How do we know that the Lord’s Supper wasn’t taken once a year in Troas?
Question:
I was doing some searching on the Internet and discovered an argument against Acts:20:7 that I've never encountered. Since Acts 20:7 is the only reference we use (that I know of) to decide how often we take the Lord's Supper this is pretty important. Acts 20:6 says they sailed from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread. How do we know this is an incidental detail instead of a binding example to take the Lord's Supper once a year, after the days of unleavened bread?
I also was wondering if you knew of any extra-biblical historical references describing New Testament Christians taking the Lord's Supper weekly. It was so convincing to me to see historical references on whether or not Christians used instruments of music in worshiping God, and since then I've highly valued historical writings as demonstrating what early churches did.
Answer:
See:
It contains a list of quotes regarding when worship took place.
For the rest of your question, see:
The answer is why is the detail given?
- Is the fact they sailed from Philippi to Troas to establish the route taken or to tell us that all disciples traveled from Philippi to Troas to partake of the Lord's Supper? The fact that the Lord's Supper was taken in other places, such as Corinth, means that the place it was eaten in Acts 20:7 was not significant to the Lord's Supper.
- Why mention that it was after the Feast of Unleavened Bread? Is there any significance to after the Feast of the Unleavened Bread to the Lord's Supper? No. Is there any significance to after the Feast of the Unleavened Bread to Paul's trip? Yes, it establishes the time of the trip.
- Why mention that they stayed seven days in Troas when we know Paul was in a hurry? Acts 20:7, explains that it was on the first day of the week that the disciples came together to break bread. In order to meet with the church, they had to wait until the next gathering.
Did Paul just time his trip so he only had to wait seven days to meet with the disciples on their yearly gathering? No, because the phrase "when the disciples came together to break bread" is qualified with a time period "On the first day of the week." It wasn't qualified with "after the Passover," or "on the first Sunday of the month." The qualifier establishes the period.
Most people understand this. The boss says, "Paychecks are distributed on Friday." Do you assume you are paid once a year, once a month, or every week? You assume every week because every week has a Friday.
Most people forget that there is another passage that also establishes the fact that the church gathered weekly on the first day of the week: "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come" (I Corinthians 16:1-2).
