We need to see the truth concerning the unique ministry of God’s New Testament economy and many personal ministries. God’s New Testament ministry is unique, but there are many personal ministries within this unique ministry. Second Corinthians 3:8-9 and 4:1 reveal the unique, New Testament ministry. Acts 20:24 speaks of Paul’s ministry. In this verse, he speaks of his desire to finish his course and the ministry which he received from the Lord Jesus. Second Timothy 4:5 shows us that Timothy had a ministry, and Colossians 4:17 shows us that Archippus had a ministry. All of us have our own personal ministry. We can all be perfected to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. All the ministries, however, must be in the unique ministry of the New Testament. If our ministry is not a part of the ministry of the New Testament, it means nothing.
We need to see the truth concerning the kinds of apostles and their relationship with the elders and the churches, and with one another among themselves. In the book entitled A Timely Trumpeting and the Present Need, we pointed out the different kinds of apostles. The first kind of apostle includes those like Peter, John, and Paul who were appointed directly by the Lord and constituted directly through the Lord’s revelation. Other brothers like Timothy, Titus, and Silas composed another kind of apostle. They were not made apostles by the Lord directly, nor were they constituted by the Lord’s revelation directly. They were produced by the Lord’s directly appointed apostles. They were produced apostles, produced by Paul. A certain brother was told that there were seven apostles among us in the Lord’s recovery. He went to a brother to get the list of these seven apostles. When I looked at this list and considered the names, I realized that all of the seven were my students. They all learned of me. I am not likening myself to Paul, but the principle is the same. There are apostles who have been appointed directly by the Lord and have been constituted directly through the Lord’s revelation, and there are apostles produced by the Lord’s directly appointed apostles.
Editor’s note: The conference in Pasadena concluded with brothers from Brazil, the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, and the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada giving testimonies concerning the Lord’s up-to-date move. These places have experienced the Lord’s blessing as a result of taking the Lord’s new way. The brothers in these places testified of their enjoyment of the Lord’s blessing in the gospel preaching by visiting people in their homes, in the home meetings and the small group meetings, in the meetings according to 1 Corinthians 14:26, in the practice of prophesying—speaking for the Lord in the church meetings of mutuality, and in the training for the Lord’s up-to-date move. What follows is an edited report of their testimonies.
In Brazil and the rest of South America in 1980, there were only forty-eight churches with about one thousand saints. After taking the Lord’s new way, in 1986 there were one hundred thirty churches with five thousand saints. In 1986 ten thousand people were saved and baptized in Brazil through gospel preaching by visiting people in their homes. Today in 1988 there are two hundred and fifty-three churches with ten thousand saints all over South America. The experience of the saints in Brazil testifies that the Lord’s new way works.