Welcome to Books of the Book.
I'm glad you've joined us for
00:00:22.56\00:00:25.37
our study in the book of Acts.
I'm Pastor Mark Howard, I'm here
00:00:25.40\00:00:28.98
with my brother and cohost,
Pastor Jim Howard. We have been
00:00:29.01\00:00:32.52
learning some exciting things in
the book of Acts about not only
00:00:32.56\00:00:37.11
the history of the church, Jim,
but what we see the church can
00:00:37.14\00:00:41.29
be through the power of Christ
and the Holy Spirit. Now we have
00:00:41.32\00:00:45.02
started our studies each time
with a word of prayer asking God
00:00:45.06\00:00:48.46
to guide us and I would invite
our viewers to join us in that
00:00:48.50\00:00:51.87
prayer at this time.
Heavenly Father, I thank you so
00:00:51.90\00:00:54.83
much for your word and I
pray that the Holy Spirit who
00:00:54.86\00:00:57.72
inspired the writing of the word
would give us understanding as
00:00:57.76\00:01:01.69
we study it today. We
ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
00:01:01.72\00:01:03.87
Now, Jim, as we start in chapter
20 verse 1 of the book of Acts,
00:01:03.91\00:01:10.53
we're picking up the aftermath
of the riot that took place in
00:01:10.56\00:01:15.63
Ephesus where Paul escapes
by the skin of his teeth, so to
00:01:15.66\00:01:20.80
speak, and he's brought now
it says in verse 1, After the
00:01:20.83\00:01:25.08
uproar had ceased, Paul
called the disciples to himself,
00:01:25.11\00:01:29.29
embraced them and departed to go
to Macedonia. So he's on his way
00:01:29.33\00:01:33.90
again. He makes a narrow escape
as seems to be the case often
00:01:33.93\00:01:38.47
with the Apostle Paul as
the Lord whisks him away to
00:01:38.50\00:01:41.14
Macedonia. We read on there.
In the next few verses it talks
00:01:41.18\00:01:44.47
about his ministry in Macedonia
and Greece, throughout the area
00:01:44.51\00:01:48.25
and then he heads for Troas. In
verse 6 it says, We sailed away
00:01:48.28\00:01:52.10
from Philippi after the days
of unleavened bread and in five
00:01:52.14\00:01:55.93
days joined them at Troas
where we stayed seven days.
00:01:55.96\00:01:59.17
That's right. Now we
come to verse 7 and we have an
00:01:59.21\00:02:02.35
interesting account that is
shared here in Troas. It starts
00:02:02.39\00:02:06.36
on the first day of the week.
It says, Now on the first day of
00:02:06.39\00:02:10.33
the week when the disciples came
together to break bread Paul,
00:02:10.36\00:02:13.98
ready to depart the next day,
spoke to them and continued his
00:02:14.01\00:02:17.58
message until midnight. There
were many lamps in the upper
00:02:17.62\00:02:20.87
room where they were gathered
together and in a window sat
00:02:20.91\00:02:24.40
a certain young man named
Eutychus who was sinking into a
00:02:24.44\00:02:28.73
deep sleep. I can't help but
think as I read about Eutycus
00:02:28.76\00:02:32.43
here that I may have had a few
Eutychuses in my congregations
00:02:32.46\00:02:36.61
before and I'm not sure how
to feel about that. If it's an
00:02:36.64\00:02:40.76
indictment on the
Eutychuses or on my preaching.
00:02:40.79\00:02:44.02
But we can feel good because
if the Apostle Paul had people
00:02:44.06\00:02:47.65
falling asleep during his
teaching, we're in good company
00:02:47.68\00:02:51.24
right? That's how
I felt too. Anyway,
00:02:51.27\00:02:53.64
It continues and says, He was
overcome by sleep. And as Paul
00:02:53.68\00:02:57.87
continued sleeping, he feel down
from the third story. So this
00:02:57.91\00:03:01.29
was the bigger problem, he
was all the way up on the third
00:03:01.32\00:03:04.63
story and he was taken up dead.
But Paul went down, fell on him
00:03:04.67\00:03:07.90
and embracing him said, Do not
trouble yourselves for his life
00:03:07.93\00:03:11.58
is in him. And now when he had
come up, had broken bread and
00:03:11.62\00:03:14.89
eaten and had talked a long
while, even till daybreak, he
00:03:14.92\00:03:18.12
departed and they brought the
young man in alive and they were
00:03:18.16\00:03:21.16
not a little comforted, which is
Luke's way of saying they were
00:03:21.19\00:03:24.16
very comforted by this.
So the moral of the story for
00:03:24.19\00:03:27.59
our viewers is don't fall asleep
in church. That's right. Thank
00:03:27.63\00:03:30.42
you for making that first and
most critical point about this
00:03:30.46\00:03:33.79
passage. Now we need to pause
here for a moment because this
00:03:33.83\00:03:37.59
passage is one of two primary
passages in the New Testament
00:03:37.62\00:03:42.03
that are used by some to say
well the reason that the seventh
00:03:42.06\00:03:46.46
day Sabbath that was commanded
in the 10 commandments, the
00:03:46.49\00:03:50.73
fourth commandment in the Law
of God in Exodus 20 verses 8-11,
00:03:50.76\00:03:55.16
that that particular commandment
the sacredness of it was changed
00:03:55.20\00:03:59.56
from the seventh day to the
first day by the apostles. There
00:03:59.60\00:04:03.57
are some who believe that that
is why we see in Christianity
00:04:03.60\00:04:07.53
today so many who worship
on the first day of the week.
00:04:07.57\00:04:10.15
Now myself, I'm a Sabbath keeper
I continue to keep the seventh
00:04:10.18\00:04:14.12
day of the week as I believe the
Bible teaches so this is very
00:04:14.15\00:04:17.46
important to me to understand,
could it be that the disciples
00:04:17.49\00:04:20.31
would have changed that, but I
don't find evidence for that in
00:04:20.35\00:04:24.65
the Bible. The two places where
many point to to give evidence
00:04:24.68\00:04:28.79
are 1 Corinthians 16 and then
this passage here in Acts 20.
00:04:28.82\00:04:32.75
So we need to look closely at
it. They believe in many cases
00:04:32.78\00:04:36.15
that when it says that the
disciples came together on the
00:04:36.18\00:04:39.84
first day of the week to
break bread that that must be
00:04:39.87\00:04:43.46
indicating that they were taking
the Lord's supper or a communion
00:04:43.50\00:04:47.22
signifying a worship service of
sorts. But I'm not sure this can
00:04:47.26\00:04:50.94
really be a good conclusion
because we go back to Acts
00:04:50.98\00:04:54.72
chapter 2 verse 46 and it says
they were breaking bread from
00:04:54.75\00:04:59.84
house to house and eating their
food and they were going to the
00:04:59.88\00:05:04.94
temple daily and all
these things with gladness and
00:05:04.97\00:05:06.90
simplicity of heart and I can't
help but think that it's just
00:05:06.94\00:05:10.64
a description, very clearly,
of sharing a meal together, just
00:05:10.68\00:05:14.10
spending time fellowshipping
together. So when we see here
00:05:14.13\00:05:17.31
that they broke bread we can
look at other passages here in
00:05:17.34\00:05:20.68
Acts and see that breaking
bread did not signify communion
00:05:20.72\00:05:23.99
necessarily or the Lord's supper
But if we look at another point
00:05:24.02\00:05:27.90
in here that I think is valid,
it says that Paul was getting
00:05:27.94\00:05:32.47
ready to depart the next day and
that he continued his message
00:05:32.50\00:05:37.87
until midnight and in this room
were many lamps. Now the reason
00:05:37.90\00:05:41.68
I would think that there would
be these lamps or he would make
00:05:41.71\00:05:45.26
mention of it was the fact that
this is happening not during the
00:05:45.29\00:05:48.80
day but in the evening. What
many of our viewers may not be
00:05:48.84\00:05:51.99
aware of is the fact that in the
Bible a day was reckoned in the
00:05:52.02\00:05:56.79
dark part first and then the
light part. In Genesis chapter 1
00:05:56.83\00:06:00.68
it says there was evening and
there was morning the first day.
00:06:00.72\00:06:04.46
There was evening and morning
the second day, etc. So we see
00:06:04.50\00:06:08.22
that the first day of the week
would actually begin, the first
00:06:08.26\00:06:11.94
day of the week we would
consider Sunday, it would
00:06:11.98\00:06:14.06
actually begin on what we would
call Saturday night. So this
00:06:14.09\00:06:16.83
more than likely, don't you
think, would have happened on a
00:06:16.87\00:06:19.58
Saturday evening. More
than likely. It's a pretty good
00:06:19.61\00:06:24.71
chance that the Apostle Paul was
worshipping and ministering on
00:06:24.74\00:06:28.97
the Sabbath day and as he spent
all day worshipping with the
00:06:29.01\00:06:33.16
believers there, they came
upon evening and he was going to
00:06:33.19\00:06:37.27
depart the next day so he spent
time together with them. So this
00:06:37.31\00:06:40.98
is just a very natural account
of Paul spending time with them
00:06:41.01\00:06:44.57
It just happened to be that it
fell on the first day because it
00:06:44.60\00:06:48.13
was after the Sabbath. But
there's nothing in here that
00:06:48.16\00:06:51.28
indicates anything about worship
or the Sabbath or the changing
00:06:51.31\00:06:55.69
of any sacredness. You don't
find any of that in the text.
00:06:55.73\00:06:59.29
Let me interject here, Jim, if
I could. We talk about a proper
00:06:59.32\00:07:02.58
worship service. You could call
it worship and we've already
00:07:02.61\00:07:05.95
mentioned he's preaching. To
some people he's preaching and
00:07:05.98\00:07:09.19
that makes it a worship service
but I've preached on every day
00:07:09.22\00:07:12.74
of the week and just because
I preach on a Sunday night or
00:07:12.77\00:07:16.61
Tuesday morning or whatever
doesn't make it the day of
00:07:16.64\00:07:20.40
worship. It doesn't replace what
the commandment says, so even
00:07:20.44\00:07:24.11
if we wanted to call it worship
because he was preaching the
00:07:24.15\00:07:27.78
custom of Paul in the
New Testament, as we've seen
00:07:27.82\00:07:31.11
repeatedly was to
worship on the Sabbath day.
00:07:31.14\00:07:33.70
That's right and I believe that
if God was going to change the
00:07:33.74\00:07:37.37
solemnity and he was going
to make that clear to us, change
00:07:37.40\00:07:41.59
the solemnity of the Sabbath
to the first day of the week, we
00:07:41.62\00:07:45.39
have to remember that when God
instituted the Sabbath he did it
00:07:45.43\00:07:49.16
in the heart of the 10
commandments which God spoke
00:07:49.20\00:07:52.92
with his own voice, wrote
with his own finger on stone to
00:07:52.95\00:07:57.26
signify it's permanence and if
he was going to change that, it
00:07:57.30\00:08:01.34
would be a lot clearer than a
little narrative like this that
00:08:01.37\00:08:05.38
doesn't seem to indicate
anything about a change of the
00:08:05.41\00:08:08.36
sacredness of the Sabbath.
You would certainly expect that.
00:08:08.39\00:08:11.31
Absolutely. Why don't you
pick up for us in verse 13.
00:08:11.34\00:08:14.61
Yeah. In verse 13 Paul heads
from Troas to Miletus and we see
00:08:14.64\00:08:18.30
he takes a circuitous route
and goes a few different places.
00:08:18.34\00:08:23.91
It says that in verse 16 Paul
had decided to sail past Ephesus
00:08:23.95\00:08:29.49
so that he not have to
spend time in Asia, for he was
00:08:29.52\00:08:34.21
hurrying to be at Jerusalem if
possible on the day of Pentecost
00:08:34.25\00:08:37.94
We touched on this a little bit
before. I want to pick up on it
00:08:37.97\00:08:41.68
again this time that some people
refer to this, in fact we talked
00:08:41.72\00:08:45.40
about the seventh-day Sabbath
and, Jim, I've had people who
00:08:45.43\00:08:49.05
say well the seventh day Sabbath
is, I see that it is something
00:08:49.09\00:08:52.95
that is still valid in the Bible
You know what, if we're keeping
00:08:52.98\00:08:56.26
the seventh day Sabbath like the
Jews did, we ought to also keep
00:08:56.30\00:08:59.54
the feasts days of the Jews
and they lump them together.
00:08:59.58\00:09:02.31
It needs to be understood
that the Bible doesn't do that.
00:09:02.34\00:09:05.04
The 10 commandments are
different from the laws and
00:09:05.07\00:09:07.85
ceremonies of Judaism.
Where there was some commonality
00:09:07.89\00:09:12.79
between the two there also are
clear differences. I think of
00:09:12.83\00:09:15.89
I Corinthians 7:19 where the
Apostle Paul says, circumcision
00:09:15.92\00:09:18.76
is nothing and uncircumcision
is nothing but the keeping of
00:09:18.79\00:09:21.25
the commandments of God is what
matters and he draws a clear
00:09:21.28\00:09:24.64
distinction. Leviticus 23 that
talks about the feast Sabbaths
00:09:24.68\00:09:27.87
and the seventh day Sabbath
draws a distinction in verses
00:09:27.90\00:09:31.03
that I believe it's 38 and 39 of
Leviticus 23, where the writer
00:09:31.06\00:09:38.02
Moses mentions the feast
Sabbaths in Leviticus 23 and
00:09:38.05\00:09:40.47
then he says these are besides
the Sabbaths of the Lord, so he
00:09:40.51\00:09:44.23
separates them there. Now people
will refer to this text and they
00:09:44.26\00:09:47.54
will say, but Paul was racing
to be in Jerusalem on the day of
00:09:47.58\00:09:51.56
Pentecost and that proves he was
a feast keeper. However, we're
00:09:51.59\00:09:55.53
in chapter 20 of the book
of Acts, we're many, many years
00:09:55.57\00:09:59.50
into the book of Acts. We go
back to verse 6 in this chapter
00:09:59.54\00:10:02.93
and it mentions also that they
sailed from Philippi after the
00:10:02.97\00:10:07.21
days of unleavened bread. Of
course that links in with the
00:10:07.24\00:10:11.42
other and people say well Paul's
keeping unleavened bread, Paul's
00:10:11.45\00:10:14.23
keeping Pentecost, but again
we're many years into the book
00:10:14.26\00:10:17.60
of Acts and this is the first
real account we have of their
00:10:17.64\00:10:21.48
desire to keep the feasts or
rather to be there at the feasts
00:10:21.52\00:10:25.33
It doesn't really even
say anything about keeping the
00:10:25.36\00:10:27.08
feasts. Furthermore in verse 16
it says that they were hurrying
00:10:27.12\00:10:33.26
to be at Jerusalem if possible.
So it wasn't even a requirement.
00:10:33.30\00:10:39.05
What we see happening here is
the Apostle Paul realizes that
00:10:39.09\00:10:44.77
the Passover season at Jerusalem
is where the crowds are gathered
00:10:44.81\00:10:49.84
It's going to be his
best opportunity to preach the
00:10:49.87\00:10:53.37
gospel of Christ. We've also
mentioned in a previous episode
00:10:53.40\00:10:56.25
that the Passover Jesus
fulfilled when he died on the
00:10:56.29\00:11:01.71
cross. He died on the 14th day
of the first month at twilight
00:11:01.75\00:11:04.38
just like that Passover
lamb had so many years before.
00:11:04.42\00:11:06.59
Paul was preaching Christ from
the scriptures, from those types
00:11:06.62\00:11:11.18
and prophecies and so what
better time, what time would
00:11:11.21\00:11:15.13
people be more open to the
preaching of Christ and seeing
00:11:15.17\00:11:18.72
those fulfillments but during
that season. So we see him
00:11:18.75\00:11:22.27
looking at this as an
evangelistic opportunity.
00:11:22.30\00:11:24.54
We don't find it in the
scripture as a practice of the
00:11:24.58\00:11:27.15
apostles. While we
do find the keeping of
00:11:27.19\00:11:29.98
the Sabbath to be a very clear
practice of the apostle all
00:11:30.01\00:11:33.27
through the book of Acts. Well
let's move on to verse 17 where
00:11:33.31\00:11:36.53
he comes to Ephesus and he
addresses the elders of the
00:11:36.57\00:11:41.94
church. In verse 18 it says, And
when they had come to him, he
00:11:41.98\00:11:46.77
said to them, and now this is
this beautiful last words as it
00:11:46.81\00:11:51.13
were for the elders of Ephesus
of the Apostle Paul. He says,
00:11:51.16\00:11:54.93
You know from the first day that
I came to Asia in what manner I
00:11:54.96\00:11:58.78
always lived among you, serving
the Lord with all humility, with
00:11:58.81\00:12:02.59
many tears and trials which
happened to me by the plotting
00:12:02.63\00:12:05.49
of the Jews, how I kept back
nothing that was helpful but
00:12:05.52\00:12:08.32
proclaimed it to you and taught
you publicly from house to house
00:12:08.35\00:12:12.85
testifying to Jews and also to
Greeks repentance toward God and
00:12:12.89\00:12:17.08
faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ. Now this is a beautiful
00:12:17.12\00:12:20.95
description of what he did and
I think that we need to learn
00:12:20.99\00:12:24.80
from the example of the Apostle
Paul here. Notice he said he
00:12:24.84\00:12:29.15
preached publicly and from house
to house. There are some who
00:12:29.19\00:12:33.47
believe that we need to
preach publicly but they get so
00:12:33.51\00:12:37.07
involved in just giving sermons
from a pulpit and there's so
00:12:37.11\00:12:42.85
much notoriety that
can be gained from that...
00:12:42.89\00:12:44.71
You can almost say enamored.
00:12:44.75\00:12:45.78
enamored by it and the type
of response that people give and
00:12:45.81\00:12:50.16
that sort of thing. It draws
some preachers, evangelists and
00:12:50.19\00:12:54.19
the like to just give sermons
all the time and think their
00:12:54.23\00:12:58.07
work is done. But the Apostle
Paul showed here that personal
00:12:58.11\00:13:01.56
work, house to house work,
visiting with people, caring for
00:13:01.60\00:13:04.89
them personally, giving personal
appeals to them was a very
00:13:04.93\00:13:08.57
important part of his work.
Not only that but there are
00:13:08.61\00:13:11.60
others who say, Well, you
know what, there's no need to
00:13:11.63\00:13:14.55
publicly proclaim. People don't
do that anymore. People don't
00:13:14.59\00:13:17.97
come out to that anymore. As a
Seventh-day Adventist minister I
00:13:18.01\00:13:22.23
know that I try to do a public
seminar regularly that teaches
00:13:22.27\00:13:25.54
the truths of the Bible and
there are some people who say
00:13:25.58\00:13:28.56
no need to do that anymore, we
just need to do personal work.
00:13:28.59\00:13:31.90
And I think that's wrong because
it doesn't follow the example
00:13:31.94\00:13:35.51
of the Apostle Paul either. I
believe that the two perfectly
00:13:35.55\00:13:39.09
joined together, public
proclamation followed up by
00:13:39.13\00:13:42.39
personal visitation and appeals
and work and those two together
00:13:42.43\00:13:46.89
made the Apostle
Paul's ministry effective.
00:13:46.92\00:13:49.06
That's right and this was not a
one-time thing he's recounting.
00:13:49.10\00:13:51.76
This was his practice.
Everywhere we see him going he's
00:13:51.79\00:13:54.89
doing public
proclamation and personal labor.
00:13:54.92\00:13:57.05
And if we are going to model our
church after the church of Acts
00:13:57.08\00:14:01.43
then we should have that same
practice. Well he has more to
00:14:01.47\00:14:04.81
say here but it looks like
we are in need of going to our
00:14:04.85\00:14:08.12
break. So at this time we ask
you to just stay tuned and we'll
00:14:08.15\00:14:11.29
be back to study
the book of Acts.
00:14:11.32\00:14:13.16