Who are the 'disciples' mentioned in Acts 20:7?
They were not the Twelve apostles but believers who had come to faith through Paul's preaching of the message of grace in northern Greece, including Thessalonica, Colossae, and Philippi. These disciples gathered on the first day of the week to break bread while Paul preached to them.
Les explains that the “disciples” in Acts 20:7 does not refer to the Twelve. They are believers who became believers through Paul’s preaching of the message of grace as he ministered among Gentiles in northern Greece, beginning with Thessalonica, Colossae, and Philippi. The verse shows them coming together on the first day of the week to break bread, and Paul preached unto them. This fits the larger point that the first day of the week, not the Sabbath, is connected with resurrection ground, because Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Paul never instructs believers to keep the Sabbath.
And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.