Should Christians be “witnessing?"

Witnessing (or evangelism) is often held up as the ultimate in Christian experience or duty. While witnessing (sharing the Gospel) can be a great thing, problems can arise when we make witnessing into a duty, obligation, or measure of spiritual maturity. 1 Peter 3:15 instructs us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” The key lies in simply being prepared to offer an answer to someone and to do so with gentleness and respect. (This attitude is very different from militantly seeking to persuade someone.) Experience shows that we can only spiritually help those who are truly seeking our help.