When does our care for each other really matter? 

Is it during a crisis? A serious illness, the loss of a loved one, or a relationship breakdown? 

At St Michael’s, Growth Groups are the main place where we can care for one another through those tough times. But they’re not only for when life feels like it’s falling apart. God gives us one another so that we’ll keep following Jesus for the whole journey of the Christian life. 

That’s the concern at the heart of he apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Having reminded them of the hope they have in Christ, he urges them to “continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel” (Colossians 1:23). 

This gospel hope is the hope that matters most. Much more than the hope of a healthy mind, body, or family. The hope we have in Christ is our only forever hope. 

Don’t move from gospel hope, because that’s the hope that matters most. Much more than the hope of a healthy mind, body and family. 

Earlier, Paul prays for this persevering faith: 

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…”

Colossians 1:9–11 

Paul isn’t simply praying that Christians survive hardship. He’s praying they will endure through all of life. 

That’s one of God’s purposes for Growth Groups. They’re more than a safety net when life falls apart. As we open God’s Word, pray together, and encourage and challenge one another week by week, God uses these relationships to build the kind of faith that lasts. To grow Christians who keep following Jesus with patience and joy. 

When Reuben (7pm) experienced the unexpected death of a close friend, his Growth Group gave him what he really needed: 

“My growth group helped me tremendously by caring for me and praying for me. What stood out for me is the constant care and prayer for me, each week checking in and making sure that I was okay and heard. Most importantly they guided me back to Christ, showed me that Christ cares and works in pain and suffering.” 

When Susan (9:45am) received news that her father had died while she was at Growth Group, she experienced something similar: 

“I felt comforted just by being in their presence and feeling their care and love for me, and of course their prayers for my Mum and their follow up in the proceeding weeks.” 

Insook (5pm) describes years of walking together through both funerals and birthdays: 

“We’ve been supporting each other through thick and thin, and that solid foundation of trust and support helped us pray and encourage each other to grow in Christ.” 

Cathy (5pm) reflected on how her Growth Group has helped practically in her home when needed, and more continuously helped to strengthen her faith: 

“Being part of a Growth Group has deepened my knowledge of God’s unfailing love and grace for us and shown me that unpacking his Word with others allows you to discuss and grasp new understandings and perspectives of his Word and his desire for him to know us better through his Word.” 

“They are such a caring group who prioritize prayer for others and follow up through the week with a message or two. I can be a prayer warrior with my phone and connect with others when I cannot do that in person.” 

Similarly, Annette and John (9.45am) appreciate the simple and important rhythm of Growth Group: 

“Just meeting regularly away from church, making the effort to come even though we are all busy and supporting each other through prayer and fellowship.” 

Their group has also sung together at a local nursing home at Easter and Christmas. An overflow of joyful and steadfast faith. 

Tab (7pm) captures both the friendships and the spiritual growth that come through meeting week after week: 

“We’ve come to share a great and active love with each other which is shown in the way we exist outside of our Tuesday night meeting. We have helped each other move house, and given each other references for job, housing applications, etc… We don’t just meet because we’ve been put together in a group; we want to spend time knowing and loving each other more.” 

“Being part of a growth group has helped me to grow in how well I know the Bible. From having a deep, almost academic conversation with the leaders (that often continues well into the night), to learning to tenderly and lovingly guide young Christians to a better understanding of the Bible, the way that Growth Group forces/urges you, not just to read the Bible, but to communicate your understanding (and often your confusion) really helps to reinforce the Word in my mind and heart.” 

You can see how God has been using these simple acts of love, and time together in the Bible to strengthen his people for a life of faith. 

If you’d like to experience this for yourself, we’d love to have you join a Growth Group. Visit the Growth Groups page, speak with your congregational pastor, or ask someone already in a group what it’s meant for them. 

Hosea Luy
Assistant Minister (9:45am & 11:30am)