“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.”
My Notes
What Does Acts 20:7 Mean?
"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." This verse is one of the earliest references to Christian worship on the first day of the week (Sunday) rather than the Sabbath (Saturday). The gathering included the Lord's Supper ("break bread") and extended teaching. Paul, knowing he's leaving the next day, preaches until midnight — and even this doesn't end the evening (v. 11: he talks until daybreak).
The detail that Paul preached until midnight humanizes both Paul and his audience. This is a real community gathering — late-night teaching, a young man falling asleep in the window (Eutychus), the extended farewell of a beloved pastor. Luke captures the warmth and ordinariness alongside the extraordinary.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does this picture of early church worship compare to your current experience of Christian community?
- 2.What would 'breaking bread until dawn' look like in your community — and what prevents it?
- 3.Why do you think the early church gathered with this level of intensity and intimacy?
- 4.What aspects of your worship experience feel more like performance than participation?
Devotional
Paul preached until midnight. A young man fell out a window. Paul raised him from the dead. Then they ate, and he kept talking until dawn. This is the most gloriously chaotic church service in the New Testament.
Before you focus on the miracle (which is extraordinary), notice the context: a real community gathering. People coming together on Sunday to break bread, listen to teaching, and be together. It's messy. It's late. Someone literally falls asleep and falls out a window. And nobody pretends it didn't happen. They deal with it, eat together, and keep going.
There's something refreshingly honest about this passage. Early church worship wasn't a polished production. It was a living room full of people who loved each other and loved Paul and didn't want the night to end because he was leaving tomorrow. It was bread and wine and teaching and laughter and tragedy and resurrection and more food and more talking until the sun came up.
If your experience of church feels sterile — if it's a performance you watch rather than a community you participate in — this passage shows you what it looked like at the beginning. Raw. Real. Midnight sermons and open windows and someone dying and coming back and everyone eating breakfast together. This is what happens when people actually want to be together around the Word.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And upon the first day of the week,.... Or Lord's day, Rev 1:10 and which Justin Martyr calls Sunday; on which day, he…
And upon the first day of the week - Showing thus that this day was then observed by Christians as holy time. Compare…
Upon the first day of the week - What was called κυριακη, the Lord's day, the Christian Sabbath, in which they…
We have here an account of what passed at Troas the last of the seven days that Paul staid there.
I. There was a solemn…
Paul preaches at Troas. Eutychus is restored to life
7. And upon the first day of the week Which had now, in memory of…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture