Should the Lord’s Supper be only taken at night?
Question:
What is the Bible's answer to the controversy about the time the Lord's Supper should be taken on the first day of the week? Should it be only at night or any time upon the first day of the week?
Answer:
I know of no controversy regarding what time of the day the Lord's Supper should be taken. The one example of time is: "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight" (Acts 20:7). Notice that it was on the first day of the week when the disciples came together to partake of the Lord's Supper. The phrasing tells us how often. They didn't do it once a year or once a month, they did it once a week.
But that same phrasing leaves it open as to when disciples came together to partake of the Lord's Supper. We actually don't know at what time of day the disciples came together at Troas. We only know that Paul preached until midnight; we don't know when he started. It would be false to insist that it had to be at night since God didn't tell us.
Question:
I agree with the idea and position completely. I am a member of the body of Christ (Church of Christ). A few members in the same congregation are of the opinion that in Acts 20:8 there was the mention that there were many lights in the room, an indication that the disciples at Troas met at night; and therefore, it is binding for people to take the Lord’s Supper at night. That was why I called it controversy in my question. Do you have any contribution to make to this?
Answer:
See: Following Bible Examples, in particular, the section on distinguishing between the incidental and the essential. You have people trying to bind an incidental. It would be like claiming that the Lord's Supper could only be taken in a second-story room.
The context (Acts 20:7) tells us that the day of the week, not the time of the day determined when the disciples gathered. If a congregation decided that evening works best for its members, then they ought to pick the time of day that works best for those who attend. As an example, I have a historical quote about Christians gathering before dawn for worship. The reason is simple, it was a slave society at that time and that would be the best time for Christians, who were slaves, to meet -- before their masters awoke for the day.
