Acts 20:1-7 Outline

Outline

Paul continues his missionary journey

From Ephesus (in Asia) to Macedonia (Thessalonica, Berea, Philippi, et al)

From Macedonia to Greece (Athens, Corinth, Cenchreae)

he stayed here 3 months

encouraging and strengthening the churches

Hearing about the Jews’ plot to take him; from Greece to Macedonia (Philippi)

verse 6 says he sailed back to Asia from Philippi

he was accompanied by 7 companions, who carried with them purses of money from their respective churches for the purpose of helping the poor in Jerusalem

His traveling companions

these men were appointed by their churches to accompany Paul to Jerusalem with offerings

Paul wrote to the Romans in Chapter 15:25-26 (Romans 15:25–26 “At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.”)

in his first letter to the Corinthians, he tells them also of his plan (1 Corinthians 16:3–4 “And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.”)

The men and their home churches:

From Asia: Sopater (formerly of Berea), Tychicus, and Trophimus

From Thessalonica: Aristarchus and Secundus

From Derbe: Gaius

From Lystra: Timotheus

the text seems to suggest that he was from Derbe

it is not said here that he was from Lystra, but we know from Acts 16 that he was from that city, which is near to Derbe

if it seems excessive for so many to travel with Paul for this purpose, understand that it was a perilous journey. If one should grow ill or be killed, others would continue on. There was also a certain amount of security afforded with such a large group of men traveling together: 7 plus Paul, Luke, and Silas.

Jerusalem was suffering from a famine, and the church there was supporting widows and fatherless, but many of them were likely unable to care for themselves because of it

Paul and Barnabas had promised to help offset this (Galatians 2:10 “Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”)

approximately 8 years had passed since Paul promised to Peter that he would remember the poor

however, this was not the first time they had aided in this relief

Acts 11:27-30 reminds us that at the start of Paul’s first missionary journey, the prophet Agabus had come to Antioch and prophesied the famine would come, and the church there sent an offering by way of Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem.

there may have been other offerings in the interim, but this seems to be a significant one, suggesting the reason why so many men were accompanying him

Paul sent these 7 men ahead of him to Troas while he, Luke, and Silas stayed in Philippi for Passover

at the conclusion of 7 days in Troas, the church gathered in the upper room of a building for the purpose of breaking bread. Paul used this as an opportunity to preach to them

So we see here the confluence of three independent things:

First Day

Breaking Bread

Preaching

The Lord’s Day

In his Dictionary of the Bible, James Hastings writes regarding the “Lord’s Day:” The most valuable evidence as to the method by which the early Church observed the day is found in Justin Martyr’s Apology (i. 67, A.D. 120), where we read that on the day called Sunday the Christians met together, out of both city and country, and held a religious service at which first the writings of Apostles and Prophets were read; then the president preached; after which common prayers were said; and when these were ended, bread and wine were brought to the president, who uttered prayers and thanksgivings, to which the people said, ‘Amen’; all present then participated in the Eucharist, the deacons carrying it to the absent. Thus it is clear that the early Church continued the Apostolic custom (Ac 20:7) of celebrating the Lord’s Supper every Lord’s Day—a custom so wide-spread as to enable Chrysostom to call Sunday dies panis, or ‘the day of bread.’

so this was 100 years after the events of Acts 20, but even here in our text we see some of these customs first being observed in detail

Is the Lord’s Day the Sabbath?

while Scripture is largely silent on this question, early church writers consistently emphasized the Lord’s Day as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection rather than a continuation of Jewish Sabbath observance. Early church writers excluded the idea of the Lord’s Day as a Sabbath, instead holding it sacred as a memorial day to commemorate Christ’s resurrection.

some confessional traditions, such as the 2nd London Baptist Confession, affirm that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath, replacing the 7th Day or Saturday Sabbath

Charles Spurgeon also held to this view

so did Martyn Lloyd-Jones

however, Calvin did not

conversely, the English stateman Joseph Addison once said, “Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.”

I do not hold to the “Sunday Sabbath” view, although I concede it has merits

if Sunday is not the Sabbath, and there is no command to meet on this day specifically, why do we do it? Is it a vain tradition?

Jesus rose on the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:9; Lu. 24:1)

the disciples first saw the resurrected Jesus on the first day (John 20:19)

the Day of Pentecost was a Sunday (50 days after the resurrection)

Paul instructed the Corinthians to take up a collection for the poor on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:2)

it seems likely he said this because this was the day they were already gathering together

if not, they likely started this tradition at this time

John received his vision of the Revelation on the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10)

here in our text, the disciples are once again gathered on the first day of the week

Breaking Bread

there are 11 references to “breaking of bread” in the New Testament

some of them are referring to the same event (such as the gospels and the Last Supper)

they are all in context of believers gathering together for this purpose

Acts 2:42 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

this sounds similar to what Justin Martyr said what is referenced above: reading the Apostles and Prophets, preaching, breaking bread, reading common prayers, and fellowship

it is rare to read of an occurrence of them gathering when bread was not broken: this should indicate it’s importance

What is the Breaking of Bread?

There are two possibilities

observance of the Eucharist (thanksgiving, communion, Lord’s Supper)

mealtime

A single chunk of bread broken into pieces and distributed

Why is this important?

Jesus took a single loaf and broke it up, handing a piece to each disciple

this signifies we are all of the same body (1 Corinthians 10:17 “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” )

it also signifies that Jesus’ body was broken for us (1 Corinthians 11:24 “and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”)

Is it wrong to use little wafers (or grape juice instead of wine)?

In short, no. It is not wrong.

but what do we gain or lose by using manufactured, individual paper-thin wafers?

gain: cleanliness, convenience, continuity

lose: connection, charity, closeness

Preaching

Preaching or teaching (sometimes the same, but always related) is a regular part of the Christian church gathering

it is directly mentioned or alluded to more than a dozen times in the Epistles and Acts

assembly of the saints is never mentioned, as far as I can tell, apart from this facet of ministry

this is not to say preaching MUST accompany every gathering, but when these gatherings occurred in the early church, they evidently were not important enough to mention

no small groups

no pie socials

no concerts

no Vacation Bible School

Hearkening back to the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 and the actions of the disciples in Acts 2:42, let the hearer observe that teaching and preaching is an integral part of the Christian church

this can look like expository, verse-by-verse explanation of the text

topical, life-application sermons

classroom style teaching

round-table discussion, led by an elder or teacher

one-on-one conversations over lunch or coffee