1 Corinthians 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

I have accepted a part of a good work. The church has a program which presents Christ in a non-threatening presentation to unbelievers. My talk is important and I have taken it very seriously. I’ve had sleepless nights thinking on my talk. I want to do the very best I can for the Lord.

I kept coming to a single point of difficulty which I call a wall. I could not climb it, break it, or see beyond that wall. As with all things spiritual, I sought wise counsel. I presented my unfinished draft to members of the team. My effort was met with great praise. “Wowsers” “Insightful” “I want to hear this preached on Sunday.” At the end of each praise the wall was seen and identified with one word, “But”.

The wall, the obstacle was my accepting the work without joining the team. I allowed other pressing matters to be an excuse to miss a training session which the team attended. I went off on my own. While the work is perfect in its content, it does not serve the program. The audience will not connect to the material. It will not do that which the Lord means to accomplish.

We get things in part so that we can bring our part to the team and allow it to fit in with the other parts. When I realized this, I began with suggestions from the team and held to a principle which matched the goals of the program, helped in supporting the outline. When I presented the second effort, in its infancy, it was recognized as the right approach. “Yes and Amen” The spirit agreed.

I still hit the same wall at one point. I sought counsel again. Then the truth was revealed. My vision contained one issue which the Lord wanted to say, “Not here, not now.” I was still holding on to what I knew was true, but the truth is only seen by those ready to receive. I could not see that alone. It took a team effort for that “part” to be known. That “part” is meant for another time and place. It did not fit here.

1 Corinthians 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

They would not understand.

Psalm 66:16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

I woke up early this morning and I have been thinking seriously about witnessing. I’ve come to a conclusion that I have to be more precise in what I say. It is not like the witnesses to an accident reporting to the police. “I was standing over here and I saw this. She was standing over there and did not see this because her view was blocked. I cannot tell you what she saw.”

Witnessing Jesus is more like this. 100 plus X is dependent on X. 100 is a constant that never changes, it is not a variant. If I am X then the answer would not be the same if you were X. We are different, we are the variants. Christ is the constant.

Another way to put it is this. There is a difference in what Jesus has done for me and what Jesus has done with me. There is a variable in what Jesus done with us. We are the variable.

I have been guilty of telling people and perhaps even judging people in connection with what Jesus can do with them. Just because Jesus did this with me, does not mean He will do the same with others. The variables change. That does not identify and bring clarity to the constant.

He did a sovereign healing of drug addiction in me. It is not right for me to tell drug addicts that Jesus will do the same for them if they will to just believe. It is my wish that He would, but my wish is not His will. What He has done for me is not what He does with me.

A good witness removes self from the equation.