Don’t Miss the Meaning of the Mountaintop

You likely have heard someone speak of having a “mountaintop experience” in life. In most cases, they are speaking of amazing moments where things felt right and good. In Christian circles, people are most likely referring to moments when they felt most spiritually focused and connected. These are great moments and not to be ignored or pushed aside. However, there is wisdom in understanding the purpose and the reasoning why God often provides such “mountaintop experiences” in the lives of his children.

Last week our teenagers attended Generate Camp at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. For those who have been to Covenant, or maybe have driven from Chattanooga to Nashville, you recognize the names “Rock City” and “Lookout Mountain.” This college is located near Rock City and is literally on a mountaintop. In a very real sense, our students had a mountaintop experience last week.

However, this was not just a weekend away or a family vacation to a mountain cabin. Our week together with over 800 students from numerous states was specifically designed and set apart so that students could be with other students, Christians, and leaders who love them and seek to help them in their walk with Christ. Everything at Generate was strategically designed for the benefit of the participants and that God would be glorified. Once more, I had the joy of being with our students this week along with a few other adults from our church. Some of the students who attended with us are not believers, some are new believers, and others have been Christians for a bit, but are continually maturing in their faith.

The theme of the week was “Total Surrender” and all the music, small group gatherings, church group gatherings, and sermons were centered upon this theme. Our focal passage was Galatians 2:20. Many of our students took viable steps of faith. Some surrendered their lives to Christ and entered into a real relationship with God. Others were certainly dealing with personal sin and the call to surrender fully to Christ in all areas (relationships, family, personal identity, etc.) Still others are wrestling with a surrender to God’s call into full-time Gospel ministry.