From my reading in Colossians 4 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

Paul gives us 4 great ways to be a winsome witness to people who are not yet followers of Jesus.

“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” Colossians 4:5–6

1. Live wisely among non Christians.

Live wisely among those who are not believers…

Wisdom is knowing how to do the right thing, at the right time in the right way. Living wisely around non Christians means that we should be aware of their needs and smart with how we treat them. The way that we live will be attractive if we are living in a wise way.

2. Seize divine opportunities to share.

…and make the most of every opportunity…

This phrase literally means “buy up the time.”  The opportunity to share only come up rarely, so we must be careful to make the most of them. At the same time we must use wisdom.

There is a tension that we must embrace if we want to share our faith. We must be urgent about making the most of opportunities to share and at the same time use wisdom to know when to stop.

3. Always share in gracious way.

…Let your conversation be gracious…

One of the things that many of the street preachers don’t do is be gracious. I actually admire the courage of many of the street preachers, but too often they do not preaching in a loving and grace giving way.

Whenever we share about Jesus we must be sure to speak in a gracious and respectful way. This will help people trust you.  You don’t have to pressure people because God is the one who saves anyway.

4. Always share in an attractive way.

…and attractive…

Other translations says that our conversation should always be “seasoned with salt.” Salt makes things taste good. Salt has an addictive quality. Like a potato chip, you can’t eat just one.

When we have spiritual conversations we should seek to make it a pleasant experience so that the person will want to talk more about it later. Too much salt is makes eggs taste nasty. Too much pressure or unsolicited sharing can turn people off as well.

These four practices are done for this purpose….

…so that you will have the right response for everyone.

It takes wisdom to know how to respond in the right way to everyone who is interested in Christianity. One size does not fit all.
I pray that God would use us as we seek to be wise, intentional, gracious and winsome in how we share our faith.

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