Asleep in Church

[Acts 20:9] And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
They gathered on Sunday evenings, because Sunday was a normal working day for them. Paul spoke to them and continued his message until midnight: Paul sensed the need to carry on long because he was ready to depart the next day; he knew he might never see these particular Christians again - so he preached for some six hours to them! The combination of the late hour and the heat and perhaps fumes from the oil lamps made the young man Eutychus fall asleep.
Some have supposed that he was merely stunned with the fall, and that he was still alive. But the obvious and therefore the safest interpretation is that he was actually killed by the fall, and was miraculously restored to life. This is an instance of sleeping in public worship that has some apology. No practice is more shameful, disrespectful, and abominable, than that so common of sleeping in the house of G-d.
Luke would not have devoted space to the raising up of somebody who was merely apparently dead.
Talked a long while, even till daybreak: Paul, obviously getting their attention back, continued preaching until daybreak!
Have you ever sat under a ‘long-winded’ preacher?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I dont mind long wind preaching as long as they making many valid points but if its just to be heard and it a redunit message, like a scratch on record prayer i wont fall sleep but i will get up and leave after a respectable amount of time.