Some wise person has said: Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
By that definition you can be old at 40 and young at 70! This is especially true for Christians. A church full of unenthusiastic, spiritually retired, inert members is a dying church. We know so little of life and spiritual things, and experience so little, it is a great tragedy to stop seeking too early. John MacArthur observes that many believers don’t apply what they hear as they grow older, and they begin to stagnate—they know a lot of spiritual facts, but they lack the spiritual power they should have developed by putting their learning into practice.
A great antidote to premature aging—to remain spiritually sharp, engaged both with God and man—is to be active as a personal evangelist. You’re never too young to begin and never so old to quit! Make it a habit to share your faith with others and every new day will promise a new adventure.
Sadly, Personal Evangelism (also known as “visitation” or Neighborhood Evangelism or soul winning, when done as organized church outreach), is the most neglected area in Christian life. Believers who may be faithful in prayer, and Bible reading, and church attendance, and service, and giving, avoid purposefully sharing their faith. Many will not invest the time to become adept at it and will not seek opportunities to practice it.
An often heard excuse is that soul winning is best suited to newer or younger Christians, as if age or spiritual longevity confers a non-accountable status on those unwilling to experience a measure of personal discomfort or a mild sacrifice of time that may be the cost of engaging a stranger (or even a friend) in a discussion about their eternal destiny.
The way to stay young and full of life—both as an individual and as a congregation—is to stay engaged, be involved, serve, never stop sharing your faith and never stop growingbecause you never pause on your journey of discovery.