«　WEEK 7　DAY 4　»

　　Acts 20:7 And on the first day of the week, when we gathered together to break bread,….

　　Psa. 118:24 This is the day that Jehovah has made; Let us exult and rejoice in it.

　　God's Word says, "Not abandoning our own assembling together" (Heb. 10:25).… Because God dispenses His grace to us through the assembling together. God's grace to man can be divided into two categories --personal and corporate. God gives us not only personal grace but also corporate grace. This corporate grace can be found only in the assembling together or the meetings.

　　We have already spoken of the subject of prayer. One can learn to pray by himself at home; there is no doubt that God listens to such prayers. God listens to individual prayers. However, there is another kind of prayer. In order for this other kind of prayer to be answered, it must be prayed in the meetings…. If a person tries to do this alone, he will not get any answer. Many great matters must be prayed over in the meetings before God will answer. They must be brought to the prayer meeting before we see them come to pass. God's corporate grace comes to man only through the meetings.

　　We have also spoken of reading the Bible. Of course, God will give us individual grace when we read the Bible. However, some portions of the Word cannot be opened up by one person alone. God gives light when we meet…. [that] gives God the opportunity to shed His light…. If we do not meet with others, the most we can have is individual grace; we will miss a great part of the corporate grace. God will only give us corporate grace in the meeting. If we do not meet with others, we will not receive this grace. This is why the Bible charges us not to abandon our assembling together. (New Believers Series: Meeting, pp 204-206)

　　Acts 2 tells us that the early believers had the Lord's table, the breaking of bread, every day in their homes (vv. 42, 46). Later in Acts 20:6b ….says that the apostle Paul and his co-workers stayed in Troas for seven days. Then the next verse says that on the first day of the week they had the Lord's table. This strongly indicates that by that time the Lord's table was conducted mainly on the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, the day of resurrection.

　　We need to say a little word here about the difference between the Lord's Day and Sunday. Sunday is a heathen, idolatrous term adopted by Catholicism and maintained by our tradition. Actually, it is idolatrous to say a day belongs to the sun. The Bible refers to this day as the first day of the week. Revelation 1:10 calls this day "the Lord's Day." We must respect the first day of the week as a memorial of the Lord's resurrection. We should consider this day as a day of the Lord and for the Lord…. In ancient times, the saints eventually had the Lord's table on the Lord's Day, the first day of every week…. Today the best day for the Christians to meet together is the first day of the week, the Lord's Day. (Basic Lessons on Service, pp 16-17)

　　“This is the day that Jehovah has made; / Let us exult and rejoice in it.” (Psalms 118:24) Before this verse, it says in verse 22, “The stone which the builders rejected / Has become the head of the corner.” Peter pointed it out in Acts 4:10-11 that this verse is concerning Christ's resurrection. Therefore, “the day that Jehovah has made” is the day of the resurrection of the Lord. The day of the resurrection of the Lord did not happen accidentally but was ordained by God. God already mentioned in the types and prophesy in the Old Testament (Leviticus 23:10-11, Hosea 6:2). The Lord also mentioned clearly before His death (John 2:19, Matthew 16:21). This is a day which God especially ordained with a special purpose. Here it says, In this day, let us exult and rejoice in it. It is because in this day, the Lord resurrects, the Lord begins His new creation and the Lord makes us new creation. Therefore, we should exult and rejoice in this day, testifying the Lord's resurrection and should not be discouraged, nor sorrow, not like someone in the new creation in resurrection. (The Crucial Points in the Bible, Vol. 5, pp1341-1342)