The Acts of the Apostles Acts 20 – The First Day Of The Week Sunday – December 16, 2018

Paul’s Return – Third Journey Preached 3 years (Acts 20:31) 54 AD Paul returns from Corinth Begins In Troas for the first day of the week. (Acts 20:7) Timothy left at Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3)

The First Day Of The Week When the church began. Acts 2:42 In Troas. Acts 20:7 “Breaking bread” … Lord’s Supper – cf. 1Corinthians 10:16-17 In Corinth. cf. 1Corinthians 11:17-22 Collection was on the first day of the week. cf. 1Corinthians 16:1-2

The First Day Of The Week Historical Evidence. The Didache (ca. 95 AD) indicates Christians were to come together on the first day of the week to break bread - Didache 14:1 Justin Martyr (ca. 150 AD) records how Christians assembled on Sunday and partook of the Supper - Apology I, 67 “… the early church writers from Barnabas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, to Clement of Alexandria, Origen and Cyprian, all with one consent, declare that the church observed the first day of the week. They are equally agreed that the Lord’s Supper was observed weekly, on the first day of the week.” – B.W. Johnson, People’s New Testament

The First Day Of The Week Religious scholars. “As we have already remarked, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper was still held to constitute an essential part of divine worship every Sunday, as appears from Justin Martyr (AD 150) …” – Augustus Neander (Lutheran), History Of Christian Religion And Church, Volume I, page 332 “This ordinance (the Lord’s Supper) seems to have been administered every Lord’s day; and probably no professed Christian absented themselves …” - Thomas Scott (Presbyterian), Commentary On Acts 20:7

The First Day Of The Week Religious scholars. “This also is an important example of weekly communion as the practice of the first Christians.” - A. C. Hervey (Episcopalian), Commentary On Acts 20:7 “We understand v. 7 to indicate that the Breaking of Bread on the first day of the week was customary during the apostolic period.” – F. F. Bruce, (Open Brethren), New International Bible commentary (page 1302)

The First Day Of The Week Encyclopedias “Sunday, first day of the week; in Christianity, the Lord’s Day, the weekly memorial of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The practice of Christians gathering together for worship on Sunday dates back to apostolic times …” - Encyclopedia Britannica “From the apostolic era to the present it has been customary for Christians to assemble for communal Sunday services …” - Encyclopedia Americana “The celebration of the Lord’s Day in memory of the resurrection of Christ dates undoubtedly from the apostolic age. Nothing short of apostolic precedent can account for the universal religious observance in the churches of the second century. There is no dissenting voice. This custom is confirmed by the testimonies of the earliest post-apostolic writers, as Barnabas, Ignatius, and Justin Martyr.” - History Of The Christian Church, Philip Schaff, Volume 1, pages 201-202

The First Day Of The Week Encyclopedias “… it appears, therefore, from the New Testament itself, that Sunday was observed as a day of worship, and in special commemoration of the Resurrection, whereby the work of redemption was finished.” “The universal and uncontradicted Sunday observance in the second century can only be explained by the fact that it has its roots in apostolic practice.” Philip Schaff, History of Christian Church, Volume 1, pages 478- 479

The First Day Of The Week WHY The First Day Of The Week? Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday. Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1 Jesus appeared to His disciples on Sunday. John 20:19 The church began on Pentecost, which was on a Sunday. Acts 2:1-42 The command to lay by in store was to be carried out on a Sunday. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Jesus appeared to John on “the Lord’s Day,” later understood to be Sunday. Revelation 1:10

The First Day Of The Week Why Not The Sabbath? The Sabbath was the sign of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 31:16-17; Nehemiah 9:14; Ezekiel 20:12), whereas Christians are under the New Covenant (2 Corinthians 3; Hebrews 8) There is no NT command to keep the Sabbath. The first command to keep the Sabbath was not until the time of Moses (Exodus 16:23-30; 20:8) Gentile believers NOT to keep the Sabbath. Acts 15 The NT explicitly teaches that Sabbath keeping was not required. (Romans 14:5; Galatians 4:10-11; Colossians 2:16-17)