For years now, I’ve longed to see more songs and hymns that remind us of our mission as ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom.
Mission-focused songs are surprisingly rare, and the ones we do have often take the approach of “Onward, Christian Soldiers”—a song with biblical resonance, for sure, but one that relies on a rallying cry to rise up and fulfill our duty. What’s been missing, in my view, are mission-of-the-church songs that inspire us by setting the missionary task within the fuller context of God’s redemptive plan.
This gap is surprising, given we’re witnessing the rise of a generation of young believers who take seriously the Great Commission and the call of Christ to discipleship among all nations. Just think of Cross Con, a winter gathering drawing thousands of young people to the cause of world missions. Or the commissioning ceremonies of the International Mission Board, where young families are sent to unreached people groups with tears and prayers and great hope.
At Cedarville University, where I often preach and teach, this same spirit pervades the campus—an annual missions conference, GO mission trips, and students who are already asking how their careers can serve the spread of the gospel.
Seeds of a Song
A year and a half ago, worship pastor Channing Gillespie sent me a snippet of a song lyric, set to a melody: O how beautiful the feet / of the ones who bring good news. He invited me to contribute additional lyrics and help him refine a chorus centered on taking “Christ to every nation.” Through audio messages, texts, and emails, Channing and I went back and forth over several weeks until we had crafted an initial draft of a missions song.
From there, we connected with Bryan Fowler, a singer-songwriter who partners with Keith and Kristyn Getty and who has given the church some wonderful songs and hymns (“All Sufficient Merit” and “Come Jesus Come” are two of my favorites). Bryan has teamed up with Dave Aubrey, and under the name Stillcreek they’ve been releasing beautiful worship and devotional songs, including an ambitious project: a song for each of the 22 sections of Psalm 119.
Bryan, Dave, Channing, and I spent more than a year shaping and refining the song, both melodically and lyrically. In mid-March, we debuted the song at Cedarville University’s chapel because of the university’s strong commitment to developing young people who will live in light of God’s mission. Today, the song is available on Apple and Spotify or wherever you get your music. Chord charts are here, and there’s also a lyric video.
What follows are the lyrics and some of my commentary. We hope this new song will bless and benefit your church.
Verse 1
O how beautiful the feet
of the ones who bring good news
that the Son of God has come
full of grace and truth.
At the cross, He bore our sin
then He overcame the grave.
Now His resurrection life
reaches far to save.
The one lyric that never changed was Channing’s first line. Also left unchanged was the melodic opening, a nod to “This Is My Father’s World.” We wanted to place Isaiah’s image of beautiful feet bringing good news up against the portrait of a good, yet fallen, world being reclaimed by the Son of God.
The first verse is dedicated to the person and work of Christ, who is the basis for the Great Commission. In just a few lines, we pass through the incarnation, the life and ministry of Jesus marked by grace and truth, his substitutionary atonement, and his resurrection. The gospel motivates the missionary task and leads us to the missionary heart of the chorus.
Chorus
So we’ll take Christ to every nation
Christ to every land
in every generation
beginning to the end.
Lifting high the name of Jesus—
the Great I Am
we’ll proclaim His worth in all the earth
until he comes again.
Key to the chorus is the generational scope—we’re joining a long line of believers, from the time of Christ until his second coming, all committed to the missionary cause. My favorite line: “We’ll proclaim his worth in all the earth until he comes again.” What more could drive our mission than the worthiness and glory of the returning Christ?
Verse 2
Let our voices testify
let our lives be on display
filled with power from above
to declare His name.
He is with us as we go
shining forth the light of faith
by His Spirit bringing peace
to the darkest place.
When we first began work on this song, I’d just returned from a trip to South Korea, where I attended the Fourth Lausanne Congress, the largest worldwide gathering of evangelical leaders in history. Standing in that room with brothers and sisters from every corner of the globe, I felt the weight and the wonder of what God is doing in his church.
The motto for the Congress was “Let the church declare and display Christ together”—an emphasis on showcasing Christ’s beauty in both word and deed. This was the inspiration for the beginning of verse 2, that God’s people would be both active in words of life (“Let our voices testify”) and deeds of love (“Let our lives be on display”). The rest of the verse reminds us of Christ’s promise to be with us to the end of the age, and the Spirit’s role in bringing restoration (shalom) to a broken world.
Verse 3
So with joy, O church, press on
there is work yet to be done
till the Lord receives His prize—
every tribe and tongue.
For the day is drawing near
soon the wedding bells will ring
as the nations one by one
gather for the feast.
We wanted this song to inspire believers toward missions by highlighting the glorious future that awaits us as God’s children. The last verse flashes forward to the end of all our missionary efforts. Bringing together multiple images from Revelation, we press on (with joy!) to the Day when the Lord will receive his prize—every tribe and tongue.
The marriage supper of the Lamb is on the horizon, with the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven as a bride adorned for her groom, and then the nations bringing their cultural tributes to Christ the King, as all peoples gather around his table.
Chorus 2
And we’ll praise Christ from every nation
Christ in every land
with every generation
and there will be no end.
Lifting high the name of Jesus—
the Great I Am.
We’ll proclaim his worth in all the earth
forever and Amen.
The song closes with a reworking of the chorus. One day, the missionary task will be complete, but the worship that is mission’s ultimate aim will go on forever. With people from every nation and land, alongside people from every generation, the song that begins with beautiful feet ends with a feast—an eternal celebration of the worth of Christ in the new heavens and new earth.
“Christ to Every Nation” is now available wherever you stream music.
