Paul and his company arrived at Troas either on the evening of the first day of the week, or on Monday morning at an early hour; for he departed on Monday morning at an early hour; for we are positively told he tarried seven days at Troas. Now, had the disciples been Seventh Day observers, or observed the seventh day as a Sabbath, and broke bread on it as the Sabbatarians do, they would not have deferred their meeting till the first day of the week, and kept Paul and his company waiting, as he was evidently in a great haste at this time, to get to Jerusalem, for the Pentecost. His tarrying seven days, and his early departure on Monday morning, corroborate the evidence as proof, that the first day of the week was the fixed and stated day, for the disciples to meet for this purpose.
From the second of Acts, then, we learn that the breaking of bread was a stated part of the worship of the disciples in their meetings; and from the 20th chapter of Acts we learn that the first day of the week was the stated day for those meetings; and, above all we ought to notice that the most prominent object of their meeting was to break bread. Other corroborating evidences of the stated meeting of the disciples on the first day for religious purposes are found in the fact, that Paul says he had given orders to all the congregations in Galatia, as well as that in Corinth, to attend to the fellowship, or the laying up of contributions for the poor saints in Jerusalem area on the first day of the week. “On the first day of the week, let each of you lay somewhat by itself, according as he may have prospered, putting it into the treasury, that when I come there may be no collections not received.” 1 Corinthians 16:1-2
There be some who defer this example to say that the breaking of bread was not for EVERY first day! This argument is fallacious in that they “take up” the offering EVERY Sunday when they come together in every denomination. In the Old Testament, the Jew was commanded by Jehovah to “keep the Sabbath day, holy.” Exodus 20:8 Nehemiah 9:13-14 and Ezekiel 20:10-12, the same is stated. “Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And made known unto them Thy holy Sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses Thy servant.” Nehemiah 9:12-13. “Moreover, also I gave them My Sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that thy might know that I Am the Lord that sanctifieth them.” Ezekiel 20:10-12 “Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments which if a man do, he shall even live in them. “I Am” the Lord your God; walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them; And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you that you may know that “I Am” the Lord your God.” Ezekiel 20:19-20 If this is not enough to convince even the gainsayer, you will notice, in all three places cited, none say EVERY SABBATH. My question to you is: did Israel understand it was EVERY Sabbath they were to keep?
The congregations in Corinth met every first day of the week. They met to “show forth the Lord’s death, till He come, again.” 1 Corinthians 11:26 When Paul mentions this observance in the 20th verse, Paul states the purpose of their assembling. “When you come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” They were acting “unworthy” of the purpose for which they had come together!! Declaring the “proclaiming the Lord’s death, till He come, Paul is declaring the purpose of their assembling. When the teacher reproves his pupils for wasting time, he cannot remind them more forcibly of the object of coming to school, nor reprove them more strongly with the point, than to say, “When you act thus, you are not assembling to learn.” By the Corinthian brethren disrespecting the body and blood of Christ, they were mocking the purpose for assembling.
We have seen, then, that the saints met every first day in Corinth; and when they assembled in one place, it was to eat the Lord’s Supper, a declaration of the practice of the primitive assemblies as explicit as could incidentally be given, differing only from a direct command in the form in which it is expressed!! To add emphasis, when Paul arrived in Troas, he stayed over one full week just to partake!!
