Discipleship in an Instant Society

Exploring what it means to follow Christ in today’s world through the lens of Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Let’s all admit it: authenticity can be hard in a world where we expect instant gratification. Just look at our top Google searches, which reflect things like “YouTube” and “Amazon,” a sign of our desire for instant entertainment and things we can get delivered to our homes within a few minutes or days.

We also turn to Google with our questions: What time is it? What should I watch? Where’s my refund? Clearly, we expect instant responses to even some of the most basic questions we could ask.

But if you’ve been a believer long, you’ve likely realized that discipleship/sanctification/becoming more and more like Jesus isn’t a sprint. It’s more like a marathon, with changes happening incrementally as the Holy Spirit molds and shapes you. Or, as the late Eugene Peterson so eloquently put it (borrowed from Nietzsche) , “long obedience in the same direction.”

As believers, our job is to abide in Christ (John 15) so that we become more and more like him. But that change isn’t instantaneous, even if we’d prefer it to be that way. There’s a reason people sometimes refer to the Christian life as a journey! So as disciples and sojourners in this world, what does the life of discipleship and faith look like in an instant society?

It looks like repentance and dependence on God.

As Eugene Peterson wrote in his classic, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, “A person has to get fed up with the ways of the world before he, before she, acquires an appetite for the world of grace.” In other words, until we stop believing that the next pay raise will fix everything or that the next election will solve our country’s problems and place our trust in God, we are not living as disciples. We must become people who recognize our need for rescue and repent, so that God can lead us into the life of abundance he’s called us to. Repentance is the start of our Christian walk, but it’s also the pattern of our journey.

It’s recognizing our help comes from God.

Hear this: becoming a Christian doesn’t mean that your life is suddenly perfect or that you’re spared from all anxiety, worry, fear or difficulty in the future. A life of discipleship or apprenticeship to Jesus is about recognizing that your help and your hope comes from God alone. As Peterson wrote, “the same faith that works in the big things works in the little things. The God of Genesis 1 who brought light of darkness is also the God of this day who guards you from every evil.”

Our lives are punctuated by worship, marked by service, and characterized by hope and humility.

Living as a disciple of Christ isn’t like choosing the fastest route on your phone GPS. It’s not about “getting there” as quickly as possible. Instead, it’s about spending time with Jesus, following where he leads and growing in a number of areas that form you more and more into his image. As Christians, worship is a vital part of our lives, whether that’s during a service at your church or when you’re alone. If your heart is never stirred to worship and praise your creator and your Savior, then something is wrong. Living as a disciple also means living a life characterized by service, meaning you choose to make yourself lower in order to make others’ needs more important than your own. Walking with Jesus also shapes us into humble people who never lose sight of the hope we have in him, even when life seems darkest.

It looks like community.

“Community” is a big buzz word in our culture these days, meaning a place, space or group where people find acceptance. But the community of the Christian life isn’t simply about finding a group of people who are just like you—same background, same race, same ideas on everything. It’s about being committed to a body of fellow believers who are bound together by your love for and experience of Jesus. It’s about walking together through the journey of faith, leaning on each other, celebrating with each other and lifting each other up.

Discipleship isn’t always easy or instant. It takes dedication and commitment, but walking with Jesus and those who love him? There’s nothing like it!

Eugene Peterson’s book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction is an examination of the 15 psalms of ascent (Ps. 120-134). If you’d like to dig more into this idea, we suggest you read it. Get a copy here.

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