Jesus transformationcalled a transfigurationwas even more dramatic. Accessed 4 Mar. 17:1). I have separated the list into Free Resources, Basic Resources, and Advanced Resources. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples The Cross was a great accomplishment; not an accident, tragedy, disaster! 4. of or pertaining to mountains. Or you were convicted about something in your life that you now need accountability for from a friend or mentor. God knows how our brains work and how our individual personalities respond. Since the first reported successful climb of that 29,000-foot peak in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, more than four thousand different individuals have experienced the thrill. Moses is a prime example of this. And one day he would return with clouds of glory at his second coming. was the founder of Israels worship of God. Once weve processed our mountain top experience, well be able to face the valley without resentment or guilt. You learn something new about who God is. The Mountaintop Experience. Both can be mountain top experiences, moments when we see God in a new way. My help comes from theLord,who made heaven and earth. The mountain top experience was a sanctuary, and a challenge. But Jesus was not reflecting the glory of God; He was shining out the glory of God from within. Mountaintop. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mountaintop. Did we really experience change? After hearing those commandments, Moses came back down the mountain and reported to the Israelites all that God had said to him. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with (Jesus). David Briscoe is a content editor at Lifeway for Explore the Bible resources. V:30-31-And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. Through His Word, Jesus presents grace to frightened disciples on the mountain. adj. It is the most sacred spot on earth! Metamorphosis- An outward change that comes from the inside. 5. living, growing, or located in the mountains. 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. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain; and they see His glory, they have a Mountain-Top Experience. But the valley experience is just as important to our Christian walk. By adding some whipped cream and a cinnamon stick, a regular cup of warm chocolate powder in milk becomes more like a dessert. It was simply a huge heap of stuff (both good and bad) that he had climbed up in order to get to where he was. 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. On that mountaintop I realized that all the problems and worries that suffocate me daily were so worldly. Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. However, the truth of the matter is simply this: the mountain really is made out of a lot of stuff (both good and bad). While such fear is proper, it may and must be accompanied by hearing the other mountain-voice of the transfiguration. These days weve been talking about the sacred rhythms of spiritual formation. Baptism is NOT something we do. Maybe it was getting married or having children. And that moment made such an impression on Peter that years later he would refer to it in one of his New Testament letters as proof positive that that he didnt make up the gospel, but was an eyewitness to the very power and majesty of Jesus that changed his life forever. If you need it, they have it. Jesus climbing to the top of a mountain not to receive, but to give a new interpretation and understanding of those laws shaping our communal life together as Christians through the Sermon on the Mount. This one might seem obvious, but what if I told you that having a cup of hot cocoa is more than chocolate powder in warm milk? One trait that gets very little press is that mountain top experiences often involve waiting. -They spoke about his decrease, which he would accomplish at Jerusalem, There on that high mountain with the representatives of the O.T. Still others need to spend time contemplating it all in the quiet of their own prayers. to love God more than anything else, and love your neighbor as yourself. 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. Climbing the mountain we now claim as Mt. IN THE BOREDOM AND PAIN OF IT NO LESS THAN IN THE EXCITEMENT, AND GLADNESS: TOUCH, TASTE, SMELL YOUR WAY TO THE HOLY, BECAUSE IN THE LAST ANALYSIS, ALL MOMENTS, ARE KEY MOMENTS AND ALL OF LIFE ITSELF IS GRACE. - the law and the, Prophets; the son of God and the three great apostles of the church they are talking about the Cross! While we face the last couple of weeks of winter there are many things you need to do. 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. We all need spiritual refreshing from the presence of the Lord; we need encouragement that can come only from being in the presence of Jesus. Jesus was always getting away to pray and draw strength from His father. They are solid and unmovable. Psalm 90:2; Exodus 19:17-20; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Isaiah 52:7; Psalm 121:1-2; Isaiah 54:10. the last of the apostles to die, he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. Moses and Elijah were known by Peter, James and John. Moses and Elijah were still alive and conscience though they had left the earth hundreds of years before this. But seriously Im glad to have an excuse for Joani to describe the stirrings of the Holy Spirit in her life. Maybe thats why to this day so many Christian retreat centers are on top of or around mountains. 2. Life is a continually ascending and descending in our religious experiences. In the Bible, mountains are often the places where God encounters His people, changes their lives, and sends them back down to the world with a prophetic message. Things may not be the way you want them to be right now, but as long as you do the next right thing and move in a positive direction, you will continue to learn and grow. Horeb, Elijah stood in the mouth of a cave and heard God speak not in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the sounds of silence. Some only lasted for mere minutes. To hear the voice of God is to be led to the mountaintop. Horeb, which is described in the bible as the mountain of God. Later, Moses will climb Mt. 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. The term mountain top experience comes from those moments in the Bible when God revealed Himself to people on a mountain. V:29-his arraignment was white and glistening. Those are great experiences that God has given to me, and I am thankful for them. So many of us begin to desire to leave God's mountaintop through lax engagement with God's Word because the experience feels so ordinary. Just as the disciples heard the Word on the mountain (2 Pet. It was a Mountain top experience, as heaven came down on that mountain. The speaker concludes talking with an invitation to come to the altar and lay your burdens down at the feet of Jesus. Sinai. Yet, it seems that Peter actually does the opposite. Peter said it is good to be here. Worrying about finances doesnt measure up to what really matters in life. When it happens, they become excited and zealous for God. The fascinating story behind many people's favori Can you handle the (barometric) pressure? We cant leave them behind us. This reminds me of Church! I'd love to go mountain - climbing. The heap on which he stood consisted of all the experiences and obstacles that he had faced on his journey through life. In the presence of Jesus with the saints, talking about the Cross! I suddenly gained a perspective about life I had never had up until that moment. We, of course, visited the ranger station and gift shop at the top, and chatted with one of the rangers about what short hikes we could do while we were at the top and about the recent snowstorm that made the road impassible. Moses finally made it to the promise land! The realization that I could release control was like lifting bricks off my shoulders. Properly understood, it is something we receive just like our salvation. And Im guessing wed have a mountaintop experience at church if we took the time to listen to each other describe our mountaintop experiences. So when it is too cold for an ice cream party, you can have a hot chocolate party instead! That thought even reminds me of a song that was once sung by a group that was known as Blood, Sweat and Tears entitled "Spinning Wheel". For this reason, friends, its only fair to tell you that mountaintops can be dangerous places. The "deeper something" comes when one takes the divine voice as a motivation to trust in God during the hardships on the journey. They knew a lot about Jesus; but on that mountaintop they. Remember, Moses first met God at the burning bush on Mt. 1:19). He neither deserves the honor or respect that entails. He talked about the struggles and challenges he had faced both personally and professionally. And I find myself squirming when I read that Moses spent six days engulfed in the clouds on the top of Mt. mountaintop [ moun-tn-top ] SHOW IPA noun the top or summit of a mountain. Full kitchen, with cookware and dinnerware, dishwasher, microwave, stove/oven, full fridge, coffeemaker. Since the first reported successful climb of that 29,000-foot peak in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, more than four thousand different individuals have experienced the thrill. No one deserves worship but Jesus! On the days when I find myself worrying about temporary issues I need to take a step back and look at life as if I was looking at the world from a mountaintop. In those moments, do we lose the passion and the awe we once felt on top of that mountain? Like the testing of Abraham ( Genesis 22:1-19 ), the receiving of the Ten Commandments ( Exodus 19-20:21) and, of course, the transfiguration ( Matthew 17:1-13 ). But now Moses is getting to see the glory of God face-to-face, in the person of Jesus Christ. 1. a natural elevation of land rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill. Ironically, the three disciples misunderstood nearly everything about that experience as it was occurring. They took my breath away from ground level and, when I climbed them, they whisked away any anxious thought Id ever have. The valley is not what you may think. There will be times of recognition, success, fun, laughter, happiness, financial success and many wonderful experiences together with family and friends. After his death, would come his resurrection and exaltation! I walked down that mountain with a fresh, new fear for the Lord and new readiness to serve Him and only Him. What matters most is that you end up standing on top of it all rather than being consumed by it! b : an elongated ridge 2 a : a great mass a mountain of a man E. K. Brown b : a vast number or quantity a mountain of mail a mountain of debt 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. He and his disciples went up this mountain to pray. Many people want special blessings, and mountain top experiences but they do not want to be dedicated to Jesus. Time to forget about any work you have to do, and treat the weekend as a weekend. The High Mountain became the Holy Mountain because he saw the glory of Jesus there! And dont forget that Jesus didnt make a move until he had spent his own forty days and night on top of a mountain, and thirty years plying his trade as a carpenter before that. It matters not that the mountain is composed of a lot of stuff. He reflected on the massive amount of time, effort and energy it took to reach the specific goals that he had laid out for his life. When the back doors of the church opened, and there. They are solid and unmovable. The sum total of all of the things he had done and experienced in life had brought him to the place where he stood at that moment in time. And minds that were already spinning are now completely blown. for a mountain-top experiences is that you will: Jesus was not alone on the mountain, two famous men from the Old Testament show up. Sinai. 17:5), and Peter and the disciples fall to their faces (17:6). Believe: What Secret Does It Hold For You Today. Now for the Lords prophetic word: This is what the Lord is saying to the people of Mountaintop Worship Center. That is what happens to Peter, James and John on that mountain. I would classify Atlanta as a mountaintop experience. Finally, its just Moses moving to the top of Mt. Yet, right after this, Christians often go back into the valley where they seem to dwell most of the time. Finally, Jesus directed the three disciples not to tell others about their experience until after His resurrection. If youve ever been to a mountaintop, then you are familiar with the feeling of dizziness. These men where dedicated and devoted to Jesus; these three men went on to be. Mixed in with all of that were some great memories and wonderful times of happiness, too. Mountains typically have steep slopes and are understood to be. Mountaintop experiences are moments where people experience a dramatic expression of faith. We wont be able to implant every detail of the mountain top into the valley, but we cant waste those moments. Amen, we all agree with that; to be on the mountain top in the presence of Jesus and to see His glory! And if we keep moving upward an onward, we will eventually get to the peak or sum total of our own personal mountaintop experience! They didn't last for years. Thousands of people would say the answer is to stand on the "roof of the world," the summit of Mount Everest. Father of 5 (David, Jenny, Elisha, Esther, Seth). But those were all just moments. Processing doesnt mean well understand each detail of our experience. Both these men had talked with God on mountaintops before. Sinai. The believers present experience of hearing the Word of God parallels the experience of hearing the voice of God on the mountain. Remember, it was on top of Mt. Wood burning fireplace, gas grill, washer and dryer, central heat. And what does really matter in life? First, unlike other benefactors, God is unwaveringly benevolent. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. those moments in the Bible when God revealed Himself to people on a mountain. One of the authors of the book, Sharon Swing says, Listening is the art of creating space so God can do His work in the heart of another., This time in Atlanta was a follow-up to similar work I did in Dallas two years ago. For that reason, even people who follow God to the mountaintop will likely find themselves waiting patiently and praying for Gods guidance for their next move. We experience gratitude most naturally and intensely when a giver (1) unpredictably and (2) at cost to him- or herself (3) transfers to our full possession (4) a benefit that pleases us. Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. We cant disqualify a mountain top experience as just an emotional reaction. Click the link below to sign up for updates from Good Faith Media via our daily or weekly e-newsletters. The glory of God shines the brightest with the topic of conversation is the redemptive work of Jesus Christ! Moses was reflecting the glory of God because he had been in the presence of God; that is something we all should do! 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