Different people need different answers

Talking to people about Jesus was never going to be easy, but what makes this task significantly harder is that not everyone is the same. What works on one person will not work on another. It is even possible that what convinces one person to come to faith might put another person off.

In Acts 17, Paul exemplifies this, as he addresses the men of Athens. He carefully considered their objects of worship, including an alter inscribed with the words "to the unknown God". The men of Athens were certainly religious, but without knowledge to back it up, their worship was in vain. So Paul addressed them, and told them about the God they were worshiping without knowing it.

The result was mixed. Some in the crowd mocked him. Some in the crowd said they would listen to him again. Others not only believed him, but actually joined him.

But would this tactic have worked on another crowd? How many atheists would have converted having heard this speech? If Muslims existed back then, could he have convinced them? There are a number of people who would not respond to Paul's speech. But these people have other beliefs you can play on. The Islamic dilemma, for example, will convince Muslims, but because it requires prior belief in the Qur'an and Muhammad, it won't convince anyone else. Thus, it is important to study the religions you are likely to encounter.

There is another important element of witnessing: Grace. There are unfortunately many Christians in the world who think it's perfectly ok to clobber anyone who doesn't believe. Mockery, aggression, verbal abuse, these are seen as morally acceptable. But how many people convert because someone cussed them out? Does it feel good when people call you names? Clever slogans can be useful, but when they're just designed to mock, all that happens is a battle of wits becomes a battle of twits.

Hopefully, you get the point. Choose your words carefully, because how you speak does matter. If you're a jerk, or a twit, or completely uneducated, there is a chance you will harden your target against Christ rather than lead them to Him. Let your words be gracious, and seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer each person.