Today we have two questions which we want to resolve: Who are our co-workers, and who are the apostles?
I think that these questions have been greatly misunderstood among God’s children. Even though we have talked about this from the beginning, this misunderstanding still continues to exist. Many consider that the requirement on a co-worker is in the matter of finances. Who are the co-workers? Some think that the co-workers are a group of people who have dropped their jobs and fully rely on God. If this is true, then Paul was not our co-worker, because he did not drop his job.
Many consider that an apostle is a person who has no other income or revenue and puts all his time into the work. If he is not so, he is not an apostle. If this concept is true, then Paul definitely would not be an apostle, because Paul did not drop his job altogether. Paul still made tents on the side. If we take the view of God’s children today, Paul was not an apostle or a worker, because he did not spend twenty-four hours of his day on the work. He spent some time making tents. Regardless of his purpose in making tents, and regardless of what the income from his making of tents was used for, as long as he made tents, Paul would lose his qualification as a worker and as an apostle. Please remember, however, that this is a basic mistake.
Therefore, I hope that you brothers will be thoroughly clear concerning what God really shows us in His Word as to who an apostle is and who a worker is. Is being an apostle based on one dropping his job? Is being a worker based on whether or not one has a job? Or is being an apostle before God based on something else? You see clearly today that according to tradition and habit in the church, people always consider that being an apostle is based upon the matter of a job. If the question of job and finances is not resolved, one is not an apostle or a worker. I do not know if you have seen this kind of situation. This is today’s situation. People always think that an apostle should drop his job entirely and put all of his time into the work. I want the brothers and sisters to see that this mistake is not unreasonable. You may say that it is not a mistake but only a misunderstanding. Many people have not seen thoroughly before God what a worker is and what an apostle is; therefore, they have made this mistake.
We know that when John and James were called, they were mending nets. The Lord did tell them to drop their nets and give up their boat to come and follow Him. We also see that when Peter was called, he was fishing. The Lord told him to give up his boat and drop his catch to come and follow Him. When the Lord called Matthew as he was working in the tax office, the Lord told him to leave his job and follow Him. Therefore, let us see clearly before God that an apostle is a person who needs to leave his occupation. According to God’s Word, the worker whom God requires must receive a calling before God and give up his job. He needs to put all his time into the hands of the Lord.
This is the fact. If a person has another occupation on the earth, it will be very difficult for him to be an apostle, for an apostle needs to be sent to various places. Even in a place like Jerusalem, the apostles still needed to leave Jerusalem to go to Samaria and Caesarea. Therefore, if one has a job, it would be hard for him to leave, and his work would be restricted to one place.
For this reason, there is no requirement for the elders to drop their jobs, although the apostles provide an example of dropping their jobs. Some elders also need the support from the church. Because they put most or all of their time into church affairs in a local church, they have no income. In such a case, the elders truly should receive double honor. Part of this honor is financial. But requiring the elders to drop their jobs is a different matter. In the Bible there is neither such a command nor such a pattern.
It is not the same with the apostles. The Lord clearly told one to leave this or that behind to come and follow Him, another to put this or that aside to come and follow Him, and another to drop this or that to come and follow Him. This clearly shows us that a person who would be an apostle is one who receives God’s command to go to various places. This person should indeed give up his employment; otherwise, he could be an elder but could not be an apostle, since it would indeed be inconvenient to travel to various places to serve the Lord. Therefore, the twelve apostles had such a calling, such a following, such a dropping of things, and such a waiting on the Lord to supply their physical needs. This causes us spontaneously to see that this is the unique way. Here we see clearly that the Lord called the twelve to come forth completely. The Lord called Paul also to come forth completely. Luke, who was with Paul, also came forth completely.
However, I want to particularly point out that not only was Paul a tentmaker but Aquila and Priscilla were also tentmakers. Luke was even a physician. The Bible shows us that after a person has left his occupation, he is no longer called by the same designation. Luke was a physician, and because the Bible still used that designation, he must have continued his occupation. Peter was a fisherman, but after he gave up his fishing, he was no longer called Peter the fisherman. Matthew was a tax collector, but after he gave up his job as a tax collector, he was no longer called Matthew the tax collector. Luke was a physician. You can see that if he had completely stopped practicing medicine, the Bible would have called him only Luke, not Luke the physician. Do you see this? Luke was practicing medicine and Paul was making tents. Aquila and Priscilla also made tents. Therefore, we have to look into this matter very carefully to see what it really means.
Acts shows us that Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla were all tentmakers. Because their employment was the same, they lived together. When Paul was in Miletus saying farewell to the elders of Ephesus, he told them to behold his two hands. Let me tell you, this is the most poignant portion of the Bible. For this very reason, I will share with you in a few days that you must touch the spirit in the Bible when you study the Bible. Due to making tents, his hands may have been cut in many places, wounded in many parts, and much skin may have been lost. Therefore, at that time when many overseers and brothers were together, he told them to behold his two hands. Those two hands must have had something worth seeing. Those two hands must have had something which made them different from others’. Those two hands had passed through toil and scratches. They had wounds and scars. Paul did not say at that point that his two hands had done many things and supplied many people. He first told them to behold his two hands. Later, he said that they had supplied many people. He first mentioned his two hands. His hands were different from common, lazy hands, which did no work. Therefore, he could tell them to behold his two hands; they were different from those of the average person.
Later, when he went to Corinth, he again paid attention to this matter. He worked with his own hands to supply the needs of his fellow workers.