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Day 01 / 01.07.23 / Pastor Jeff Chong, Chairman, Lovesingapore and Senior Pastor, Hope Singapore

Day 1: Three keys for the Church in Singapore

LUKE 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

In January, I was appointed to lead LoveSingapore with a team of pastors. It is truly an honour to love Singapore and fulfil God’s destiny for this little red dot.

Allow me to share three strategic focal points I believe God has given to the Singapore churches.

Firstly, it is to Turn Singapore Godward.

From decade to decade, the number of Christians in Singapore has grown steadily. However, in the last decade from 2010 to 2020, the growth of the Christian population has slowed down significantly, growing only 0.6% over the 10 years.

If we do not do anything about it, my guess is that the 2030 numbers will not be great. Perhaps for the first time, we could even see a decline in the percentage of Christians in Singapore.

What is God saying to us? God is asking us to capture His heart for the lost.  

In Luke 19 verse 10, Jesus said in no unclear terms that He has come to seek and to save the lost.

When Jesus commands us to make disciples, it would surely include helping those who are not believers as yet to become Jesus-followers.

God is asking us to capture His heart for the lost.

I am asking us to not live our faith only for ourselves and our own little world.

Let God’s light shine through us, as we point our friends, classmates, neighbours, colleagues and relatives to Jesus.

Lost people matter to God, and they must matter to us.

The second strategic focus is Win the Youth.

Not only must we realise the importance of reaching more people, but we must also know the strategic significance of reaching more youth. Growing old is natural, reaching the young must be intentional.

Note that I did not say to win the next generation, but to win the youth. There are two reasons for it.

Firstly, the next generation could mean different things to different people. To a person in his 60s, the next generation could mean someone in their 40s and 50s.

Secondly, the next generation could give the idea that they are not ready yet because they are next. Akan Datang, coming next.

We must intentionally win the youths, the students. We need to engage youths today and give them a platform to lead today.

Let me be clear. When I say to win the youths, I am not suggesting that we ignore others. We need to reach all generations. 

Every generation is important to God. Young and old, rich and poor, simple and educated, there is no unimportant person in the Kingdom.

We need to reach all generations, but I am asking us to pay special attention to reach the youth.

The Singapore churches cannot afford to be a sunset ministry; we desire to be a sunrise ministry.

Lastly, God has called Singapore to Bless the Nations.

Singapore has been prophesied to be the Antioch of Asia. Out of Singapore, God desires that we plant churches that will plant churches that will plant yet more churches.

I am sure you agree with me that Singapore is a blessed nation. It is not a perfect nation, but it is clearly a blessed nation. And God blesses Singapore to be a blessing.

The Great Commission commands us to go and make disciples of all nations. God loves globally and God redeems globally.

I want to encourage every Christ-follower to embrace God’s heart for the whole world.

The Singapore churches cannot afford to be a sunset ministry; we desire to be a sunrise ministry.

For a start, we can sign up for short-term mission trips to Japan. Japan is a country that Love Singapore is focusing on at this moment.

I am sure God will ambush us with His compassion as we step out to serve the nations.

So there you have it, the three strategic focal points that God has entrusted to us: Turning Singapore Godward; Winning The Youth; and Blessing The Nations.

For the next 40 days, in this new format of our annual 40 Day Prayer, we will hear from different pastors and leaders, from across many denominations and ages, from church and para-church, who will share their hearts and unpack their thoughts on these three focuses.

May we keep our hearts open to what the Spirit is saying to us. Let us pray:

Dear God, we thank You for loving us. We are so grateful for all that You have done and given to us in our lives. We pray that You will open our hearts. For the next 40 days, we open our hearts and we give the Holy Spirit full reign to speak to us. 

Give us ears that will listen and hearts that will perceive what You want to do in our lives. Amen.

Download the PDF version of today’s devotional here.

/ Reflect
  • How can we pray for those in our lives to know and love Jesus? 
  • How might God be speaking to you to reach out to disciple youths into God’s kingdom? 
  • How can you and your community get involved in cross-cultural overseas missions to fulfil the Great Commission?
/ Pray
  • Pray for a heart burdened for the souls of humankind. Consider those around you who have yet to embrace the Gospel or are grappling with obedience and surrender. Think of the youths who, not always by choice, are living in a confusing, assertive world. Pray for those in nations who have yet to hear about Christ’s life-changing grace and mercy. Seek to recognise opportunities to share the Gospel with them.
  • Pray for discipline to persevere through these 40 Days of devotion. Set aside the best time daily as an act of worship to God. Pray for a deepened relationship with the Holy Spirit as you tune your ears to His voice.
  • Pray for openness to God’s prompting and teaching through the 40 Day devotions. Seek each day to learn something new about the character, will and purpose of God. Surrender afresh your work, your ministry and your relationships to Him.