Slave Or Son?

Psalm 118:16 “Yes, I am your slave, born into your household; you have freed me from my chains.” A couple years back I heard a sermon that questioned whether believers are slaves or sons. Using the framework of the radical middle, the preacher explained that some churches focus on spiritual gifts while others focus on the word. But at SP we believe that both are really important. In the same way some churches focus on the framework of believers as slaves, and some churches focus on believers as sons (and daughters). But this preacher felt that it was important to acknowledge that both perspectives are important. I was a bit confused by this because Galatians 4:7 states “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has also made you an heir.” Today’s verse helped me to reconcile this apparent contradiction that’s been stewing. The overarching idea is that when I humble myself God lifts me up. Scripture says that we’re all sinners, but that we’re all made perfect through Jesus’ sacrifice. But if I don’t acknowledge my imperfection, I can never realize God’s perfection. Am I a sinner? Yes… and through God’s gift, am I saint? Well… yes. In the same way, it is when I come to God as a slave, giving him complete control over everything, that he lifts me up to the status of a son. Is it true that I’m a slave? Yes. Is it true that in taking this posture God lifts me up to the status of a son, with full access to all the resources of his Kingdom? Well… yes. Lord, I humble myself today. Though I don’t deserve any of it, I’m so overwhelmed that I’m loved by you. I’m gonna do you proud dad. In Jesus’ name, Amen. P.S. So good to be back! Thanks all for your patience. Many of you will be familiar with some of the concepts I cover in yesterday’s sermon, but if you’re interested you can check it out at https://www.facebook.com/solomonsporchsg/videos/221678256501540 ... (Starts at 30:40)

Jaeson Ma

Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved… not by works, so that no one can boast.” This morning I stumbled upon an interview that Justin Kan conducted with Jaeson Ma, co-founder of 88 Rising. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Jaeson, but I never got the opportunity to meet him in person. This brother has so many crazy stories… from casting out demons to angel investing with MC Hammer… from recording a song with Bruno Mars to praying for Jeremy Lin on the eve of Linsanity… Justin Kan has interviewed some really famous and interesting people, but he was so blown away by Jaeson that he said “this is literally my favorite episode.” Jaeson made so many insightful points through his stories, but one that really stuck out was his exposition of Ephesians 2:8. He had spent many years as a youth pastor and increasingly felt this need to perform. “People follow you because they think you’re perfect, but no one is perfect, so you start to lead this double life.” After burning out in ministry, Jaeson found himself in Christian rehab, and a mentor there reminded him that God loves him for who he is, not for what he’s done. Religion focused people seek a sense of identity because of all their good works. But relationship focused people have already found identity because of His good works. I’ve never been in full-time ministry, and I’ve only begun preaching a few years ago, but I can already sense this performance mindset creeping up on me. Yesterday I missed sending out this devotional, and after staying up til 2am and waking up at 6am for a board meeting, all I could think about today was whether I could scrounge the time and headspace to write a post. But thankfully God sent Jaeson Ma and the post wrote itself. Lord, thank you that there is now no condemnation. I am fully known and fully loved by you. Thank you for clarity. Thank you for Jaeson. Thank you most of all for Jesus. In your son’s name, Amen. P.S. I’ve got some sermon prep to do for the next couple weeks, so you’ll see a bit of a break from me here. I had a lot of guilt about that, but well… God speaks!

Makan For Hope

Jeremiah 29:14 “I will be found by you” declares the Lord, “and I will restore your fortunes.” I’ve noticed that being slightly more public about my faith has opened the door to building deeper relationships with people. One example is Elise Tan, who runs investor relations at one of Asia’s top Crypto Funds, Longhash Ventures. We connected on some work matters and shortly thereafter she pinged me on Telegram. “I happened to see that you wrote VC Ministry on your website. Are you a Christian? … I’m really inspired by u.” But let me tell you, I’m way more inspired by Elise than she is by me. Over the last couple years she’s gone through some really tough times that include death and the worst form of betrayal. But in the midst of that she went to the Alpha course and gave her life to Jesus. God now communicates to her regularly through visions, wind and even crazily coincidental number patterns. “I’ve gone through a really difficult period, but because of that I found God. I’m so thankful for that.” This morning I gave her a buzz and felt led to pray Jeremiah 29:14 over her. God has been found by her, and I have no doubt that he will restore her fortunes. Lord, thank you for this dear sister. I pray protection over Elise as she deals with difficult times and unreasonable people. We know you have a plan and a future for her and her family. In Jesus’ name, Amen. P.S. Elise runs a great initiative called Makan For Hope where folks from the startup world give talks to raise money for underprivileged children through non-profit Fei Yue. My session is sold out, but if you’d like to learn from someone who actually knows what they're talking about, or just donate to a good cause, please do check out www.makanforhope.org.