SUBJECT:  Sabbath

QUESTION:  Acts 20 – Does it support Sunday worship?

ANSWER:

Verse:

Acts 20:6-7

6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.

7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

Short answer:  No.  As we know, in Bible times, as well as, in the church, days are rendered from sunset [even] to sunset [even].  In verse 7 of Acts 20 we see Paul coming to have dinner with the disciples.  When is dinner normally eaten?  Of course, in the evening…at sundown.  They were eating the dinner meal on Saturday or (Sabbath) evening.  It says that Paul was “ready to depart on the morrow”…or Sunday.  It says that he preached “until midnight” .  It was our Saturday night but technically it was Sunday.  The fact that he was preaching has nothing to do with what day we keep as “The Lord’s Day”.  Notice verse 6…it says that Paul sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread”.  Who do you know that keeps the Days of Unleavened Bread and Sunday as a worship day?

Paul kept the Sabbath:

Acts 18:4

And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

Acts 13:43-44

43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

Longer Answer:

From Mr. Armstrong’s booklet, “Why Would Anyone Keep Saturday for Sunday”?…

Repeatedly in Paul’s writings, and in those of Luke, who chronicled the deeds of the early apostolic church, careful note is taken of the occurrence of God’s Sabbath day and the annual sabbath, or holy days.  These words were written in Luke’s journal approximately thirty years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; thirty years after that first Pentecost; thirty years after the founding of the apostolic church.  Remember, Paul was the “apostle to the Gentiles.” Not the Jews.  Yet, we see him continually keeping God’s Sabbath day, and observing God’s annual sabbaths as well.

Now, continuing in acts 20: “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight.  And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.  And there sat in a window a certain young man named “Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down from sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.  And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.  When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed”  (verses 7-11).

Notice that the expression “breaking bread” merely means eating a meal.  It does not connote a religious ceremony, or a “Eucharistic Sacrifice”!  “Breaking bread” could include eating an entire meal, including meat and vegetables.

Following the Day of Pentecost about thirty years earlier, the people “continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking  bread from house to house [margin: “at home”], did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart” (Acts 2:26).  This view into the custom of the people of that time shows they were “breaking bread and eating their meant” from home to home in joyous fellowship together.

Notice, too, that this meeting took place sometime after sundown on our Saturday night.  But the new days began at sunset [even] then.  Saturday night back then was the beginning of the first day of the week.  Paul’s preaching began at the evening meal on what would have been our Saturday night, and continued until midnight.  This was on the “first day of the week,” but the meeting continued through the night, until the morning, which would be our Sunday morning.

On that day, the first day of the week, our Sunday, during the daylight part, what did Paul do?  Remember, their breaking bread and eating a meal had taken place at suppertime about twelve hours previously.  Now, it was what we commonly call Sunday morning.  Was this a time for worship for Paul?  Was it a time for rest, or for abstaining from any work?

This was no “Eucharistic Sacrifice,” as the vaunted Catholic Encyclopedia would have you believe.  It was a meeting which took place from about Saturday sundown until nearly dawn the next morning.  Since the Bible always begins the days at sundown, the beginning of the “first day of the week” commenced at sunset [even] on Saturday.

Note:  It is interesting that when you read several commentaries they believe that these verses (Acts 20:6-7) support a change by the Church from Saturday worship to Sunday worship but notice:

It is supposedly Paul that made this change.  He is the one preaching on this “first day of the week”.  But wait a minute…why should we believe something as true because this one single man started doing it?  After all, he was keeping the Sabbath in all the rest of the book of Acts:

Acts 13:14-15

14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.

15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.

Acts 13:42-44

42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.

43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

Acts 17:2

And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

Acts 18:4

And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

See, he was keeping all these Sabbath days, why the change.  Why wasn’t there a decree from on high?  Why follow this man?  It was this same Paul that said…

Philippians 3:17

Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Hebrews 6:12

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

1 Corinthians 4:16

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

2 Thessalonians 3:7

For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

1 Corinthians 11:1

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

If we are to follow Paul AS HE FOLLOWS CHRIST where is the Christ foundation or command to change Saturday to Sunday worship?  It is not there.  You cannot use the supposed action of Paul to be the basis of doctrine.

Further, we see the Days of Unleavened Bread being kept in verse 6 though some will try to tell you that this is not meaning that Paul kept those days but rather it was a point of time reference and that in fact, these days were either 1) not kept by Paul or 2) were done away altogether, but then how do you explain this verse…

Zechariah 14:16-19

16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

These verses clearly are talking about a time after Christ returns.  If we are going to keep this Holy Day, then wouldn’t we be keeping the others? 

God, in His word nowhere commands a keeping of Sunday.  More to the point, Christ did not rise up on Sunday therefore defeating the belief that we should give up the Sabbath to keep the day on which Christ was resurrected.

 
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