Thursday, November 19, 2020

The Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early church, by Luke the physician - Acts 20:7-12 comments: Paul's long preaching puts Eutychus asleep

 


Acts 20:7 ¶  And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 8  And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. 9  And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. 10  And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. 11  When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. 12  And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

 

Having taught and preached I have seen even the most dedicated Christians nodding off occasionally although most of us don’t fall out of a window. It does make you wonder what the Holy Spirit is teaching here.

 

First, though, it is apparent that Christians did come together to worship and hear preaching on the first day of the week. This was the time of Christ’s resurrection, so Christians celebrate the resurrection by fellowship and worship, here breaking bread.

 

Matthew 28:1  In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

 

Mark 16:2  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun…9  Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

 

Luke 24:1  Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

 

John 20:1  The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

 

As the time of Christ’s return was always considered imminent and in the latter days as far as they were concerned uniting as the body of Christ to break bread, eat a meal together which is a bonding experience, and hear preaching was very necessary. Note Paul’s instructions to these early Jewish Christians.

 

Hebrews 10:19 ¶  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21  And having an high priest over the house of God; 22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

And so, Christians have met, for the first two hundred years in private homes and then donated commercial settings, and finally in buildings set aside for the purpose. The apostles first visited these churches and sat in chairs. The raised platform or pulpitum (pulpit) was added in the third century and evolved into the lecture podium we have now, pews were added in the Middle Ages, offering plates in the Reformation, a rail often called an altar in the late 1700s, and the middle aisle dividing the pews first called “the old sawdust trail” at that time as well although all of these items had precursors, usually used for a different purpose than these mentioned are now. Our worship structure has changed but Christians in places like Africa will still walk for days to hear preaching on the gospel of Christ.

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