Dustin Smith is an Integrity Music Artist, songwriter and worship leader, and has written original worship songs for the church including "Rushing Waters," "Yahweh," "You Are The Fire" and "The One That Really Matters," recorded by Michael W. Smith and Kari Jobe. He has also written with several established worship songwriters including Michael Farren, Kyle Lee, Jennie Lee Riddle and Jack Mooring.

His new live worship project Coming Alive, available everywhere September 23, was recorded at his home church World Revival Church in Kansas City, Missouri. The project includes several anointed new songs for the church, including "Coming Alive," "He's Alive," "Breathe on Me" and "Extravagant Love."

The stirring lyrics of "Extravagant Love" sing directly to Jesus about how "with a mercy that none could ever fathom, You've repaid our hatred with Your ransom." That's a beautifully poetic description of how our Savior came to save all that was lost by dying for our sins. I had the chance to speak with Dustin about the song.

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

I've always written songs for my church, and most of the songwriting partnerships when I write are also for that purpose. For this song, I wrote with my friend Michael Farren and Jack Mooring of the band Leeland. The first thing we ask when we write songs is what God is trying to say to and through the church.

This time, Jack came with an idea that he'd been impacted by. He had taken a trip overseas and learned and seen some things about the Holocaust. He said they had a service that night, and by time he got back to his hotel he was just drained thinking about all of the lives that had been taken and blood that was shed.

As we were talking, he said that when he went to sound check for the service he was so drained, and thinking about the loss of life was so sad. Then he was thinking about Jesus and how He gave His life. He didn't have it taken from him. He gave it. Jack started realizing the power of it, thinking about those who had their lives taken from them and the One who gave His life for them. So at the sound check he started singing that "Oh Lamb of God, You gave it all" part of this song. That's all he had at the time.

We basically started going down the line thinking about Jesus coming down from Heaven to become a Man. In the first verse it sings "You were judged by those You had created." We were just in awe of the wonder of it all. The song takes you through the crucifixion, and then it hits the resurrection. The pre-chorus shifts to "we who once were enemies, now worship at Your feet." What a shift that happens there. He paid the price for His enemies. It was powerful for us.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Luke 7:47 (NKJV): "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."

John 1:36 (NKJV): And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"

Acts 3:14-15 (NKJV): But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

Revelation 7:17 (NKJV): "For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Revelation 15:3 (NKJV): They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!"

What is the takeaway message?

The bridge of the song calls out to the entire world, "Come and behold Him." I've said it before that in churches we are taught how to sing songs, but not taught how to see the One we sing to. It's easy just to sing, but when you see Him, there's an automatic response that comes from that. No one has to tell you how to worship or what to do at that point because you are so overwhelmed by the goodness of Who Christ is and what He has done.

In Mark 15, the Pharisees and chief priests mocked Jesus and said "save Yourself." That hatred was displayed as they mocked Him. It's interesting because I hear people who have their feelings hurt think they are persecuted. The Scripture, "one forgiven much, loves much" is a reminder to have mercy towards others. The Bible is very clear to forgive others as God has forgiven us.

Sadly, we are Christ's representatives to the world, and we give Christianity a bad rap sometimes. Being able to look someone in the eyes and forgive someone who made a mistake or might have hurt you directly is what we are asked to do. I've asked people with hurt feelings to think about Jesus. Did that person who hurt your feelings put nails in your hands, or a crown of thorns on your head? That was done to the One who forgave us.

Sometimes we don't realize that it was our sins that did that to Jesus, and we act like it was another group of people. The Bible says it was our sins that put Jesus on the Cross. Through Christ's death and resurrection we are now His witnesses. We need to testify about the goodness, grace and mercy He has given us to others.

Lyrics:
You were seated high above the heavens
But left it all too be lower than the angels
And then be judged by those You had created
The wonder of it all
The wonder of it all

In the darkness of that final moment
Stripped and beaten the King of Kings now broken
Blood was poured out winning our atonement
The wonder of it all
The wonder of it all

What seemed a sure defeat
Would be Your victory

Oh Lamb of God
Oh Lamb of God
You gave it all
You gave it all
We are nothing but dust
Yet You pour out on us
Your extravagant love

But no grave could ever hold You captive
And with a mercy that none could ever fathom
You've repaid our hatred with Your ransom
The wonder of it all
The wonder of it all

We who once were enemies
Now worship at Your feet

O come and behold Him
Come and behold Him
Who washed our sins away
O come and adore Him
Come and adore Him
The Lamb who once was slain

I fell in love with Jesus when I was saved in 1999, and like Dustin described, singing songs is easy, but seeing the One we are singing to takes songs like "Extravagant Love" to a higher level which elicits an emotional response. Like Paul on the road to Damascus, when you've encountered our living and resurrected Savior Jesus Christ you'll never be the same. You'll sing back to Him songs of praise out of an overflow of your heart.

We were all created to worship. Worship is what we put our worth in, and we all look for worth in something. Sadly, many of us look for worth in temporary things like money, career and worldly pursuits, and that distracts our hearts from being melted by the permanent, never changing love of Jesus Christ.

This song challenges me to think about how the extravagant love of Jesus has transformed me into loving others with the empathy He shows each of us. A line that is really convicting is "You've repaid our hatred with Your ransom." Christians sadly are often depicted for what they are against, and the love of Jesus needs to compel us to start living for the day "they shall beat their swords into plowshares" (Isaiah 2:4). Rather that point out problems in the world, we need to love our enemies into the Kingdom. Jesus is coming back. One day, "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11). Until then, we need to sing "O Come and adore Him." Amen to that!

(Watch the lyric video here.)