Let’s stop pretending neutrality exists.
Every Christian, heck every single person in North America is being discipled every single day. The only question is whether it’s happening by the way of Jesus or by an algorithm designed to keep your attention, monetize your outrage, and slowly shape who and how you love.
That might sound dramatic. But it most certainly is not.
If you spend more time scrolling than praying, more time consuming commentary than Scripture, more time listening to talking heads than walking with other believers, then you are being formed. Just not by the church. Not by the Word. Not by the Spirit.
By a feed.
Algorithms Are Excellent Disciplers, They’re Just Not Good Ones
Social media doesn’t just show you content.
It studies you.
It learns what makes you angry.
What makes you afraid.
What makes you feel superior.
What confirms what you already believe.
And then slowly, subtly, relentlessly it feeds you more of it. And it pushes you to extremes without you being aware.
Over time, it doesn’t just shape your opinions. It shapes your reflexes.
Who you distrust.
Who you dismiss.
Who you blame.
Who you dehumanize.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Many Christians today are more fluent in the language of outrage than repentance, more practiced in sarcasm than gentleness, and more shaped by cultural tribes than by the Sermon on the Mount.
And friends that didn’t happen overnight.
It happened one scroll at a time.
Loving Jesus Is Not the Same as Being Formed by Him
Let’s be totally clear. I’m not questioning your sincerity. I totally trust that you believe in Jesus.
You love Jesus.
You love worship.
You show up on Sundays.
You believe the right things.
But belief without formation produces fragile faith. And friend that’s being generous.
If your faith collapses under cultural pressure…
If your joy evaporates with the news cycle…
If your prayer life is thin but your opinions are sharp…
If you feel constantly anxious, angry, or exhausted…
That’s not a failure of love.
It’s a failure of discipleship.
Jesus didn’t say, “Go and make converts.”
He said, “Go and make disciples.”
Disciples don’t just admire Jesus.
They arrange their lives around Him.
The Cost of Neglecting Deep Discipleship
When Scripture becomes occasional instead of central…
When community becomes optional instead of essential…
When spiritual practices are replaced with spiritual content…
We shouldn’t be surprised when:
- Faith becomes reactive instead of rooted
- Churches fracture instead of mature
- Christians sound more like cable news than the Kingdom of God
Formation always wins. Something will shape you.
And if you don’t intentionally submit yourself to the slow, counter-cultural way of Jesus, something faster, louder, and angrier will happily take His place.
Jesus Deserves More Than Your Leftover Attention
Jesus gave everything not a fraction, not a scroll-length moment, not a distracted nod between notifications.
He gave His body.
His blood.
His life.
And we offer Him… ten minutes if we’re not tired?
This isn’t about guilt.
It’s about honesty.
What if the exhaustion so many Christians feel isn’t from following Jesus too closely, but from trying to follow Him casually in a world that disciples aggressively?
A Loving but Serious Invitation
What if you:
- Opened Scripture before opening an app
- Chose a small group over another stream
- Let a trusted believer ask hard questions
- Practiced silence in a world addicted to noise
What if you stopped outsourcing your spiritual formation to platforms that don’t love your soul?
Jesus is not competing for your attention.
He is inviting your allegiance.
Not because He wants something from you, but because He has something for you.
Life.
Freedom.
Depth.
Peace that algorithms can’t manufacture.
So Choose Your Discipler
This isn’t a call to abandon technology.
It’s a call to reclaim formation.
To dig deep again.
To slow down.
To walk with others.
To sit with Scripture long enough for it to confront and comfort you.
Because friend, you are being discipled.
And the One who gave everything for you is still saying, quietly but firmly:
“Follow Me.”
