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Question 4

Bercot argues Acts passages about Paul preaching on the Sabbath (e.g., Acts 17:2; Acts 16:13) refer to Jewish gatherings for evangelism, not Christian worship; how does this distinction reshape the way you read “as his custom was” in Acts, and how should it affect how Christians today use Acts to justify their weekly worship patterns?

Another way to ask: Bercot says Paul preached on the Sabbath mainly to reach Jews, not because Christians worshiped then. How does that change how you read “as his custom was” in Acts, and how should Christians today use Acts when deciding their weekly worship day?

Direct Answer Based on Bercot’s argument, “as his custom was” refers to Paul’s evangelistic strategy of going to Jews on the Sabbath, not a Christian rule about when the church worshiped. Therefore Christians should be careful not to use those Sabbath-preaching texts as proof that the church gathered on Saturday.

Support from Transcript:

Bercot cites Acts 17:2 but insists the context shows it was “not a Christian congregation… rather it was a Jewish gathering… usually… in the synagogue.”
He points to Acts 17:1: “where there was a synagogue of the Jews,” then “Paul… went into them,” meaning the Jews.
He contrasts this with Acts 20:7: “on the first day of the week… the disciples came together to break bread,” presented as the regular Christian gathering.
On Acts 16:13 (riverside prayer), Bercot notes the people were “unbaptized… non-believers,” highlighted by Lydia’s later baptism.
Summarizing: “On the Sabbath, he would go… and preach Christ to them. But on Sunday, he met with his Christian brothers and sisters.”

Discussion Follow-ups How might modern evangelism imitate Paul’s approach—going where non-believers already gather—without confusing that with the church’s own worship pattern?

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