CARE

Discipleship is about walking with Jesus together. It's an experience that allows us to;

• grow in our understanding of who God is
• deepen our grasp of what he has done for us
• allow his Word to shape our hearts, not just our thinking

At DC, we believe discipleship is meant to be relational. That means discipleship is not a teacher and a student, or an expert and a learner - it is two followers of Jesus walking alongside one another. We don’t just want to study together, we want to walk with Jesus together.

And honestly - we want to like the people we’re doing that with. To enjoy their company. To become friends. Because discipleship becomes sweeter, safer, and more effective the more we trust one another.

Trust creates space for honesty.
Honesty leads to depth.
And depth allows real change to take place.

So relational discipleship is the soil in which everything else grows.

We spent last year exploring this in depth through The Heart of Discipleship - learning that true discipleship is not behaviour modification, but heart transformation. But discipleship is not a cul-de-sac. It was never meant to stop with just our love for God.

As our understanding of God grows, something must move outward. Jesus makes this unmistakably clear:

Where does Jesus say our love for one another comes from? It comes from Jesus himself. He loved us first. So, as we understand and experience his love in the gospel in and through discipleship, that love will naturally begin to move toward others. You could say love for others is the gospel in motion - the gospel taking tangible shape through presence, patience, compassion, and care.

We see this pattern constantly in Jesus’ life:

• sharing meals
• tending wounds
• listening to pain
• feeding the hungry
• celebrating with people

Another way to describe this love for one another is care. Care is not abstract. Care is the gospel, lived. It is the gospel in motion. And the more we mature in discipleship, the more our desire and ability to care for one another grows.

Discipleship, Care and Outreach are not separate concepts, but extensions of each other. Growing in Christ grows our capacity to love him, which grows our capacity to love others inside the church, which in turn grows our capacity to love those outside the church. Discipleship fuels care, which fuels outreach.

Care begins with Jesus.

We love because he first loved us.
Our care for others is never self-generated — it flows from receiving Christ’s love for us.

Jesus says it plainly:

“Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
John 13:34

Love for others begins with Christ.
But it must begin somewhere specific.

And the most natural place for care to grow is where love, trust, and relationship already exist.

Care is easier — and healthier — when we are known, and when we know those we are caring for.

When someone knows your story, your rhythms, your limits, and your needs:

• care feels safer
• help feels less awkward
• love feels more genuine

The deeper the pre-existing relationship, the more naturally care can take shape. That’s why the best place to begin caring for others is not broadly, but deeply. And where are the deepest relationships being formed?

Not in MCG's, but in Discipleship Groups.

Discipleship groups are where:

• trust is already forming
• honesty is encouraged
• life is shared at a deeper level
• real needs are arising in conversation

Care doesn’t need to be introduced there - it should simply emerge from it. So, rather than trying to care for everyone in your MCG, remember that care most naturally begins in discipleship - those relationships are already inviting us to care well for someone.

This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about starting in the right place.

Sometimes care doesn't flowed freely - not because of unwilling hearts, but because of unhelpful assumptions. Here are a few we can gently let go of, so something better can grow.

"CARE BELONGS TO THE MCG LEADER"

It’s natural to assume that care belongs with leadership - especially in larger groups. But care flourishes best in close, trusted relationships, not simply through roles or structures. Rather than placing the weight of care on one person or couple, we’re inviting something richer:

• disciples caring for one another
• the gospel in motion horizontally, not just top-down

Discipleship groups are where care can truly take root.
This isn’t removing care.
It’s multiplying it.

One of the simplest ways to show care, which has plenty of opportunity for consistency, is through hospitality.
Here are a couple of examples of common objections in that area:

“MY HOUSE ISN’T BIG ENOUGH”

Perhaps you have imagined care as something large and collective - everyone caring for everyone, all at once. But care doesn’t need to be big to be meaningful. In fact, one-on-one care is often deeper and more effective:

• conversations go further
• people feel more seen
• relationships grow more naturally

If you’re able to host more, that’s wonderful. But it’s not the expectation. Care begins simply - aim for one person or one couple.

“I CAN’T COOK”

Care has never depended on culinary skill. Sharing a meal is about presence, not performance.
Sausages are fine.
Pizza is fine.
Macaroni is fine.

And if hosting feels hard - try getting take out or meeting at a restaurant. Find a simple café. Sit near a playground if that helps. What matters is not what is served, but that time is shared. Care grows around tables - not menus.

Care doesn’t begin with grand gestures. It begins with availability.
It begins with the people you already walk with.
The people who know you.
The people you are growing with.

And from there, as love deepens, care naturally expands.

INVITATION: Why not ask your discipleship group if they can share 2 meals this year with 2 others from your discipleship group. Start small - even that would be a win if it's not happening already.

At the heart of caring for people is something simple, but deeply powerful: connection.

As Dr Jonathan Andrews shows in his book, The Reconnected Heart, connection doesn’t just make life better - it actually brings life. Disconnection, on the other hand, leads to decay. It affects our bodies, our minds, and our sense of self. People who are connected flourish; people who are isolated struggle. Connection is not just helpful - it’s essential to human life and wellbeing.

Scripture affirms this at every level. From the beginning, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). We were made for relationship - with God and with one another. Therefore, when we move toward people in love (or, when the gospel is in motion), we are not doing something extra in discipleship - we are stepping into God’s design for discipleship and life itself. This is why Hebrews calls us to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works… encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24–25). Care is relational at its core.

But even more than that, this is the shape of the gospel. Jesus does not remain distant from us in our sin, suffering, or isolation - he comes near. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). He enters our world, sits with the broken, touches the unclean, and ultimately gives his life to bring us back into relationship with God. Therefore, when we care for others - when we show up, listen, stay present - we are reflecting the very heart of Christ. We are participating in his work of bringing people out of isolation and into life.

So, how do we care well? We connect.

Caring for one another is not about having the right answers or fixing every problem. It’s about being there. Staying connected. Reminding people, often without words, “you are not alone.” And in that connection, God often begins to restore what has been lost - bringing healing, strength, and hope through the simple, powerful gift of presence.

Paul Tripp and David Powlison sit down in this 10 minute video to discuss how to care for someone who is battling anxiety or depression. They agreed that the two key qualities most needed when ministering to a Christian suffering from anxiety or depression are humility and patience. We should not focus solely on “fixing” people, but on helping them draw near to God as long as the struggle continues. Tripp counsels, “I want the person to remember that God is near, that he is present, that his grace reaches to the depth of those struggles—rather than if you do this, this, and this, you can become unanxious.”

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