Notice that the text says there were many lights in the meeting place where they were gathered. This means that the service was held in the dark portion of that first day which is what we would call Saturday night. Paul kept right on preaching until midnight and, at that time, you remember a young fellow fell down from the loft—he was sitting in the window, apparently listening to Paul preach—and was killed.
After he went down and brought the boy back to life, it says that he kept on talking for “a long while, even till break of day.” And then what did Paul do, friends, early Sunday morning after that all-night meeting with the church? Acts 21:1 makes it clear that Paul walked about 25 miles across the peninsula to meet the ship at Assos, for there he was to be taken in and go on with them up to Jerusalem. So here we have clear evidence that Paul was not holding a regular service at all and neither did he keep that day holy. This was not a weekly meeting.
It was a special service in which Paul was preaching to them. He would never see them again. He had the witness of the spirit that he was to be put to death, so he simply stayed with them as long as he could and that took him right in through the night even till the breaking of day. I suppose one of the main reasons we have this story in the Bible is because of the mighty miracle when Paul raised that young fellow from the dead and brought him up alive again at midnight.
Well, there it is, friends. We’ve read and considered every single text which mentions the first day of the week in the New Testament. Nowhere have we found any evidence either in command or example that we should sanctify Sunday as a day of rest or worship. On the other hand, teachings and example of Christ and His disciples present irrefutable proof that the Sabbath was to be kept then, and it is also to be kept now—no change has ever been made in it. You’ll not find any text in all the Bible that says there was any change made in the day that was appointed by God for men to use for worship.
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