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. (Acts 20:7-11)

They Talked All Night

The church at Troas was an amazing group of saints who hungered for the word of God. Paul visited the city for the first time on his second missionary journey and returned to worship with the church on a third trip. His time was limited as he was trying to reach Jerusalem as soon as possible on the Day of Pentecost. Paul stayed a week in Troas, wanting to worship with the saints on the first day of the week. When the Lord’s day came, Paul enjoyed the fellowship of worship with the Christians in singing, praying, remembering the death of Jesus in the Lord’s Supper and preaching the word. The greater part of the day was spent in Paul discussing the word of God as he continued his message into the night. Lamps were lit as darkness fell, but the church remained listening to Paul.

Troas was a church that loved to hear the word of God. It is doubtful that Paul would see any of the saints again, as his journey would lead not only to Jerusalem but to Rome. They did not object to him preaching all day. His message continued into the night. The crowd remained listening to Paul. A young man named Eutychus chose the wrong place to sit and overcome by sleep, fell out of the third-story window to his death. There is little doubt this shocked and dismayed the church as they looked at their dear brother lying dead, broken by the fall. By the grace of God, Paul went down and restored him to life. The church rejoiced that Eutychus was alive. They gathered again, enjoyed some food together, and talked all night. It was the breaking of day that Paul and the church dismissed.

The week Paul spent in Troas was a memory he would cherish all his life. His journeys had taken him to many places in the Roman Empire. Each experience held a special remembrance; some fondly and others with regrets. That Lord’s day Paul spent with the church at Troas had to be among the most remembered times in Paul’s life. It seems the brethren would not go home. Paul preached until midnight because anxious souls wanted to hear more about the gospel. When Eutychus died, the hearts of the brethren were filled with grief, but then the power of God exploded in a resurrection. No one went home. They spent the rest of the night into early morning talking. And it can be sure one of the things they discussed was Eutychus.

After Paul left and the brethren recovered their sleep, the discussions must have continued. One attribute of the church at Troas is that they loved to listen and talk about the word of God. They did not worry about what time it was. The Lord’s day was a time to worship their Savior. There were no time restraints on the hearts. It wasn’t very likely Paul spoke non-stop for the whole day and night as if in a preacher’s mode of sermon. The fellowship of the brethren was the communion of the word and they loved to talk about the gospel. They were willing to talk all night.

There is a lesson from the church at Troas. Sometimes in our busy schedules, we convince ourselves we could not spend hours worshiping and talking about the gospel, much less talking all night about it. Again, this does not suggest preachers should preach for hours, as the lecture sermons can become tiring. Maybe the church is missing another part of fellowship when saints sit around talking about the Bible without time restraints. This cannot be a daily occurrence, but what about more worship together as a body of Christ on the Lord’s day? Why do we hurry through our services so we can rush out to ball games, shopping, birthday parties and Sunday afternoon naps? Paul would find few (if any) places he would be allowed to talk until midnight and then continue through the night. Thank you church at Troas, for talking all night.