.
• Talk about what He has done in your life.
• Talk about His death and resurrection.
• Trust God to do what only God can do.

When people see Him clearly, something extraordinary happens. The Holy Spirit begins to work in ways no human argument can.

If Jesus, once understood, doesn’t draw someone, nothing we add is likely to make a difference.

Final Thought

If you’ve been hesitant to witness to others, don’t complicate it. Develop rapport, be relevant, and recommend Jesus.

While doing so doesn’t ensure someone will respond positively to the Good News of Jesus, it does help ensure that if they reject Him, it won’t be because we were acting like a nut!

Always on your side,

Pat

For Reflection and Discussion

• Heart (Reflection): Reflect on a few recent conversations you’ve had with people about Jesus. Do you think they would sense you really cared about them as human beings? Why or why not?
• Head (Understanding): Why did Jesus, Peter, and Paul use different approaches with different audiences, while still proclaiming the same gospel?
• Hands (Application): Who is someone with whom you can build rapport, be relevant, or recommend Jesus in a natural conversation? Is there someone else with whom you may need to dial it back a notch?