10. "It's for everybody everywhere"

"If God's love is for anybody anywhere, it's for everybody everywhere" should call to mind the "whosoever" in John 3:16 and the need mentioned in Romans 10:13-15 for people to hear the Gospel.
Christians cannot simply agree with Lawlor's message and then excuse themselves from fulfilling the responsibility to spread the Gospel to everyone, everywhere.
The slogan "If God's love is for anybody anywhere, it's for everybody everywhere" should stir hearts and move people to action.
Edward Lawlor's slogan should inspire believers to help spread the Good News worldwide to those who have yet to hear it.

Slogans to Awaken the Church

Sayings about world evangelism that stir hearts and move people to action

Need an idea for a sermon about missions? Here is one

"If God's love is for anybody anywhere, it's for everybody everywhere." -- Edward Lawlor, pastor, evangelist, and Nazarene General Superintendent

Lawlor's declaration about "everybody everywhere" brings to mind several Bible verses. For starters, it calls to mind the "whosoever" of John 3:16.

"Everybody everywhere" also reminds me of Romans 10:13-15: "For, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?"

In that passage, the Apostle Paul's progression from the prophet Joel's words "everyone who calls"¹ to his own logical question, "How can they hear?" is clear. Those rational, systematic steps that Paul took with Joel's words need to be taken with Lawlor's words as well. If Lawlor was right and the Gospel is for everybody everywhere, then don't we believers need to say, "Okay. How do we get the Good News to everybody everywhere?"

Edward Lawlor certainly "walked the talk." He was an untiring evangelist and church planter who had spent time evangelizing among the indigenous peoples of Canada. He eventually became a Nazarene district superintendent and then was asked to form a denominational Department of Evangelism. In 1968, he was elected as a Nazarene General Superintendent which meant he helped supervise Nazarene outreach and church planting worldwide.

Lawlor's statement about the Gospel being for "everybody everywhere" reminds me of what pioneer Nazarene leader Phineas Bresee had said about the time of Lawlor's birth: " We are debtors to every man to give him the Gospel in the same measure in which we have received it."

We must not simply nod in agreement with Lawlor's slogan and then turn around and excuse ourselves by saying, "Reaching people at the ends of the earth is not what I'm called to do. It is not my responsibility." We must accept our Lord's call to be involved in some way so that everybody everywhere can indeed hear the Good News.

Reflection Questions

How, in your own words, would you rephrase Edward Lawlor's slogan "If God's love is for anybody anywhere, it's for everybody everywhere"?
What Bible verses come to mind when you hear Lawlor's slogan about the Gospel being for "everybody everywhere"? How do those passages speak to believers' responsibility to spread the Gospel?
What relationship do you see between Lawlor's slogan and the message of pioneer Nazarene leader Phineas Bresee when he said, "We are debtors to every man to give him the Gospel in the same measure in which we have received it"?
Why do you think believers sometimes try to excuse themselves from any responsibility to help spread the Gospel to everyone? Are there things we can do to get them to accept this responsibility?
What steps can individuals and churches take to make certain that everyone around the world has access to the Gospel?

-- Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu

¹"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." -- Joel 2:32

Acrostic: Everybody Everywhere

E -- Engage with love, sharing the Gospel's light,
V -- Voicing truth, shining through the darkest night.
E -- Empower hearts with faith that never fades,
R -- Reach the lost, with hope that never trades.
Y -- Yield to God's call, spreading His Word wide,
B -- Bringing peace to those with nowhere to hide.
O -- Open your heart, and let the Spirit guide,
D -- Deliver His message, let it flow like a tide.
Y -- You have a purpose, to evangelize and unite.

Afterword: Final Thoughts

Edward Lawlor's slogan, "If God's love is for anybody anywhere, it's for everybody everywhere," should remind us of what the Bible says in verses like John 3:16 and Romans 10:13-15. Both of those verses speak about the universal nature of God's love and the responsibility of believers to make sure everyone everywhere hears the Gospel.

The saying calls attention to the boundless and "whosoever will" nature of divine love. By asserting that God's love is for "everybody everywhere," the saying points to the interconnectedness between all people on earth.

Three reasons we must spread the Gospel message worldwide:

God's nature is one of love and compassion. That is why He wants everyone to know about His offer of salvation and have the chance to accept it.
The preaching of the Gospel to all nations is prophesied in the Bible (in passages such as Matthew 24:14 and Acts 1:8). Spreading the Good News is part of God's plan for His people.
Christians see themselves as stewards of God's message. Wouldn't that mean they are entrusted with the responsibility to share it with others?

Three more ways of saying what Edward Lawlor said:

If God's love is meant for someone in one place, it is meant for everyone in every place.
If God's love extends to anyone in any corner of the world, it must extend to everyone across the entire world.
If God's love is available to anyone, anywhere, then it must be available to everyone, everywhere.

More blog posts in the "Slogans to awaken the Church" series

Mark 16:15 -- Tell everyone everywhere.

Who was Edward Lawor?

At age 18, Canadian Edward Lawlor was converted through the ministry of the Salvation Army. He went to the Salvation Army Training College in Toronto and became a minister in the Salvation Army.
Edward Lawor was also active with the YMCA and Youth for Christ. He even spent a year ministering to Canada's First Nations people.
Then, through the influence of J.B. Chapman, Edward Lawlor joined the Church of the Nazarene. After being pastor of a church congregation for seven years, he became the superintendent of the Nazarene churches in Canada's Alberta province.
In 1960, Edward Lawlor was asked to lead the Nazarene Department of Evangelism. Six years later, he was elected as one of the denomination's six general superintendents.