Does The "Weekly Sunday Services in NT" suggestion survive Acts 13? No?

BobRyan said:

Let's read the details in Acts 13 to explore the idea that in the NT we are told about weekly Sunday worship services for Christians replacing the Bible Sabbath worship services teaching for the people of God prior to that time.

We know from Acts 18:4 they "meet every Sabbath" for gospel preaching to both Jews and gentiles

But the suggestion being tested in this thread is that even though we have "every Sabbath" gospel preaching in worship service in Acts 18:4 (for both gentiles and Jews" YET in doing so we can imagine that they say :
"and for those here wanting MORE gospel preaching join us TOMORROW for our weekly worship service for gospel accepting Christians that want to hear the gospel each week".

In Acts 13 we have Paul preaching the pure gospel to a group of gentiles and Jews. An event where the chapter tells us many of the Jews are not entirely happy with what is going on (as stated in the text). Yet the gentiles are very happy with what they are hearing according to the text.

It is clear from the Acts 13 text and gentile response that : the ONE thing Paul is NOT saying is "join us TOMORROW for more gospel preaching". How do we know that? Because the text says the gentiles wait for the Jews to leave the meeting then go to Paul and ask for MORE Gospel preaching to be scheduled for them THE NEXT SABBATH. (as opposed to the much supposed "tomorrow on what you are calling week day 1".

That fact alone sinks the entire "every sunday worship services happened even though never mentioned " idea

"Some" may suggest "Sunday services was an early church tradition that evolved over time, one that we can track in history
while not seeing it at all in the Bible".. What? So in Acts 13 Paul "had not thought of it yet"?


We could argue that "Paul’s presence in the synagogues every Sabbath was a strategic mission" for evangelism not for Christian weekly meetings".
The problem with that is that "solution" is that it dismisses THE ONLY example we have in all of the NT for a weekly gospel preaching worship service.

You "would think" that if they had the mission of switching the day of worship for God's people FROM the Bible Sabbath TO some other day , this message would be at the top of their agenda ENOUGH to at least mention such a weekly worship service at least ONCE. At least as often as they mention their "EVERY SABBATH" gospel preaching in Acts 18:4.. instead we have "crickets..."

Acts 13 is A great place to mention "We meet every week day 1 , so if you want more gospel preaching join us TOMORROW", instead of leaving us with a NT text that does not make such a claim even ONCE.

Yet the gentile gospel-accepting believers were given no such invitation as Acts 13 shows, and so when the Jews leave the meeting the gentiles ask for MORE Gospel preaching to be scheduled for THEM , the NEXT Sabbath.

"Every week Sunday services" not only NEVER mentioned in scripture but also clearly absent from the entire Acts 13 narrative, a Christian narrative of a very "instructive" event.

The "every week Sunday services" suggestion simply does not survive close attention to detail in Acts 13.

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Paul's patterns in Acts 13 confirm he addressed non-believers. In the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, he spoke to "men of Israel" and "those who fear God," appealing to their shared history to introduce the salvation found in Jesus. Those who eventually believed were only called "disciples" after they accepted his message and followed him out of the synagogue.

BobRyan said:

The ones asking HIM for MORE Gospel preaching in Acts 13 are gentiles not Jews. They ask for MORE Gospel preaching to be given to them "The NExt Sabbath" to reach more of their gentile friends. And notice what they do ... they invite all their gentiles friends for that NEXT Sabbath.

There is no hint of "tomorrow we have gospel preaching" in the entire chapter!
If ever there was a time to raise to to the level of "honorable mention" it would be when they are planning a massive gentile evangelism event for "more gospel preaching" as the gentiles indicated to Paul in Acts 13.

The gentiles worship God in the synagogue as the text says , and the JEWs were not happy seeing that the gospel was being accepted by many many gentiles "almost the whole city" as the text says.

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I know we keep going down this road. Once again, they were seekers, not yet "actual Christians" who had established their own separate gathering. Furthermore, Acts 13:43 mentions that after the synagogue congregation broke up, many followed Paul and Barnabas, who "persuaded them to continue in the grace of God." This suggests that their commitment was a new development resulting from the day's preaching.

Lets just leave for now.

Thanks for sharing!

Maria Billingsley said:

I know we keep going down this road. Once again, they were seekers, not yet "actual Christians" who had established their own separate gathering. Furthermore, Acts 13:43 mentions that after the synagogue congregation broke up, many followed Paul and Barnabas, who "persuaded them to continue in the grace of God." This suggests that their commitment was a new development resulting from the day's preaching.

Lets just leave for now.

Thanks for sharing!

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After I leave church services on the Sabbath I am certainly not persuaded to not continue in the grace of God. Not sure what that has to do with deleting one of the commandments of God. Grace has never given anyone a license to sin. Rom6:1-2 and break the law of God 1John3:4 Mat5:19-30

Maria Billingsley said:

Paul's patterns in Acts 13 confirm he addressed non-believers. In the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, he spoke to "men of Israel" and "those who fear God," appealing to their shared history to introduce the salvation found in Jesus. Those who eventually believed were only called "disciples" after they accepted his message and followed him out of the synagogue.

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My Bible says this:

Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.
Acts 13:16 Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:

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26 “Men and brethren, sons of the [a]family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the [b]word of this salvation has been sent.

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This is what the Bible teaches on fearing God.

Pro 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

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Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.

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Rev 14: 6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

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Not an example of unbelievers.

SabbathBlessings said:

After I leave church services on the Sabbath I am certainly not persuaded to not continue in the grace of God. Not sure what that has to do with deleting one of the commandments of God. Grace has never given anyone a license to sin. Rom6:1-2 and break the law of God 1John3:4 Mat5:19-30

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Correct! That's because Paul was exclusively preaching to seekers not believers at any given Synagogue. The Church did not meet in the Synagogue , that shoukd be obviousas they were continually being kicked out. Those who wanted to hear more, moved on to a separate venue.
I don't know how many times I need to say this. It is clearly inscription. We clearly have a different lens in which to understand this.

Thanks for sharing!

Maria Billingsley said:

Correct! That's because Paul was exclusively preaching to seekers not believers at any given Synagogue. The Church did not meet in the Synagogue , that shoukd be obviousas they were continually being kicked out. Those who wanted to hear more, moved on to a separate venue.
I don't know how many times I need to say this. It is clearly inscription. We clearly have a different lens in which to understand this.

Thanks for sharing!

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So in your view people who fear God are the unbelievers when the Holy Bible teaches the opposite. Perhaps you can show through Scripture how you come to this conclusion.

I do not believe the apostles were rebellious against one of God's commandments, there is no evidence of this in Scripture anywhere including the Sabbath which they kept holy every Sabbath decades and decades after the Cross just as Jesus indicated Isa56:6-7 Mat24:20 and continues for the saints Isa66:23

They were kicked out of the synagogues because they were preaching the gospel to Gentiles, which made some of the unbelieving Jews jealous. But they continued every Sabbath regardless according to the Scriptures. Why the gospel was going to the Gentiles not on every first day as you suggested with no Scriptural evidence but on the Sabbath day.

Acts 13:42 [n]So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. 43 Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

Did the apostle's correct the Gentiles and said Gentiles worship on the first day? Of course not because everything they did was always according to Christ Col2:8

44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us:

Did they teach this on a different day? Of course not....

Acts 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

Just as Jesus foretold on the Sabbath His house of prayer would be for all nations Isa56:6-7

God only blessed and sanctified one day to keep holy, the apostles were never rebellious against one of the commandments of God.

The apostles did the will of God which is both on earth as it is in heaven


Heb 12:23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

When is the assembly in heaven, the LORD told us, not the first day.

Isa 66:23 And it shall come to pass
That from one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another,
All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.

SabbathBlessings said:

That's not what my Bible says:




This is what the Bible teaches on fearing God.





Not an example of unbelievers.

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They were hearing Judaism. 1st-century Jewish worshippers gathered to hear the Torah and the Prophets, maintaining a faith centered on the Mosaic Law and the traditions of their ancestors.
Gentiles who attended were often "God-fearers," individuals attracted to Jewish monotheism and morality without undergoing full conversion.

SabbathBlessings said:

So in your view people who fear God are the unbelievers when the Holy Bible teaches the opposite. Perhaps you can show through Scripture how you come to this conclusion.

You keep quoting "you" I am more interested in what the Bible says.

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They were hearing Judaism. 1st-century Jewish worshippers gathered to hear the Torah and the Prophets, maintaining a faith centered on the Mosaic Law and the traditions of their ancestors.
Gentiles who attended were often "God-fearers," individuals attracted to Jewish monotheism and morality without undergoing full conversion.

Just checking to see if this forum allows different interpretations of the Sabbath and the Law or if this is actually an SDA or Sabbath keeper safe place.
Don't want to break any rules!

Maria Billingsley said:

They were hearing Judaism. 1st-century Jewish worshippers gathered to hear the Torah and the Prophets, maintaining a faith centered on the Mosaic Law and the traditions of their ancestors.
Gentiles who attended were often "God-fearers," individuals attracted to Jewish monotheism and morality without undergoing full conversion.

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Can you please quote Scripture so we can see the entire context. This idea that the apostles taught we no longer have to do what is God deems as righteousness Isa56:1-2 and profane one of God's commandments is not something I have found in Scripture.

Maria Billingsley said:

They were hearing Judaism. 1st-century Jewish worshippers gathered to hear the Torah and the Prophets, maintaining a faith centered on the Mosaic Law and the traditions of their ancestors.
Gentiles who attended were often "God-fearers," individuals attracted to Jewish monotheism and morality without undergoing full conversion.

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The Bible I read states something different

Acts 13:44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.

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Acts 17: 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

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I find it interesting Christians claim the resurrection changed the Sabbath commandment, but yet Paul preaches the word of God on the Sabbath about Jesus resurrection and yet not one word about a change to one of God's commandments. Paul taught everything must be according to Christ Col2:8, Christ certainly never taught a change to one of His commandments He plainly taught the opposite Mat5:18-19 Mat15:3-14

SabbathBlessings said:

We are free to use any interpretation but when it goes against a plain thus saith the LORD we should consider who we are really arguing with.

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Great! Thank you for the clarification!

SabbathBlessings said:

The Bible I read states something different

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I understand! Thanks for sharing!

The old covenant Bible Sabbath ended when the new and better covenant took its place. Time and time again, the New Testament tells us that the Law had ended. This has been covered in this forum hundreds of times, yet we see posts like the above trying to prove that the Sabbath of only the old covenant Jews is still to be kept by everyone. The fact is, there is nowhere in all of scripture that requires Gentiles to observe any day, including Sunday. We are admonished to:
Hebrews 10:25
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Why would Paul be teaching them Sabbath observance when in Col2 he tells the believers not to let anyone judge them for not observing special days, new moons, and the Sabbath? Those things are shadows; they don't exist anymore.

Regarding Col 2:16 if carefully studying the context one would not come to the conclusion that Paul was teaching against what God both wrote and spoke Exo20:8-11 He said everything had to be according to Christ in this very passage Col2:8 Please find one verse from Christ where He taught we can do not need to keep the 4th commandment.

There are several different Sabbaths in the Bible that uses the same word, but has very different meanings.

There is the seventh day Sabbath- instituted at Creation Exo20:11 Gen2:1-3, came before sin, reaffirmed in the Ten Commandments Exo20:8-11, written by God personally Exo31:18, placed inside God’s ark Exo40:20 God called it “the holy day of the Lord” Isa58:13

There are the annual sabbath(s) feast days that are always tied to animal sacrifices, they don’t always fall on the seventh day can be on any day and came after the fall and were handwritten by Moses, placed besides the ark of God’s covenant came after sin.

• 1st day of Unleavened Bread
• 7th day of Unleavened Bread
• Pentecost
• Trumpets
• Day of Atonement
• 1st day of Tabernacles
• 8th day of Tabernacles

We see these in Leviticus 23 and these are additional feasts besides the Sabbath of the Lord- the seventh day Sabbath Lev 23:37-38

So I think we are being quick to assume by seeing the word Sabbath that has different meanings and assuming it means the Holy Day of the Lord that comes with God's blessing and sanctification , without looking at the context that Paul carefully gave and we should let the Bible interpret itself.

Col 2:14 KJV Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.

Col 2:14 NASB having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Greek word for handwriting: χειρόγραφον (cheirographon)
Literally: “something written by hand

Ordinances
τοῖς δόγμασιν (tois dogmasin)
Meaning: “decrees,” “regulations,” “legal demands”

It is a legal document that condemns sinners why Paul used the word “against us” and “contrary to us”. The law does not condemn the righteous, it condemns the sinners.

Just from this context that Paul gave we can eliminate the Ten Commandments, but lets let Scripture interpret Scripture.

Who wrote the handwritten ordinances?

2 Chron 33:8 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers—only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.

What law is the law that was contrary and against?

Deut 31:24-26 So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: 26 “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you;


It appears from the text that this is not referring to the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments that was written by God Himself by His finger Exo31:18 placed inside the ark of the covenant, not besides like the annual sabbath(s) connected to animal sacrifices.


This is the law that was taken away at the Cross.

Col 2:16 let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

This is the exact language referring to the annual sabbath(s) that were handwritten by Moses, placed besides the ark that refer to annual feasts days, sacrifices and offerings that some were also called sabbath(s)

Eze 45:17 and it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.


What did Jesus say He would come to put an end to? (compared to magnifying another law- by placing it in our hearts Isa42:21 Heb8:10)


Dan 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.


Col 2:17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ

What are the shadows laws? Lets let the Scriptures define what they are

Heb 10:1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once []purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’ ”

8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, []O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been []sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all

This fits the context of this passage perfectly and makes the Bible harmonize because we see Sabbath-keeping (every Sabbath) 30+ years after the Cross just as Jesus Himself indicated Isa 56:6-7 Acts 13:42, Acts 13:44 Acts 15:21 Acts 18:4 and up to His Second Coming Mat24:20-30 and forever Isa66:22-23