Robert E Rasmussen.com

Disciples frequently need direction in life. We often desire to know what God is seeking to accomplish, especially when our experiences are confusing. The four markers along the Jesus way help us locate our position on the trail. I call this the gospel GPS. We can now return to the three questions posed in the introduction of the trail guide.

Where am I on the trail? Because you know Jesus’ experience, and because you know that God guides you repeatedly through that same pattern of experiences, you therefore know that if God is asking that you surrender to Him, that you are in Gethsemane, as Jesus was. You know that if He is asking you to give something up to Him as a sacrifice, then you have come to a kind of Golgotha. If you are in a season of grieving, loss, or waiting, then you are in a kind of burial. And, perhaps unbeknownst to you, if Jesus is manifesting His life through you, God is granting you a resurrection-like experience. Knowing where you are on the trail helps you to rejoice over where you have been, where you are, and where you are headed.

What does Jesus want from me in this current experience? Understanding this pattern, you now know how you can cooperate with God in each of the four aspects. Gethsemane will only be satisfied as you surrender, declaring “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Golgotha is the time of sacrifice, in which you say, “Into Your hands I commit my spirit.” Your season in the tomb asks that you abide in Christ, waiting with Him for as long as is required. And resurrection liberates you to rejoice that Jesus is being displayed in your life, and through you to others.

Where is the trail ultimately leading? Because of the consistency of the pattern, you can anticipate what is ahead. You know that if you are at a Gethsemane, in which God is asking you to surrender your will to His, that He will next ask you to follow through and sacrifice that which He has required. Following that, an expression of burial will come, which will yield finally to the risen Jesus Christ being manifested through you more fully because you have gone through yet another rendition of the pattern of the Jesus way.

Another way to think of this is to work backward. Doing so helps to review and better understand what God has done in your past. If you want to know where the risen Jesus is manifesting Himself in your life, look for the ways God has asked you to grieve a loss, or wait for the fulfillment of a dream. Look for the ways you have sought to abide with Christ. Your resurrection-like experiences will appear where you have experienced a kind of burial. Similarly, if you want to know where God is asking you to abide in Christ, look for the way in which He has asked you to sacrifice for Him. What has God asked you to lay down at the foot of the cross? That is your call to Golgotha. And should you wonder what that sacrifice was, look further back for a time and place when God found you in your Gethsemane and asked you to surrender to Him, yielding your will to His will for your life.

Here is a summary of the historical event in Jesus’ life, the way Jesus led in each aspect, and our task as those who follow Him.

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There is a prevalent teaching which says that when we encounter a trial, our goal as disciples should be to pass the test. Some teach that we should seek to learn the lesson which God is trying to teach so that we do not have to go through it again. This teaching is well-meant, but an inadequate understanding of God’s ways. Yes, our gospel cycles give us lessons to learn in our spiritual growth, but there are many benefits to gain, and much glory to give, in the continual expressions of the gospel cycle. For in dying and living the gospel we experience the presence of God more deeply in our lives. We do so in at least three ways.

Intimacy with Christ. As Jesus meets us along the trail, we learn of His gospel work not just academically but in our spiritual experience. Over time, we grow in our intimacy with Christ, and deepen our worship of Him. The ministry of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, cheers us through each challenge along the Jesus way.

Conformity to Christ. Every time we surrender, we become more like Jesus who surrendered. As we sacrifice for Him, we become more like the One who died a sacrificial death on the cross. As we abide in Him, Jesus draws near and abides in us. And as we manifest the living Christ, He shows that He lives, resurrected, in and through us.

Purpose in life. The greatest outcome of our continually dying and living the gospel is that, in so doing, we live out the most magnificent purpose of human existence, which is to honor and display the Son of God in His seminal work on earth. There is no higher purpose than to give oneself fully to, and to become one with, the mission of God in saving humankind for the glory of the Son.

You can see, therefore, why it is woefully inadequate to wish that we could avoid experiencing the gospel cycle, for to do so would lessen our maturation as disciples and, most importantly, detract from the glory due to the Son of God. Though many expressions of the gospel cycle are difficult, they should nevertheless be humbly embraced as the most profound means by which we can live our earthly years for the glory of God!

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Since this pattern is central to our faith, we should not be surprised to find it embedded in various aspects of our corporate life in the church. Here are some key examples.

Water baptism. The initial declaration of saving faith is water baptism. The immersion of the new believer into water, as practiced by Philip with the Ethiopian convert (Acts:38-39), pictures the death and burial of the believer only to be raised up into new life in the risen Christ. Water baptism is emblematic of the spiritual death, burial, and resurrection of the new disciple.

“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

This verse speaks of the spiritual transformation that happens in the soul of every new believer at the moment of saving faith. This inner reality is wonderfully depicted physically in water baptism.

The Lord’s Supper. Jesus instituted His table of covenant communion on the eve of His crucifixion. Only hours after He took the bread and cup, He was in Gethsemane wrestling with the calling of the cross. Notice that Jesus’ death and resurrection are embedded in the simple ceremony He gave to us:

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, ‘This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Matt. 14:22-25).

Our continual participation in the Lord’s Table is a remembrance of His body which was willingly sacrificed on behalf of the sins of the whole world. It calls us to reflect on His blood which was shed for the pardon of sin (1 Cor. 11:23-26). Whether daily, weekly, or monthly, we are welcomed into the fellowship of the table established by Christ Himself and there remember the essence of our discipleship. It is a time to confess any sin that has dislodged us from following His pattern of obedience. And we would do well to celebrate the privilege we have of living out His example.

Spiritual disciplines.   Many of the spiritual disciplines given to disciples for maturation follow the pattern of surrender, sacrifice, abiding and manifestation. Among such disciplines are Sabbath, fasting, solitude, study, meditation, memorization, and acts of service. Each of them calls us back to the cross, that we may lay in wait as we abide with Christ, only to draw on His life for newness and abundance. We will explore these disciplines in the final section of the trail guide.

Try to keep this in mind next time you enjoy a communion service!

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(Picture credit: sacerdotus.com)

I hope I can help you see the beauty of this thought!

As important as it is to understand each part individually, the genius of God’s method of discipling us is fully appreciated as we view all the parts as one whole. And because this whole repeats itself frequently in the life of every disciple, I call it “the gospel cycle.” Taken together, this cycle is one that you will encounter many times over on your trek around every bend of the Jesus trail.

You will recognize that the pattern of following the Jesus way is identical to the core elements of the gospel as taught by the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Cor. 15:1-4, emphasis mine).

Death. Burial. Resurrection. These form the rock-solid core of Jesus’ work. As I began studying the implications of the gospel in discipleship, it became evident to me that Jesus’ surrender in Gethsemane was the essential prerequisite which led Him to the obedience of death. I have therefore come to understand surrender as the first element of the gospel cycle which was necessary for Jesus, and is necessary for us, if we are to follow His way.

This simple insight will lead to great benefits in understanding what God is doing in our lives!

Watch for signs of Jesus’ life.  You experience more of the risen Christ, not because of your actions, but because God has chosen the time and means for displaying Jesus in you. One of the main tasks of the disciple therefore is to watch for signs of Christ’s life emerging in you. Pay attention to small ways that God gives you hope. Have faith to whatever degree you can. You may have been in a burial-like season for so long that you can’t recognize the dawning of change. Don’t let the darkness of the tomb become your personality.

Share the victory including the struggles. As you come into the light of resurrection, you have a story to share. As Christ manifests Himself in you in new ways, tell others of what He has done. Share what He means as you have come to know Him better. Remember, your story is not just the victory of your healing, promotion, or reconciliation. Your story goes all the way back to your Gethsemane and Golgotha. These harder sections of the path give the background to the good that God has done for you. Revealing the difficulty of the journey helps others identify their struggle with yours, and increases their hope.

Find various ways to memorialize what God has done.  In the Old Testament, the people of Israel built monuments to remember the mighty acts of God. Consider ways you can memorialize your major gospel cycles. You might have a celebration meal, or have a plaque made to hang on your wall. You might write up the story and send it to friends. If an opportunity arises to share what you have been up to, take the bold step and tell of your recent encounters along the Jesus way. Resurrection merits praise! My wife, normally shy in large groups, would sometimes be in a worship service and would be gripped by the truth in a song. She was so full of worship to God for saving her life that she would extend both arms energetically into the air. A few times, when the song called for humility, she would lower to her knees as her expression of worship.

Stay at the new level of maturity God has brought you to. Let thankfulness become deeply embedded in your soul. God has counted you worthy to serve as a display case for His wonderful Son! Yes it has been difficult, perhaps beyond words. But God has brought you through, and Jesus has been manifested in you. Hold on to this privilege and let gratitude be your new normal. Don’t slide back to a former critical complainer. Don’t succumb to judgmentalism or self-righteousness. Instead, step into the greater love that comes with knowing Christ more intimately. Did you abide with Christ as you grieved and waited? Stay at rest in Him now that you have emerged into a lighter time. This is how you are transformed by your gospel cycles. God has invested in you. Now be the more mature person He expects.

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