by Gary Eubanks<\/p>\n
It is a question of critical importance whether the Scriptures require members of a local church to assemble to partake of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week, or Sunday.\u00a0 If they do not, the frequency of church assemblies then becomes a discretionary matter and churches may arbitrarily choose other days and frequencies of assembly.\u00a0 Given the human tendency to minimize religious obligations, such a conclusion would undoubtedly threaten the vitality, if not the very existence, of churches.<\/p>\n
The record of the disciples at Troas gathering to “break bread” (Acts 20:7) is the only New Testament text which makes a direct connection between Sunday and the Lord’s Supper, and the fact that this information is given in an example has presented difficulties.\u00a0 The challenge of examples, vis-\u00e0-vis commands, is knowing whether they represent obedience to a command or the exercise of an option under generic authority.<\/p>\n
Observing people doing something does not necessarily reveal why they are doing it.\u00a0 For instance, if a person just sees a child bringing his father a glass of water, he does not know why.\u00a0 Perhaps the child is acting in response to a directive from his father or perhaps strictly on his own initiative out of kindness.\u00a0 On the other hand, if he hears the father direct his son to bring him a glass of water, then he knows why the son acted.<\/p>\n
Likewise, it is important to know why Christians in the New Testament acted before treating their conduct as something requiring imitation.\u00a0 Since New Testament Christians are sometimes recorded as acting without a specific command, reading about their conduct in the New Testament does not, in and of itself, reveal whether they were acting in obedience to God’s command applicable to other Christians.\u00a0 It must be allowed, in the absence of other information, that, as is true of all Christians, they may have been exercising a choice under God’s generic authority (cf. “go,” Matthew 28:19).<\/p>\n
Therefore, before anyone can insist on using the example of the disciples in Troas partaking of the Lord’s Supper on Sunday as a basis for requiring others today to do likewise, he must have some information that makes a compelling case that those disciples met on Sunday because they were acting in response to a divine directive to do so.\u00a0 If this is why they did so, this means that others today must do likewise.\u00a0 This conclusion is based on the premise that what some New Testament Christians did in obedience to a general command is equally applicable to all Christians, and partaking of the Lord’s Supper is a general command applicable to all Christians (I Corinthians 11:17-34).<\/p>\n
To return to an earlier point in this discussion, there is an important difference between observing the random occurrences of daily life and reading the examples recorded by New Testament writers, such as Luke.\u00a0 Daily observations of events may occur randomly or uncontrollably, as far as the observer can tell.\u00a0 This is to say that one’s observation of events has no direct or discernible relation to the events themselves.\u00a0 When, or why, something happens is in no way related to one’s observation of it (assuming the actor does not know he is being observed or is not responding to that fact).\u00a0 Events are independent of observation.\u00a0 Again, whether one observes a son bringing his father a glass of water, or does not, is not the reason the son brings his father a glass of water (especially if the son does not know he is being observed).<\/p>\n
On the other hand, this is not the case with the record of events or observations.\u00a0 While an observer may not be able to control independent events or whether he sees them, he certainly can choose whether to record them and if he chooses to record them, it is presumable that he has some purpose in doing so.\u00a0 If he could just as well leave the event unrecorded, then there is no point in him making a record of it.\u00a0 This is especially true in the case of New Testament writers, who were guided by the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 The Scriptures should be approached with the presumption that the Holy Spirit had a purpose in every word and event He had recorded in them (II Timothy 3:16-17).\u00a0 Therefore, to articulate the question in a way that more appropriately reflects an appreciation of this important point is to ask, not why the disciples in Troas partook of the Lord’s Supper on Sunday, but why Luke recorded that they did.<\/p>\n
There are about ten elements in Luke’s example of the disciples at Troas (Acts 20:6-16).\u00a0 These include:<\/p>\n
It is important to note that it is possible to account with the information provided in the text for all of the elements of this example recorded by Luke – except one!<\/p>\n
The storyline in the paragraphs under consideration centers around the unusual event of Paul raising a young man from the dead.\u00a0 Once this is recognized (along with other information provided explicitly in the context), the purpose for Luke recording the other elements of this example becomes clear, since they relate directly to that fact.\u00a0 The reason why Luke recorded that the disciples met in an upper, or third-floor, room at night in a building with an open window and lamps and Paul speaking until midnight, etc., can be traced all the way back to his inclusion of the story of Eutychus falling out of the window and Paul raising him from the dead.\u00a0 Why did Eutychus die?\u00a0 He fell out of a third-floor window.\u00a0 Why did he fall out of a window?\u00a0 He was sitting on it and fell asleep.\u00a0 Why did he fall asleep?\u00a0 Paul preached late into the night (hence, the lamps).\u00a0 Why did he preach late into the night?\u00a0 He was intending to depart the next day, was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost, and wanted to make the most of his time with brethren he never expected to see again (Acts 20:7, 16, 25).<\/p>\n
This is enough information to explain why Luke recorded the various elements of this example, and it has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit in this way instructing other Christians that they are to replicate them!\u00a0 Had the Holy Spirit not wanted to include the story of Paul raising Eutychus from the dead, it is presumable that He would not have seen any more need to include the information about the circumstances under which the disciples in Troas met than He did about the circumstances under which other disciples met.\u00a0 Since the Holy Spirit obviously included the elements of this example for another purpose than that of teaching Christians to replicate them, there is no need for Christians to be concerned with doing so.<\/p>\n
However, Paul’s raising of Eutychus from the dead does not account for Luke recording that the disciples at Troas met on the first day of the week.\u00a0 In other words, the fact that it was Sunday night, as opposed to another night of the week has no direct bearing on why Eutychus died.\u00a0 This is to say that, if all of the elements of the story remained the same, except that it was any other night of the week, the results (i.e., Eutychus being killed by a fall from his seat in an open third-floor window of the meeting place) would have been precisely the same.\u00a0 However, remove the nighttime meeting (which necessitated many lamps), for instance, and Eutychus does not have occasion to fall asleep on Paul’s sermon, fall out of the window to his death, and be raised by Paul.\u00a0 On the other hand, Paul raising Eutychus from the dead provides no basis for Luke observing that it was Sunday when the disciples met to “break bread.”<\/p>\n
Moreover, there is strong positive evidence that the disciples at Troas met on Sunday because they acted under direct divine command to do so.\u00a0 After all, if God did not require churches to assemble on Sundays to partake of the Lord’s Supper and, therefore, one day of the week is just as good as another for this purpose, there would have been no point in Luke recording this information!<\/p>\n
Also, every time New Testament writers name the day of the week when an event occurred, that day is always clearly significant or relevant to the event.\u00a0 New Testament writers specifically mention only three days of the week – the day of preparation (Friday), the Sabbath (Saturday), and the first day of the week (Sunday).\u00a0 Friday is significant because it explains that it was almost the Sabbath and why, therefore, the thieves’ legs were broken while they were on the cross and the women waited until Sunday to bring spices to Jesus’ tomb (Luke 23:54-56; John 19:31).\u00a0 Saturday is important because the Jews met in their synagogues and at other places on that day for religious purposes, and Paul seized the occasion to teach them (e.g., Acts 15:21; 16:13; 18:4).\u00a0 Sunday is mentioned because it was the day on which Jesus rose from the dead, the third day after His death, in fulfillment of His word (Matthew 16:21; Luke 24:1,6-7,21,46; John 20:1,19).\u00a0 Without a single exception, there is always a clearly discernible reason why the writers of the New Testament recorded that something occurred on a particular day of the week.<\/p>\n
Yet, there is no way to account for Luke recording that it was Sunday when the disciples at Troas met to “break bread” unless they were acting under a divine command to do so.\u00a0 If this information were part of an uninspired account, this question might never have arisen, or if raised, then dismissed as unworthy of attention.\u00a0 After all, uninspired writers make mistakes and record frivolous details.\u00a0 However, what the Holy Spirit chose to record by the hands of New Testament writers cannot be so dismissed, unless one wishes to impugn the wisdom of God.<\/p>\n
The example of the disciples at Troas assembling on Sunday to partake of the Lord’s Supper, reinforced by corroborative evidence, is the Lord’s way of directing other disciples to do likewise.\u00a0 This is not a difficult inference to draw, and what this example teaches should be sufficient to all except those with an adversarial attitude.\u00a0 God’s word is not obscure, but it was written to those who have an attitude receptive, and perceptive, of the truth.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Gary Eubanks It is a question of critical importance whether the Scriptures require members of a local church to assemble to partake of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week, or Sunday.\u00a0 If they do not, the frequency of church assemblies then becomes a discretionary matter and churches may arbitrarily choose…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[78,1570,146],"class_list":["post-28732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-authority","tag-examples","tag-lords-supper"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27750,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-we-know-that-the-lords-supper-wasnt-taken-once-a-year-in-troas\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":0},"title":"How do we know that the Lord’s Supper wasn’t taken once a year in Troas?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2331,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-original-lords-supper-was-observed-at-night-and-it-wasnt-on-sunday\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":1},"title":"The original Lord’s Supper was observed at night and it wasn’t on Sunday","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The original Lord's Supper was observed at\u00a0nighttime (Matthew 26:31), and it was not\u00a0observed on the first day of the week (Sunday), The practice of breaking bread was done on a\u00a0daily\u00a0basis from house to house, not on a weekly basis as in the churches of Christ. You find this information\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20504,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-the-bible-say-the-church-worshiped-on-sunday\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":2},"title":"Does the Bible say the church worshiped on Sunday?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a few questions and comments concerning the texts given as proof of Sunday worship outlined in the article: \"Is sex on the Sabbath a sin?\" The verses are Acts 20:7 and I Corinthians 16:1-2. Acts 20:7 speaks of an act that is done on any day, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89596,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-christians-meet-on-sunday\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":3},"title":"Should Christians Meet on Sunday?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Scott J. Shifferd Why do churches meet on Sunday? The churches in the New Testament met on the first day of the week. Luke reported this is the common practice of churches of Christ (Acts 20:7). However, is this passage all the Bible speaks about meeting on the first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29791,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/abuse-of-the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":4},"title":"Abuse of the Lord\u2019s Supper","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 8, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Leslie Diestelkamp It is quite obvious that many Christians who may be quite devoted in other ways, do indeed \"miss the mark\" with regard to the Lord's Supper. Consider the following: The attitude and practice of some brethren indicate that they expect forgiveness of their sins of the past\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89452,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-often-should-christians-observe-the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":28732,"position":5},"title":"How Often Should Christians Observe the Lord’s Supper?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mike Willis The Lord's Supper was instituted by Jesus Christ on the night of His betrayal and was designed to bring to our remembrance His beloved sacrifice for sin. Knowing that he would soon depart this world, Jesus commanded his disciples to take unleavened bread and fruit of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28732\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}