What is essential to following Christ? This is …

Caring.

That’s not something we would expect as an answer to such a question. Nevertheless, it’s an important answer. It would be impossible to claim with any honesty that one is following Christ and yet fail to care for other people.

I wrote a book about disciple-making in which one of the first chapters highlighted the fact that the starting point for being able to effectively make disciples among the lost was the need to genuinely care about others. A student in a course that includes study of the book wrote the following …

“One doesn’t expect to read a chapter on care as the first topic in a book on evangelism. This chapter gives a beautiful perspective for us to have as we approach evangelizing. It is about care for our family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances that should motivate us to share with them. The two stories about the cop and the soldier were very impactful. Especially of the soldier. That story cuts to the heart of the issue. ‘Are you going to do anything?’ As I think of the court where I live and the neighbors that live there, am I going to do anything? I know each of them, but is that where it stops? That has been on my mind for some time now. I do, and have, ‘cared’ for them, but does that care lead them to consider the gospel? Lord, give me insight into each family.”

This student is getting the point, which is that “caring” is not just an emotion, or an emotion that leads us only to pray for someone, but that caring involves action. When you care for someone, you do something for them! James speaks bluntly to this point …

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” — but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. – James 2:14-17

That is not at all how so many Christians today like to think of the Christian faith or the idea of following Christ. We’re willing to offer prayer, but many of us are more often than not not willing to do something. We have become voyeurs of those who are suffering. Today’s Christians are willing to leave both the stranger and the “friend” to suffer the harshest of circumstances rather than taking real action that could help relieve their suffering.

Such lack of caring for others couldn’t be further from the example that Christ gave us in His earthly life, and it is in stark contradiction to what the Bible teaches us, which includes …

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples,” John 13:34-35.

“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion — how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions,” 1 John 3:16-18.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith,” Galatians 6:9-10.

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too,” Philippians 2:3-4.

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important,” Galatians 6:2-3.

It is incomprehensible to think one is truly following Christ while at the same time failing to demonstrate care for others! It is contradictory to the Gospel to be a voyeur of suffering.

So if caring for others is essential to being an authentic disciple of Jesus Christ, are you a disciple? Are you showing caring action for those in need around you? Are you loving and serving those you know who are suffering? The answer to that question speaks directly to the authenticity of your position in Christ.

Scotty