Theology

 *28/04/2021* *MID-WEEK SERVICE* THEME: *JESUS CHRIST* TOPIC: *JESUS* (Gk. Iesous) SUB-TOPIC: *THE NAZARENE* Text: Matthew 2:23(NKJV) Others have pointed to Matthew's use of the plural "prophets" in Matthew 2:23 as an indication that Matthew was not referring to a specific prophecy, but to a concept that appears in a number of prophecies concerning the Messiah. The town of Nazareth housed the Roman garrison in northern Galilee. Jewish hatred of the Romans was so extreme that most Jews avoided any association with Nazareth. In fact, Jewish people who lived in Nazareth were thought of as "consorting with the enemy". At that time, calling someone a "Nazarene" indicated utter contempt for that person. Having come from Nazareth, Jesus was despised in the eyes of many Jews. Even Jesus' disciples initially harbored such feelings about a person from Nazareth. When Nathanael heard that Jesus was from Nazareth, he scoffed, *"Can anything good come out o

 *25/04/2021* *ANOINTING HEALING AND COMMUNION (AHC) SERVICE* THEME: *JESUS CHRIST* TOPIC: *JESUS* (Gk. Iesous) SUB-TOPIC: *THE NAZARENE* Text: Matthew 2:23(NKJV) There have been two major explanations of this biblical mystery. Some have traced the origin of the word *Nazarene* to the Hebrew word for *branch* or *shoot*. The word Branch is used by the prophets to speak of the coming Messiah. For example, Isaiah 11:1 states that the Messiah would come out of Jesse's "roots", as a "Branch" (Isaiah 53:2). Like a tree that had been cut down, the royal line of David had almost been destroyed in the Babylonian captivity; yet a twig would grow out of the stump. This is *Jesus, a descendant of David and the King of Kings*. *Copyright 2021* *The Ecumenican Church Nigeria* Instagram: *@ecumenicanchurch* WhatsApp: *+2348052366039* Email: *johnifesanya@gmail.com* *www.johnifesanya.blogspot.com* *#TEC#*

 *21/04/2021* *MID-WEEK SERVICE* THEME: *JESUS CHRIST* TOPIC: *JESUS* (Gk. Iesous) SUB-TOPIC: *THE NAZARENE* Text: Matthew 2:23(NKJV) The politics of Jesus' day forced Joseph to move his family around. From Bethlehem they fled to Egypt. Their return to Israel found them skirting Judea and finally resettling in the relatively peaceful region of Galilee, in the town of Nazareth. Saint Matthew sees God's providence in these moves. Micah 5:2 had predicted that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (Matthew 2:6); and Saint Matthew cites another prophecy, "He shall be called a *Nazarene*, as being fulfilled when Joseph moved to Nazareth (Matthew 2:23) *Copyright 2021* *The Ecumenican Church Nigeria* Instagram: *@ecumenicanchurch* WhatsApp: *+2348052366039* Email: *johnifesanya@gmail.com* *www.johnifesanya.blogspot.com* *#TEC#*

 *18/04/2021* *THIRD SUNDAY SERVICE* THEME: *JESUS CHRIST* TOPIC: *JESUS* (Gk. Iesous) John 10:33 The Jewish antagonizers revealed the reason for their opposition to Jesus - *He was claiming a unique unity with the Father, a unity that clearly indicated His own deity*. The Jewish leaders considered this to be blasphemy. *Copyright 2021* *The Ecumenican Church Nigeria* Instagram: *@ecumenicanchurch* WhatsApp: *+2348052366039* Email: *johnifesanya@gmail.com* *www.johnifesanya.blogspot.com* *#TEC#*

 *14/04/2021* *MID-WEEK SERVICE* THEME: *JESUS CHRIST* TOPIC: *JESUS* (Gk. Iesous) Acts 5:31 (NKJV) "Him God has exalted to His right hand to be *Prince* and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. " The declaration that God has exalted Him to His right hand would have been understood by the Sanhedrin as a reference to the Resurrection. *The apostle's claim regarded the resurrected Jesus as equal with God* (John 5:18; 10:33). *Copyright 2021* *The Ecumenican Church Nigeria* Instagram: *@ecumenicanchurch* WhatsApp: *+2348052366039* Email: *johnifesanya@gmail.com* *www.johnifesanya.blogspot.com* *#TEC#*

 *11/04/2021* *SECOND SUNDAY SERVICE* THEME: *JESUS CHRIST* TOPIC: *JESUS* (Gk. Iesous) John 5:18 Jesus is "the only begotten Son" (John 1:14,18;3:16,18) - that is, the unique Son of God. Here He claims not only a unique relationship with God the Father, but also equality with God in nature. Since God continually does good works without allowing Himself to stop on the Sabbath, the Son does likewise, since He is equal with God. Certainly the Jewish leaders understood the implications of Jesus' claims (John 5:18). The Son can do nothing of Himself means that *action by the Son apart from the Father is impossible because of the unity of the Father and the Son* (John 5:17). *Whatever He does, the Son also does is a claim of deity and unity with the Father* *Copyright 2021* *The Ecumenican Church Nigeria* Instagram: *@ecumenicanchurch* WhatsApp: *+2348052366039* Email: *johnifesanya@gmail.com* *www.johnifesanya.blogspot.com* *#TEC#*

 *07/04/2021* *MID-WEEK SERVICE* THEME: *JESUS CHRIST* TOPIC: *JESUS* (Gk. Iesous) Colossians 4:11 Paul greets a number of friends and introduces and commends several who work with him. The apostle's great warmth and true appreciation for his beloved co-workers comes through in these few verses. This should remind us that *no one is an island*. We all need the support of each other in the work of God. Aristarchus, a Jew from Thessalonica, had been traveling with Paul since the riot that occurred in  Ephesus on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:29;20:4). Evidently he remained with Paul even when he was imprisoned in Rome (Acts 27:2). Mark is the author of the Gospel of Mark. At the beginning of his second missionary journey. Paul had refused to take Mark with him (Acts 15:37-40). Evidently the two had been reconciled, for Paul commends him in 2 Timothy 4:11. *Luke is the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts*. He accompanied Paul on many of his missionary journeys. D

 *04/04/2021* *2021 EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE* TOPIC: *VICTORY OVER DEATH* O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55 TEXT: Genesis 2:7,17; 3:19 John 11:17-44 Acts 2:24 1 Corinthians 15:12-58 In Genesis 2:7, the word *formed* is the term for a potter's shaping of pots. Since man is made from the dust, that is where he returns when he dies. Although God created light with a mere word, He created man by fashioning a body out of mud and clay, transforming the clay into something new, and then breathing life into it. This breath may be the narrators way of describing the infusion of the human spirit, with its moral, intellectual, relational and spiritual capacities. *History of death* 1. Foretold by God as a consequence of disobedience. Genesis 2:17; 3:3 2. Brought into world through man's disobedience. Genesis 3:19; Romans 5:12 3. All people will die Hebrews 9:27 4. Christ Jesus conquered death. Romans 6:9; Revelation 1:18 5. All shall be raised