(excerpt from "The Works Of The Apostles" by Rivqah Coover, pages 29-32)
Acts 13:14 "But when [Paul and his companions] departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down."
Acts 13:42 "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought [Paul and his companions] that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath." Acts 13:44 "And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the Word of Elohim."
Acts 16:13-14 "And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by the riverside, where prayer was wont to be made, and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. 14. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshiped Elohim, heard us: whose heart Yahweh opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul."
Acts 17:1-2 ".... They came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews. 2. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures"
Acts 18:4 "And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks."
Hebrews 4:9 "There remaineth therefore a rest (Greek # 4520) to the people of Elohim." Greek Word # 4520 "a sabbatism"
We see that Jews and Gentiles alike are to keep the Sabbath day. However, there is a verse in Acts which will cause many to question the validity of Sabbath-keeping in the Apostolic Writings. We will take a look at that.
Acts 20:7 "And upon the first of the week, when the disciples were come together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."
Many say that this was a Sunday church gathering. However, a few simple facts may be pointed out which will show the reader that this is not so.
1. The disciples broke bread (ate) together daily.
Acts 2:46 "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart."
See also Acts 27:35 for a confirmation of the fact that "breaking bread" equals eating, and does not refer to something religious.
2. Paul did not reserve preaching simply for "rest-day gatherings". His whole life revolved around sharing the message with those he came in contact with, and whenever he was moved by the Spirit, he spoke, regardless of what day it was. We see an example of this in
Acts 20:31 "Therefore, watch, and remember that by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears."
3. Paul was going to be leaving the next morning, and was making the most of his last night with these friends.
Acts 20:7 "..... Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow......"
We can also gather that Paul was not planning on having much time left on this earth. He knew that the Jews were hard on his trail and greatly desired to kill him. In Acts 19, he seemed to be making plans as to the last couple places he wanted to go before death.
Acts 19:21 "After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. "
Shortly after leaving Troas, where he preached to the brethren until midnight, he told some other brethren,
Acts 20:25 "And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of Elohim, shall see my face no more."
Wouldnt it make sense that the last night he had with the brethren in Troas, he would make the most of it? In a way, he was leaving his dying wishes with them, just as he did in Miletus to the elders of the assembly in Ephesus. (See Acts 20:17-38.)
4. The last point I wish to make on this topic is that Scripturally speaking, a day begins at sundown.
Genesis 1:5 ".... And the evening and the morning were the first day."
Acts 20:31 "Therefore, watch, and remember that by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears."
This gathering of the brethren in Troas on the first of the week sounds like an evening / late night gathering. They came together to break bread (have supper) and then stayed up all night. If this supper meal took place at the end of the first day of the week, then the majority of the visit would in reality have been during the second of the week, seeing that as soon as the sun set, it would have been the second day of the week. However, if it was an after-Sabbath gathering, the sun would have set, bringing in the first of the week; then the disciples would have gathered to eat a meal as a sort of closing out of the Sabbath; and Paul would have been preaching to them there too in other words, a Sabbath far spent. However, whether this gathering took place at the end of the Sabbath or at the end of the first day of the week, considering all the facts mentioned previously in this regard, even the second option would not support a "Sunday church meeting".
The entire book, "The Works Of The Apostles", is available online at Real Messiah Press & Teaching Ministry.