4.Why did Paul go first to James, Peter, and John, and other leading elders,

"Lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain," Paul exclaimed.

It appears that Paul presented the doctrine he was preaching to the Apostles and elders so he might hear and consider their reaction to it. Paul alone was stating that the Law of Moses had passed away because the Lord God of Heaven had instituted a new means of redemption. The other Apostles and elders were clinging to some aspects of the Law.

Paul maintained his position and finally received the right hand of fellowship from James, Peter, and John.

The leadership conference of the fifteenth chapter of Acts was remarkable for its purity. While there was sincere arguing about the role of Judaism in Christianity, there is no apparent desire of any of the men to be pre-eminent.

The spirit of pre-eminence is so strong in Christianity today that it would be impossible to conduct a similar conference, the outcome of which would be binding on the Christian churches. The organization of the Christian churches of today is in chaos because of the spirit of pre-eminence.

It may or may not be true that the Lord Jesus will restore an apostolic leadership to the churches today that will prepare the church and the world for the return of Christ to the earth.

If the Lord chooses to restore the apostleship, at least two conditions may be necessary for its success: (1) the new apostles must be anointed by the spirit to such an extraordinary extent that the signs and wonders they work will cause the churches to fear God and His apostles (Acts 2:43); and (2) there must be so much tribulation in the world that each apostle gains nothing personally but lives in the constant threat of imprisonment, torture, and death (II Corinthians 11:23-33; I Corinthians 15:31).