Two things came to mind as I read this. One was how the Apostle Paul taylored his message to the audience. Instead of disparaging their faith or lack of it, he introduce them to something different. The second thing was that Jesus told his followers to be polite, not impose on people, and simply dust off their feet and move on if a town wasn't receptive to the message.

I don't believe "gobby" would work today. I get sick and tired of my pastor practically insisting we invite people to church when people are so resistant. My feeling is, we must show our faith in action, and be ready to engage in a conversation about faith. Reach and connect, serve and help, then talk.