.. when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them..

Acts 20:7b ESV

Talk of Jesus into the late night hours

Acts 20:

Acts pf the Apostles 20:7 KJV
google earth map of third missionary journey of Paul - TalkofJESUS.com

A.D. 52-57

The following 2-part post from just six verses in Acts 20 and Paul's third missionary journey focuses on two topics:

1. An extra long sermon (not so unusual for ANY pastor so it would seem) AND 
2. an extraordinary sign suggesting that Paul is also a Prophet of Almighty God.

a Sunday service before their Monday departure

Luke records in Acts 20 that the Apostle Paul is already on his way home.

And we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas within five days; and there we stayed seven days. – Acts of the Apostles 20:6

a weekly Sunday worship

Let's not miss the context and content of this day which was likely sometime in the year of our Lord 56. 

Call it what you like: worship, a service, gathering or mass. These Christians of Troas welcomed Paul and his missionary companions into their weekly time together as a community in Christ.

Holy Communion

About this same time [A.D. 55 or 56] in his first letter back to the church in Corinth Paul will also instruct worshipers to obediently partake in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus.

communion cup of wine

The Sermon of a Church Father
Note that Paul is NOT the local day-to-day Pastor and Shepherd of this church. The Apostle speaks to a large group gathered in Troas for worship. 

A crowded Christian gathering in an upper room anticipates Paul's Spirit-led exhortation [encouragement, both positive and cautionary].

AND Paul's 'talk' was not simply a one-man sermon to the flock without response but included extended additional dialogue.

διαλέγομαι – in the Greek – discuss (in argument or exhortation):—dispute, preach (unto), reason (with), speak.

Source: Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words – Strong’s G1256 – dialegomai

Paul kept talking until midnight. He prolonged his speech or message.

Luke uses the root word describing this dialogue (dialegomai) of Paul’s message lasting until midnight for these believers.

  • of speech
    • a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea
    • what someone has said
    • discourse
    • doctrine, teaching
Luke opens ACTS using this same word referring to his Gospel as his 'first account' [prōtos logos].

(for dialogue between the men of the church)


Luke does not mention the time of their regular Sunday worship.

It could have been nine or eleven in the morning. Perhaps it was an evening service planned for after the saints typically ate their evening meal at home with their families.

SEE Paul's mention of this in 1 Corinthians 11:17-22 THE LORD'S SUPPER

Acts of the Apostles 20:8 LSB
flickering candle on stand

Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the windowsill, sinking into a deep sleep.

Eutychus after he falls to his death from an upper room window in Troas while Paul and the men dialogue until midnight - Acts of the Apostles 20:7-9

This young man, a boy likely brought by his father to the upper room of their evening service precariously perched himself in an open window where air circulated into the crowded place of worship.

BUT he just couldn’t last through all the long talk of JESUS by the Apostle Paul and others.

(Perhaps by midnight what little breeze had revived the boy had subsided into stillness.)

He FELL to his death!

Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.

ACTS of the Apostles 20:9 KJV

This sudden incident brought the church meeting and Paul’s talk to an abrupt end.

The boy’s father and worshipers listening to Paul’s talk must have been stunned as the young man suddenly fell to his death.

So these men rushed downstairs and then outside to witness the apparent tragedy of the young man Eutychus for themselves.


What Luke records NEXT in his account is both significant and perhaps largely ignored in 21st century C.E. preaching about the early history of the Church.

THEREFORE, we will leave the outcome of this evening for NEXT time and by way of comparison also look at Scripture concerning other Prophets (as I have suggested of the Apostle Paul).

ACTS of the Apostles – To Be Continued… in A.D. 1st c. Troas, God-willing


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