The Lord's Day

Is there a special day that the church is commanded to assemble together to worship the true and living God? Can that day be identified? Does both "Sunday" and "the first day of the week" refer to the "Lord's day"? If such a day exists, what must the "church" do on that day?

We live in a society that now treats religion in a very casual manner. It is the age of "house churches" and congregations that divide up on Sunday evenings to gather in small groups in numerous homes ("cell groups"). What is implemented on Sunday evening will eventually come home to roost on Sunday morning. For decades now, the Sunday evening service has been treated as something less than the Sunday morning service. Are not both assemblies Lord's day worship services?

There is no Scripture that commands Christians to meet in a building, but the Scriptures do demand that Christians assemble together on a certain day. The apostle John specifically mentions "the Lord's day" (Rev. 1:10). Church historians, lexicons, and Bible dictionaries all refer to "the Lord's day" as Sunday or the first day of the week.

The church of the New Testament assembled on a regular basis. Please note the language Paul uses to describe the regular gathering of Christians in the early church. Paul uses terms like, "ye being gathered together" (1 Cor. 5:4), "when ye come together" (1 Cor. 11:18), "when therefore ye assemble yourselves together" (1 Cor. 11:20), and "if therefore the whole church be assembled together" (1 Cor. 14:23). It is easy to prove from the Scriptures that the early church had a regular time to assemble. It is also easy to see the pattern for assembly involved the "whole" church—not part of the church. There is absolutely no Scriptural authority whatsoever for congregations dividing up into "cell groups" or multiple "house churches" for their Lord's day assemblies!

In Hebrews 10:25 the writer warns the brethren not to forsake their assembling together. This verse of Scripture clearly depicts that the early church had a routine of "assembling together" and that some already had a habit of "forsaking the assembly."

We have examples of the early Christians coming together on the first day of the week. Paul and Luke refrained from further travel to gather with the local Christians on the Lord's Day (no other explanation is given for their deliberate delay). In Acts 20:6-7 we read:

And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them at Troas in five days, where we tarried seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.

Paul instructs saints at Corinth:

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I gave order to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye. Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come (1 Cor. 16:1-2).

The first day of the week is the day that Christ rose from the dead. The Scriptures read:

Now late on the Sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.... "He is not here; for he is risen, even as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matt. 28:1, 6).

The Holy Spirit fell on the apostles the 50th day after the Passover, the day of Pentecost. This would involve seven Sabbaths (49 days) plus one day, the 50th day, which would make it the first day of the week. Peter preached his sermon (Acts 2) on that day (Sunday or the Lord's Day).

The early Christians assembled together for a particular purpose—to worship. This is the very reason saints are to assemble together today! The most common word for worship, proskuneo, means "to kiss the hand toward." One cannot help but observe that this word denotes an act of reverence that requires a specific action! The Scriptures declare that the early Christians "continued steadfastly in the apostle's teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). Worship does not occur automatically, accidentally, or unknowingly.

We learn from the Scriptures that Abraham said to his young men: "...I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come again to you" (Gen. 22:5). In 1 Samuel 1:19 we read:

And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before Jehovah, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and Jehovah remembered her.

It is more than obvious that true worship of God has a beginning and an ending! The "all of life is worship" doctrine is blatantly false!

May we desire to assemble with the saints to worship every Sunday, which is also the Lord's Day or the first day of the week!

Bonham Street Beacon
Paris, Texas (June 19, 2011)