Instead, you'll see a brother or sister in bondage to the forces of darkness, who are unknowingly headed down a path which is destined for the lake of fire for all eternity.
The Bible says in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Unbelievers need to see us walking in love, doing our best to imitate Jesus. People have their guard up, because we live in a culture that takes advantage of others. Many have been hurt so often that they don't trust anyone. Not even God.
It's tough to penetrate that hardness of heart. But love, true Christ-like love, can do it. When someone realizes you're not trying to get them to change religions and join your church, or try to force your opinions of God on them, they're open to hear what you have to say.
One of the laborers in my ministry, Mark, learned about the power of love during his first attempt at witnessing. He had only been saved a few months when one evening he went to see his childhood friend, Tim, with the intent of leading him to Jesus.
These men had been best friends for 33 years, since they were four years old. Tim was the best man at his wedding and is the godfather to his youngest daughter.
They grew up in the same denominational church, so he knew that his friend already believed in Jesus. After four hours of discussion, scripture reading, and heated debate, Tim refused to pray. Mark said he could tell Tim understood the message, he simply refused to surrender his traditional beliefs.
Finally at about 1:30 in the morning, Mark gave up the argument and, in defeat, laid his head on the kitchen table. He was emotionally and mentally exhausted from the long debate and couldn't think of anything else to say.
From this defeated position, Mark looked up and said, "Tim, you are my best and closest friend that I have in the world. I just want to make sure that you'll be in heaven with me some day. That's all." At that, Tim picked up the salvation prayer that had been before him all night and prayed to receive Jesus.
What happened? Love! When Tim realized his friend wasn't trying to convince him that his beliefs were all wrong, but instead was only concerned about his eternal destination, it broke down his defensive barriers.