OzSpen said:
The Barrd,
None of the Scriptures you provided gave evidence that 'I'm asking you to believe what the scriptures are plainly telling us. Paul worshiped on the Sabbath, just as he had done all of his life'. No Scripture you quoted states that Paul worshipped on the Sabbath.
Act 13:13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
Act 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
Paul is here, as you surmised, to preach the gospel.
Act 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
Of course, if Paul were going to have a worship service the next day, he could have invited these guys to come to that, and he could preach to them then. But that isn't what he told them.
Act 13:43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
Act 13:44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
But things did not go as planned.
Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Act 13:47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Act 13:49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
So the story does have a happy ending...well, sort of. And it does show the Apostle doing his preaching and teaching on the Sabbath.
ct 16:11 Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;
Act 16:12 And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.
Act 16:13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
Act 18:1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
Act 18:2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
Act 18:3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
Act 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
Act 18:5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
Act 18:6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
Act 18:7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.
Act 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
Act 18:9 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
Act 18:10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.
Act 18:11
And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
Every Sabbath for a year and six months! And you don't see a pattern here?
But Acts 20:7 states what happened when he gathered with believers on the first day of the week. They were breaking bread, i.e. engaging in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Act 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.
Act 20:8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.
Act 20:9 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.
Act 20:10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
Act 20:11 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.
Act 20:12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
Where does it say anything about this being the Eucharist?
If this were the Eucharist, why didn't Paul partake of it until after the incident with Eutychus? Was that customary?
I agree with your appeal to 'believe what the Scriptures are plainly telling us'. The plain meaning of Acts 20:7 (NIV) is: 'On the first day of the week we came together to break bread'. Bible study indicates that this is the first mention in the NT of the Christians gathering for the Eucharist on Sunday, the first day of the week.
Even if this was a Eucharist, which is not clear from the passage at all, why didn't Paul partake of it with the rest of the congregation? From a plain reading of the text, this was evidently an evening service, and there were lights in the upper room (hint: they didn't have electricity, so this took a bit of preparation). Was that normal? And, as we've already discussed, it continued on till the wee hours of the morning. I'm fairly sure this was not a normal weekly meeting.
It seems obvious that this was a banquet in Paul's honor. I do not see how it could have been anything else. If this is "Christians gathering for the Eucharist on Sunday", all I can say is that they had some very strange ways.
I'm fully supportive of accepting the plain reading of the text in Acts 20:7. You don't want to accept his.
You've done a bit of embroidery on the original text. Quite frankly, it sounds more like a wild party than a church service, to me.
But hey...maybe that's how they do things in other parts of the world. Does this sound like the average Sunday evening service where you are?
By the way, you don't want to accept the teaching of 3 leading evangelical commentators of the NT, who are God's gift as Bible teachers. What is the purpose of Bible teachers? 'So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up' (Eph 4:11-12 NIV).
You do know that there are several warnings about false teachers, yes?
2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Now, how do we tell the difference between a teacher given to us by the Lord Himself, and a false teacher?
Well, one way might be to check and see if what they are teaching lines up with what Christ taught. In this case, a resounding "NO" sounds in my ears...
Lenski, Kistemaker and Bruce are among God's gifts of being Bible teachers to equip God's people for works of service and so edify (build up) the body of Christ. But you want to throw these Bible teachings out because they disagree with your view. I thank God for evangelical teachers with a high view of Scripture who are prepared to equip me for ministry and build up the body of believers.
Why should I believe these three guys, when they seek to change the plain teaching of the Bible? It is as I have been saying...Jesus kept the Sabbath, and taught His Apostles to do the same. When He left, He left them with instructions to go unto all nations, "
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."
Now, why do you think these guys would suddenly start a new tradition, instead of observing the Sabbath as Christ had done, and taught them also to do? Frankly, I don't believe they would, or did.
And it's going to take a lot more than the description of one wild party to convince me.
Oz
