Online Christian Worship Service and Practical Guide
Featuring Ethics Class - Teaching The Golden Rule: "Treat Others As You
Would Like To Be Treated." - plus much more.
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Worship Service, Featuring Ethics Class - Teaching The Golden Rule: "Treat
Others As You Would Like To Be Treated." - plus much more.
Everything here is in the Public Domain, free for all people to use
without restriction, except verses from the Revised Standard Version Bible
(RSV), which are copyrighted and used by permission.
Welcome
Welcome to the online worship service at Internet Church Of Christ. Here
is a good place to worship our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. You are
invited and are welcome at any time. Blessings to you in Him.
Opening Song
Softly And Tenderly, Jesus Is Calling - MIDI, Lyrics, And More
Text: Will L. Thompson
Music: Will L. Thompson
Tune: THOMPSON, Meter: 11 7.11 7 with Refrain
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
see, on the portals he's waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
Refrain:
Come home, come home;
ye who are weary come home;
earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home!
2. Why should we tary when Jesus is pleading,
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not his mercies,
mercies for you and for me?
(Refrain)
3. Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
passing from you and from me;
shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
coming for you and for me.
(Refrain)
4. O for the wonderful love he has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.
(Refrain)
Source: http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh348.sht
Public Domain
MIDI music file available at
http://patriot.net/users/bmcgin/softlyandtenderly.mid
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Invocation
O Lord, we come together in Your name,
And as You promised, we know You are here.
AND SO WE WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS,
AND PRAY THAT YOU FIND PLEASURE HERE WITH US,
AS WE, YOUR LOVING CHILDREN WORSHIP YOU.
We now invite You to reveal Yourself,
And share with us Your presence, openly,
FOR YOU ARE EVERYTHING THAT WE DESIRE,
AND EVERYTHING WE HAVE, WE GIVE TO YOU.
In Jesus' holy name we pray, Amen.
If you are a new Christian, we invite you to visit our page at
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The Lord's Prayer
with MP3 audio file
The Lord, Himself, taught us to pray like this . . .
Play Prayer Here =>
http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/lordsprayer2.mp3
Reading by Rev. Bill McGinnis - Public Domain
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Source: Book Of Common Prayer, based on
Matthew 6:9-13
You can hear the Lord's Prayer on an MP3 file by clicking on
internetchurchofchrist.org/binaries/lordsprayer2.mp3. This MP3 file, and
the text on which it is based, are in the Public Domain, free for all
people to use without restriction. As always, permission is granted to
link to any of our files.
Declaration Of Faith
The Apostles' Creed
This historic affirmation of faith comes to us from the early centuries of
the Christian church.
MP3 audio file at
http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/binaries/apostlescreed.mp3 - free,
Public Domain
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit;
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven
And sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
The holy catholic church; *
The communion of saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body;
And the life everlasting.
Amen.
* Note: "catholic church" here means the entire body of
believers in Christ, not just one particular church.
Featured Segment . . .
Scriptures And Teachings
Ethics Class - Teaching The Golden Rule: "Treat Others As You Would Like
To Be Treated."
INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS CLASS
Welcome to Ethics Class. This is a free website which teaches the
practical ethics of contemporary life in the real world. ETHICS is "the
discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad, right and wrong.
The term is also applied to any system or theory of moral values or
principles." Source: Britannica.com
Everyone in the world can benefit from this course. And everyone is
welcome here equally: people of all ages; people of all nationalities;
people of all degrees of wealth or no wealth at all; people of all races
or no race at all; people of all religions or no religion at all.
After you complete this half-hour course, you will be able to do the
following things:
1. Recite the Golden Rule, which is the most important rule for all
human interaction. "TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE
TREATED."
2. Recognize when the Golden Rule is being followed and when it is
not being followed.
3. Apply the Golden Rule to real situations in your own life.
How did you get here, how did you find this website? Perhaps your employer
sent you here. Perhaps your school teacher(s) or administrators(s) sent
you here. Perhaps a judge sent you here. Perhaps you found us on a search
engine or linked here from another web page. Perhaps you stumbled on us
"by accident." No matter how you got here, WELCOME! You are here now, so
make the most of it.
NOTE REGARDING THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: All public employees and agencies in
the USA are free to refer people to this website without fear of
"establishing religion," because this website does not promote any
particular religion and neither does it oppose any particular religion.
Yes, it mentions God, and thereby tends to establish "Theism." But if
Theism is a religion in the Constitutional sense, then Atheism, its
opposite, must also be a religion in the Constitutional sense. ("Atheism
is the religion whose belief about God is that there is no God.") And to
suppress Theism would be to establish Atheism by default. Therefore,
nobody violates the U.S. Constitution by referring people to this website.
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOLDEN RULE
The guidance you will receive here is based on the most fundamental
ethical truth, applied to our real world today:
"Treat Others As You Would Like To Be Treated."
This is the Golden Rule, which is accepted at least to some extent by all
major religions and ethical systems.
The Clearest Expressions Of The Golden Rule
The Golden Rule is expressed twice in the Bible, and these are its
clearest historical expressions, in the words of Jesus, translated.
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this
is the law and the prophets." (Matthew 7:12 KJV)
"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye
also to them likewise." (Luke 6:31 KJV)
And here are some of the best expressions of The Golden Rule in modern
English.
1. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
2. "Treat others as you would like to be treated."
3. "Treat other people the way you would like to be treated."
4. "Treat other people the way you want to be treated."
5. "Whatever you want people to do to you, do that to them."
Other religions also accept and teach the Golden Rule.
The Golden Rule
_________________________________________________________________
HINDU: This is the sum of duty; do naught unto others which if done to
thee would cause thee pain.
ZOROASTRIAN: That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto
another whatsoever is not good for itself.
TAOIST: Regard your neighbour's gain as your own gain, and your
neighbour's loss as your own loss.
BUDDHIST: Hurt not others in ways that you would find hurtful.
CONFUCIAN: Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto
you.
JAIN: In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard
all creatures as we regard our own self.
JEWISH: Whatever thou hatest thyself, that do not to another.
CHRISTIAN: All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them.
ISLAMIC: No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother
that which he desires for himself.
SIKH: As thou deemest thyself, so deem others.
Source: http://theosophy.org/tlodocs/GoldnRul.htm
You can learn more about the Golden Rule HERE!
APPLYING THE GOLDEN RULE
The easiest way to apply the Golden Rule to real life is to ask yourself
the question "How would you like to be treated in similar circumstances?"
Then treat the other person that way. Also consider the impact of your
actions on all other people, not only those immediately before you.
We have a website devoted to applying the Golden Rule: Golden Rule
Solutions.
Our central point here is that the Golden Rule, properly applied, is the
best possible guideline for dealing with other people in every situation
whatsoever: In war, in peace, at home, at school, on the job, in prison,
during sex, during childhood, during middle life, during old age, in the
hospital, during boot camp, etc., etc., etc. It should be applied in all
situations whatsoever. In modern words, this means "Treat all other
people, at all times and in every situation, as you would like to be
treated if you were in their position." We summarize this as, "Treat
others as you would like to be treated."
NOTE: This does not mean, "Always do anything that anyone asks you to do,"
because you need to consider the needs and desires of all the people whom
your actions would affect, not merely the person who is making the
request. Sometimes you would do more harm than good by doing whatever you
are asked to do by anybody. (Many people misundertand this point, and so
the Golden Rule seems weak and impractical to them.) Nevertheless, as a
general rule if someone asks you for help, you should give them the help
they request unless you have a very good reason not to give it. Why?
Because this is what you would want if you were in their position!
In all situations, we mentally change places with the other person,
putting ourself into his position. Then we see and feel how we would like
to be treated if we were in his position. Then, we treat him this way. The
basic question we ask is, "So how would you like it if somebody did that
to you?"
If additional people would also be affected by our actions, we need to
consider each of them in the same way, and act accordingly. So the Golden
Rule needs to be applied broadly, to consider all people who would be
affected by our actions, not just the person immediately before us.
We can quickly see that the Golden Rule always boils down to being a rule
of sympathy and love for others, in harmony with the teaching, "Love all
others as you love yourself." Even if you feel that you cannot possibly
love others as you love yourself, it is still in your own personal
self-interest to follow the Golden Rule, because "What You Do Comes Back
To You."
The Most Perfect Example: Parable Of The Good Samaritan
The Parable Of The Good Samaritan is generally considered to be the most
perfect example of applying the Golden Rule. As Jesus says, "Go and do
likewise." Here is the story, faithfully translated from the original.
LUKE 10:25-37 (RSV)
The Good Samaritan
_____________________________________________________________
25
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test,
saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal
life?"
26
He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you
read?"
27
And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as
yourself."
28
And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and
you will live."
29
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And
who is my neighbor?"
30
Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and
beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31
Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when
he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32
So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw
him, passed by on the other side.
33
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was;
and when he saw him, he had compassion,
34
and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil
and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him
to an inn, and took care of him.
35
And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to
the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever
more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'
36
Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the
man who fell among the robbers?"
37
He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said
to him, "Go and do likewise."
_____________________________________________________________
THE GOLDEN RULE APPLIED TO SIX SERIOUS ISSUES IN LIFE
"Treat Others As You Would Like To Be Treated."
1. HONOR AND RESPECT YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER. You want your children
to honor and respect you, so you should honor and respect your parents.
2. DO NOT COMMIT MURDER. You don't want anybody murdering you, so don't
you murder anyone else.
3. DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. You don't want anyone else having sex with your
husband or wife, so don't you have sex with theirs.
4. DO NOT STEAL. You don't want anyone stealing from you, so don't you
steal from them.
5. DO NOT GIVE FALSE TESTIMONY AGAINST ANYONE. You don't want people
telling lies against you, so don't you tell lies against them.
6. DO NOT SEEK TO TAKE OVER OTHER PEOPLE'S POSSESSIONS. You don't want
other people seeking to take over what belongs to you, so don't you seek
to take over what belongs to them.
THE GOLDEN RULE APPLIED TO TYPICAL EVERYDAY LIFE
"TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED."
SMILE AND BE FRIENDLY.
You like it when people smile at you and behave in a friendly way. So do
the same to them.
BE COURTEOUS.
You like it when people are courteous to you. And you dislike it when
people are discourteous or rude to you. So be courteous in all of your
dealings with others.
BE TRUTHFUL, WITHOUT GIVING OFFENSE.
REMEMBER THE OTHER PERSON'S NAME, AND USE IT FREQUENTLY.
You like it when other people remember and use your name. So do the same
for them.
DON'T ARGUE.
Arguments are very negative. They poison good human relations. You don't
like it when someone argues with you. So don't argue with them. And if you
see an argument coming, take the appropriate steps to neutralize the
argument before it causes too much damage.
FIND AREAS OF AGREEMENT.
Relationships are much better when both people focus on their areas of
agreement rather than their areas of disagreement.
Most people agree on more things than they disagree on. So if you focus on
your areas of agreement with the other person, your areas of disagreement
will seem smaller and less important.
DON'T CRITICIZE.
Criticism builds hostility and bad attitudes. Criticism is poison to good
human relations.
You don't like to be criticized; so don't criticize other people. They
don't like it, either. And you won't help accomplish anything good by
criticizing.
As your mother should have taught you, "If you can't say something nice,
don't say anything at all."
SHOW HONEST APPRECIATION.
You like it when other people take the time and interest to recognize and
appreciate the good things you do. So do the same for them. Everyone does
some things worthy of appreciation. Find them, and recognize them in the
other person.
TRY TO SEE THE OTHER PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW.
You like it when the other person understands your point of view and can
see problems the way you see them. So do the same for him. Try looking at
the situation from the other person's point of view.
GIVE YOUR FULL ATTENTION TO THE OTHER PERSON WHEN HE IS TALKING.
You like it when people pay full attention to you when you are talking. So
do the same for them.
TALK ABOUT THE OTHER PERSON'S INTERESTS.
You like to have other people talk with you about your interests. So do
the same for them. Find out what things they are interested in, and steer
the conversation toward these things.
ADMIT YOU MAY BE WRONG.
This idea is surprisingly powerful and useful!
Here's what to say, whenever there is a disagreement as to a matter of
fact: "Now, I may be wrong about this. I frequently am wrong about things.
But this is the way it appears to me:" (And then state your beliefs.)
By admitting you may be wrong, and by admitting that you frequently are
wrong (You are, you know. We all are.), you almost force the other person
to admit that he, too, may be wrong! Then, with your egos out of the way,
you can both search objectively for the truth!
And if you really are wrong this time, it will be much less embarrassing
for you than if you had been stubbornly insisting that you were totally
right!
LET THE OTHER PERSON DO MOST OF THE TALKING.
You like it when people let you do most of the talking. So do the same for
them. It won't hurt you, and you might learn something.
LET THE OTHER PERSON TALK ABOUT HIMSELF.
You like to talk about yourself, don't you? We all like to talk about
ourselves! But restrain the urge, and let the other person talk about
himself, instead.
LET THE OTHER PERSON TAKE SOME CREDIT.
If something has worked out well, don't grab all the credit for yourself,
even if you think you deserve it all. Spread the credit around, share it
with the other people involved.
LET THE OTHER PERSON SAVE FACE.
The expression "saving face" means to maintain dignity, or not to look
like an idiot or a worthless person. Sometimes people do things which make
them look like an idiot or a worthless person. If you can rescue the other
person in such a situation, and help him maintain his dignity, you have
done a very good thing.
And maybe someone will do the same for you some day, when you need it
most! "As you do, so shall it be done unto you."
HOLD THE OTHER PERSON TO HIGH STANDARDS WORTHY OF APPRECIATION.
You would like him to treat you as if you were worthy of appreciation. So
treat the other person as if he were worthy of appreciation. People tend
to live up to the expectations others have of them. If you expect a lot
from someone, he tends to give you what you expect. Likewise, if you
expect little from someone, that is what you tend to get.
So act honestly, and expect honesty from the other person; act morally,
and expect morality from the other person; act fairly, and expect fairness
from the other person.
DO MORE THAN YOU ARE ASKED TO DO: "GO THE EXTRA MILE."
You are pleasantly surprised when other people do more for you than you
had asked, or more than you expect. So do the same for them: "Go the extra
mile."
FORGIVE THE OTHER PERSON FOR WHATEVER HE HAS DONE BAD TO YOU.
The most troublesome harmful emotions are anger and resentment. They will
mess you up in a thousand different ways. Even if they are totally
justified, they are no good for you. You can neutralize anger and
resentment by making a direct conscious decision to forgive the other
person for whatever he may have done to cause you to feel anger and
resentment toward him. This may seem like a difficult thing to do, but it
is very important for you that you do it. Some people even believe that if
you do not forgive others for their offenses against you, God will not
forgive you for your offenses against Him.
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
(Matthew 6:14-15 KJV)
FINAL EXAM
Here is your final exam for Ethics Class. You can keep taking it as many
times as you want until you get a perfect score.
Final Exam For Ethics Class
1. Please state the Golden Rule in the form we have been using in
Ethics Class.
2. The most perfect example of applying the Golden Rule is found
in which historical document?
Caesar's Gallic Wars
The Constitution Of Athens
The Parable Of The Good Samaritan
3. If somebody asks you for help, what should you always do
unless you have a very good reason not to?
Give them the help they request.
Ignore the request because it is not your problem.
Curse them for bothering you.
For answers, click
http://www.loveallpeople.org/ethicsclassexamanswers.html
CONCLUSION
You have now finished ETHICS CLASS. May you go forth into the world and
put what you have learned to good use. Please also link to Ethics Class
and share it with others who might benefit from it. Blessings to you!
Rev. Bill McGinnis
You can contact me, Bill McGinnis, at bmcgin@patriot.net.
Please also see our related pages . . .
ETHICS & HUMAN RELATIONS
POLITICS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS
CHRISTIAN
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Bible Readings - Updated Automatically Each Day
New American Bible (with notes and links) -
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Daily Light On The Daily Path -
http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/daily.light/
National Presbyterian Church (USA) -
http://www.natpresch.org/one_daily_reading.php
Poem
"All The Way My Saviour Leads Me," - by Fanny J. Crosby
ALL THE WAY MY SAVIOUR LEADS ME - by Fanny J. Crosby, 1875
- Public Domain -
All the way my Saviour leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His faithful mercies,
Who through life has been my guide?
Heav'nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him do dwell;
For I know whate'er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
All the way my Saviour leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me strength for every trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo, a spring of joy I see.
All the way my Saviour leads me,
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised,
In my Father's house above;
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
"Jesus led me all the way."
MP3 audio file at =>
http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/binaries/allthewaymysaviourleadsme.mp3
- free, Public Domain
Prayer For You
"Go Ahead And Give Yourself To Christ"
NOTE: When you read this prayer, try to imagine hearing my voice as I
speak it to you. In this way, the prayer is reactivated, and it
the same as if I were actually praying for you at that moment.
(Just like television prayers are reactivated when you watch
them, although the videotape may have been shot years before.)
Perhaps you are a Christian even now,
You go to church and try to do your best,
You try to put His teachings in your life,
But still you do not feel that He is yours.
You do not feel the closeness that you crave.
If this is you, then say this prayer with me:
* * *
O Lord, I want you closer in my life,
I want you more to be a part of me.
I want the best relationship with you,
That anyone on earth could ever have.
I know that, "as we give, we shall receive,"
And so I now do give myself to you,
In full completeness, holding nothing back.
I'm yours, so you may use me as you will,
And take whatever things you want from me.
And now that I did give myself to you,
I pray that you will give yourself to me,
As bridegroom gives himself to his new bride.
In Jesus' holy name I pray, Amen.
by William McGinnis
Public Domain
Holy Communion
A ceremony for Holy Communion is available to you HERE! -
http://patriot.net/~bmcgin/pearl-holycommunion.html
If you are alone, you will needed to be both "Leader" and "Assembly," as
described in the ceremony.
How To Find A Real, Live Church
An online church is better than no church at all; but it is even better
for most Christians to actually belong to a real, live church, with real,
live people. Then, you can have your real church PLUS your online church,
so you gain the benefits of both. You can find a church for yourself by
clicking HERE! - http://patriot.net/~bmcgin/findachurch.html
Invitation To Accept Jesus Christ As Your Personal Lord And Saviour
http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/jesusdirect.html
Closing Song
"When I Survey The Wondrous Cross"
http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/whenisurvey.html
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Benediction
I pray the Lord that He will lead your path
Away from the temptations all around.
I pray that when temptation lingers near,
The Lord will lead you not into its reach.
But if temptation grabs you as you pass,
I pray the Lord that you will struggle free.
In Jesus' holy name I pray, Amen.
Blessings to you in Jesus Christ our Lord.
This chapel service is now complete.
Rev. Bill McGinnis
Pastor - http://InternetChurchOfChrist.org
Director - http://LoveAllPeople.org
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