Scripture reading: II Corinthians 4:7–12

The Cause of Mission Failure

Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. (Matthew 16:23)

 

One of the great missionary hymns of the church is Catherine Hankey’s I Love to Tell the Story. Following is a new (per)version I have written that captures what I believe is the major hindrance to our obedience to the Great Commission.

I love to tell the story of me, myself and I;

It keeps me in the center, it lifts my name on high. I love to tell the story, it means so much to me, And that is just the reason I tell it constantly.

 

I love, I love my story It gives me all the glory, O how I love this story, Of me, myself and I.

 

I love to tell the story, it’s all I really know.

It makes me blind to others, deaf to their pain and woe.

My world is very tiny, its citizens are three The only ones that matter are I, myself and me.

 

I love to tell the story, ‘tis pleasant to repeat; Although my friends and family, flee from me when we meet.

For when I tell my story, the ones who know me best, Grow weary of my presence, and treat me like a pest.

 

But I have grown so weary of serving me alone, I want another story, much bigger than my own.

So Lord, I plead for mercy, dethrone this god of me! And help me live for others. And help me live for Thee.

 

So now I tell his story, I live to show his grace; For when I lift up Jesus, it puts me in my place.

My passion is for others, I do not think of me; My worship is now centered in God’s tri-unity.

 

Dear friends, there is only one way that our lives can be a blessing to others: dethrone self and enthrone Christ. When our personal world becomes Chris- to-centric rather than ego-centric, then and only then are we able to be ambassadors for Christ. The reason the world is not yet evangelized has little to do with missionary strategies or satanic opposition. The real cause of mission failure is self-centered Christians. John the Baptist understood how the kingdom of God comes to the world: He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less (John 3:30).

 

True humility is not thinking less of yourself; I

t is thinking of yourself less.—Rick Warren

 

point to ponder • Whose story do you love to tell?

prayer focus • Those in the ministry.