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. Some sources say that 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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