A very important part of Paul’s 3rd missionary journey was collecting money from the churches to take to the poor saints in Jerusalem. He said that this was a way for the mainly Gentile churches that he had established (Corinth, Philippi, Galatia, etc.) to show their appreciation for the role of the Jerusalem church in spreading the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul’s base of operation for his 3 missionary journeys was Antioch of Syria, but that church in Antioch was started by Jewish Christians fleeing persecution in Jerusalem (Acts 11:19-26). The persecution of Christians in Jerusalem first started in Acts 8:1-3 and they spread through Judea and Samaria, but in Acts 11 they had spread north to Antioch, establishing a mainly Gentile church there. Acts 11:¹⁹ So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks as well, preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. ²² The ^[q]news about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off ^[s]to Antioch. ²³ Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; ²⁴ for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And considerable numbers were added to the Lord. ²⁵ And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they ^[w]met with the church and taught considerable numbers of people; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” So the Jewish Jerusalem church was considered the “mother church” of the Gentile churches.

Paul, in his Romans letter written from Corinth during his 3rd journey, comments on this 3rd journey collection in Romans 15:²² For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you (i.e. to the Christians in Rome); ²³ but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you ²⁴ whenever I go to Spain—(tradition and the Muratorian Canon said that he did make a visit to Spain after his release from 2 years of house arrest in Acts 28) for I hope to see you in passing (he did get to go to Rome but as a prisoner Acts 27-28), and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while— ²⁵ but now, I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints. ²⁶ For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. ²⁷ For they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to do them a service also in material things. ²⁸ Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain. ²⁹ I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.” Perhaps the Jewish saints in Jerusalem were still suffering from an earlier famine, predicted by the prophet Agabus, in the reign of Claudius for which the church in Antioch had taken up a collection and sent it via Paul and Barnabas (Acts 11:27-30).

Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians written during his 3 year stay in Ephesus while on his 3rd journey, spoke of this collection: 1 Corinthians 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints (i.e. the poor saints in Jerusalem), as I directed the churches of Galatia (no actual record of this in his letter to the Galatians), so you are to do as well. ² On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save as he may prosper, so that no collections need to be made when I come. ³ When I arrive, whomever you approve, I will send them with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem; ⁴ and if it is appropriate for me to go also, they will go with me.” There were several delegates from the different churches who traveled with Paul toward the end of his 3rd journey all the way to Jerusalem carrying the contributions from their respective churches. AI: “When Paul traveled to Jerusalem with church contributions (the “collection”) for the poor saints, he was accompanied by several delegates representing the Gentile churches, including Luke, Sopater (son of Pyrrhus) of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus (both from Thessalonica), Gaius (from Derbe), Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus (from Asia/Ephesus). These men served as witnesses to ensure the funds from churches in Macedonia, Achaia (Greece), and Asia were delivered faithfully, building unity and preventing suspicion.”

AI: “The early church in Corinth, like many New Testament churches, met in various homes (house churches) but had a regular, collective assembly on the first day of the week (Sunday), primarily for worship, fellowship, and to take collections for the needy in Jerusalem, as described in Paul’s letters, particularly 1 Corinthians. This Sunday gathering was a significant, unified event for the whole congregation, even as daily fellowship occurred in smaller home groups, emphasizing both intimate community and broader unity. Evidence suggests that early Christians, including those in the Corinthian era, met on Sunday mornings before dawn specifically because Sunday was a regular work day in the Roman world. Sunday became a non-work day in the Roman world on March 7, 321 AD, when Emperor Constantine issued a civil law decreeing that all judges, city dwellers, and craftsmen should rest on “the venerable day of the sun,” though agricultural labor was still permitted. This decree, reflecting both Christian and pagan sun-worship influences (like Mithraism), marked the first national legal recognition of Sunday as a day of rest, establishing it as a public holiday alongside existing festival days. Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs) teach that Sunday worship originated from pagan sun worship and was later adopted by the Catholic Church, eventually becoming the standard Christian practice, which they see as a deviation from the biblical Saturday Sabbath. They argue that early Christians, influenced by Roman culture and the “apostate” church, shifted worship from Saturday (the biblical Sabbath) to Sunday (the pagan “Lord’s Day” or “Sun’s Day”), a change solidified by Roman Emperor Constantine in 321 AD.”

A couple of points here. It is obvious from 1 Corinthians 16:1 and Acts 20:7 that the early Christians had already (by around 55 AD) had begun to have their main assembly on Sundays, the first day of the week. No doubt the Jewish Christians, during the transition period from AD 30 to AD 70, still observed the Sabbath and gathered in their synagogues for Saturday worship and instruction. But the Gentile Christians were never commanded to keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath keeping was a special sign and command for the Jewish (Exodus 31:16-17) and Gentiles were never commanded to observe the Sabbath. Some protestants taught that “Sunday was the Christian sabbath” but that is not true. The Sabbath was and still is Saturday, but Gentile Christians do not have to “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” as commanded in the 10 commandments. So saying that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath in order to say that one is keeping the 4th commandment (of the 10) is not accurate.

In the 2nd century, “historical accounts, particularly from Pliny the Younger (c. 110 AD) and writings from early Church Fathers, confirm that 2nd-century Christians regularly met on the first day of the week (Sunday) before dawn to worship Christ, sing hymns, and share a meal, celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and new creation, even as some continued Jewish practices while shifting focus to this “Lord’s Day”. The Didache (Early 2nd Century): An early Christian manual that speaks of gathering to break bread on the Lord’s Day. Justin Martyr (Mid-2nd Century): Described Christians meeting on Sunday (the “Lord’s Day”) for worship, scripture, and the Eucharist, noting the shift from the Jewish Sabbath.” (AI)

BTW, the church I was raised in used 1 Cor 16:1-4 as the basis for a command for Christians today to give every Sunday as part of the “5 acts of acceptable worship” but that it obviously a misuse of Scripture. The command in 1 Cor 16 was a special contribution that would end when Paul made his visit to Corinth and took the money from them to carry to Jerusalem. How can that be a command for us today? Of course it’s permissible to give when we assembe on Sundays, but not a command taken from 1 Cor 16.

I have digressed from the 3rd journey collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem, but I find the AI research on the early Christian assemblies to be interesting, accurate, and helpful. I know that AI is copying from articles and I can’t give their sources b/c they don’t give them, but I usually find the AI info to be great. In my next blog I want to go into Paul’s comments on this collection in 2 Corinthians 8,9.

Until tomorrow, Lord willing.