It is true that some people will be offended when they hear that they cannot deserve God's acceptance, and that Jesus said "no one comes to the father but through me."  Paul wrote that the Gospel is "foolishness to the Greeks."  The fact that someone becomes offended and rejects the gospel does not mean you did anything wrong.  In fact, it may be an indication that you presented the gospel clearly -- clearly enough that the person rejected it.   This offense is unavoidable.  It is called the "offense of the cross." 

Our hope is that if someone gets offended, the only reason for the offense would be "the offense of the cross."  Our goal is to try to avoid any other thing that might offend the person.  Here are some approaches that lessen the chance of an avoidable offense:

You can introduce the topic of the gospel in a way that corresponds to the person's needs.  more

You can explain the salvation message in terms of yourself (not the listener).   Instead of saying "you are a sinner," you can say, "I realized that I am a sinner."  Since the power of God is in the gospel, therefore the power is there whether you explian the gospel in terms of "you" or in terms of "I."  It is the same message.

You can make use of permission questions.  "is it OK if I continue?"  "Could I tell you how God solved the problem of my sin?"

These ideas are "possibilities," not rules.  In the actual witnessing situation, you may find yourself saying things that are direct or that do offend. That's why we pray for the Sprit's guidance as we begin witnessing, and after we have shared, we place the results in God's hands. 

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