Green took to music at a young age, and his talents were noted by major newspapers by the time he was only eight years old. Following a performance of Arthur Laurents' The Time of the Cuckoo, the Los Angeles Times wrote that "roguish-looking, eight-year-old Keith Green gave a winning performance," one that "stole the show". Green went on to play "Kurt Von Trapp" in a major production of The Sound of Music.
At the age of eleven, Green became the youngest person ever to sign with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) when he published, recorded and released the song "The Way I Used to Be".
In his early teens, with more than 50 original songs under his belt, Green was signed to Decca Records. Decca had plans to make Green a teen-idol, regularly getting the young man featured in fanzines like Teen Scene and on popular television shows like The Jack Benny Show and Steve Allen's show. Time Magazine called Green "a prepubescent dreamboat". His dreams of stardom were shattered, however, when Donny Osmond stole his short-lived spotlight and Green was quickly forgotten.
By his mid-teens, Green became heavily involved in drug use, eastern religion, astrology, and mysticism. After experiencing a really horrifying "bad trip", he abandoned drug use and also became bitter towards philosophy and theology in general. In the midst of his skepticism, as Green described it, God's love 'broke through' his 'calloused heart'. He began on a new path 'with Christ as his guru', but had many 'spiritual struggles' and hardships along the way. He married his wife Melody in 1973, and the two became involved in the Vineyard fellowship in Southern California, where they were introduced to Bob Dylan.
The Greens began an outreach program to their community by purchasing two homes (and renting five) to provide housing and care for prostitutes, drug addicts, and homeless people. Eventually, the couple and the rest of their group relocated to Lindale, Texas, where the Greens founded Last Days Ministries.
Green began to release a series of albums in the new Contemporary Christian music market in 1977, after being signed to Sparrow Records and working on their Christian musical album Firewind (1976) with 2nd Chapter of Acts, Terry Talbot, John Talbot, and Barry McGuire. Two years later, Keith would shock many in the industry by refusing to charge money for concerts or albums. He insisted that his new label, Sparrow Records, let him out of his contract. The Greens then mortgaged their home to privately finance the album So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt? (with a guest appearance by Bob Dylan), which was then offered through mail-order and at concerts for "whatever you could afford". As of May of 1982, Green had shipped out more than 200,000 units of his album - 61,000 for free.
Last Days Ministries also began publishing a self-described "small, colorful magazine" called the Last Days Newsletter. The magazine featured articles by Keith and Melody as well as contemporary authors such as David Wilkerson, Leonard Ravenhill, and Winkie Pratney, all of whom lived in the area, as well as reprinting work by earlier Christian workers such as Charles Finney, John Wesley, and William Booth and his wife Catherine. The newsletter had such an impact on the Christian community at the time that many of the articles were reprinted as tracts.
Green was killed on July 28, 1982, when a small airplane owned by Last Days Ministries crashed on takeoff. Green had planned to give visiting friends an aerial view of the Last Days Ministries compound. Two of Green's children, three year old Josiah, and two year old Bethany, were also on board the plane, as was pilot Don Burmeister, and friends John and Dede Smalley and all six of their children. All passengers were killed in the crash. Crash investigators determined that the aircraft was nearly 500 lb (230 kg) overweight with 12 passengers and only 6 seats. Keith, Josiah, and Bethany Green are interred at Lindale Cemetery.
In 1992, several artists joined together to re-record many of Green's most well known songs for a tribute album called No Compromise: Remembering the Music of Keith Green, on Sparrow Records. Artists contributing to that record included Charlie Peacock, PFR, Susan Ashton, Margaret Becker, Michael Card, Rich Mullins, and Russ Taff. BEC Records released a second, more modern, tribute record Start Right Here: Remembering the Life of Keith Green, in 2001. That tribute was produced by Derri Daugherty and included performances by MxPx, Joy Electric and others. In 2002, upon the twentieth anniversary of Keith's death, Sparrow Records released another tribute album. Your Love Broke Through: The Worship Songs of Keith Green contains re-recordings by Rebecca St. James, Michelle Tumes, Chris Tomlin, Twila Paris, Darlene Zschech, Jason Upton, Martin Smith, Charlie Hall, Joanne Hogg, Matt Redman, Paul Oakley, and Sarah Sadler. This album also includes "There Is One" performed by Michael W. Smith, which was an unfinished work completed by Michael W. Smith and Martin Smith.
Since the time of his death, the only known unreleased Christian song recorded by Keith was "Born Again". This song was finally released 17 years later in 1999 on the First Love compilation video and CD, which also features a two-song tribute to Keith by other artists. Keith was working on other songs at the time of his death, but these are in the sole-possession of his widowed-wife, Melody Green, and not available to the public. Melody inherited Keith's writings as well, and she has released many excerpts of these as books: Cry In The Wilderness (Sparrow, 1993), If You Love the Lord (Harvest House, 2000), and Make My Life a Prayer (Harvest House, 2001).
On November 27, 2001, Green was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Keith's mother, Char Green was present with a heavy heart but very proud of her son.
Since 1982, Melody Green has continued to operate Last Days Ministries from Oceanside, California, and has "become an internationally known speaker and author". She now ministers as a Christian prophet and a touring evangelist.
The land in Lindale, Texas (more specifically, Garden Valley, Texas) where Last Days Ministries was once located is now occupied by Teen Mania Ministries. Teen Mania has dedicated one of its dormitories, Green Hall, in memory of Keith.
There is a biography of Keith Green's life written by Melody Green with David Hazard called No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green (Harvest House Publishers, 1989; revised and expanded in 2000) and a documentary film called Your Love Broke Through: The Keith Green Story (available from www.keithgreen.com and serialized on youtube.com).
Jesus Commands Us To Go!
Keith Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But we go the other way.
So he carries the burden alone,
While his children are busy at play,
Oh, how God grieves and believes that the world can't be saved,
Unless the ones he's appointed obeys,
His command and his stand for the world,
That he loved more than life.
Oh he died, and he cries out tonight.
Jesus commands us to go,
It should be the exception if we stay.
It's no wonder we're moving so slow,
When his church refuses to obey,
Feeling so called to stay.
Oh how God comes, as he starts the great judgment of fire,
So he can gain, his greatest desire.
Cause he knows that the souls of the lost,
They can only be reached, through us,
We're his hands and his feet.
Jesus commands us to go,
It should be the exception if we stay.
It's no wonder we're moving so slow,
When god's children refuse to obey,
Feeling so called to stay.
The lyrics of Keith Green's "Jesus Commands Us To Go!" speak to a recurring theme in Christian teachings, that is, the imperative to spread the gospel, to evangelize, and carry the message of the love of Christ to every corner of the world. However, the song is also a call to action, as it points out that despite the clear command of Jesus, the church has failed to carry out this mission. The song notes that while God grieves and believes that the world cannot be saved unless his appointed ones obey, his children instead of going, are feeling so called to stay.
The tone of the song is melancholic, reflecting the gravity of the message, and contains a sense of urgency as it points out that the world is in danger, and that judgment awaits those who fail to heed the call. The lyrics also underscore the significance of the task, as it notes that the souls of the lost can only be reached through followers who are willing to serve as the hands and feet of Christ.
Overall, the song is a wake-up call to the church, a reminder that the Great Commission is not just a suggestion but a command that must be taken seriously. The lyrics urge believers to prioritize evangelism, to stop being so comfortable where they are, and to go out into the world and share the love of Christ with those who need it.
Line by Line Meaning
Jesus commands us to go,
We are given a direct mandate from Jesus to actively spread his message and values to the world.
But we go the other way.
Unfortunately, we often choose to ignore this mandate and do the opposite, focusing on other things instead.
So he carries the burden alone,
As a result of our failure to fulfill his command, Jesus bears the weight of the responsibility for the spread of his message on his own.
While his children are busy at play,
We, as his followers, are distracted and focused on other activities, neglecting our duty to his cause.
Feeling so called to stay.
Despite our knowledge of our responsibility to spread Jesus's message, we often feel comfortable and content in our current situation, choosing to ignore our mandate.
Oh, how God grieves and believes that the world can't be saved,
God feels sadness and concern about the state of the world and believes it needs saving.
Unless the ones he's appointed obeys,
God believes that his appointed followers must actively obey his command to spread the gospel in order to save the world.
His command and his stand for the world,
Jesus's message and values are a stand for the betterment of the entire world.
That he loved more than life.
Jesus's message is so important to him that he was willing to give his life to ensure it would spread.
Oh he died, and he cries out tonight.
Jesus's death is a testament to his commitment to his message, and he is still calling out to us to spread it today.
It should be the exception if we stay.
Staying in one place should be a rare occurrence in our lives as we work to expand Jesus's message.
It's no wonder we're moving so slow,
Our failure to obey Jesus's command to actively spread his message has led to a slow pace of progress.
When his church refuses to obey,
Even the community of believers, the church, can be hesitant or resistant to spreading Jesus's message.
Oh how God comes, as he starts the great judgment of fire,
God is readying to bring justice to the sinful world in a final, all-encompassing event.
So he can gain, his greatest desire.
Through the judgment of fire, God hopes to achieve his goal of saving as many people as possible from sin.
Cause he knows that the souls of the lost,
God understands that it is his appointed followers who are tasked with reaching people who have not yet heard the message.
They can only be reached, through us,
The only way for those who have not heard the message to learn about it is through the efforts of those who have.
We're his hands and his feet.
As believers, we are to act as Jesus's physical representation in the world, carrying out his mission and work.
Contributed by Benjamin M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Brian Swinford
on War Games
I've been out fighting the war today
The war inside of my head
I thought that I'd killed my enemies
Yes, I thought that my ego was dead
But it's still stubbornly living, in the kingdom of my thoughts
In the state of mind
I'm been out struggling with everyone
In the arena all day
Views I defend, they don't matter much
'Cuz they could debate either way
Where's the root of my problem?
Why does everyone oppose every side that I take?
(There's gotta be a reason...)
Hey God, where were You today?
You didn't answer my prayer
Seems like I pray and I pray
And lately, You are not there
Maybe my beliefs are all illusion
Created by my mind, just for a crutch
Doubt creeps in to make its reintrusion
And sweep away the faith I need so much
I've been out fighting the war today
The struggle is endless, it seems
And when I lie down to sleep at night
It even goes on in my dreams
It's like an inward Armageddon
And you know I'm stuck right in between
And both sides, both sides are so mean