Bible reading for 40.Day 2026 | 1 Corinthians 12:12–27

Pastor Jeff Chong:  Hello, everyone. Welcome to Day 1 of 40 Days. 40 Voices. 40 Prayers. This is Pastor Ian: He serves as the Executive Director of LoveSingapore. Ps Ian came to faith in a conservative church. He used to lead the choir in church that sang many old traditional hymns. 

Pastor Ian Toh: Hello, everyone. This is Pastor Jeff: He serves as the chairperson of LoveSingapore. Ps Jeff came to faith in a charismatic Pentecostal church. Thank God he did not lead worship. 

Ps Jeff: The theme for 2026 is “Together”. We are different, yet it is in these differences that we discover complementary strengths. Together, we become stronger than the sum of our parts.

Ps Ian: Pastor Jeff is a visionary, a relentless learner. He listens and loves well, seeks God, and leads with wisdom and conviction. He brings out the best in people, placing them where they thrive. It is a privilege to serve with him.

Ps Jeff: Pastor Ian has many strengths. He is disciplined, decisive, courageous and leads very well. He also paints and writes. In addition, he is passionate and has a good understanding of social causes. Over the past four years, Ps Ian has helped cover many of my blind spots. I am extremely grateful that God has sent him to serve in LoveSingapore.

Ps Ian: This truth – that there is strength in differences – is not only limited to Ps Jeff and me. This truth is for every church and every Christ-follower. The Church is beautifully described in Scripture as a living Body, where every believer is a vital part, uniquely formed and intentionally placed by God. 

As 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 teaches: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts… so it is with Christ.” Each member carries different gifts and functions – some visible, some hidden – but all are significant. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you”, and neither can any believer claim independence from the rest. 

In fact, God has arranged the parts so that there would be no division, but rather a deep interdependence where each part cares for the other. 

Not independence, not dependence, but interdependence.

Ps Jeff: At the same time, the Body does not function aimlessly – it is led by a Head. 

In Ephesians 1:22-23, the Bible says: “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church,  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.”

Christ is the Head of the Church, and from Him the whole Body is joined and held together. He gives direction, purpose and life. As each part does its work under His leadership, the Body grows and builds itself up in love. 

This means that the health of the Church is directly tied to its submission to Christ – when we align ourselves with Him, we function properly; when we drift from Him, the Body loses its coordination and strength. Therefore, the call for the Church is not just to serve, but to serve together.

Ps Ian: God has given the Singapore churches and Christian organisations three strategic focuses. They are: To turn Singapore Godward, to win the youth and to bless the nations.

These focuses are not given to a single church or denomination. They are given to all Singapore churches and believers. To achieve these focuses, we need to do it together.

Ps Jeff: On May 25, 1961, American president John F Kennedy (JFK) announced that America “should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth”.

On September 12, 1962, when JFK visited the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headquarters for the first time, he noticed a janitor carrying a broom in one of the hallways. The President stopped, walked over, and asked with genuine curiosity: “What is your job here?”

Without missing a beat, the janitor replied with pride: “Well, Mr President, I am helping to put a man on the moon.”

The janitor did not see himself there to just clean up. He was able to connect the dots. He wasn’t just existing; he was fulfilling a purpose, a mission.

Similarly, we are different but God’s purpose for every one of us is the same: God has called us to fulfil the Great Commission. 

Let’s do this together!

Ps Ian: Come, let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for calling us to be one Body in Christ, walking together. 

Lord, forgive us for the ways we have not walked together in unity, and for the times we have fallen short of Your heart. Forgive the pride, and division among us. We ask that You unite the Church in Singapore – across denominations, across generations, across languages – that we may truly be one. 

Lord Jesus, You are the Head of the Church, and today we choose again to align ourselves with You. Grant us the grace to love one another, to honour one another, and to serve Your will together. 

Lord, help us, together, to turn Singapore to You, to win the younger generation, and to bless the nations. We surrender ourselves completely to You.  

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Reflect:

As we enter the next 40.Days, ask:

1. How have our hearts, minds and actions failed to value unity within the Body?

2. What are some practical ways we can walk in unity with one another – believer with believer, church with church, denomination with denomination?

3. What is God telling us personally and corporately to do in this season to turn Singapore Godward, win the younger generation, and bless the nations?

Pray:

1. That the Lord will forgive us for our pride and for the division we have allowed to come between us.

2. That over the next 40.Days, our hearts and minds will be aligned with God and with one another.

3. That the Lord will cause churches to uplift each other, the denominations to work together, and believers to love one another as the Lord taught us.
   

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