Jesus Culture has developed and introduced several amazing worship artists and songs including Kim Walker-Smith ("How He Loves," "Rooftops," "Pursuit," "In Awe of You"), Chris Quilala ("Your Love Never Fails," "One Thing Remains," "Sing Out"), Bryan and Katie Torwalt ("Holy Spirit"), Kristene DiMarco ("Break Every Chain") and many others.

Jesus Culture Music recently introduced the new worship artist Derek Johnson, who was previously featured on their Emerging Voices compilation with his standout songs "I Belong to You" and "Glory Come Down." Those songs appear on Derek's album Real Love alongside ten more original songs for the church including the new worship classics "Our Salvation," "The One We Love" and "Power in the Cross." I had the chance to speak with Derek about his infectious new worship song "The One We Love."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

I think the overarching principal to this song is "why do we worship?" This song is kind of an answer to that question. 

For me, with songwriting oftentimes I'm trying to connect to the Lord and say what is true and what He is doing in my heart in that season or that moment. Then I'll go back and connect the Scripture that I was reading a lot or a book I was reading at the time of writing the song. A lot of the songwriting process for me is throwing a lot of stuff in my blender and seeing what comes out. With this song, I was answering that question, "why do we worship?" The answer to that is really that "we love because He has first loved us." 

God is love, and we love because He first loved us. He's the One we love. In the verses of this song, I was unfolding what that looks like, because God loves me in a personal sense. I remember having a similar experience to what you shared, and I encountered the love of God through worship, hearing songs from people singing about Jesus and thinking "these singers must have something I'm missing." 

When you tap into that love of God, when you experience the love of God, all of a sudden you realize that there's a whole different lifestyle that He has for us. There's a freedom we are welcomed into.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV): And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

1 John 4:19 (VOICE): We love because He has first loved us.

Psalm 86:12 (VOICE): O Lord, my God! I praise You with all that I am. I will rightly honor Your great name forever.

What is the takeaway message?

The beginning of the song talks about the freedom that God offers us when we've encountered His love. From that place, it transforms our lives and leaves you in that place where you realize that your life is different because of God's love. Our response to that is "He is the One I love." Those are the pieces of what was on my heart as I was writing this song. 

There weren't too many edits to this song after I finished, and it came pretty quickly. The pre-chorus line about "one thousand songs and one thousand praises" is funny for me personally, because as I've led worship for 11 years now and there's certain songs I can imagine have now been led at least 100 times, it's amazing how something happens in the atmosphere and in the heart of a believer when the focus isn't about the song but about lifting up the name of Jesus. Those songs become so fresh, and something new happens in the room and in that encounter with God. 

For me, no matter how many songs I write, or how many songs I lead others to sing, there's something that happens in worship where I realize that God is so worthy and He's done so much for me personally, so much for us as human beings, that I can't honor Him enough. That never gets old, which is amazing. 

We keep leaning in, and this fresh excitement will spark again and it feels brand new. We are on a never-ending journey with worship and our ability to sing a new song to the Lord. The passion I have is based on how every time I look at Jesus, I have a new revelation of who He is and who He says I am, and I write songs about it. I'm excited to keep learning about Jesus. In my own process of pursuing Him, my heart is for others to join in with me. We all get to dive in and pursue Jesus together. That's my heart for these songs.

Lyrics:
Inside our eyes there is a freedom
Ransomed and rescued, we believe
The truth and power of this kingdom
The healing touch that sets us free
 
There is a hope that we can believe in
There is a love we know by name

Only One that we call worthy
Only One that takes our breath away

One thousand songs, and one thousand praises 
Could not lift high enough the name of Jesus
Oh we will cry out with all we have now 
To glorify the One we love
 
We give You all the praise that we can bring
We have come to abide in Your grace once again
You are the One we love
You are the One we love

Souls made anew to live forever
Our hope resorted to overcome
Jesus made void the power of darkness
Defeated death with His great love

There is a love we know by name
Only One that we call worthy
Only One that takes our breath away

We give You all the praise that we can bring
We have come to abide in Your grace once again
You are the One we love 
You are the One we love 

Jesus Culture worship was formed organically through the momentum of a movement whose focus is to equip a generation to transform society by bringing people into an encounter with God's love through worship and discipleship. Their albums capture the heart of this movement of young people who are passionate for God and seeking an encounter with His presence. 

This album is filled with overwhelming biblical truth. After repeated listens, the songs get deeper into the recesses of your heart with the comforting messages of the Bible that God is love, and we love because He first loved us. You can have joy and worship loudly about the love of God in your life. When you've encountered the love of God, you won't be the same. God wants us to know "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Ephesians 5:1a).

This song celebrates the truth from Ephesians and Romans about grasping "how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." Allow the fullness of Christ's love to indwell in your heart and proclaim the truth of this song. One of the key takeaways of this song is "We give You all the praise that we can bring, We have come to abide in Your grace once again." When you abide in His grace, you won't be the same. His grace takes away anxiety, guilt and shame. Know that being His is enough. I love the lyrics "one thousand songs and one thousand praises could not lift high enough the name of Jesus." 

I've written song devotionals about 633 songs lifting up the name of Jesus, and as I reflect on the Lord allowing for me to write about 1000 songs, all of those song devotionals cannot lift high enough His name, which we'll be singing for eternity. The foretaste of that blessed truth causes me to sing along loudly, "One thousand songs, and one thousand praises, could not lift high enough the name of Jesus, Oh we will cry out with all we have now, to glorify the One we love." Amen to that!

(Watch the music video here.)