The Israelites first received the pattern on the mount from God before they built the tabernacle. We must first have a vision before we can obey it. Paul said, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19).
Some people have a fleshly vision, but we must have a heavenly vision. Before the Lord, we must be clear about the pattern that is according to God's eternal plan. All the men whom God greatly used in the past had a vision. We must first have a vision before we can become useful. Joseph's dream was his vision, and his dream was fulfilled in the end.
There must be a main theme to our teaching. When you read the writings and expositions of persons like Mrs. Penn-Lewis, George Müller, and A. B. Simpson, you can see that their teachings all had some main themes to them.
Whatever we speak must focus on some specific points. It hurts to poke someone with your finger, but it does not hurt as much if you hit him with your palm because the palm has spread out the area of pressure. We must focus a message around a point before it can prick men's hearts. The world is dull of hearing. This is why Isaiah 28:13 says that when Jehovah speaks, He speaks here a little and there a little. We who speak for the Lord must speak with a certain distinctiveness in the truth.
In order to help others go on, we need to have a definite plan. We should write down and list out all the things that we should do with regard to people, events, and things. In speaking to others, we should explain things in a clear way. We should help others to be thoroughly clear about the basic matters and then go on to speak about the more advanced subjects. We should render general help to a general audience and render specific help to a specific audience. The Lord has commissioned us in these days to concentrate on a specific ministry.
