Welcome to the St. Martin's Adult Bible Fellowship Prime Timers!

Its a great time of year and you are invited to join us in the Payne Education Center, rooms 207-209 each Sunday in between the 9 and 11am services from 10:10 to 10:50 We just started a new series called Faith in Action:  Living in the Image of Jesus. Come on down for some Christmas Cheer with coffee and snacks thrown in for free!

The Rev. Jerald Hyche, our Director of Outreach Ministries, spoke to the Prime Timers this morning, about evangelism!

Evangelism!

"...As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21

Today we heard the Rev. Jerald Hyche explain his idea's about evangelism, one of his first ministries at St. Martin's. He recognized that to many people this is a difficult part of our faith, and can conjure up images of fanatics. He told us of a trip he took to Pensacola, Florida where a congregation decided to go downtown and stand on the street corners, shouting the good news and trying to give Bibles to people. To Rev. Hyche, while these people were well meaning, they were not accomplishing what they set out to do.

Rev. Hyche asked the class how many times evangelism was mentioned in the bible. The answer may surprise you, its just four times!  Acts 21:8, Ephesians 4:11, 2 Timothy 4:5 and another.

The word comes from the Greek word euangeleon, or spreading the good news.  Note that the word "angel" is in the word. As Rev. Hyche guided us to his conception of evangelism he told us another story of a church with every door leading out having the phrase "the mission field begins here." While our faith asks us to spread the Good News of Jesus and to bring people into a loving relationship with God, to Rev. Hyche this journey begins by "walking with" the other person. Instead of shouting from the street corner better results come from understanding where the other person is coming from and working from there.

Learning About God.

Ben Welmaker began his lesson from our reading in  Hebrews by summarizing.  The background is that Hebrews is in the style of a first century sermon delivered to wavering Jewish Christians. The message is "Keep the Faith," and the how is to look to Christ and his unique nature.

Ben then presented this outline for "What is Jesus:"

1. God's Prophetic Voice
2. God's Son
3. Appointed Heir of God
4. God's creative nature
5. God's personalized Glory
6. God's perfect revelation
7. God's cosmic sustainer
8. God's unique sacrifice.

The verses from Hebrews answer the question of Jesus' superior nature. Was Jesus just a mediator, like an angel, or more. Verses four and five call Jesus "superior to the angels," while verse six declares Jesus superior dignity:  "Let all God's angels worship him." Finally in verse seven we have Jesus' superior nature.

Both our speakers today dealt with angels! What would Christmas season be without angels? In our modern times we tend to discount angels as quaint, but in the time of Jesus angels were held as God's messengers and their impact on human history was decisive. The author in Hebrews sought to make a distinction between these heavenly presences and Jesus.

Ben read our Healing Prayer, followed by a short benediction, after which he dismissed the class.

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Mentor

Rev. B. Massey Gentry
mgentry@stmartinsepiscopal.org

Leaders

Biblical Images and Names of Jesus. This is a series from our study guide, after each name or expression is a Biblical reference. You can click on the reference to read it for yourself.

Advocate:  1 John 2:1
Almighty:  Revelation 1:8
Alpha and Omega:  Revelation 1:8, 22:13
Amen:  Revelation 3:14
Apostle and high priest of our confession:  Hebrews 3:1
Atoning sacrifice for our sins:  1 John 2:2
Author of life:  Acts 3:15
Beginning and end:  Revelation 22:13
Blessed and only sovereign:  1 Timothy 6:15
Bread of God:  John 6:33
Bread of Life:  John 6:35, 6:48
Chief shepherd:  1 Peter 5:4
Christ:  1 John 2:22
Cornerstone:  Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:6
Deliverer:  Romans 11:26
Descendant of David:  Revelation 22:16
Eternal life:  1 John 1:2, 5:20
Gate:  John 10:9
Faithful and True:  Revelation 19:11
Faithful and true witness:  Revelation 3:14
Faithful witness:  Revelation 1:5
First and Last:  Revelation 1:17, 2:8, 22:13
Firstborn of the dead:  Revelation 1:5
God:  John 1:1, 20:28; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20
Good shepherd:  John 10:11, 14
Great shepherd:  Hebrews 13:20
Head of the church:  Ephesians 1:22, 4:15, 5:23
Heir of all things:  Hebrews 1:2
High Priest:  Hebrews 2:17, 4:14
Holy and Righteous One:  Acts 3:14
Hope:  1 Timothy 1:1
Hope of Glory:  Colossians 1:27
Husband:  2 Corinthians 11:2
I am:  John 8:58
Image of God:  2 Corinthians 4:4
King Eternal:  1 Timothy 1:17
King of Israel:  John 1:49
King of the Jews:  Matthew 27:11
King of kings:  1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16
King of the nations:  Revelation 15:3
Lamb:  Revelation 13:8
Lamb of God:  John 1:29
Last Adam:  1 Corinthians 15:45
Life:  John 11:25; 14:6
Light of the World:  John 8:12
Lion of the tribe of Judah:  Revelation 5:5
Living one:  Revelation 1:18
Living Stone:  1 Peter 2:4
Lord:  2 Peter 2:20
Lord of all:  Acts 10:36
Lord of glory:  1 Corinthians 2:8
Lord of lords:  Revelation 19:16
Lord is our righteousness:  Jeremiah 23:6
Man of heaven:  1 Corinthians 15:48
Mediator:  1 Timothy 2:5
Mighty God:  Isaiah 9:6
Mighty savior:  Luke 1:69
Morning star:  Revelation 22:16
Origin of God's creation:  Revelation 3:14
Our great God and Savior:  Titus 2:13
Paschal lamb:  1 Corinthians 5:7
Pioneer and perfecter of our faith:  Hebrews 12:2
Pioneer of salvation:  Hebrews 2:10
Power of God:  1 Corinthians 1:24
Prince of Peace:  Isaiah 9:6
Prophet:  Acts 3:22
Resurrection:  John 11:25
Righteous Branch:  Jeremiah 23:5
Rock:  1 Corinthians 10:4
Root of David:  Revelation 5:5; 22:16
Ruler of the kings of the earth:  Revelation 1:5
Savior:  Ephesians 5:23; Titus 1:4; 3:6; 2 Peter 2:20
Son of David:  Luke 18:39
Son of God:  John 1:49; Hebrews 4:14
Son of Man:  Matthew 8:20
Son the the Most High:  Luke 1:32
Source of eternal salvation for all who obey him:  Hebrews 5:9
Stone the builders rejected:  Acts 4:11
True bread:  John 6:32
True light:  John 1:9
True vine:  John 15:1
Truth:  John 14:6
Way:  John 14:6
Wisdom of God:  1 Corinthians 1:24
Wonderful Counselor:  Isaiah 9:6
Word:  John 1:1
Word of God:  Revelation 19:13

The Lesson for Sunday, December 17th is titled "Walking in the Light"

Key Verse:  1 John 1:5

Focus of the Lesson:  People seek meaningful relationships that add to their self-esteem and self-worth. Where can we cultivate such a relationship that is always affirming and esteem-enhancing? John tells us that in God there is found the type of relationship that not only reveals the need of a life-changing encounter with God but also provides the benefits of a relationship that contributes to our spiritual maturity.

The reading is 1 John 1:1-2:5 This text is from the New International Version^®.

Background Scripture:  1 John 1:1-2:6

   ¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ²The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴We write this to make our joy complete.

   ⁵This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

   ⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

   ¹My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

   ³We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. ⁴The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: ⁶Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

NIV®