Was the Sabbath Day Changed to Sunday? (Acts 20:7)

Acts 20:7 ESV On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

It is commonly assumed that in Acts 20:7, Christians were holding the weekly holy assembly or “church service” on the first day of the week, since Paul was preaching a sermon to an assembled group of Christians, and they took “Holy Communion”.

However, the biblical text does not actually suggest that the meeting was a holy assembly. Paul was not preaching a sermon to the Christians who were present. Rather, the text says that Paul “talked with them” (v. 7) and “conversed with them” (v. 11). Also, the expression for “breaking bread” here does not refer to taking “Holy Communion”. Rather, breaking bread was simply a customary way of beginning a meal (Luk. 24:30; Acts 27:35).

Moreover, we know that this meeting was held quite late at night because of the presence of many lamps, and Paul prolonged his speech until midnight because he intended to depart in the morning (vv. 7–8). There is disagreement over whether this meeting was held on a Saturday night or on a Sunday night. In any case, this was not a church service being held on Sunday morning, afternoon, or evening!