Quote
Eugene Peterson borrowed a phrase from Nietzsche to describe the Christian life as “a long obedience in the same direction.” The…
Perseverance · Discipleship · Obedience
Peterson
History
Polycarp of Smyrna
Early church history (Martyrdom of Polycarp)
Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna and a disciple of the apostle John. When the Roman authorities came for him at age 86, they offered him a simple choice: deny Christ and live, or confess Christ and die. His reply has echoed for nearly two thousand years: “Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” They burned him at the stake. According to the earliest accounts, the fire did not immediately consume him, and an executioner finally ended his life with a blade. Polycarp’s long obedience made the final decision almost inevitable. He had walked with Christ for so many years that when the moment of testing came, he already knew whom he had believed.
How you’d preach it
Powerful for sermons on lifelong faithfulness, the cost of discipleship, or the quiet formation that prepares us for crisis.
- Perseverance
- Discipleship
Polycarp