When the religious leaders tried to trick Jesus into taking
a position for which He could be accused and prosecuted, they asked the question,
“Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar?” Of course, they were unable
to fool the Messiah, God in the flesh. Jesus knew their intentions, and He
answered them by asking to see a piece of money. Jesus said, “Render therefore
unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be
God’s.” The money was printed by the Romans, so it ultimately belonged to the
Romans. Thus, Caesar had the authority to ask for a portion of the money in
taxes.

These Israelites loathed the idea of paying taxes to the
Romans for many reasons, not the least of which was that the Roman government
did not honor God. They had no regard for the Scriptures and little patience
for the Jews’ religious practices. They were oppressive and abusive. They took
more money than they should have and used it in ways which were grievous to
these men who were asking this question.

I thought about this passage as I was finishing up my taxes,
and the similarity of our situation to theirs was suddenly striking to me. It
has certainly been saddening to see this country turn her back on God over the
last half-century. Many things that are deemed good and right by those in
authority are diametrically opposed to the truth of God’s Word. And yet, if
Jesus were here and we asked Him if we should pay taxes to support such a
government, His answer would likely be the same.

However, paying taxes was not the issue. Christ pointed out
a much larger issue when He said that we must render unto God the things that
are God’s. What does God want from us? He wants our hearts. He wants our
devotion. He wants our love. He wants obedience and service. Yes, this is the
day that our taxes are due, but every day our hearts belong to God.

We had a tremendous crowd at College Days on Thursday and Friday,
and everyone enjoyed the preaching, the classes, the activities, and, of
course, the food.

The pictures, video, and chapel messages on the college
website will give you just a little taste of what we experienced at College Days.
2012.

Today our campus will be invaded by hundreds of young people here for our annual College Days. Please pray that they will be open to what God has for their lives. If you would like to join us for chapel, you can log on to the live stream at www.gsbc.edu today and tomorrow at 11:00 AM PST.

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you,” (Romans 8:11).

On Easter Sunday, we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. What an awesome moment it must have been for the women who went to the tomb that morning to hear the angel say, “He is not here: for he is risen,” (Matthew 28:6). No one else has ever done what our Lord did. No one else could. He rose up from the grave because He had the power to do so.

Jesus not only had the power to rise from the dead, He assured His followers that He would do so. He told His disciples that He would suffer and die at the hands of the Gentiles and that three days later He would rise again (Matthew 20:19).

Christ was able to rise from the dead in spite of the fact that powerful men tried to stop Him. After His crucifixion, the Pharisees remembered what He had said and persuaded Pilate to send soldiers to guard the tomb (Matthew 27:63). Jesus knew what was going to happen and He knew how and when it would take place. He arose exactly as He said He would. What power!

The Bible says that we will one day be raised by that same power. “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power,” (I Corinthians 6:14). Paul wanted to see that power in his own life. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection,” (Philippians 3:10). Paul had a yearning to experience God’s power in his daily life and I believe that he did have the power of the resurrection working in his life. How can we experience that power?

We can experience the power of the resurrection when we walk in the Spirit. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh,” (Galatians 5:16). Walking in the spirit activates God’s power in our lives. It enables us to do His will and bring glory to His name.

Resurrection power is at work in our lives when we die to self. “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Romans 6:8-11).

Remembering Christ’s resurrection and meditating upon His infinite power will help us to walk in the spirit and die to self. “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds,” (Hebrews 12:3). We can experience that same power when we remember the resurrection.

For more thoughts on Christ’s Resurrection, read this month’s North Valley News article, When They Saw the Lord.

“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness,” (Psalm 65:11).

In His goodness, God has given us another year of service to Him. We have enjoyed many blessings in 2011 at Golden State Baptist College, and we are looking forward to what He has for us in 2012.

During the week before Christmas, I had the privilege to
visit our missionary, Bro. Luis Ramos, in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. I was amazed
to see what the Lord is doing in Mexico, and encouraged by the influence of
this great work on the city of San Luis Potosi, the country of Mexico, and the
Spanish-speaking world. Many thousands of people have been saved in the 22
years that Bro. Ramos and his wife have been on the field, and many churches
have been started, both in Mexico and around the world. The Lord blessed the
meetings and used this time on the mission field to do a great work in my
heart.

Main Entrance of the Church

Wednesday Evening Service

Bro. Ramos Interpreting

“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake
unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which
were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms,
concerning me” (Luke 24:44).

Jesus gave a full explanation of the prophecies that He had
fulfilled as He walked along with these disciples. What did He tell them? Of
course, there are many possibilities; but in last night’s Wednesday evening
service, we covered a few that I think every Christian should know. Follow this link to hear the message.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you,” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

It is God’s will for us to give thanks in everything. This runs counter to the analytical process that is necessary for many of the functions in everyday life. If you are a parent, a coach, a teacher, an employer, an administrator, a pastor, a choir director, or any kind of leader for that matter; you are constantly evaluating situations, statistics, and individual performances. You are looking for things that need to be improved or corrected and thinking of ways to implement those changes.

As a leader, you need to be able to spot error, identify problems, and bring solutions to bear. However, the more accustomed we are to this way of thinking about our surroundings, the more likely we are to develop a mindset where we just look for what is wrong in our surroundings. After thinking this way long enough, we tend toward the kind of demanding, perfectionist attitude that borders on griping. It is barely more than glorified complaining. It is thinly-disguised bellyaching. This attitude is quite the opposite of thanksgiving.

So, we are faced with a dilemma. In everything find fault, or in everything give thanks? What is the solution?

It is a matter of perspective. We must remember that God is in control. He reigns supreme over all. We are finite beings, and many things are beyond the reach of our influence. He wants us to acknowledge that He is God and He is good. When we do, we can be thankful in all things.

This doesn’t mean that we cannot be leaders. It does not mean that we cannot have vision. It does not mean that we cannot give direction in the areas of our responsibility. It does mean; however, that we need to keep a biblical perspective, realizing that every good thing we enjoy comes from the hand of God. When we think this way, we can be thankful every day. We can truly be thankful in all things, especially on Thanksgiving.

We are in the midst of our annual missions conference this week, and my heart has been stirred through every message, every testimony, and every presentation. What a needy world we live in, and how few laborers we have! You can view the services at www.nvbc.org and www.gsbc.edu. Please pray that these meetings will encourage many to see the great need in His harvest field and do more than ever for the cause of Christ.

This morning we met as a college family for the first time this semester at the beginning of registration and I was so encouraged to see the chapel filled with new and returning students. As I looked across that sea of faces, I was reminded of our purpose and the importance of our mission. Each person was obviously filled with anticipation a strong desire to learn more about God and His work. Our goal is that they would eventually leave here as servants of God who will endeavor to make a difference in this world and carry the Gospel to as many people as they can. What a privilege to have a small part in encouraging and equipping them for the work of the ministry!