In later reflection, Peter described what he heard as the Majestic Glory (2 Pet. Next came the same audible voice from heaven that had spoken previously at Jesus baptism (Matt. As I rest in the valley and meditate on my mountaintop experiences, please have Your Holy Spirit reveal to me what I need to know.Here in the valley, I will rest and feed on the goodness of Your Word. It was a great privilege to see Moses and Elijah, but Jesus was the son of God! Stick with that original version of your mountain-top experience--the way you have experienced God. Moses and Elijah were still alive and conscience though they had left the earth hundreds of years before this. I'd love to go mountain - climbing. Of all the things the apostles witnessed, none was more spectacular and the vision of the glorified Christ on top on the Mount of Transfiguration. They didn't last for years. Those moments will hide themselves away, unsure as to their place in our routines. Frankly, I cant imagine being stuck in a dense mountain fog for six days with absolutely nothing to do but look at the fog! In any case, whenever something really wonderful happens to us, our excitement causes us to view it as one of lifes mountaintop experiences. Yet, if we keep going and if we keep climbing, the sum total of all those experiences will keep us moving upward in the right direction. The stress I feel towards a particular class is so small compared to what really matters in life. CAMIER PTY LTD HISTORY. The first time we see Jesus on a high mountain is in Matthew 4 when he is being tempted by the Devil. goats), the guys get to the true subject at hand. Any place be it mountaintop, retreat center, or worship service, that can change you inside out should be considered dangerous. If you keep striving and climbing you will eventually get on top of it and you will have a life that is helpful to you, profitable to your family and a good influence on your friends. TheLordis your keeper;theLordis your shade at your right hand. While we face the last couple of weeks of winter there are many things you need to do. TheLordwill keep you from allevil;he will keep your life. For this reason, friends, its only fair to tell you that mountaintops can be dangerous places. They took my breath away from ground level and, when I climbed them, they whisked away any anxious thought Id ever have. Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way. The voice of the father, encouraged Jesus in his preparation for the cross. Just as the disciples heard the Word on the mountain (2 Pet. Pastor James McDonald describes the biblical mountaintop experience as one that involves your mind, emotions, and will. When it happens, they become excited and zealous for God. If not, why not today? It also known valleys are quiet places of rest and peace. This past summer I worked every day in a place surrounded by mountains. A Mountain Top Experience This is such an awesome piece of Scripture that describes the imagery of a future time when "the mountain of the LORD" and "the house of the God of Jacob" will be a holy place for all the diverse people groups from every nation and of every ethnicity, worshipping God and learning the ways of His wisdom - Amen! Sinai a third time to get a new copy of the commandments we read in Exodus 34 that Moses face was shining so brightly with the spirit of God that he had to veil his face when he was around people. Accessed 4 Mar. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. The next time you have a mountain top experience, whether its at church, on the mission field or in the comfort of your room for not all experiences are charged with emotion know those moments arent wasted. The person and name of Jesus is a name that is above every name! It dishonored Jesus; it put Jesus on the same level with Moses and Elijah! The aspect of a beautiful mountaintop experience has a whole new meaning when you realize that it does not matter what the mountain is made of. The training notes 'Mountain-Top 4 Wheel Driving or reflections on over 40 years of mistakes in the Victorian high country' is a 44-page booklet covering 'Getting the Right Gear', 'Tackling Tough Trails' and 'Touring Tips'. I have separated the list into Free Resources, Basic Resources, and Advanced Resources. My help comes from theLord,who made heaven and earth. This will make any chill session that much more enjoyable. Moses is a prime example of this. There will be times of recognition, success, fun, laughter, happiness, financial success and many wonderful experiences together with family and friends. How does a congregation go He neither deserves the honor or respect that entails. What is it about mountains that invoke a spiritual or religious response from us as human beings? You learn something new about who God is. Suddenly your problems dont seem like problems anymore. Just zoom out and think about your problems in the large scheme of things. But as Jesus and his inner circle stood on that mountain the Shekinah glory cloud overshadowed them. A time when you just felt like Gods Spirit was all over you, and around you, and joy filled your heart, and you just felt like you were going to bust! Branded DISC Profile Service Back Office Login (has a different login than this website). Scripture gives us stories of literal mountain top experiences that color our expectations for what it means to encounter the divine - Abraham and Isaac climbing together in an act of extreme devotion to God and experiencing the mercy of God at its apex. Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. The Israelites were deeply moved by what Moses reported, and promised to obey all that they had heard. With this idea, though, one final observation must be made. Then in Matthew 17, Jesus is once again climbing a mountaintradition says its Mt. All nations will stream to it, and many peoples will come and say, Come, lets go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. The prophet Elijah had his share of mountaintop moments as well. n. The summit of a mountain. The glory cloud was the sign of Gods approval on the work that Jesus Christ had come to do; to die on the cross as a sacrifice for mans sin, and be raised from the dead the third day. Ron & Andrea Camier established Mountain-Top Experience in 1998 following Ron's retrenchment from brown coal research and development engineering due to the privatisation of the power industry. We must take what weve learned and processed, allowing it to change us. Together they represent the entire O.T. Think of those wonderfully cheesy G.I. for who he really is, in all of his love, grace and glory, it is a mountain-top experience! Afterwards, we go back into the valleys where we live our lives. BRICKS IN THE VALLEY Text: Matthew 17:1 - 9 We all know from the laws of gravity that what goes up must also come down. You can read my full article about the importance of the mountaintop experience HERE. These moments can be truly genuine and beautiful. This was the glory that Jesus had with his father before the world began. 17:2). We go down to the valley to meditate on our recent revelation, allowing us to learn from our mountaintop experiences. Life is a continually ascending and descending in our religious experiences. Sinai. Time to forget about any work you have to do, and treat the weekend as a weekend. And as we immerse our lives in the majestic glory of the Word of God, we never need to. Taborthis time with his three closest disciples, Peter, James, and John. We need to pray with Neil Griffith, Builder of mountains, make me like a mountain, Firm let me stand against the winds of strife; Give me a soul that reaches up to heaven, But plant my feet in needs of human life. When is the last time you had a mountain-top experience? I have established you on the mountaintop. 17:1). Build a pillow fort on your bed in any clear space using four chairs, an abundance of blankets and all the pillows you can find. To get on higher ground, to climb above the mundane, and get in the place where the glory of God can touch our lives, and we can see JESUS as He is in glory and power, and hear God speak to our hearts. 2023. I have had my fair share of mountain top experiences, both literal and spiritual. I love to see groups of people work together and everyone succeed. On that mountaintop I realized that all the problems and worries that suffocate me daily were so worldly. Proclaiming the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. Now, even though Joanis Listen to Your Life conference in Atlanta took place in the suburbs rather than on top of nearby Stone Mountain (which is where, by the way, I proposed to Joani), she still refers to the conference as a mountaintop experience. It is a high point in your life when youre with Gods people and Jesus in his glory shows up! This passage in Isaiah carries a prophetic word for Mountaintop Worship Center. Death moves our soul to another place, and that particular place is determined by what you do with Jesus in this life. The Cross was a great accomplishment; not an accident, tragedy, disaster! V:33-let us make here three tabernacles; one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Define mountaintop. While such fear is proper, it may and must be accompanied by hearing the other mountain-voice of the transfiguration. Yes it was temporary eclipsed by the cross, but they remember it after the resurrection and they spoke about it for the rest of their lives. Then, for another forty days he remained in the fiery cloud of Gods presence, receiving still more revelation from God. Thats why he wanted to build dwellings or booths on top of Mt. Still, nearly a thousand people everyyear train vigorously, pay steep fees, and make the trip to south Asia for the opportunityto enjoy an ultimate mountaintop experience. Became pastor of the church in Jerusalem, and was martyred for Preaching Jesus. Jesus was God incognito, dressed in human flesh. Our future includes a great change- corruption-incorruption; mortal- immortal. Through His Word, Jesus presents grace to frightened disciples on the mountain. Don't start to rationalize it, no matter how unbelievable it may sound to some. It is always a good to say nothing when you dont know what to say! Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church625 Montgomery AvenueBryn Mawr, PA 19010(610) 525-2821. My belief is the valley is as good as the mountaintop and just as important to our spiritual growth. You are a stumbling block to me. Jesus recognized the voice of the Evil One again, this time speaking through Peter, and he told him to back off. Dear Lord, I thank you for every mountaintop experience I have had and look forward to more of them. They would come down that mountain knowing without a shadow of a doubt who Jesus Christ was! Why not begin to consider what stuff makes up your own mountain? When the Bible says that Jesus was transfigured, it means that He became on the outside what He was on the inside. The mountaintop experience enables the believer to remain stable when they reach low points in their life. , when Moses met with God on Mount Sinai he came down with the glory of God radiating off his face. We cant disqualify a mountain top experience as just an emotional reaction. the cloud which covered the Tabernacle with Gods glory. We recognize that many of us will not have the privilege to live our lives on the top of a mountain, whether literally or figuratively. Or you were convicted about something in your life that you now need accountability for from a friend or mentor. Now suddenly, Jesus invites Peter, James, and John for an evening hike up Mt. Finally, Jesus directed the three disciples not to tell others about their experience until after His resurrection. Peter a man who always had something to say when nothing should be said; said: V:33-Jesus, master, it is good for us to be here. Jesus visage became as bright as the sun even as the long-dead Old Testament heroes Moses (representing the law) and Elijah (representing the prophets) appeared and talked with Jesus. Nighttime temperatures drop wellbelow zero, the air is razor-thin, and killer storms can strike without warning. . Soon, weekends can be filled with park trips and beach adventures, but for now, the weather is temperamental, so a movie night can suffice. To experience Christ in the midst of the Great Smoky Mountains. Jesus is the light of the world, and when we get to heaven he will be the light. to love God more than anything else, and love your neighbor as yourself. 'Hiemal,' 'brumation,' & other rare wintry words. Notice, too, that mountaintops offer a perfect setting for life-changing transformation. After hearing those commandments, Moses came back down the mountain and reported to the Israelites all that God had said to him. Built a tabernacle of PRAISE for Jesus alone in your heart! This is where audiobooks are helpful. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a mountain top experience. The mountaintop transfiguration of Jesus Christ was certainly a transcendent visual experience for Peter, James, and John. Salvation is not in a program, or a plan, but in a person-. How can we reach this mountaintop?. Finally, its just Moses moving to the top of Mt. The only way to properly do this is to be comfortable, because why relax when you could relax? those moments in the Bible when God revealed Himself to people on a mountain. When we read His Word, the Majestic Glory of God speaks through His Spirit. (see Exodus 19)We need the mountaintop experiences to experience the glory of God and receive revelation. There are several reasons. It involves a series of visual maps which are designed to help us sort through the chapters of our life story and rediscover clues about those places in our life where God has been, and is continuing to work. The one time I climbed a mountain of any size, I was amazed at how long I enjoyed spending time just looking at the view in the distance, enjoying the air, and experiencing the warm sun. We forget what it felt like to trust God while on the mission field. If we stifle what weve seen and heard and done during those mountain top experiences, then we wont know how to carry them with us into the valley. And you don't have to settle for regular milk! Philippians 4:13. I love to see families encouraging and helping one another. Ironically, the three disciples misunderstood nearly everything about that experience as it was occurring.
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