There is not place in scripture where it even implies that either Timothy or Titus were considered as apostles. The authority they carried was that of Paul as an apostle. You see this in a number of places such as 1Cor 16:10-12, “Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid, for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am. So let no one despise him. But send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I expect him with the brethren. But concerning Apollos our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brethren; and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity.”
In Acts 19:22, Paul had sent both Timothy and Erasmus to Macedonia ahead of him apparently with instruction to also stop at Corinth. We know from 1Corinthians 4:17 that Paul had sent Timothy, to remind them of Paul's ways which are in Christ, just as he had taught everywhere in every church. Paul's concern here was for Timothy and how he would be received at Corinth. How were they to receive him?
1. In such a way that he would have no reason to be afraid of opposition from some at Corinth. His credentials were that “he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am.” He was to be received and treated just as they would have Paul.
2. He was not to be despised, set at naught, ignored. He was to be heard and obeyed. He was to have his needs attended to, and ultimately to be sent on his way in peace to return to Paul with his report of the things at Corinth. Paul would later give Timothy a similar exhortation in 1Timothy 4:12 to “Let no man despise your youth” while he was working with the Church at Ephesus. He would send Titus a similar exhortation in Titus 2:15, to let no man disregard him regarding how to live godly lives. What they had to deliver were the teachings of Paul which were from the Lord and Paul would not stand for those he sent to be ignored, nor for his instructions to be ignored.
