The very purpose of an Apostles ministry is to not just repeat the teachings of Christ or even to live by them but to bear witness of Him and inspire the rest of us to live by those teachings as well.
The 12 whom Christ personally taught and ordained lived among the people they were to serve. They had no opulent offices to delegate their responsibilities to others from. They clothed the naked, they fed the hungry, the visited the sick and those in prison. They did not pay the Romans or anyone else to do it for them.
They did not wear shirts with their own logos printed on them so that all men would know the good they were doing. Instead they did the work Jesus Himself did content in knowing God would know what they had done for all His children. For them that was enough.
Where ever they went they spoke of their personal knowledge of and relationship with Christ. They, according to scripture never stated that such knowledge was too sacred to discuss. For the Apostles the sacred was meant to be known to all. They weren't in the business of keeping secrets because if they were then none of us would know of Christ.
When asked about being a special witness to Christ and what that means LDS Apostles say it's too sacred to discuss. And they only mention Jesus when appealing to His authority or at the end of a prayer. This seems like a cop out to me. How can you be a special witness, the very essence of what it means to be an Apostle, if you, for any reason refuse to do your job!?
When people have told me, or bragged to me about the awesome knowledge they have on any subject and then state they cannot share it I tell them "I'm sorry for your knowledge." It must be quite the burden to know something you cannot share. And I think in Gospel terms, if it cannot be shared for all then what good can come of it?
26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:26-28 KJV
The power Christ had, and then His Apostles had was in part due to them being servants to the people. They ministered in Samaria, where Jews would not go, to Rome, the belly of the beast and to every land.
The power of Christ in part comes from the outlook of His disciples, an outlook Christ had, which was their ministry was not about them, it was about the children of God they were called to serve.
God gave us His only begotten Son to save each of us. And even Christ told God His service was for the glory of God not His own. Satan said the glory would be his. There's a telling difference.
Jesus said its not what goes into our mouths that defiles us, it's what comes out. Meaning that it's the contents of our character, the contents of our hearts that saves or condemns us. Our ministries must be about others rather than ourselves. The glory is God's it is not our own. We play our part but God wrote the script.
Most churches have pastors/reverends/bishops and whoever else that spend millions on mega churches and mere hundreds if any on feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, educating the children, visiting the prisoners, healing the sick.
It's about priorities. And God's work can't compete with the worship and comfort of Mammon.
Here is what Jesus says about service and discipleship:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Matthew 25:32-46
And here Christ defines His disciples:
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35 KJV
Do we see any of the modern LDS Apostles doing any of these things? From what I understand they make their way to various mission fields, churches to visit with those who already agree with them. They in no way advance the gospel in that way.
They delegate their Apostolic responsibilities to others rather than fulfilling them themselves.
They make speeches at General Conference, or religious gatherings. They do not serve the poor themselves, they do not visit the prisoner or heal the sick, they do not clothe the naked so to speak. So in what way are they truly Apostles? If it doesn't quack like a duck, if it doesn't walk like a duck, how can you claim it is a duck?
Here a small dose of scripture showcasing how Christ's first set of Apostles managed church funds:
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Acts 2:44-46 KJV
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. Acts 4:32:35 KJV
Does the LDS church, do modern Apostles manage money in the same way as the original 12 Apostles?
Did God change His mind somewhere down the line? Why is there such a discrepancy between modern Apostkes and the original 12?
Why do we tolerate such major discrepancies in a church that according to D&C that is governed by common consent?
