2025

Day 01 / 01.07.25 / Pastor Jeff Chong, Chairman of Lovesingapore, Senior Pastor of Hope Singapore

Day 1: All in for Jesus

Mark 8:34-35 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Day number 1 of 40 Days. 40 Voices. 40 Prayers.

The theme for 40.Day Season of Prayer 2025 is “All In”.

If you Google “All In”, you’ll likely find images related to gambling. In poker, going “all in” means betting everything you have, fully committing to the game.

Discipleship carries the same principle. When Jesus calls us to follow Him, He calls us to be All In.

In Mark 8:34-35, Jesus speaks to both His disciples and the crowd. Jesus said,

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the Gospel will save it.”

Are we truly going All In?

To be All In for Jesus means:

To deny ourselves, that is to set aside personal preferences and plans.
To take up our cross, that is to submit fully to Christ’s Lordship.
To follow Jesus, that is to model our lives after Jesus, prioritising His Gospel above everything.

It is not just to seek God, but to seek God first above all else. To be All In is to dethrone ourselves and enthrone Jesus in our lives.

Mark Batterson, in his book All In, recalls how the 16th-century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the prevailing belief that the earth was the centre of the universe. He argued that the earth actually revolved around the sun, a revelation that radically transformed the scientific world then.

Likewise, each one of us needs to experience our own Copernican Revolution. The paradigm shift happens when we come to terms with the fact that the world doesn’t revolve around us, but around Jesus and His Gospel.

Since January 2023, churches and Christian organisations in Singapore have been rallying around the divine mandate to Turn Singapore Godward, Win the Youth and Bless the Nations.

These aren’t human initiatives or good ideas; they are God’s priorities.

The real question isn’t whether we agree with these focuses – most of us do.

Rather, the question is this: Are we truly going All In?

Are we reaching at least one person for Christ and connecting them to a local church annually?
Are we intentionally discipling those under 25 years old whom God has placed within our influence?
Are we investing our time, talents, and treasures to bless the nations beyond our little red dot?

The One who first went All In for us – dying on the cross to pay a debt we could never repay – is calling us to do the same for Him and His Gospel.

For the next 39 days, we will learn from different pastors and leaders on the theme of being All In for Jesus.

As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, may every one of us be challenged to go All Out for Jesus.

Let us pray:

Jesus, thank You for going All In for us. While we were still sinners, You died for us. We did not seek You, but You sought us first. Today, we bring You our everything – our regrets and our victories, our pain and our joy. Teach us to not be half in and half out, but to be All In and go All Out for you. Lead us to follow You wholeheartedly and live fully for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

/ Reflect

What will you do to “pick up your cross” and follow Jesus? (Mark 8:34)
What does it mean for you personally to be “All In” for Jesus?
Has the paradigm shifted for you like the Copernicus Revolution? Does your life truly revolve around Jesus and His Gospel? If not, what will you do to change your priorities?

/ Pray

For our hearts and minds to be renewed by God in this 40.Day season, that every believer may be transformed and experience a deep work in his heart.
For our nation to see the goodness of God. Even as Singapore has chosen the ones who shall lead them this year, let us pray that hearts will be turned Godward, that justice, mercy and peace will find expression in our land.
For our next generation, that the Lord will guide, protect and strengthen them as they face the challenges not only of their own time but also of the generations before them.