1
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• 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
  (Acts 20).

2

• The Lords Supper is the greatest memorial ever
  given to man. It is a celebration of the death
  of the sinless Son of God and the declared
  anticipation of His return.

3

• Brief biblical facts
• Instituted by Jesus (Matt. 26 26-30).
• 2. Observance set forth (I Cor. 11 23-26).
• A. In remembrance (Luke 22 19).
• B. With anticipation (I Cor. 11 26).
• C. Self-examination (I Cor. 11 28).
• D. Worthily (I Cor. 11 27).
• 3. Place and time (Luke 22 29, 30 Acts 20 7).

4
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• We know of the instituting of the Lords Supper,
  how to partake, and where to partake from various
  verses, however, Acts 20 7 provides us with when
  to partake.
• Acts 20 7 is presently under attack by all
  extremists, having special interests and an
  agenda to effect change in the body of Christ.

5
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• The Lords Supper, the spiritual hub for Lords
  Day worship. Jesus himself instituted the Lords
  Supper (Matt. 26 26-29). This memorial of
  Jesus death and announcement of his second
  coming is a Kingdom act, performed by Kingdom
  citizens and done in the Kingdom (Luke 22
  15-20). The fact that the early church observed
  this memorial of Jesus death declared not only
  its place in public worship, but also the reality
  of the establishment of the Kingdom (cp. I Cor.
  11 23f.).

6
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• The expression, breaking of bread (Greek,
  klasei tou artou) in Acts 2 42 was something in
  which they regularly engaged and constituted part
  of their worship. The expression as spiritually
  applied, appears to have derived from, Jesus
  took bread, and blessed it, and brake it.
  (Matt. 26 26).

7
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• The unleavened bread and fruit of the vine
  present during the typical feast associated with
  Jewish worship (the Passover) constituted the
  milieu for Jesus introducing his feast, the
  unleavened bread and fruit of the vine taking on
  a new, sublimated meaning that would symbolize
  his own sacrificial body and blood.

8
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• 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
  (Acts 20).

9
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• The expression, "first day of the week" in Acts
  20 7 is from the Greek, mia ton sabbaton.
  Literally translated, mia ton sabbaton is
  rendered, "one or first (mia) of the (ton)
  Sabbaths (sabbaton). As you can see, mia ton
  sabbaton is idiomatic and thus rendered, appears
  awkward in English. Relevant verses to aid in an
  understanding of mia ton sabbaton or "first day
  of the week" are Matthew 28 1 Mark 16 2 Luke
  24 1 and John 20 1.

10
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Matthew tells us that Mary Magdalene and the
  "other Mary" came to Jesus sepulcher, "In the
  end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward
  the first day of the week." Mark mentioned it
  was early on the first day Luke said on the
  first day, very early in the morning and John
  described the time as early, still dark, on the
  first day of the week.

11
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Regarding Matthews time statement, commentator
  Albert Barnes thus comments
• "The word end here means the same as after
  the Sabbath that is, after the Sabbath was
  fully completed or finished, and may be expressed
  in this manner In the night following the
  Sabbath, for the Sabbath closed at sunset, as it
  began to dawn" (Barnes on the New Testament,
  Vol. 1, pg. 317).

12
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Albert Barnes observes the following regarding,
  "Upon the first day of the week" in I Corinthians
  16 2
• "Upon the first day of the week. Greek, "On one
  of the Sabbaths." The Jews, however, used the
  word Sabbath to denote the week the period of
  seven days, Matthew 281 Mark 169 Luke 1812
  241 John 201,19. Comp. Leviticus 2315
  Deuteronomy 169. It is universally agreed that
  this here denotes the first day of the week, or
  the Lord's-day" (Barnes on the New Testament,
  Vol. 5).

13
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• 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
  (Acts 20).

14
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• The syntactically linked wording, when the
  disciples came together to break bread (Greek,
  sunegmenon klasai) is not only indicative of
  purpose but also of practice, especially when all
  pertinent matters are considered. As seen, the
  breaking of bread was a regular and static act of
  Lords Day public worship performed by the
  Jerusalem church (Acts 2 42).

15
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Many of the early historians remark that the
  frequency of the Lords table was each Lords
  Day. Tertullian (204 A.D.) wrote "The church of
  Christ composed of baptized believers, doesmeet
  each Lords day topartake of the Lords Supper."

16
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• John Mason, noted Presbyterian scholar, wrote
  "Communion every Lords day was universal, and
  was preserved in the Greek church till the
  Seventh Century" (Church History for Busy People,
  pg. 86, I might add, I Cor. 11 26, "for as
  often", does not negate or preclude the verses
  which show how often). The acclaimed Pulpit
  Commentary states regarding, to break bread in
  Acts 20 7, This is also an important example of
  weekly communion as the practice of the first
  Christians (Vol. 18, p. 143).

17
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Since there is this attitude of sacredness in
  relation to staff of life, there grows out of
  it the universal Eastern custom of breaking
  bread and not cutting it.To cut bread would be
  thought of as cutting life itself. This custom of
  breaking bread rather than cutting it, is found
  throughout the scriptures. In Lamentations 4 4
  we read The young children ask bread, and no
  man breaketh it unto them. Thus the expression
  breaking of bread came to mean the taking of a
  meal whatever was included in the meal. Because
  Christ broke bread when he instituted the
  ordinance of the Lords Supper, the expression
  came to refer to that ordinance. Matthew 26 26
  Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it,
  and gave to his disciples. Thus we read in Acts
  20 7 And upon the first day of the week, when
  the disciples came together to break bread, Paul
  preached to them. (Manners and Customs of Bible
  Lands, p. 45, by Fred Wight).

18
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• In all fairness, how do we distinguish between
  the breaking of bread as a social act and the
  breaking of bread as an act of public worship
  (Lords Supper)? This question is especially
  pertinent in view of the social gospel and its
  glorification of social meals.

19
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• A growing controversy now dividing some churches
  of Christ is whether or not Acts 20 7 is to be
  viewed as general in terms of meeting(s) or
  exclusive, authorizing only one meeting on the
  Lords Day. Some would insist on wording this,
  Authorizing one meeting in which the Lords
  Supper is observed.

20
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• I do not believe one has a total understanding of
  the institution Jesus introduced at the last
  supper without understanding the Passover
  observance. There are many, I submit,
  similarities. Both the Jewish Passover and the
  Lord's Supper are God's appointments for the Jew,
  in the case of the Passover, and the Christian,
  in the case of the Lord's Supper (Ex. 12 14
  Matt. 26 29).
•          

21
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Both the Passover and Jesus' spiritual feast are
  memorials (Ex. 12 14 I Cor. 11 25). The Jew
  remembered his liberation from bondage and the
  Christian remembers Jesus, his spiritual
  liberation.
• The unleavened bread and fruit of the vine were
  present and served as the key elements for both
  the Passover and the Lord's table (Ex. 12 8
  Matt. 26 26, 27).
• These two institutions were designed for God's
  peculiar people, the Jews and Christians,
  respectively (Deut. 16 5 Lk. 22 29, 30).
• Both feasts stressed the absence of sin and
  impurity (Num. 9 6 I Cor. 5 7).

22
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Both the Passover and the Lord's Supper depended
  on the shedding of blood, animal blood and Jesus'
  own blood, respectively (Ex. 12 7 Matt. 26
  28).
• The Passover and Jesus' observance both have a
  specified time for their observance (Ex. 12 3
  Acts 20 7). The Jew would not have even thought
  about randomly observing the Passover and the
  early Christians partook of the Lord's memorial
  on a designated day (Acts 20 7).
• Both the Passover and the Lord's Memorial involve
  a nation, the Jewish and Christians. Upon closer
  examination, they both generally involve
  distributive action (Ex. 12 3, 4 I Cor. 10 16,
  17, 11 18ff.).
•     

23
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Regarding the Passover and Jesus spiritual
  feast, there is, generally speaking, what we call
  "same time action" (Ex. 12 3, 4-7 Lk. 22 17).
  However, this "same time action" is not truly
  simultaneity action. Regarding the Passover,
  there was specific provision to allow those who
  were unable to attend the Passover at the regular
  time to attend one month later. Consider the
  provision

24
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• "9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 10
  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any
  man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean
  by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar
  off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the
  LORD. 11 The fourteenth day of the second month
  at even they shall keep it, and eat it with
  unleavened bread and bitter herbs" (Num. 9).

25
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Consider Paul's statement to the Christians at
  Corinth regarding how they (he and they) partook
  of the Lord's blood and body (I Cor. 10 16, 17)?
  They partook together even though there was a
  distance of about 275 miles and the Aegean Sea
  physically separating them.
• Many of the problems and division surrounding the
  Lord's Memorial are introduced and experienced
  when we journey to areas in addition to the known
  static truths.     
•     

26
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• When man starts to focus and bind regarding the
  number of containers, whether or not those
  serving the bread break it before it is passed
  out or insisting on "simultaneity action" in
  addition to distributive, individual action in
  the assembly, the wrong emphasis surfaces. Our
  attention is not to be on such exacting matters,
  I am convinced, but on Him who loved us and died
  for us. It is in the assembly setting that each
  Christian remembers Jesus' suffering and
  anticipates the Second Advent. Wrangling over
  matters of the policing of the Supper and Jewish
  as oppose to Roman time distract from the deep
  spiritual meaning of the Memorial.

27
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Regarding the day, elements, place, and
  individual manner of observance, we must not
  yield to any other practice. However, regarding
  providing the means for those unable to attend
  the morning service, we need to exercise love,
  consideration, and patience. 

28
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• 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
  (Acts 20).

29
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• The Greek word often used in Acts by the
  historian Luke to describe Paul's preaching, even
  in Acts 20 7, is the word dialegomai (often
  translated "reasoned" and "disputed" in the KJV).
  The root meaning of dialegomai is twofold in
  action, to think or reason, considering different
  and conflicting ideas). W. E. Vines comments thus
  on dialegomai, "To think different things with
  oneself, to ponder, then, to dispute with
  others." (Expository Dictionary of New Testament
  Words).

30
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• Dialegomai is weakened when translated
  "lectured." Thayer observes regarding the use of
  dialegomai in Acts, "mingle thought with
  thoughtargue, discussto draw arguments from the
  scriptures with the idea of disputing" (Thayer's
  Greek-English Lexicon, pg. 139).

31
Acts 20 7, an Important Verse

• 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
  (Acts 20).
• Let us ever derive from Acts 20 7 what is
  intended, but also be careful not to forcefully
  extract from it what was never intended.