An apostle must not only be one who can preach the gospel and lead sinners unto Christ to be saved, he must also be one who can raise up local churches and appoint elders who will lead, shepherd, teach, and oversee (Acts 14:23; 1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Pet. 5:2). It is difficult enough to raise up a local church; but it is more difficult to select men from the church to be elders who can lead, shepherd, teach, and oversee the church. This is not a small matter.
An apostle must be able to define doctrines and open up the truth (1 Tim. 2:7; Eph. 4:11-12). There are many crucial doctrines in the Bible such as those concerning the Triune God, the Father, the Son, the Spirit, the Spirit of God, our human spirit, etc. All these doctrines need to be defined by the apostles. The apostles also have to expound the truth. This does not mean merely to preach some messages, but to expound the biblical truths in a systematic and exhaustive way. At the same time, an apostle has to be one who can perfect the saints so as to build up the Body of Christ.
These four points seem simple, but if we study them, we will find that they are not so simple. To be an apostle, a person must first receive the revelation of God’s New Testament economy concerning Christ and the church. Then, he must be able to preach the gospel of Christ and lead those sinners predestinated and called by God to Christ to be saved. In addition, he must be able to raise up a local church and to raise up men among the saints and appoint them as elders for leading, shepherding, teaching, and overseeing. Of course, he himself must know how to lead, shepherd, teach, and oversee first before he can teach others to do the same. Furthermore, he must be able to define doctrines, expound the truth, and perfect the saints for the building up of the Body of Christ. All these then are the basic qualifications of an apostle.
After the apostles raise up a church and appoint elders, does their relationship with that church end there? Is that church to be led then only by the elders, while the apostles keep their hands off and have nothing more to do with it? This has been a controversial point throughout the ages. It is also the cause of the different voices among us today. By thoroughly reading the various parts of the New Testament concerning this matter and by studying and searching Brother Watchman Nee’s writings, we found out that the apostles, after raising up churches and appointing elders, continued unceasingly to care for the churches they had established and to lead and train the elders they had appointed.
Of all that the apostles do, the first thing is that they endeavor to visit and strengthen the churches that they have established. According to Acts chapter fourteen, on his first journey, Paul went to Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. There he preached the gospel and raised up churches. Not long after that, on their journey back, Paul and Barnabas returned and appointed elders in those churches. Then they went back to Antioch. There they encountered a big disturbance, the question of circumcision. Because of it, they went up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and the elders and try to solve the problem in a conference. After this, they went back to Antioch. Some days later, Paul suggested to Barnabas, “Let us return now and visit the brothers throughout every city in which we announced the word of the Lord, and see how they are getting along” (Acts 15:36). Because of a contention, the two separated from each other, and Paul chose Silas and went out to strengthen the churches (15:40-41). In 1 Corinthians 4:17 we also see that Paul sent Timothy to the church in Corinth to remind them of the apostle’s ways in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11:34 he even said, “The remaining matters I will set in order when I come.” All these are solid proofs that testify convincingly to the fact that after the apostles appoint elders, they do not take their hands off either the churches or the elders. On the contrary, the apostles continue to visit, teach, charge, and exhort the churches. Not only do the apostles involve themselves with the affairs of the churches, they even take the lead among them and set things in order for them.