The 2/11/18 sermon by Elder Mike Gowens is taken from 1 John 4:7-19. Gowens first dispels several common misconceptions about this subject, then defines this remarkable sentence in terms of God's relationship to His people in Christ. The gospel affirmation that "God is love" stands in stark contrast to this world of malice, animosity, ill-will, and self-centeredness. Those in whose hearts the Holy Spirit has shed abroad such Divine love now have the capacity--and, indeed, the responsibility--to actively express that love toward those around them, however unlovely and unloveable they may be. In this way, the church on earth becomes a microcosm of this heavenly world of God's love.