Does this happen to you?

Acts 20:7-12 (NKJV)

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, "Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him." Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.

Actually, I have to confess. I often get sleepy during a sermon. Not because of the content of the message, (I think my pastor is the greatest preacher of this day) but mostly because I have a hard time sleeping at night because of arthritis. I am taking medicine now to help and its getting better. Anyway I can relate to this fellow who fell out of the window.

The reason for the all-night gathering was that Paul was about to depart and would never see these people again. There was a mutual love between Paul and the people of the churches he had started in Asia Minor. So it was a sweet last meeting interrupted by a tragedy followed by a miracle.

One thing to note from this bit of history is that they met on the first day of the week which is Sunday. This is a corroboration that the early church began to meet on the "Lord's Day" early on and did not require the new converts to keep the Sabbath laws. I have not checked this out myself but I have heard it said that of the ten commandments, you can find nine of them repeated as commands verbatim in the New Testament. The only one not mentioned in the New Testament is the command to keep the Sabbath holy. This fourth commandment was a sign to the Israelites of their covenant relationship with God.

Exodus 31:12-13 (NKJV)

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.