Acts 20:7

"And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight"Upon the first day of the week": "The regular Greek way of designating the day we call 'Sunday'" (Reese p. 733). See Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:1; Mark 16:2; Mark 16:9; John 20:1; John 20:19; 1 Corinthians 16:2. Various writers from time to time have attempted to argue that the above expression refers to the Sabbath day, but such an argument immediately breaks down when one asks the question, "If this was the Sabbath day, then why did not Luke call it such, because the same writer had mentioned the Sabbath previously (Acts 17:2)". Some speculate concerning whether the first day of the week was reckoned by Jewish time (sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday) or Roman time (midnight to midnight as we do today). Reese notes, "Troas was located in Gentile territory, and would schedule things according to Roman time" (p. 733). In addition, the Gospel writers, when mentioning the first day of the week, speak as we would speak today "as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week" (Matthew 28:1); "very early on the first day of the week... when the sun had risen" (Mark 16:1; Mark 16:9). Added to all this evidence is the fact that the "daybreak" of Acts 20:11 is already the "next day" (Acts 20:7). Previously to this we know that Christians had already been worshipping on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1). "When we were gathered together to break bread": The Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 10:16) is always found in an assembly of Christians (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 11:20).

The only "day" mentioned in connection with the Lord's Supper is the first day of the week, therefore offering communion on any other day would constitute an addition to the word of God (2 John 1:9). Concerning the "frequency" of the Lord's Supper the text says the "first day of the week", and not the first day of the month or year. Christians were commanded to assemble (Hebrews 10:25), they assembled on. weekly basis (1 Corinthians 16:2 "every"), and when they assembled they partook of communion (1 Corinthians 11:20). Therefore, they partook of the Lord's Supper every first day of the week. Reese makes. good point when he says, "Most congregations receive an offering each Lord's Day because of examples of this in Scripture. Now if one can find the few passages dealing with the offering sufficient to warrant. weekly place for it in the worship services today, then one must also keep the Lord's Supper weekly as. vital part of the worship service, for there are as many Scriptures teaching the weekly communion as there are teaching the weekly offering!" (p. 735). Thus any human argument against weekly communion (offering it weekly makes it less meaningful), could also be used as an argument against. weekly collection.

Acts 20:7 "Discoursed with them": The word discoursed is the same word translated "reasoned" in Acts 17:2. hence Paul preached God's word to them. "Intending to depart on the morrow": This tells us why on this occasion he prolonged his speech until midnight. "Prolonged his speech until midnight": Because Paul knew that he probably would never see some of these Christians again (in this life) (Acts 20:38). Thus Paul made good use of the time that he had with them.

Notice how Paul believed that giving people Divine instruction was. wise use of time when Christians are together. It appears that the Lord's Supper had already been observed before Paul started preaching, considering the order of Acts 20:7, and the fact that when Paul started to preach, he could do so without interruption. Notice how God helps us to properly interpret the Bible. God does not require all sermons to last until or end at midnight, because Luke has already informed us why on this occasion Paul spoke for that long.