Risk Finding that All-Night Bible Study
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.
This is one of those funny bits in the book of Acts. I think it’s funny that Luke would choose to include this in there.
I’ve heard preachers use this to scold people for falling asleep in church, but I don’t think that’s the point at all. Of course, Jesus fell asleep in a boat during a storm and the disciples scolded Him. The disciples fell asleep while Jesus was having a night of prayer (they didn’t know it was His last) and Jesus scolded them. Maybe that’s just what we do.
They are in Troas and they’ve been there for almost a week. It’s a pretty short stay compared to their usual visits. Paul and his entourage from all over the new churches want to stay and preach and teach for as long as they can. You’d think after they preached this poor boy to death they’d stop, but they don’t! Paul continues to talk, break bread, and teach until dawn.
There is some real beauty in doing something that you enjoy so much that you lose track of time. That’s how “A Hard Day’s Night” by the Beatles was written. They finished recording, were walking out of the studio and somebody was going to say “It’s been a hard day’s work.” And realized the sun was coming up and that they had been there all night! They turned right back around, went into the studio, and recorded another song.
There are plenty of people around that want to talk about the Lord like this. There are people around our church that want to talk about the Bible until the birds get loud at 4:00 am and mock you for missing a night’s sleep. You might find them in a growth group, or on a prayer team, or carrying around a paper Bible on Sunday.
Pray to find them and God will bring y’all together. He loves to watch people grow by passionately talking over His Word. It might even be in a weekly group that ends at a normal time, or it might be at IHOP until daybreak. Pray for them. You can find them.