"And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath" (KJV).

"The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered together to hear the word of Yahweh" (v.44, RSV).

2. ACTS 15:1-2,14-21: "And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.' Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question...Simon has declared how Elohim (God) at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

'After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek Yahweh, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says Yahweh who does all these things.'

"Known to Elohim (God) from eternity are all His works. Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to Elohim (God), but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath." (NKJV).

At the conference at Jerusalem, James, the Presiding Apostle (or Presiding Patriarch) gave the decision:

"Therefore my judgment is", he pronounced (v.19-20), "...that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to Yahweh, but should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity (fornication), and from what is strangled and from blood" (RSV).

But why write this sentence to them? Bite it! "For from early generations Moses has had in every city those who preach him, for he is read EVERY SABBATH in the synagogues" (v.21, RSV).

Do you see it? The law of Moses - the first five books of the Bible - was being taught in the synagogues every Sabbath. The apostles were writing only these decrees, because the Gentile converts were going to assembly (church) on the Sabbath Day. They had heard Yahweh's Law read and expounded every Sabbath in the synagogues and did not need further instructions. It shows that the Gentile converts had started keeping the Sabbath Day, and went to Assemblies on that day! And the apostles' letter did not reprove them for this Sabbath-keeping.

This is very significant, since Gentiles had never kept the Sabbath. All they had ever known was the Roman eight-day Julian Calendar week with seven days of work followed by the eighth day as a special Market Day. Saturday was the first day of the week in this eight day-long week. The Romans did not have a regular seven day week until much later. Therefore this is something these Gentiles had started doing after they were converted under the teaching of Paul and Barnabas!

• 3. ACTS 16:12-15: Here we find Paul and Silas at Philippi. "We remained in this city some days; and on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshipper of Yahweh. Yahweh opened her heart...and...she was baptised" (RSV).

• 4. ACTS 18:1-11: "After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila...with his wife Priscilla...and stayed with them; and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them, and they worked, for by trade they were tentmakers. And he argued in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks" (RSV).

If we could find one text in the New Testament giving as strong authority for Sunday observance as this one does for Sabbath-keeping, we should certainly have Bible authority for it! Here Paul worked weekdays, but went to assembly (church) and taught Gentiles as well as Jews every Sabbath.

He preached Christ and the Gospel of the Kingdom. And when the Jews became offended and blasphemed, he turned away from the Jews altogether, and from then on preached to Gentiles only (v.6), and he continued there a year and six months (v.11) - working weekdays - preaching to Gentiles only - every Sabbath!

What more conclusive proof could we desire? What stronger Bible evidence than this, as to the true Sabbath of the New Testament? For a year and a half Paul continued working weekdays - six days - including the first day of the week - and preaching to Gentiles exclusively every Sabbath (seventh day of the week)! Certainly it was his custom and manner! Certainly he could not have done this had the Sabbath been done away with, or changed.