10. “It’s for Everybody Everywhere”

TL;DR:
Edward Lawlor’s memorable slogan — “If God’s love is for anybody anywhere, it’s for everybody everywhere” — powerfully captures the universal scope of the gospel. Drawing on verses such as John 3:16 and Romans 10:13–15, the one-sentence slogan reminds Christians that God’s saving love is meant for all people everywhere. The page includes an acrostic based on the word “EVERYBODY.”

Topographical map of the entire world — Topographical projection of the world by David Monniaux — Image source

God’s love is not limited or selective — it’s universal.

“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 That Stir Hearts and Move People to Action

11 More Mini-Essays on Stirring Sayings About Great Commission Fulfillment

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

Who was Edward Lawlor?

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

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?” (Romans 10:13–15, 2011 NIV)

In that passage, the apostle Paul moves from the prophet Joel’s words, “everyone who calls,”¹ to his own logical question, “How can they hear?” That progression should also shape our response to Lawlor’s slogan. If Lawlor was right and the gospel is for everybody everywhere, shouldn’t believers ask, “How do we get the Good News to everybody everywhere?”

Edward Lawlor certainly “walked the talk.” As an evangelist, church planter, district superintendent, and denominational leader, he devoted his ministry to evangelism and helped guide Nazarene outreach and church planting worldwide.

Lawlor’s statement about the gospel being for “everybody everywhere” reminds me of something pioneer Nazarene leader Phineas Bresee said around 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 become involved so that everybody everywhere can 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 pioneer Nazarene leader Phineas Bresee’s message 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 help them accept this responsibility?
What steps can individuals and churches take to help ensure 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, 2011 NIV). ↩

Acrostic: Everybody Everywhere

E — Engage with love and share the gospel’s light.
V — Voice God’s truth in places dark as night.
E — Encourage hearts to trust God’s faithful grace.
R — Reach out with hope to people in every place.
Y — Yield to God’s call to serve throughout the world.
B — Bring peace and comfort to the weary and distressed.
O — Open your heart and let the Spirit guide.
D — Deliver God’s message with compassion and humility.
Y — You have a purpose: to evangelize and disciple.

Like acrostics? Here are more of them.

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 passages such as John 3:16 and Romans 10:13–15. Together, these passages point to the universal availability of salvation and believers’ responsibility to proclaim the gospel.

The saying calls attention to the boundless nature of divine love. By asserting that God’s love is for “everybody everywhere,” it points to the equal worth of all people and the universal scope of God’s saving love.

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 hear about His offer of salvation and have the opportunity to accept it.
The worldwide proclamation of the gospel is anticipated and commanded in passages such as Matthew 24:14 and Acts 1:8. Spreading the Good News is part of God’s plan for His people.
As stewards of God’s message, Christians are entrusted with the responsibility to share it with others.

Three ways to restate Edward Lawlor’s slogan:

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 devotionals in the “Slogans to Awaken the Church” series

Mark 16:15 — Tell everyone everywhere.