The Rock

In Australia there is a very large rock. It is way out into the desert, in the boonies, 200 miles from any place at all. It is called Ayers Rock.

People come from all over the world to see this rock. It's one Big Rock. It has been there for centuries. There is something about that rock that is attractive to people from every nation. Perhaps it's security.

It's been there for millenniums and still stands majestically in sun, rain, and wind. It's stability. It hasn't moved, it's in the same place.

In our ever changing world I believe there is a need to see something that never changes and is not affected by storm, intense heat, or monsoon rain.

However, we look into the Bible, we will see God, our Rock of Ages. In Psalms 71:3 we have these words...

"Thou art my Rock and my Fortress."

David calls God his Rock and many times in scripture God is depicted as The Rock. He is unchangeable, unmovable and strong. He stands forever, never moved by world changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He is not just THE Rock, he wants to be YOUR rock. David said MY rock.

How does God become your rock? my rock? our rock?

He will become your Rock when you are willing to put your soul in faith on Him. When you receive Jesus into your heart He will come to you, your never changing rock, your fortress for protection and stability. He will be there, strong and solid, and you can trust Him for peace, for protection, and for power.

When Israel trusted God they had peace, protection, and power, but when they forgot, they were defeated.

"Thou has not been mindful of the Rock of my strength."
Isaiah 17:10

Moses singing the song of victory over the enemy says:

"Their rock sold them...
but their rock is not our Rock."
Deut 32:30-31

We are founded on the solid Rock, the Rock of all rocks. And we are founded not on a religious system, priest, or pastor. Our Rock is GOD HIMSELF.

Now sometimes in life those of us on the Rock get a little nervous, fearful, and we tremble. Perhaps you are going through a time of difficulty, storm, or dark clouds and you feel worried and shaky. One poster says with confidence."You may tremble on the Rock but the Rock never trembles under me."

Beloved, when you are afraid, remember. He is our Rock, and we can trust Him.

I was visiting my daughter, she has in the front yard a rather large rock. It has a hole drilled into it from top to bottom and a pump pumps water up and out the top of the rock. I looked out of the window and there on the rock were two small finches drinking the water out of the rock. They were so happy.

I thought of a verse in 2 Corinthians 10:4. "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

These little birds didn't just look with wonder at water coming from the rock and tremble, they drank from it, got their strength from it, and enjoyed it.

Are you drinking? or trembling? or just looking?

~Bill Gibson
Palisades 11/9/06

Abandoned

Steve Brown of Key Life tells of seeing a beat up old car. It was the ugliest car he had ever seen. It was ugly on top of ugly. It had a large gash in the side, one of the doors was being held together by bailing wire, several body parts were missing, and it was covered with rust. And then, on the back bumper, it said:

This is not an abandoned car.

The human race is abandoning cars right and left, and not only that, but babies, children, and grandparents.

A while back we saw the disciples going to the other side of the sea and the storm arose. I am sure you remember that. Well, they got to the other side. And it wasn't a pretty place. It was the place of the tumbs known as Gadara. (Mark 5:1-20)

There they were met by a man. One man, not a crowd waiting and listening, but an Abandoned Man. An uncontrollable and strong man. A very helpless, hopeless, abandoned by humanity to the tombs man.

Jesus came across the sea at night to reach out to one man - this man. Notice, he knew who Jesus was and bowed down to him.

"When he saw Jesus from a distance,
he ran and fell on his knees in front of him."
(Mark 5:6)

Jesus commanded that the evil spirits leave. It was a scary, a totally scary experience. If you have ever experienced such as this, you can testify that it will make your hair stand on end.

Jesus asks the evil spirit his name, "Legion" he answered. There were many, it was an extreme case.

The demons knew who Jesus was and asked to be sent into the swine, and Jesus did. The owners of the swine came to Jesus and saw the man in his right mind sitting peacefully with Jesus.

When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
(Mark 5:15)

The herdsmen saw the evidence of the power of God in a human ilve, heard the story of a deliverance of the greatest magnitude, but they asked Jesus to leave and he left.

Then the man asked to go with Jesus, and Jesus said to him, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

What does this teach us?

1. No one will be abandoned by God unless he wills to.
2. No one is beyond His help.
3. He will not abandon you.

As sinful as we might be and as bound by chainds of sin, drugs, self, and beyond help, abandoned by society, yet... Jesus will come to you where you are.

You probably never were as bad as that. You have been good - more or less good - but still sin is sin and you are as far away from God in your sin as this man was in his. The Gospel is the Good News! Beloved there is mercy with the Lord.

Another lesson is that Jesus is teaching us, we who have been rescued and received mercy. And it is this: There is a world of people out there needing to hear the Gospel of Jesus. And we are to go where they are and give them the good news.

What can we do at this point in time? Right now?

1. We can pray for our missionaries.
2. We can support missionaries on a regular basis.
3. You can become involved with those in the faraway places right here in your own home right now.

~Bill Gibson
Palisades 10/26/06

Something To Hang On To

The encouragement of promise.
2nd Thes. 1: 5-10

Remember when every one traveled by bus. Buses were filled. Street cars were jammed. Hanging down from the ceilings of those buses and street cars were leather straps which people could hang on to as the bus turned corners etc.

Those leather straps are long gone now, but they were so handy for those who didn't have a seat.

In 2nd Thessalonians, chapter 1, Paul is speaking to these new believers who have left the old ways and are standing with God in the midst of the crowd on the way to Eternity.

Three things we can hang on to when we are tossed about, crowded in a world that is heading for destruction.

1: The Promise of Reward:
"You will be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God." (verse 5)

In all the struggle to live for Me, the Lord has given something to hang on to. something that is stronger than you are. Something that will hold you firm and help you stand against the mob.

You will be counted worthy of the name, Christian.

The struggle isn't what saves us or makes us worthy. The pain of child bearing doesn't make us worthy. It was the suffering of the Savior, who in the midst of the intense pain of the cross died alone for us - for you - and there was nothing to hang on to. So he died that we might live.

2: The Promise of Recompense - the next promise to hang on to:
"I will repay them." (verse 6)

Beloved no one ever touches a child of God to do harm or to deter him, or discourage him, but what God will give recompense for that.

We sometimes say, "How can they do this to me? Doesn't God care?" Yes, and the Hand of Judgment will fall and it will be ample. Yet, God gives us time to repent, God gives them time to repent, and when the day of Judgement comes and there has been no repentance, the Axe will fall.

There has to be a judgement, a Hell. If there is no Hell there will be no justice either.

3: The Promise of Rest:
"...and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well." (verse 7)

Beloved, when Jesus comes there will be a day of rest. Heaven won't be a rest on the beach, nothing to do but rest. We say, "He has gone to his rest." Heaven isn't a place of rest. It will be as the verse, the rest of relief. With God's help we are home. No more struggle, no more pain, no more fighting to stand in a world of unrest.

We all need to hang on to the promise of God. Because He Never Fails.

We might think that God is not keeping His promise, but He is and all He asks of us is to hang on to them.

There is a little Chorus we used to sing. A simple Chorus that says:

Jesus never fails
Jesus never fails
Heaven and earth may pass away
But Jesus never fails.

Could we sing that as we close this morning, and keep the song in our hearts? Jesus' promises never fail. We have something to hang on to when the world around us is falling apart.

~Bill Gibson
Palisades 9/28/06

There's A Knock At Your Door

You don't walk into some one's house without first knocking. If you are family, a son or a daughter, you can rush right in.

Your home is where you can be private. you can do what you want any time. Usually it is polite to knock first. This is something that people everywhere do. It's an unwritten law of privacy. Do not enter without permission. You have the right to say, "enter" or "don't enter."

There is an interesting verse in the last book of the bible, in Chapter 3 and verse 20. (Rev 3:20):

"Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me."

When one hears a knock at their door, he usually asks, "Who's there?" And then the person says. "I am." and then identifies himself, and then you decide to let them in and have a visit with them.

How do you know when someone is at your door?
What do you do when the door bell rings?

You are sitting at home watching the TV and there is a knock at your door. You have to either get up and open the door and ask who it is, or you can ignore the knock and let the person know that you're not at home.

Have you ever just ignored the knock?

Beloved, there is a door to the innermost part of your life - your heart. There is only one who can answer and open that door - YOU.

You can ignore the knock.
You can ignore the voice.
And you will forever be sorry you didn't answer.

Maybe you're too busy to answer the door. Maybe you just don't want to be bothered. Maybe you just don't want to hear who's there because you are afraid it will cost you something.

There are many reasons why people don't come to the door when you knock. However, there is one knock and one voice you need to hear and give entrance.

Rev 3:20, Jesus says to you:

"Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him and he with me."

He doesn't ask you to come out - he wants to come IN. Jesus always knocks and speaks first before coming in the door.

There are a great number of people wanting to come in and take over your life, offer you great things that never seem to happen. There are a lot of false voices.

Jesus knocks first to let you know he is there. Jesus speaks first to calm your fears. You can either reject Him... neglect Him.. The decision is yours.

Jesus wants to come in and to give peace with God, joy of living, forgiveness of sins, and purposeful living. He wants to sit down at the table with you, eat with you, and talk with you. He will listen ("and him with me") He wants to hear what is on your heart. He wants to make you a new creature. He wants to help you, not hurt you.

All the others who come to your door want what you have, and what you can do for them. They offer false promises. Jesus offers exceeding great and precious promises. Why not, while we sing. Let Jesus come into your heart.

~Bill Gibson
Mountain Villa Health Center
El Paso, TX
6/17/01

Singing In Heaven

One of the things we will do when we get to heaven will be singing.

Isaiah 38:20 "The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life, in the house of the Lord."

Beloved we are in the house of the Lord because He was ready to save us when we knew that was what we needed and wanted. And that is the reason for singing. Singing Praises to God.

That is the reason we come to sing to you here. Because Jesus has put a song in our hearts and the song just has to come out.

There is no sound of music in hell. Only in the Lord's house will there be singing and we will be able to sing with joy and we will never stop singing.

Beloved is there a song in your heart today? There can be. Jesus wants to come into your life, into your heart, and give you a song.

There is nothing that pleases the Lord more than to hear His people singing HIS song in His House.

The beat of the world is not pleasing to God, nor to His people. Only the song of songs is the one that pleases Him.

People who live in a land where God is not honored and believed have no song. The Indian in the jungle rain forest has his type of music, the beating of the drum, and the rattle of seeds. Then Jesus comes, and there is music, beautiful heavenly music.

Only a God of Love gives beautiful music.

Beloved wouldn't you like to have a song to sing in the house of the Lord?

Just open your heart, your life to Jesus and let Him come in and take over in your life today.

While we sing Just As I Am, just say to Jesus from your heart. "Jesus, I believe you died for me and are ready now to save me and make me yours. I believe you really died for me and I thank you.

Bill Gibson
Mountain Villa Health Center
05/20/01
El Paso, TX

Don't Be Afraid

Do you sometimes at night feel afraid?
I do.

There was a time when we were strong, young and able, when we weren't afraid of anything. We thought we could handle anything. Young people feel this way.

Now, however, we aren't so sure. There are so many dangers out there, and in here. We aren't as strong as we were. We are afraid of things beyond our control, and we don't have control of everything as we ought to.

Where can we go for help?
There is a place to go and something you can do about it.

Nehemiah 4:14, "Do not be afraid, remember the Lord."

Nehemiah was building a wall. There were a small number of His people working on it. They were rebuilding. All around them was the enemy. They were great in numbers and they didn't want that wall built. They threatened Nehemiah and his workers. They were afraid. Nehemiah had a word from the Lord.

"Don't be afraid, remember the Lord."

The message for us today is to remember the Lord. He is the almighty one. He is with you. If you are on the Lord's side, He will fight for you. All you need to do is to watch and work, and fight if you have to. God is on your side.

If you have come to Him and asked for pardon, believing that Jesus died in your place and for your sin. Then you can rest assured that He is not mad at you, he loves you, and He will take care of you.

When you are afraid, remember the Lord.

~Bill Gibson
Mountain Villa Health Center
El Paso, Texas
03/04/2001

Counted Worthy

In 2 Thessalonians 1:11, Paul is praying for the new believers in the church at Thessalonica. He is praying "That they would be worthy of their calling."
If we go back to Matthew 22:1-14, we will get a little of what it means to be worthy of our calling.

There is to be a great wedding feast. It is to be a feast to end all feasts, so to speak. A great event. Fancy invitations are sent out by the servants of the Lord of the feast. They are to come back with an RSVP, but none of the invited would have anything to do with it. Each was busy in his own little kingdom. Some even killed those who were sent to them.

The Lord of the Feast, the KING says everything is ready, but the invited guests are not WORTHY.

So He sends to invite any one in the highways and byways of the city. None were rich, none were what we might think of as "worthy." There were some good, and some bad. But they readily accepted the invitation and came ready and dressed properly. All except for one party crasher who came in another way, wasn't dressed for it, and was cast out.

The worthy ones were the ones who, in spite of their failure and sin, gladly received the invitation and came dressed in the proper dress. This was what was absolutely necessary to get into the feast. I rather think that when the invitation was given, the garment was also given. It was like a ticket.

The garment of worthiness represents the Righteousness of Christ that is given to the believer which makes him worthy to enter into the presence of God and to the marriage feast of the Lamb.

We will not be able to enter Heaven and the Marriage feast of the Lamb in our own righteousness, only His.

Now, those who refused had their own righteousness. They were relegios that had the Law in little boxes on their wrists, the little skullcaps on their heads, all the pomp and ceremony they could get. But that wasn't what was needed. A willing heart, and a glad acceptance to receive from the King a robe, a wedding robe that was not theirs, that came by faith, and faith alone.

~Bill Gibson

Sept 7, 2007

The Evangelical Rat

We don't seem to see rats much any more. Have you seen a big ugly rat lately? Rats are ugly, dirty, and do a lot of damage. They love to browse around in the kitchen.

We had one in the small kitchen in the house in Riobamba. Gladis and I and Dottie Brown were in the kitchen. We closed the door, and we each got a broomstick and went after that rat. I got it cornered and poked my stick at him and he came right up the stick at me. I dropped the stick and the rat ran over Gladis' foot and she screamed and after a while I got a good swing and hit it and we killed it.

The story I have for this morning is about a rat in the church. Ray Zuercher and I went to a small country village for a service. One of the nationals was to do the speaking. The room was a nice large room. They didn't have nice pews, but benches with no backs. Along the wall there were benches and one could have the wall as a back. The walls were board on the outside and the framing was on the inside. The boards of the walls were vertical and there was a two-by-four across the middle. This was just right to lean against if you were on a bench along the wall.

The preacher was long winded. He went on and on. All the children were fast asleep on the floor, and most of us grownups were almost asleep or wishing that we were. He had been preaching about an hour when I saw a movement on the other side of the room.

It was a rat and it was walking along on the two-by-four between the backs of the people and the wall. He came around and nobody even payed any attention to it. It came creeping between the wall and the backs of those people and they didn't even seem to notice it. Around it came, then started on the wall I where I was sitting. When it got to me, I jumped up and let it pass. Everyone woke up and laughed. The preacher finished his teaching and we all went home.

I was amazed that no one ever thought to get that rat. They were so used to them that they didn't pay any attention to them.

Lesson...

You know what boys and girls? We live in a very dirty world. The people use dirty words, dirty stories, and filthy vile language is everywhere. We have gotten so used to it that it doesn't seem to move us, we don't even react. But dirty words, filthy habits, will have a very bad effect on us. We need to react to these and stay away from those who use those dirty words.

It is so common that we live with the rats and are contaminated by their filth and this is not pleasing to the Lord. Beloved keep your mouths clean and your hearts pure before the Lord your God. Close your ears to the swearing and cursing of your friends. Ask the Lord to help you every day to keep your words clean and your heart pure.

~Bill Gibson
The Children's Minute
El Paso Texas

8/27/00

The Neglected Triplet

Chapter 13 of I Corinthians closes with these words... "and now these remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

We hear much about faith and much about love but hope seems to be the neglected triplet. Dr. Armand May Nicoli of Harvard Medical school writes, "The word hope is used and heard little in our culture. Perhaps hope conflicts with our concept of a scientific world." Many books exist about faith and love, but very few on hope.

Hope is essential to sanity and a balanced outlook on life. We all need to hope, as hope will sustain us in perilous times.

Hope looks forward to something good. Faith looks to the person who has promised and hope to the thing promised. Faith is the root, hope is the fruit. Faith looks to who and hope to what. Real hope for the future is grounded in the promise of God and guaranteed in the resurrection of Christ Jesus. Hope needs to be based on reality. It is not a mere wish or strong desire.

In a world filled with fear for the future, do you have a hope? Where is your hope and on what is it based? It seems we need to examine to see if our hope is a real hope or a mere dream. The hymn writer wrote these words in his song, "The Solid Rock"

"My hope is built on nothing less,
than Jesus blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus name."

Put your trust in God
His promise never fails.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

by Bill Gibson
From the Flat Tortilla
October 1990

Is Anybody Listening To Me?

Have you ever talked to someone and all of a sudden you knew they weren't listening to what you were saying? I have.



Have you ever prayed to God and wondered if He was listening? I have.

The verse I have for us this morning is just what we need.

Psalms 40:1-3

1. I waited patiently for the LORD;
   he turned to me and heard my cry.


2. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
   out of the mud and mire;
   he set my feet on a rock
   and gave me a firm place to stand.


3. He put a new song in my mouth,
   a hymn of praise to our God.
   Many will see and fear the LORD
   and put their trust in him.

Notice, "I waited patiently for the Lord." The Psalmist cried unto the Lord and then he waited for the answer. Sometimes God answers prayer right away, sometimes later. But He always hears what you have to say as long as you are not sinning, loving evil, or doing evil.

"And He... inclined his ear and heard my cry."

Beloved, God will always hear the cry of a sincere soul. Never think He won't. He not only hears but He acts... He does something about it. He doesn't ever give promises He doesn't keep.

He will lift you out of the pit. The fear, trouble, the muck and mire of sin. And then He will put your feed on the Rock so you will stand straight and safe.

And not only does He put you on the rock, secure, He gives you a song... something to sing about, a happy joyful heart filled with His praises. And you will be a blessing to others.

What more could you want?

Beloved, you are in the pit of discouragement and despair, lonely, and sad. Jesus wants to hear your cry for help. He wants to hear your voice in all sincerity and honesty.

If you are honest with God He will be true to you and you will find safety on the rock. You will have a song in your heart, and you will be a blessing to others.

He won't do anything for you if you don't want Him to. But if you cry out to Him, and just say Lord help me, save me from this pit, then He will hear and He will do something about it. More than you have ever dreamed He could...

So... Why not ask God to pick you up right now.

Message by Bill Gibson
Palisades 8/24/06

Bearing Burdens

There is a story about a lone man with a large, heavy back-pack walking along a country road. It was hot and humid and the road was rocky and steep.

He walked slower and slower and finally came to the place where he could go no further. So he took off the pack and sat on a rock, and said, " I am ready to die."

At that moment the Death Angel sat down beside him and said, "You called for me?"

The man took one look at the Angel and said, "Yes, would you help me get this back-pack off my back?"

We all have burdens we carry, whether we like it or not. Gladis gave a talk to the ladies and her topic was: Everybody Has Something.

However, we seem to think that the very rich have no burdens. Some seem never to have a problem or a burden, but they do. There are burdens money can't fix.

• There are the burdens we own.
• There are the burdens of others.
• There are the burdens people would put on us that aren't ours to bear.

In Galatians 6:2 the Lord says, "Every one should bear his own burden." We can live with that pretty well. However, since the beginning there have been those who lay burdens on us.

In Matthew 23: 1-4, Jesus tells us that "... they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move with so much as a finger..."There are a great deal of people out there who are experts in manipulating people to give.

Jesus came down in human flesh, with no burden, and said, "Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." he came to take upon himself our burden of sin and guilt, and he paid with his life, and shed his blood to free us from the burdens we carry that others have put on us.

Just because we are Christians, we don't have to give to every poor man that comes begging, we don't have to give help to every sick person. We don't have to volunteer to take every burden that comes our way. We don't have to say "yes" to every one who asks. It's OK to say "no."

Jesus came to set us free.

He said, "Take my burden, my burden is light." We don't have to be burdened with the burdens that aren't ours to carry. We can exchange our our own heavy burdens for his light burden.

What is the Lord's burden? That every person will get to hear the Gospel. You can help bear that burden by prayer. You can pray for others. You can help bear the Lord's burden by using the gift that He has given you, whatever that might be ... hospitality, friendship, encouraging others, doing what you're happy doing, and you can have the blessing of the Lord while doing it.

Message by: Bill Gibson
Palisades 8/24/06
Photo: Roy McDonald

That Old Sinking Feeling Is Back

In Matthew 14:30 we see Peter stepping out of the boat to come to Jesus walking on the water. Only Peter would think of doing that! Let's take a brief look at Peter starting to sink.



First: He was starting to sink, not because of some sin or doing something wrong, but because he was Peter. His temperament got him into this fix. The others used their common sense and stayed in the boat. Peter had to do something. Peter would begin to walk on water and Peter would begin to sink.

Second: He began to sink in familiar waters. He knew the lake like all fishermen do. Here he was among those who knew him. Here he was among those who loved him. Many start to sink when away from home and in strange places. How sad to start to sink among friends and loved ones.

Third: He began to sink after loyal discipleship. Faithful to the Lord and maturing in the faith. He was not a novice. Yet he began to sink.

Fourth: He was on a permitted path. The Lord had told him to come. It was not because he was out of the will of God. He was not trespassing. He had been invited to come. It is possible for us, even though we are in His will and doing what is right, to start to sink. How prone we are to judge another who is beginning to sink and lay the blame on him.

Fifth: The others in the boat were not aware of Peter's danger. It's hard to tell on rough water when one is starting to sink. They could not help Peter even if they knew he was starting to go down.

Sixth: Jesus was close by and Jesus was able to help Peter. He was the only one who could and the only one who would. Jesus was not surprised. He was there ready to help.

Application: It is possible for us to start to sink even when we are doing what is right and walking in His will. Our pastor, loved ones, and friends may not be aware of the danger. Isn't it wonderful to know that Jesus knows and is near and will help us when we call on Him?

Bill Gibson
El Paso, TX
Fall 1986

A song of the hope of God's forgiveness.

Psalm 130 (read it here) was one of the Psalms God's people sang as they traveled the dusty roads to Jerusalem. It is a song of the hope of God's forgiveness.

Someone somewhere said that our best prayers come out of a strong inward necessity. When everything is going well our fervency seems to fade a bit.

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD." Out of the depths of sin, shame, guilt. Out of the bondage of habits that bind. Out of the helplessness that overwhelms. Out of the loneliness even in a crowd. Out of the filth of the world around.

It is amazing how much the human spirit can stand. We get so used to the bad and evil that it doesn't seem so awful any more.

We sometimes think we can crawl out of the pit anytime... But we can't. In Psalm 40:2, it says: "He lifted me out of a horrible pit." The psalmist had come to the realization that he was in the pit of despair, and sin. He got in there all by himself and this is a cry for deliverance.

Until we see that truly we too are lost, helpless, and when we see our sin as God sees it, we will never ask for deliverance. Notice that it is while he was in the pit that he prayed for forgiveness. He didn't wait until he worked himself out of it. He didn't wait until he bettered himself. He was still in the pit when he cried out to the Lord.

"Lord hear my voice..." Not Mary praying for me. Not the Church praying for me. Not my mother's prayers for me. Lord hear MY voice.

"If you should write down all our iniquities who would stand?" Each of us have sinned and the list is long.

"But there is forgiveness with Thee." Jesus died in our place on the cross so that God could forgive the sin of the world. The justice of God was satisfied and we by trusting Jesus as our Saviour, our sins can be forever forgiven. There is no forgiveness in the church, no forgiveness in man. Only God can forgive sin. And He will forgive and deliver us out of the pit of despair when we confess that we are truly in the pits, guilty, and our sins burden us down.

I have heard men say, "Yeah, I am a sinner." But it means nothing, they seem to be proud of it. But when the Holy Spirit convinces you of sin and guilt it will drive you either to the cross and Jesus, or you will harden your heart and say "no" to God. God is not a loving Grandfather to give you all you want.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,and in his word I hope;" Here we have the result of confession and repentance and believing by faith.The sin problem has been taken away and now he waits.

What is the Psalmist waiting for?

• Forgiveness... No
• Some great miracle... No

My Soul waits for Jesus, for God. We have a clear mind and heart and a longing just to see His face. I've a longing in my heart for Jesus.

Beloved if you do not have the knowledge of forgiveness you cannot sing this song.You won't long to see His face and you will see the Face of God as your judge not your saviour. Don't you think it's time to trust your soul to Jesus and ask Him to come in and save you?

Comfort For The Changes Ahead

Changes are inevitable and become more difficult for us as the years go by. Wouldn't it be nice if there were no changes? Isn't it amazing that our God, who never changes, has ordained changes in our lives?


The inevitable changes are not difficult. We seem to enjoy the change from summer to winter or day to night. It seems to be the unexpected changes that bother us. Those changes that we thought would never come, seem to throw us.

In Psalm 55:19b we read, "... Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God." The changes we fear are what draw us to the Lord many times.

David is going through great change as he writes Psalms 42 and 43. In 42:8 he mentions some of the comforts we can count on during the struggle. "Yet the Lord will command his loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life."

• Loving-kindness in the daytime ... in the sunshine when all is well.
  David mentions the loving-kindness of the Lord many times. Jeremiah in Jer. 31:3 "... with loving-kindness I have drawn thee." Jer. 32:18 "Thou showest loving-kindness to thousands."
  
  Loving-kindness is to be seen in the daytime and enjoyed.
  Loving-kindness is to be shared with others.
  
  The blessings we enjoy today do not come because we have earned or deserved them. They come from the loving heart of God through grace. Therefore, share! Unto whom much is given, much is required.


• Songs in the night ... these are felt in the heart expressions of love and heard with the ear.
  Job 35:10 "...God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;"
  These songs in the night come from God.
  
  It is in the night when we grow spiritually.
  It is in the night when He strengthens us.


• My prayer to the GOD OF MY LIFE
  
  In the day or in the night of change, we ought to pray continually to the God of our life. Remember... He is the God of our life if we know him as Saviour.

Who or what is the god of your life?

Bill Gibson
The Flat Tortilla,
Winter 1987,
El Paso Texas

Bill's Message for Today

There seems to be in the heart of each of us a desire to be with others. There are a few who like to be left alone, but most of us like company. Children like to be with children. We all like to be with others of the same background.

It isn't very much fun to be left alone. A man needs a wife and a woman needs a man. We need to have the companionship of being together. The Lord said to Adam in the garden of Eden, "It's not good for man to be alone." So he made a help-mate for Adam, and Eve came, and then children.

Jesus enjoyed being with his disciples. Every place He went He had them with Him, to teach them, to love them, to eat with them. He knew that shortly He would leave them and they would feel alone, so He made a promise. "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."

Jesus knew what it was to be lonely. He knew that shortly He would know what to be forsaken would be.

It was the night of the Last Supper. Jesus had enjoyed sitting at the table with His disciples. He knew that in a few short hours He would suffer. He took Peter, James, and John and went up the mountain to pray. They slept while He prayed that the cup might pass, nevertheless "Thy will be done."

Later, they took Him and put Him on a cross and the Father abandoned Him. He suffered there alone. He took upon himself all the sin, the shame, and gave His life alone so that you and I might never ever be alone again. After three days He arose victorious from the grave and one day we will, all of us who have repented and believed in Him, might be with Him forever.

Why will you die without Christ? Why prefer to die and be alone in eternity, forever alone without him? He loved you enough to die for you so that you would forever be with Him and not alone without Him.

The decision is yours. You can say this prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus,
I believe you did this for me and I now receive you
as my Saviour and my God.

Bill Gibson
Mountain Villa Rest Home
El Paso, Texas
02/10/02

A Missionary Story

The story I have this morning takes place in the high sierra. Riobamba a city of some 33 thousand people at that time. It is located in the heart of the Quichua Indian population.

The Quichua were descendants of the Aztecs and had been defeated by the Spaniards. They were down trodden people who dressed in dark collars, and had to ride the train on top of the cards. They had to sit in the back seat of the buses or on top of the load.

In the early 1900's a lady missionary went to Riobamba and settled in an Indian community called Caliata, some 25 miles away. She traveled by mule and came in to Riobamba for supplies about every two weeks. When we arrived and we were stationed in this, Ecuador's, most fanatical Roman Catholic city, the work in Caliata had been going on for 35 or more years. And in all that time, there were no more than perhaps 4 or 5 believers.

That first missionary lady who settled in Caliata was a single woman. she learned the language and ministered faithfully. She prayed that the Lord would send her a helper and He did. Another young lady came to work with her. She was so happy to have a companion.

Then the Pioneer missionary lady got typhoid fever and died.

The new, younger, missionary took her body early in the morning to Riobamba to bury her there. By the time she arrived, it was late morning, and the Roman Catholic Church forbade anyone to help her. She wandered all around that city all the rest of the day and NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO HELP HER. After dark, a store keeper took pity on her, and got a shovel, and they secretly went out on the back side of the mountain and there they buried her.

The young missionary went back to Calita alone.

About the same time that we arrived, the Lord also sent other missionaries. I was the only man in that whole area for quite a while before other couples came to carry on the ministry.

I often wondered, we have had missionaries serving here for 40 years, and nothing. Why not give up? I'm glad the mission didn't listen to me.

During my time there, within a period of a few years, God began to work. Thousands came to know the Lord. They received Christ in groups and added to the church was hundreds, and later thousands of brand new believers. They were filled with the joy of the Lord. They became leaders, teachers, etc. It was one of the greatest revivals the evangelical world has seen.

Why?

Because there were Godly women who were willing to leave all, and go bring the Gospel to these people, and they were willing to pay the price. Sometimes men aren't so willing.

God uses the one who is willing to go and pay the price, whether it be man or woman. It could even be you.

You will never do anything for God that will cost you nothing. You might not ever see the results, but you will receive HIS WELL DONE.

~Missionary Minute by Bill Gibson
El Paso Texas 11/18/01

Something to hang on to: A talk by Bill Gibson

Have you ever been in a bus full of people and you didn't have a seat and there was nothing to hang on to? It is difficult when we all of a sudden find ourselves in a speeding bus with nothing to hang on to.

People come to the time when it seems the days are speeding by and it's a rocky road and there is nothing to hang on to to hold us secure.

Perhaps you feel you have lost control with nothing to hang on to? People say to us, "Hang in there old buddy," and there isn't anything we know to hang on to.



There is, thank the Lord, something to hang on to. The Lord gives us his solemn promise ant that is what helps the believer, the Christian, to stand solid when all around us there is everything happening.

The promise is a good one. I have a friend who has blood cancer and he tells me he is hanging on to this promise and is confident that he will not fall.

The promise is in Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

Beloved, the Lord is worthy of our trust. He never fails and He will never fail you. It's so easy to trust in our own strength, our own will, and our own thoughts. But God says not to trust anybody, not even yourself because friends will fail, and you will fail, but the Lord never fails.

Does it seem that nobody cares and you are seemingly tossed about like a feather on the waves of the sea?

The message we have for you is that there is hope. There is help. There is something to hang on to that will never ever fail you.

Why not this Sunday morning put your trust in Jesus and let Him take over and hold you tight? He wants to do just that.

• Confess to Him that you are a failure, a sinner
• Believe that Jesus is your Savior and trust Him.
• Then thank him for the gift of salvation.
• Thank him for the gift of security.
• Thank him for the gift of hope.

Bill Gibson 06/03/01
Mountain Villa Health Center
El Paso, Texas

Bill's Talk on Brotherly Love

"Let brotherly love continue."
~Hebrews 13:1

One of the key words
in the life of the believer is the word "let".
"Let the peace of God rule in your hearts," Col 3:15
"Let this mind be in you," Phil. 2:5

In chapter thirteen of Hebrews we have the secret.

The secret of the believer's life.
The secret of the believer's life of service.
The secret of the believer's life of joy.

The word "let" speaks to me of: to loosen, turn on, not hinder. It's what happens when we turn on the faucet and the water runs free. We let the water run. It does it by itself. It comes from an unseen supply. We don't have to force it out, blow it out, push it out, or draw it out. It just flows.

The problem lies in the fact that there are hindrances. A kink in the hose, for example. These must be straightened first to let the water flow. So it is in the life of the believer. It's not the blowing, pushing, drawing, and trying, but in the letting the love for the brethren that is in us flow. Six kinks are mentioned.

Forgetting to be hospitable.
Forgetting to care and share in suffering.
Forgetting to not be critical or judgmental
Forgetting to be content with what we have.
Forgetting to trust.
Forgetting to obey those who led us to the Lord.

"Now may the God of peace... equip you with every good thing to do his will, performing in us through Jesus Christ that which is well pleasing in His sight to whom be the glory forever and ever amen."

~Heb 13: 20,21

It is my sincere desire
that this will be a blessing and a joy to you.
Bill Gibson, February 1983
El Paso, Texas

Bill's Message on Calm

Perhaps one of the words we hear little about is the word "calm". We are living in a world that knows nothing about being calm or even what calmness is.

As I was reading in the Chronological Bible NIV, I came across a verse that stuck to me. Ecc. 10:4 in the NIV (New International Version) the word "calm" is used. In the NAS (New American Standard Bible), the word "composure" is used.

"If the anger of the ruler rises against you,
do not leave your place,
for calmness will lay great offenses to rest."

~Ecc 10:4

The dictionary says that calm means: not excited and not agitated. In our modern language today it would be "cool". Don't lose your cool.

Now in the new testament and the Psalms, the word calm is used to describe the sea after a storm. Jesus calmed the sea. The matter of being calm is not NOT listening or acknowledging. Sleeping is not calmness. Dead people are not calm. Calmness here has to do with what is in your spirit when everything seems to be out of control. When facing a storm, or a stormy person. DON'T LOSE YOUR COMPOSURE.

Last week our friend and Bible teacher lost it at the business meeting. He got mad and angry and stormed out saying he was finished. It is easy for us to lose our cool. The world in which we live pushes us to react violently. But the WORD says "... calmness can lay great errors to rest." "... composure allays great offences."

When some one or something opposes you, don't push the panic button. Be quiet, still, and sweet even though on the inside the bats or butterflies are beating their wings. The one thing that destroys churches.. destroys friendship.. destroys marriages is the lack of composure.

In 1st Peter, Peter tells wives to have a quiet gentle spirit. Also he says the same for men. Only God can give us calmness in the midst of trouble. We need to trust Him for that.

Anger is not the answer. Jesus never lost His cool. Look with me to 1st Peter 2:21-24. Over and over Peter tells us to follow in Christ's footsteps, to see His example. After every exhortation, he points to the example of Christ.

Am I prone to anxiety.. panic, fear, worry when things seem to come out of the blue?

YES!

One more word. Calmness is not just sitting down resting, trusting, sleeping, deadness to all around us. Calmness is not stagnation.

In life, there is a need to be stirred up, excited, and moved. If we are in a state of perpetual calm, we will never go any place. Calmness, composure is what we need when we are attacked, or when we are confronted by a storm.

Calmness is not a state of being numb either. We see in Haggi 1:14 "For the Lord stirred up the Spirit of Zarbable." God wants us to be enthusiastic and moving forward with our lives.

We are to be calm in the storm..
We are to be stirred in the calm.

May the Lord help us to recognize a storm and may we look to him for composure and calm when it comes.

It is my wish that this little talk be a blessing to you.

Bill Gibson

GMU 07/25/00

Mercy - A talk by Bill Gibson

What is mercy?
Mercy is the kind and compassionate treatment of an offender, enemy, prisoner, or anyone under one's power... clemency.

Have you ever had a boss or a teacher or someone who was over you that was kind and compassionate even when you didn't do it right? Isn't that the one you remembered and liked? I suppose our parents were like that. Back in our early days, fathers were better than many are today. They had mercy.

Did you ever way back in your youth do something really stupid, something that you were told not to do but you did it anyway?


I remember my dad changing the tires of the first car we had. It was, in those days, not easy to take the tire off of the rim. You had a split rim, and if you didn't let the air out of the tire first, it would blow out.

My dad gave me the tool and said, "Be sure you let the air out first." But I forgot that, and when I split the rim, WHAM! the tire blew out. It ruined the tire, and the rim, but didn't hurt me. Then I remembered what my dad had said. (Let the air out first)

It was costly, but my dad didn't get mad. He didn't read me the riot act. He showed mercy. I had disobeyed him and it was a costly disobedience but he showed me mercy and I felt bad about it for a long time - but I loved my dad a lot more.


The bible speaks so often about the quality of mercy.. God's mercy.

If you look in your bible, and turn to Psalm 89, you will see that David had sinned and committed murder. He was punished, but God forgave him and had mercy on him and so David opens this Psalm with a song. When we receive mercy it will always bring with it a song.

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever"
~Psalm 89:1

God's mercy is forever:

• It will not change
• It hasn't changed
• It will not wear out

And in verse two we see that God's "mercy shall be built up forever." If God has been merciful to us once, He will continue to be merciful. He will be faithful in mercy.

For the believer, those who have trusted in Him, whose names are written in His book. He is merciful to you even when you fall and fail. Remember this: God is not mad at you. He loves you, He likes you, and He will show mercy on you.

Now look at Psalm 89:14. God is just, and judgement is his habitation. He must judge the sinner. You cannot escape His righteous judgement except by only one way. That is by believing that Jesus died in your place and took the judgement that was meant for you, and paid the price. Then you become a child of God and forgiven. "Then mercy and truth shall go before you."

Because God is a merciful God, we can have fellowship with Him, and walk with Him no matter where.

"Blessed is the people that know that joyful sound."
~Psalm 89:15

Thank you,
it is my wish that this will be a blessing to you,
Bill Gibson, El Paso Texas 2002