[Biblemat] A) "EVERY FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK"

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Tuesday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here is an article from my recent files:

"EVERY FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK"

     While most folks understand why the Lord's Supper is to
be eaten ("in remembrance of Me," Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 11:
23-29), there is confusion over just exactly when the supper
is to be eaten.  There is no direct command concerning when
the Lord's Supper should be eaten, but there is an approved
apostolic example: "And upon the first day of the week, when
we were gathered together to break bread" (Acts 20:7).

     The first day of the week (our Sunday) was the day on which Jesus was  
raised from the dead (Jno. 20:1).  Just as
the Sabbath (seventh day of the week, our Saturday) was the
day Jews were to remember their deliverance from Egyptian
bondage (Deut. 5:15), so is the first day of the week the day
Christians are to remember their deliverance from the bond-
age of sin.  Jews remembered every Sabbath day, so are 
Christians to remember Christ's sacrifice every first day of the week by 
partaking of the Lord's Supper.  This is the Lord's day; a day of remembrance; the 
day Christ was raised
from the dead.  I think this argument is valid.  But let's consid-
er for a moment from the text itself.

     Paul told the Corinthians, "Upon the first day of the week
let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may prospel,
that no collections be made when I come" (1 Cor. 16:2).  This
passage not only authorizes a common treasury, but the coll-
ection of which is to be made "upon the first day of the week."  In the 
original Greek, the phrase rendered "upon the
first day" is "kata main."  In Acts 15:21 we see the phrase 
"kata polin" translated "every city," and in Rev. 22:2 we see
"kata mena" rendered "every month."  Hence, "kata main"
means literally "every first day" (Nestle Interlinear Greek-Eng-
lish New Testament, p. 704).  Paul tells these brethren "when
therefore ye assemble yourselves together" (1 Cor. 11:20) 
they were partaking of the Lord's Supper in an "unworthy
manner" (vs. 27).  Just when did they assemble themselves
together to eat the Lord's Supper?  We see this identified in
1 Cor. 16:2 as they met every first day of the week (kata main).  Since they 
met every first day of the week to break
bread, Paul tells them to "lay by in store" on this day as well.

     And so, while it is true that Jesus did not tell us when to
partake of the Supper at the time He instituted it, that is, what
day and how often, the approved example of Acts 20:7 not 
only binds upon the first day of the week as the only day auth-
orized by Scripture to partake of it, but it binds upon us every
first day of the week.  Also we must remember why apostolic
or approved examples are binding in the first place.  They are
binding because behind every approved example in the New
Testament lies a commandment of God.

     Why do you think the brethren at Troas and at Corinth met
on every first day of the week to partake of the Lord's Supper?  Do you think 
it was an arbitrary thing?  Absolutely
not!  They met on this day every week to partake of the Lord's Supper because 
God commanded them to do so.  So
why didn't God record the commandment?  I don't know, you'll have to take 
that up with God.  But could it be that He
considered remembering the death, burial and resurrection of
our Lord on the day He arose from the dead to be such a fundamental thing 
that recording the commandment to do so
was not necessary.    ------ G. Clark Dugger via Gospel Power
Vol. 14, No. 14, April 8, 2007.   </HTML>
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