This article is a summary of the following episode: The Suspicion of Experience
Why the Christian Life Is Deeply Supernatural
Many of us who have been shaped by the Reformed tradition feel hesitant when it comes to the word “experience.” It can bring to mind emotional hype, theological compromise, or practices we associate with other traditions.
Because of this, we often avoid anything that seems subjective or rooted in feeling. The goal is to stay grounded in the truth. But in avoiding what feels risky, we sometimes forget something essential about the Christian life. It is not mechanical religion. It is life in Christ. It is not simply belief in the right doctrines. It is also participation in what God is doing by grace, through faith, in real time.
Let’s consider how the Christian life is meant to be experienced.
Faith Is Supernatural
We do not live the Christian life through our natural abilities. The flesh cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit. Rules and routines cannot transform the heart. Paul explains in Colossians 2 that man-made religion has the appearance of wisdom but no power to restrain the flesh.
Life in Christ involves resurrection, not self-help. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us (Ephesians 1:19–20). That power does not come from effort or resolve. It is the work of the Spirit.
This reality is not abstract. It shapes our actual lives and how we relate to God and others.
Worship Is an Encounter
When the church gathers, we are not attending a religious event. We are meeting with the living God. Christ is present with us as we sit under his Word, receive his sacraments, and join in prayer and singing.
These elements are not symbolic activities or exercises in remembrance. God ministers to his people through them. The Lord is with us and works through what he has ordained.
This truth should shape how we approach worship. There is something sacred happening when the church gathers. God is there.
Singing That Lifts the Soul
Singing in the church is not optional. It is part of how God ministers to us. In Ephesians and Colossians, Paul urges the church to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another. This is not simply a way to express ourselves. It is how we encourage and exhort one another in the faith.
Many believers have experienced seasons when singing felt impossible. But even then, the voices of fellow saints can carry us. In those moments, God is caring for us through his people.
Preaching That Produces Faith
Paul writes in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. That not only applies to those who have not yet believed. It applies to all who need to be sustained in the gospel.
Preaching is not just an information download. Christ is present when his Word is proclaimed. He speaks peace to our troubled hearts and reminds us of what is true.
This is why we show up week after week to hear again that Jesus is enough.
The Table That Feeds
When we come to the Lord’s Table, we are not engaging in a ritual for memory’s sake. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10 that we are participating in the body and blood of Christ.
This is spiritual nourishment. God strengthens our faith through ordinary bread and wine. We come with nothing but need, and God provides what our souls lack.
The Church Is a Sacred Place
The church is where God has promised to meet with his people in a unique way. Christ is always with us. But when the church gathers under the Word, around the Table, and in prayer, God draws near in a distinct way.
This shapes how we view the Lord’s Day. It is not a weekly tradition. It is the appointed time to be strengthened by the means of grace.
Experience Is Part of the Christian Life
We do not put our trust in our emotions or circumstances. But we do trust what God has promised to do when his Word is preached, his gospel is sung, and his people gather.
We do not chase emotional highs. We come with humility and expectation. We believe that God is present. And even when we do not feel it, he is doing something in us.
The experience of God’s grace is not something we manufacture. It is something God gives.
Learning to Expect
What are we helping our churches look for each week? What are we encouraging people to come and receive?
God has not called us to come and evaluate. He has called us to come and receive. We receive grace. We receive help. We receive Christ himself through his Word and Spirit.
The Christian life is not built on a checklist. It is a life of dependence, nourished by grace. And it is sustained by the regular rhythm of worship, preaching, prayer, and fellowship.
Final Thoughts
Church is not about attendance. It is not about hype. It is not a way to prove anything. For most of us, showing up on a Sunday is hard at times. We come tired. We come distracted. We come weary.
But we still come. Because Jesus is there. And he gives what we need.
Let us not hesitate to use words like sacred and supernatural. Let us encourage one another to come with hope and expectation. And let us trust that God will do what he has said.
The Christian life is not something we live in our own strength. It is life with God, through Christ, by the Spirit.
That is worth showing up for. Every time.
