The first thing we want to see is how the workers are raised up. There are mainly two aspects in the raising up of the workers. The first involves localities where there are already meetings. If some brothers in a locality where meetings have started are burdened to go to another locality to work, they must be responsible before the Lord and also have the approval of all the brothers and sisters in the locality where they meet. This situation is like a finger wanting to move; the finger cannot move independently but must be carried along by the move of the whole body. It can only move after it has the approval of the whole body. Christ is the Head of the church. Therefore, the church is the Body of Christ. In a locality where there is no meeting, the Body is not manifested. In that case, an individual is responsible to God alone. But whenever a meeting is raised up in a locality, there is a need for the approval of the brothers and sisters. This can be seen from the record of Acts 13. A meeting was started in Antioch, and the Holy Spirit through the Body sent Paul and Barnabas out to work.
Second, in a locality where there is not yet a meeting, the situation is different. If someone wants to work in a locality where there is no meeting, he has to be responsible to the Lord directly. In Acts 11, the church in Antioch had not yet appeared, so Paul and Barnabas were responsible to God directly. But later when the church was produced, the Holy Spirit sent out the prophets and teachers through the Body. By then the work of Paul and Barnabas was no longer just before God but was in the Body as well. The disciples laid hands on Paul and Barnabas and sent them out. The laying on of hands signifies sympathy and union. Through the laying on of hands, all the brothers were joined to Paul and Barnabas in their going out. The going of the two became the going of the whole Body. The laying on of hands is different from the ordination of pastors. The ordination practices we see today are traditions and are not found in the Bible.
After Paul and Barnabas were sent out from Antioch, they engaged themselves in the work commissioned by the Holy Spirit. This is the first case in history of missionary work. In this sending, the Holy Spirit maintained His absolute authority. A church cannot send out anyone on its own. Before the church can send, there must first be the speaking of the Holy Spirit. The sending of the church is merely the execution of the order of the Holy Spirit and the confirmation of the move of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 15:36-40 mentions another case of going out. In these verses we see the paths of Paul and Barnabas separating. Paul suggested that only two should go, but Barnabas insisted that they bring Mark along. Paul considered it unsuitable for Mark to join them. Between the two there was a sharp contention. Therefore, Barnabas decided to take Mark with him, but Paul chose Silas and took another way. Verse 40 says, “But Paul...went out, having been commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers.” This is the difference between the two men. Paul was sent out by the Body, while Barnabas did not have the sending of the Body. Paul was commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers. Barnabas was not. In this matter, the Body stood on Paul’s side. After Acts 15, Barnabas was not mentioned anymore. In this matter, the Holy Spirit confirmed the sending of the Body.
Mark played a passive role here. He was a young co-worker and learner. Therefore, he did not bear as great a responsibility as Barnabas. Later Mark was recovered by God and brought back into the work. But what about Barnabas? There was no return for him and no further mention of him. Some may ask, “Since that brother can do something, can I not do the same? Since that brother can go to a certain locality, can I not go to the same locality?” You have to be careful. That brother may go under the sending of the Body, while you might be going by yourself. This is where the difference lies. Do not say, “If God can use him, He can also use me.” God can use him and not you, because he is sent out in the Body. Do not say that God cannot drop you; He can drop you in the same way that He dropped Barnabas. The record in Acts is very clear. After that incident, the Holy Spirit did not mention Barnabas again.
All the work may be done by individuals, but it is all done in the move of the Body. This was the case on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:14 says, “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke forth to them.” The word “standing” here is plural, while “lifted” is singular. Although one man was speaking, eleven others were standing behind this one. Therefore, we have to see that in our working, we must have the brothers behind us to be our support.
We need to learn the lesson of submission. Not only do the sent ones need to learn submission, the sending ones also need to learn submission. Only in the spirit of submission will a person hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. We cannot consider that a consensus is the standard for any work; rather, submission must be the standard. We should not send out a brother because we agree with him. Many times, even though we do not agree with the proposal of a certain brother, we still have to give him the liberty to do it. The matter is not about agreeing or not agreeing but about submitting or not submitting. The Holy Spirit can have a way only among the submissive ones.
Once a worker is sent out, he becomes an apostle. An apostle is a sent worker. Paul was an apostle. What is the difference between an apostle and an elder? According to the Bible, elders are stationary, while the apostles move. The elders are appointed for one locality only, while the apostles are for the whole Body. Paul was never an elder; he was only an apostle. But Peter and John were elders as well as apostles. When they were in Jerusalem, they were the elders in Jerusalem. In addition to being the elders in Jerusalem, they were also apostles. Because they were the elders, they had the authority to oversee. As to apostles, their responsibility is limited to only the work they are commissioned to do; they have no overseeing responsibility. I hope that we all will be clear. When speaking of the elders, it is with reference to one locality. When speaking of the apostles, it is with reference to the whole earth. The same person can have two statuses at the same time; on the one hand, he bears the overseeing responsibility in a locality, and on the other hand, he bears the responsibility of the work in all the localities. For example, among the brothers my work is for all the workers in all the localities, as well as for those in Shanghai. I share the responsibility in Shanghai with the brothers here.