A
ccording to Church tradition, of the twelve original
disciples, only John died a natural death. He lived
to be quite old, in his nineties, which was particularly
remarkable in an age when most men had a life
expectancy of 40. As he neared the end of his life he
was still instructing the churches, encouraging the
Christians and reminding them of the essential
teachings of the gospel. In his first epistle, the theme
of love sounds from beginning to end, including the
famous line, "God is love" (1 John 4:8).
John's intimate knowledge of Jesus and his experience living the Christ
life kept bringing him back to this point. God is love. Understanding God
apart from His love was impossible. But incorporating that truth changes
everything. If God is love then His actions are guided by it. His view of us
is through love's glasses. The intended ultimate destiny of each soul is
grounded in this. God is love.
We rejoice with the anonymous songwriter who has penned,
Come, let us all unite to sing: God is love!
Let Heaven and earth their praises bring, God is love!
Let every soul from sin awake,
Each in his heart sweet music make,
And sing with us, for Jesus' sake: God is love!
The Salvation Army Song Book #43
I
t is probably the most well known Bible verse in the
world. Billy Graham made John 3:16 the subject of
his sermons more than any other verse: "For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but
have eternal life." (John 3:16, NASB).
Max Lucado released a book titled simply 3:16. In it
he shares, "Preschoolers can recite it. Football fans
paint it boldly across cardboard signs. It's brief
enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment, yet solid enough
to withstand 2,000 years of storms and questions. It begins with God,
ends with life, and urges us to do the same! If you know nothing of the
Bible, begin here. If you know everything of the Bible, return here. This is
the Hope Diamond of Scripture!"
Martin Luther once called John 3:16 the "Gospel within the Gospels."
When Luther was printing his translation of the Bible in Germany, pieces
of the printed Scripture fell to the floor. A young girl picked one up and
read the phrase "For God so loved the world that He gave"--the rest of
the sentence was missing. The truth gripped her. She had been told so
often that God was a judge to be dreaded. She exicitedly ran home,
passing the note to her mother while talking endlessly of this wonderful
discovery. Her mother, perpexed by her daughter's jubilation, asked, "But
what did He give?" The young girl was lost for a moment, not knowing
the answer. Suddenly her face lit up as she said, "I don't know; but if He
loved us well enough to give us anything, we need not be afraid of Him."
Three key words in this verse merit particular attention. The first is
the word "God," the second is the word "loved" and the third is the
word "world."
The Fact is � God loves you
The Gift is � Jesus came
The Purpose is � to be in right relationship with God.
4
The War Cry | FEBRUARY 2014
MESSAGE FROM THE NATIONAL COMMANDER
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
W
ILLIAM
B
OOTH
FOUNDER
A
NDR�
C
OX
GENERAL
D
AVID
J
EFFREY
NATIONAL COMMANDER
The Salvation Army Territorial Commanders
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AUL
R. S
EILER
Central Territorial Commander
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ARRY
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WANSON
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ONALD
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ELL
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AMES
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NAGGS
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February 2O14
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