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Keywords: Online Christian Worship Service Christian Online Worship Service Internet Church Of Christ Music Prayers Teachings Scriptures MIDI Music Poetry Readings MP3's Following Jesus Alone "Lead Gently, Lord, And Slow" Bible-based Spirit-filled Public Domain Jesus Christ Free For All Without Restriction
Featuring "Following Jesus Alone" plus the poem "Lead Gently, Lord, And Slow" by Paul Laurence Dunbar http://www.InternetChurchOfChrist.org/worship022507.html
To see see previous worship services, please click => http://www.loveallpeople.org/recentworshipservices.html
Hello Beloved,ORDER OF SERVICE: Welcome Opening Hymn - "Christ, Whose Glory Fills The Skies" - words and MIDI music Invocation The Lord's Prayer - with MP3 reading Declaration Of Faith: The Apostles' Creed Scriptures and Teachings - "Following Jesus Alone" Worship Poem - "Lead Gently, Lord, And Slow" - Paul Laurence Dunbar Exhortation - "Do Not Try To Think Too Much" Prayer For You - "Go Ahead And Give Yourself To Christ" Holy Communion How To Find A Real, Live Church Closing Hymn - "Deep River" - words and MIDI music Benediction
If you have the Holy Spirit of Jesus abiding within you, then you are
able to endure all trials, blessed with the peace which surpasses all
understanding. If not, you remain deprived of the many blessings the
Lord
has waiting for you.
If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and
Saviour, you have the opportunity to do that right now by
clicking => HERE! - http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/jesusdirect.html
Words by Charles Wesley, Public Domain. Original hymn tune OMNIA GLORIA by Bill McGinnis. Original music, arrangement, and MIDI sequence by Bill McGinnis, Public Domain.
MIDI music file at http://www.patriot.net/users/bmcgin/omniagloria.mid
CHRIST, WHOSE GLORY FILLS THE SKIES - by Charles Wesley , 1707-1788
Public Domain
Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the only Light,
Sun of Righteousness, arise,
Triumph o'er the shades of night;
Day-spring from on high, be near;
Day-star, in my heart appear.
Dark and cheerless is the morn
Unaccompanied by thee;
Joyless is the day's return,
Till thy mercy's beams I see;
Till they inward light impart,
Glad my eyes, and warm my heart.
Visit then this soul of mine,
Pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
Fill me, Radiancy Divine,
Scatter all my unbelief;
More and more thyself display,
Shining to the perfect day.
* * *
More like this at our website
Christmusic.ws
O Lord, we come together in Your name,If you are a new Christian, we invite you to visit our page at http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/newchristian.html
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.
The Lord, Himself, taught us to pray like this . . .
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/lordsprayer.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 my files. bmcgin
The Apostles' Creed
This historic affirmation of faith comes to us from the early
centuries of the Christian church.
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 Ghost;
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 Ghost;
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.
Moses is not my saviour; Paul is not my saviour; the Church is not my saviour. Jesus alone is my Saviour; and I follow only Him. His written words are in the Bible, and I follow His commandments alone. His Holy Spirit dwells within me, and I follow Him moment-by-moment as He leads me throughout my life. I specifically reject all other spiritual authority over me. I belong to Jesus alone, and He gives me everything I need, directly and without intermediaries. You, too, can have this kind of relationship with Him if you earnestly seek it. <><
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me:" (John 10:27 KJV)
The main purpose of the Bible is to present the words of Jesus to us. Everything else in the Bible is distinctly subordinate to this one main purpose. The entire Old Testament is background and prelude to Jesus. The Old Testament describes God's earlier relationship to Israel. The crucifixion of Jesus marked the end of that earlier relationship. When Jesus said, "It is finished" from the cross, he meant that the old relationship was now completely finished. By His death on the cross, He fulfilled the law and the prophets. For a Christian to dwell on the Old Testament, and its teachings to Israel, is like a widow dwelling on photos of her dead husband and ignoring the living reality of her new husband!
The four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, contain all of the recorded words spoken by Jesus before He ascended into Heaven. After He ascended, Jesus spoke briefly in Acts and Revelation. In most printed Bibles, all of His words are printed in red. These are the words we need to learn, memorize, study, ponder, assimilate and use constantly. The other words in the New Testament are written by His early followers as they sought to gain disciples for Him. Some of their words are applicable to us today; but some are meaningful only in context of the first-century Roman Empire. In no case should the words of anyone else ever take priority over the words spoken by Jesus Himself.
The commandments of Jesus, however, apply to all people at all times, in all circumstances. This is why He says,
MATTHEW 28:18-20 (KJV)
The Great Commission
_____________________________________________________________
18
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost:
20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world. Amen.
_____________________________________________________________
He says, "TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE
COMMANDED YOU." He pointedly did not say, "teaching them to observe
all commandments in Scripture." No! He says "whatsoever I
have commanded you," referring to His own commandments, not to any
others.
Moreover, He says "have commanded." This means that He is referring to
His
commandments already given to the disciples, not to any commandments
which
may
be issued sometime in the future by others, acting in His name. These
facts assure us that
Jesus requires us to follow only His commandments, already given.
Q: "Is the Bible true?"
A: Yes.
Q: "Is the Bible literally true, where each word means exactly what it
says?"
A: No. Figures of speech are used throughout the Bible. Much of the
Bible is poetry.
Q: "Is the Bible the living word of God?"
A: The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the living word of God.
Q: "Should we do what the Bible says to do?"
A: Yes, if it agrees with the words of Jesus. No, if it disagrees
with the words of Jesus. The words of Jesus take priority over all
other words, written anywhere by anybody.
Q: "What are the most obvious cases where Christians disregard the clear
commandments of Jesus in order to follow doctrines established
by others?"
A: First, foot washing. Jesus commands His disciples (us) to wash
each other's feet. And He makes no distinction between men and
women. But nobody does it, hardly it all! Why not?
Because it seems too intimate, even sexual, for us. It might
arouse some fleshly passions, and we think that would be sin.
Second, Jesus commands us not to judge other people. Ever. For any
reason. Yet Christians have become famous for pronouncing judgement
on various types of sinners, particularly sexual sinners.
The list could go on and on, but the point is this: we should
follow the commandments of Jesus alone.
Jesus clearly emphasized the importance of His words above all other
words.
_____________________________________________________________
LUKE 6:47-49 (KJV)
47
Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth
them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48
He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep,
and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood
arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and
could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49
But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that
without a foundation built an house upon the earth;
against which the stream did beat vehemently, and
immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
_____________________________________________________________
His words
are spirit and they are life itself.
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing:
the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are
life." (John 6:63 KJV)
The words of Jesus are the words which the Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance, as we need them.
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
(John 14:26 KJV)
As Bible Christians, we believe in the entire Bible as the Word of God,
sufficient for all good works . . .
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God
may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good
works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV)
And we also believe that we should live by every word that comes from the mouth of God . . .
"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew
4:4 KJV, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3)
But this does not mean that we must follow every commandment made by any Biblical writer! Jesus Himself is our Lord. All others are secondary. HIS WORDS ARE OUR COMMANDMENTS. All other words are commentary. No one but Jesus has spiritual authority over us.
Poem written in standard English, by Paul Laurence Dunbar, with MP3
Audio Reading by Rev. Bill McGinnis
By Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)
Lead gently, Lord, and slow,
For oh, my steps are weak,
And ever as I go,
Some soothing sentence speak;
That I may turn my face
Through doubt's obscurity
Toward thine abiding-place,
E'en tho' I cannot see.
For lo, the way is dark;
Through mist and cloud I grope,
Save for that fitful spark,
The little flame of hope.
Lead gently, Lord, and slow,
For fear that I may fall;
I know not where to go
Unless I hear thy call.
My fainting soul doth yearn
For thy green hills afar;
So let thy mercy burn--
My greater, guiding star!
# # #
MP3 Reading by Rev. Bill McGinnis, with new hymn tune,
http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/leadgentlylordandslow-song.mp3
(This is the absolute first time this melody was expressed in any
form. I turned the recorder on as soon as I heard the melody in my mind,
so you will hear it as it was being created. Feb. 24, 2007)
. . . and here is the poem which inspired Dunbar . . .
LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT - John H. Newman, 1801-1890 - Public Domain
Lead, kindly Light! amid th'encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on;
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path, but now,
Lead Thou me on;
I loved the garish day, and spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will; remember not past years.
So long Thy pow'r has blessed me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
Amen.
We have recently re-discovered the beautiful poems of Paul Laurence
Dunbar, and we have established a website for them at
http://paullaurencedunbar.net,
which you are invited to visit.
Holy Spirit is prompting me to tell you this: Do not try to think too much! Your human mind was designed by Him to help you process information from the material world, not the spiritual. In spiritual matters, you must let your conscious mind recede and let your spiritual self (your soul) join with Him to receive information directly. He is really there, Creator of the universe, and if you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you.This is not just a sweet-sounding idea, it is the absolute truth. If you trust in Him, He will guide you, protect you, lead you, comfort you, sleep with you, stay with you every moment. Anything you need, He will provide. If you believe and trust. If not, you are more or less on your own. And good luck!
Basis in Scripture
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5 KJV) "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26 KJV) "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." (James 4:8a KJV) "for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." (Matthew 6:8b KJV) "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV) "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" (Matthew 7:7 KJV) Also, 1 Corinthians, Chapter 2
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
If you are alone, you will needed to be both "Leader" and "Assembly," as described in the ceremony.
Lyrics and music are both anonymous, Public Domain; MIDI sequence by Bill McGinnis, arranged from a Public Domain arrangement.
MIDI music file at http://patriot.net/users/bmcgin/deeprvra.mid
Scriptural reference . . .
"I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them. And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away. And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD." - Zechariah 10:10-12 (KJV)
DEEP RIVER - Classic American Spiritual Song - Anonymous, Public Domain
Deep river,
My home is over Jordan.
Deep river, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.
O don't you want to go
To that gospel feast,
That promised land
Where all is peace?
O don't you want to go
To that promised land,
That land where all is peace?
Deep river,
My home is over Jordan.
Deep river, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.
See more like this on our page at
Christmusic.ws
_____________________________________________________________
"Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by
all means. The Lord be with you all." (2 Thessalonians 3:16 KJV)
_____________________________________________________________
Blessings to you in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org
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