Daily Devotional for Wednesday, April 5

Paul in Troas

“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight,” Acts 20:7

In churches across the land, at about 11:45 on a Sunday morning, you might notice something if you were paying attention. What you might see is people glancing at watches, foot tapping, and notes and pens being put back into Bible cases. What is happening here? It is almost time to go! We all know that the Baptist bylaws say all sermons must end just before noon, right? We have Sunday dinners to finish, restaurants to get to and naps to take.
On the other hand, in our devotional passage, we see that when the saints gathered together on Sunday to hear the Word preached and to fellowship, that Paul preached until midnight. He was leaving the next day, and it seemed that he wanted to get all of his words in. Paul preached so long that a fellow named Eutychus fell asleep, fell from a third story window and died. Thankfully, Paul interrupted his preaching to lay hands on the fellow and bring him back around. These early believers were serious about getting together and learning about their God.
We should also be serious about it. Aside from reaching out to a lost world, building each other up and strengthening each other should be our top priorities. Jesus said so. In the Great Commission, we are instructed to make disciples. Disciples must be made in person. Are you doing your part? Do you gather with God’s people when they gather? Are you an encouragement to other believers by your presence at every opportunity? You cannot do much to edify others if the only time you are around is forty-five minutes on a Sunday morning.

THOUGHT: The body of Christ, His church needs personal togetherness and fellowship for edification.

Wally Fry