The Local Church Cult Denies Apostles and Prophets for the Church

Watchman Nee believed there are Apostles and Prophets today for the Church in Rethinking the Work (white covers, CFP). He believed a prophet worked based on his gifting of prophecy and teachers by the gift of teaching. Their work is based on gifts, not direct commission as in the case of Apostles. Apostles can have these gifts. However, being an Apostle is an office directly commissioned by God not based on gifting. This is foreign to what Witness Lee taught.

Witness Lee disagreed, and said "Among these five gifts, there are two, apostles and prophets, that we do not see today in the church. Today in the church, we only see evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. Teachers—Teachers are appointed by God Himself and are also for the entire church. It did not matter whether Apollos was in Ephesus or in Corinth; he was always a teacher (Acts 18:24-28; 1 Cor. 3:6). The teachers teach the entire church. The prophets are appointed by God to prophesy in His church to strengthen it. A prophet is not just for one locality but for the entire church." You can see this is like t.v. evangelism.

Watchman Nee would see Apollos as an Apostle and with the gifting of teaching. He writes, "'But as touching Apollos the brother, I besought him much to come unto you with the brethren: and it was not at all his will to come now; but he will come when he shall have opportunity' (1 Cor. 16.12). Here we can observe something quite remarkable. Paul exhorted Titus, and Titus being a young man listened and he went. Apollos, however, was not a young man but was a contemporary of Paul’s. In other words, he was in generally the same age bracket as Paul. Cephas, though, was senior to them both. In the assembly at Corinth, some believers there had said, I am of Cephas, some others had said, I am of Paul, and still others had said, I am of Apollos (1 Cor. 1.12). The position of Apollos in the assembly at Corinth was equal to Paul’s. Hence Paul besought Apollos, he did not send him; for Paul could not have sent Apollos but could only beseech him. And he besought the latter, not once, but many times. How significant it was that Apollos would not go. Paul had besought him again and again to go with the brethren, but Apollos replied that he would not go now. He emphatically said he would not go. Yet Paul added a word here, saying that Apollos would go later, for he had the assurance of it. How very beautiful it was that when an older one was besought to go but would not go, Paul was not disturbed at all but had the confidence that Apollos would go eventually" (The Church and the Work: Church Affairs, CFP white covers). "The position of Apollos in the assembly at Corinth was equal to Paul’s" because they were both Apostles. And Peter was an Apostle. The work of the Apostle for a region, besides any gifting they have, is to appoint Elders of a locality.

Because Apollos did travel extensively, he was directly commissioned by God for the work of an Apostle. Nee also believed in Rethinking the Work that the work of prophets, evangelists and teachers in the 4 fold Ministry were local in nature, whereas Apostles were regional. This is what we see in the Scriptures. The three ministries in the 4-fold Ministry (Eph. 4.11) are local, whereas apostles are regional. It doesn't mean they are so restrictively isolated to one locality, but rather the usual case is that they stay to take care of one locality and do not travel much abroad. They may do so from time to time, but that is not their primary work. Their primary work is local in their gifting.

It is also interesting to note, Watchman Nee believed that shepherding goes with teaching, so that there is the 4-fold Ministry. Witness Lee sees a 5-fold ministry.

In leeism there are no apostles and evangelists as they are in the Scriptures. Quite strange, destroying Eph. 4.11.

Troy