As one who has often given an unwanted witness, i will say that usually yes, it is the message the other is rejecting. Especially in my younger days, i sometimes lacked tact and was a bit too blunt and this may have given some reason to react harshly. Whether in my door-to-door ministry or here on AB, i really think that most who get angry, frustrated and unkind are doing so because they are facing questions that they can't answer or teachings and evidence that challenges cherished beliefs. Perryman, along with others have given some good, detailed, well supported answers that contradict the statements of others. Some of these conversations start amicably, but when they are asked to support their statements with fact and detail, they get frustrated because the facts simply aren't on their side. You will notice that some good answers often get anonymous downratings with no explanation. This is usually the work of those who hate the truth, but are afraid to show up for fear of being proven wrong. It has nothing to do with the person, only about the message of truth. Jesus found the same response. As a man and a teacher, who could have been more likeable, more approachable--more perfect? There was nothing wrong with Jesus and yet men put him to death--not a simple death, but by torture. When we imitate Jesus we can expect the same. Our message is one of hope and joy. It also exposes lies, greed and other ugly qualities. Just as Noah condemned the ancient world by his fine conduct and righteous preaching, genuine Christians today condemn falsehood and darkness. Those who love truth respond happily; those who love the lie display the disposition of their father, Satan the Devil (John 8:44) One beauty of this forum is that it lets people display clearly what their disposition and true motivation is. Those who resort to bigotry, foul speech and insults prove themselves children of the god who opposes the God of love and kindness. You will notice that many thought-out answers receive anonymous downrates with no comment or refute. This is usually the work of those who hate the truth but are afraid of challenging it openly since they lack confidence in their own beliefs and fear someone exposing them to the light of day.

i find that many people just reject the Christian. i've seen some pretty harsh, critical, and annoying witnessing (yelling at people that they are going to hell, etc). if people don't want to hear it, fine. if a Christian approaches in a polite way and leaves in a polite way, then usually the other party involved is polite. yelling and accusations of sin only incites more yelling. there is a way to communicate one's faith that many people would find pleasing (but requires civility on both sides).

For the real follower of Christ, witnessing is more than just sharing beliefs. It involves a serious warning. So this question may help answer the one above: If you found your apartment building on fire at 3 a.m., would you only warn those who invited you to do so or would you wake people in the middle of the night to try to save their lives? If you wouldn't give an unsolicited warning, then you can feel comfortable waiting for someone to come to you. You can believe that those who don't ask for a witness aren't worth saving and sleep well at night.