Why do churches meet on Sunday? The churches in the New Testament met on the first day of the week. Luke reported this is the common practice of churches of Christ (Acts 20:7). However, is this passage all the Bible speaks about meeting on the first day of the week?
The Lord’s Day
The apostle John revealed, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” (Rev 1:10). This Lord’s Day is not the Day of the Lord’s coming evidently or the Book of Revelation would have been too late and it would not have been written because John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. On this “Lord’s Day,” John heard a loud voice behind him like a trumpet, and it was the voice of Christ telling John to write a book and send it to seven churches of Asia (Rev 1:11). When John turned around, he saw the One who looked like the “Son of Man” in the midst of seven lamp stands. This “Son of Man” is the one whose voice sounded like the roar of many waters and from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword. John described him as a man in a long robe, a gold sash around his chest, and he shined like the sun in full strength. The man identified himself as “the first and the last” and “I died, and behold I am alive forevermore” (Rev 1).
In the Midst of Lamp Stands
What is significant that Christ is in the midst of the seven lamp stands? These seven lamp stands are the seven churches of Asia (Rev 1:20). Christ was in the midst of the churches on the Lord’s Day. “In the midst” is from Greek phrase en meso, which is also found in Matthew 18:20, where Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Paul also refers to the gathering of the saints as being in Christ’s name (1 Cor 5:4). In Revelation 1, John has presented that Christ was in the midst of the churches on the Lord’s Day. The Lord’s Day is the day of the assembly.
The Day of Assembly
Furthermore, the Greek word for “Lord” for “Lord’s Day” in Revelation 1:10 is the adjective kuriakos. This adjective is found only one other place in 1 Corinthians 11:20 referring to “the Lord’s Supper.” The churches in the New Testament only partook of the he Lord’s Supper when they gathered together. These descriptions identify again that the Lord’s Day is the day of the assembly in which Christians partook of the Lord’s Supper. A day known by all Christians especially those of whom Christ writes to in Asia Minor. The command for the assembly and the Lord’s Supper clearly include the Lord’s Day. Which day is this?
The First Day of the Week
Luke reported, “And upon the first day of the week when the disciples having been assembled to break bread,” (Acts 20:7a). The first day of the week was the day of assembling of the disciples to break bread. The apostle Paul described this breaking of bread as the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 10:16). Paul described the assembly as when Christians came together to eat the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:33; cf. 11:21–22). This is the Lord’s Day for which John wrote.
Christ rose on the first day of the week (Matt 28:1; John 20:19). Jesus met with the eleven on this day (John 20:19). Jesus blessed the bread for the Lord’s Supper on this day (Luke 24:30, 35). The Church established on the Day of Pentecost which was on the first day of the week (Acts 2:1; cf. Pentecost Lev 23:15–16). The churches collected to aid other churches in need on this day (1 Cor 16:1). The Scriptures repeatedly record that the day of Jesus’s resurrection was on the “third day” (Matt 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Mark 9:31, Luke 9:22; 13:32; 18:33; 24:7, 21, 46; Acts 10:40; 1 Cor 15:4).
Conclusion
The Lord’s Day is the first day of the week for the assembly in Christ’s name. This is the day of the assembly to partake of the Lord’s Supper, and on this day, Christ is in the midst of His churches. When must Christians assemble? If anyone loves Christ, they will assemble on the first day of the week (John 14:21, 23; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 6). The apostle Paul exhorted, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together [the assembly], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb 10:24–25 ESV).
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The Breath of God 
I certainly think Christ is our pattern and I believe the gospel regulates both our assemblies and life. It is not legalism to seek patterns or to live by patterns. It is legalism to use those patterns in such a way that they undermine salvation by grace through faith.
The interesting question, however, is whether the “order” discerned within the New Testament is a test of fellowship among believers. Do we believe that conformity to this order is necessary to salvation? Is it the intent to identify the marks of the church that defined the true church so that every other body of believers who did not conform to those marks was apostate and thus outside the fellowship of God?
The question to pursue, however, is when does patternism subvert the gospel of grace in such a way that it actually becomes a legalism. That question belongs to a future post.
The first day of the week is the day of remembrance, the day of our redemption, because it is the day on which God raised Jesus from the dead and created the church. The same reason the church gathers every first day of the week is the same reason it should eat the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week. Whatever reason one might offer for not eating every Sunday, the same reason could be given for not meeting. Whatever reason one might offer for meeting every Sunday, the same reason could be given for eating. It is a day of worship and a day of celebration because of what God has done in the gospel, and the gospel is proclaimed in the Lord’s Supper. If the Lord’s Supper is a celebration of the resurrection, why omit the very ordinance God has given us to celebrate it when we gather on the first day of the week to celebrate the resurrection? If gathering every first day of the week to celebrate our redemption through the gospel is appropriate, why is not the use of God’s gift of the Lord’s Supper equally appropriate? The church as a whole should return to the early Christian practice of breaking bread every Sunday…out of love for Christ.
Take care, Scott.
Scott, the Law of Christ isnt the problem here. The inconsistency is the problem here. And you lie by holding back the truth. You know you and others disagree on doctrinal issues such as the Holy Spirit, but you wish to hide these facts while pretending to follow “the pattern.”
Far as scripture twisting goes, maybe you should check the context of John, before posting. John wasn’t referring to your set of rules when he said abiding in the doctrine of Christ. The context bares out what he refers to…shall you take a scripture and put spin on it where John did not?
What you really mean by abiding in the doctrine Christ is abiding is what Scott understands the scriptures to say. What say ye about the Holy Spirit residing in the believer? I know brethren who disagree on this doctrine. Which are abiding in the doctrine of Christ……both??? Which pattern is right on this Scott? The one wrong is not abiding in the doctrine of Christ per your understanding, so both cant be right……now tell us all….who is following the pattern the same?
“You want every New Testament command given to you in a list? Will you then scoff that what you would label a “checklist”? No wonder no one wants to cast pearls before swine. Who is going to take the Bible and make into a list of hundreds of commands for you? Read and obey.”
Scott, this is clearly a cop-out – but at least you are admitting what I already stated. You have no such list, correct? Lets not call it a list….tell me what each and every church of Christ follows on marriage! The pattern each and every church follows on marriage?? Same with the Holy Spirit…you know we all disagree on points on these issues….there goes your pattern. Scott, I am shocked by your dishonesty and it saddens me that you wish to hide what you know to be true.
Those who embrace the concept of patternism will repeatedly represent this “pattern” as being clearly specified by God in Scripture, but when pressed for a complete doctrinal list, that each church of Christ follows……total silence. The reason: We all do not follow the same pattern! They declare there is a list of specifics, but they refuse to declare what it is.
“Patternism is nothing more than legalism under a different name. It is the ‘other gospel’ warned of in the Galatian letter. It places our salvation as dependent upon our being shrewd lawyers and clever detectives, picking and choosing from the faint scriptural clues, with the blanks filled in with our own logic. We must fulfill this law to precision or face the fires of hell. This takes the focus off of Christ, His Grace, and our personal relationship with Him.
We are not saved by some ‘pattern’ we read into the Scriptures. Trying to behold an imaginary pattern is like looking at the emperor’s new clothes. Let us behold instead our Pattern — Jesus Christ — that on judgment day we will truly be clothed in His righteousness, and let us hope that the patternists will come to their senses and not be found foolish and naked, or standing in the filthy rags of their own self-righteousness” (Daniel E. Shumaker, The Examiner, vol. 8, no. 2, March, 1993).
Btw, you are more than welcome to come over to my blog and provide the doctrinal list that each and every church of Christ follows – you know you guys are split over many issues and have no real pattern. Do you ever admit when you are wrong? Come clean, Scott. You know this to be true. You guys teach different things on marriage and on the Holy Spirit……and that is more than one pattern. People are seeing through your inconsistency. I suggest you go visit Todd Deavers blog, who also is a conservative church of Christ preacher. Sat least he is honest about what all is going on and not wishing to hide things , willing to reveal things, in hope that we can be one and not be so divided. I got to go. ttyl
“Why is your heart so hard? Have you ever had to confess that you were wrong or even that you were wrong about being wrong?
Many times Scott, maybe you should ask this of yourself.
Strange, nobody on my blog will provide a detailed doctrinal list that each and every conservative church of Christ follows from cover to cover of the bible……na, not really. They know their list will be different from another conservative church of Christ preacher/assembly.
One conservative church of Christ preacher will say…..”the Holy Spirit resides in the believer” – another will say, “no he doesn’t, but you are still my brother.” Then, another will say, “you who teach this are apostate.” Then there are those marriage issues too….many examples of conservative church of Christ preachers holding different positions. We are good at throwing the expedient card out on issues like fellowship halls and such, but we cant on the Holy Spirit and marriage – these are clearly doctrinal. We need to stop the charade and stop pretending we have all of the answers and stop this nonsense. We are breaking the body into more and more groups because we refuse to accept each other the same as Jesus accepted us all……………it is sad……very sad!
Far as I know, we agree on baptism.
I am not saying we should break Christ laws, Scott. You are evading the point. It is not Christ laws that causes so many problems, it is our laws.
It is pretty obvious that we all understand the bible differently on various doctrines, but some will argue that God made a bible easy to understand. If this were true, then show me 5 church of Christ assemblies who agree upon everything. The bible requires much study and digging… and even then, we miss things. I know one church of Christ preacher who had a disagreement with another church of Christ preacher over a marriage issue, which is clearly doctrinal. But, they remained united in their diversity. They just didn’t let everyone else know.
Here is how I accept people: I follow the true pattern, Jesus! He accepts sinners who have no doctrinal knowledge or very little doctrinal knowledge and counts them as His “called out ones” – the church. I will accept them on this basis too. To do other wise, is to play God. I will let God separate the wheat from the tares. He does the saving, not I ! True unity is in how Jesus accepted us, and that is how I will accept others. Those who do not choice this path are the very ones promoting divisions and dividing the body. When Peter preached the first Gospel sermon, he preached Jesus and they were saved/added to the body. They learned other doctrine afterwards, and I know they had their disagreements back then too.
Wonder if they had any church of Christ debates over playing the harp or cymbals :)
Do you have the Passover Feast during Passover with the Lord’s Supper? Do you have the Passover Feast during Passover having all the elements of the Passover Feast as Jesus ate when He authorized the Lord’s Supper?
Mark 14:12-31
“Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples? Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.” So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover. In the evening He came with the twelve. Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.” And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?” He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.” And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to play baseball, John began talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his stay until midnight.”
Does this mean that they played baseball each and every Sunday? You know the answer is no. It is just something they done on a Sunday.
And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together for a picnic, Sally began talking to us, intending to depart the next day, and she prolonged her visit until midnight.”
Did they have a picnic every Sunday? You know the answer is no. It is just something they done on a Sunday.
The blunt reality is — and many seem very reluctant to face this — we simply have insufficient data with regard to the phrase “breaking bread” to insist upon any one interpretation or practice over another. Yes, we all have our personal convictions, and that is good. We have also embraced certain traditional practices based upon those shared convictions, and that also is fine. What we must never do, however, is assume that all those who differ with us are godless wretches with dishonest motives and darkened hearts who are bound straight for the torments of hell. This is the perspective of militant factionists and sectarians, and does not reflect the spirit of Christ Jesus. We need to rise above such ignorance and ignominy. We are children of God … we can do better than that! Love demands it; Unity demands it; our Witness to the world demands it. May God help us all to live and love outside the guarded gates of our dogma, for when we do so we enjoy the blessings of the expanded parameters of God’s household of faith. “Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor. 10:17).