In 1986 we had an elders' training on the one accord (see Elders' Training, Book 7: One Accord for the Lord's Move). During that time I talked about the leading of the apostles and the leadership in the Lord's ministry, but I do not feel that what I said was accurately understood by some. Because of this misunderstanding, I gave the last two messages in the summer training of 1987 on this matter (see chapters eighteen and nineteen of The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy). In those messages, I pointed out that the leadership in the New Testament ministry in actuality is not the leadership of one controlling person. Instead, we have the leadership of one controlling revelation in the one ministry through those who bring in the revelation of the ministry. The New Testament leadership is in the teaching of the apostles.
In the four Gospels the leadership was with the Lord Jesus. That was the leadership in a person. The Lord Jesus was the Leader who had the leadership. In the four Gospels the Lord Jesus sent His disciples to certain places. His disciples were to obey whatever He said. In Acts and the Epistles, Peter and Paul were supposed to be the leaders, but for the most part, they did not send anyone anywhere to do the work. All of the going-out workers were sent by the Holy Spirit. Acts 13 tells us that Barnabas and Saul were "sent out by the Holy Spirit" (v. 4) from Antioch to the Gentiles. Of course, Paul did charge some of the younger brothers who were closely related to him, such as Timothy and Titus, to go to certain places and to do certain things (1 Cor. 4:17; Titus 1:5). He charged both Timothy and Titus to come to him, and they received these orders (2 Tim. 4:9; Titus 3:12). But there is at least one case referred to in 1 Corinthians 16:12 that we must see: "And concerning our brother Apollos, I urged him many times to come to you with the brothers; yet it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity." Paul was very burdened to help the Corinthians solve their problems, and their problems involved him and Apollos. This is why Paul expected that Apollos would go to see the Corinthians personally. Paul did not say that he charged Apollos. He said, "I urged him." To urge someone to do something is much different from charging him. Paul said, "I urged him many times...yet it was not at all his desire." Although Paul urged him, Apollos still had the liberty, the freedom, not to do it. And he did not do what Paul wanted. Apollos said that he would come when he had opportunity. This may seem like a small verse, but it is very important to the truth concerning the leadership. This verse is very strong to prove that Paul did not exercise any control over the work of the Lord.
Paul was not the leader in the New Testament move of God in the sense of commanding the co-workers to do things. Peter and Paul were not strict in this matter of the movement of the co-workers. If they urged a worker to do something, and he felt not to do it, there was no problem. But all the apostles were very strict in the teaching of the apostles. In 1 Timothy 1:3-4 Paul urged Timothy to remain in Ephesus to charge certain ones not to teach differently from God's New Testament economy. The apostles would not tolerate any teaching that was different from God's New Testament economy. The aged apostle John, in his second Epistle, told the saints not to receive anyone who brings a teaching other than the teaching of Christ (vv. 9-10). He said that these ones go beyond the teaching of Christ. This means that they go beyond the teaching concerning Christ, which is the basic teaching of the New Testament, the teaching of the apostles. John was strict to the extent that he even charged the saints not to greet such ones. In the matter of the teaching of the apostles, the apostles were very strict. This proves that the teaching of the apostles actually is the real leadership in the New Testament.