EXPERIENCING GOD THROUGH CHRIST

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF EXPERIENCING GOD

By Jun P. Espina | 06/25/2026 | 4 min read | Updated: 06/26/2026

EXPERIENCING GOD IS POSSIBLE

Experiencing God. Have you experienced God? Yes, of course. But have you experienced the God of the Bible? Don’t be offended if you are anti-Scripture.

I had that feeling, too, before. However, whether you agree or not, the Bible serves as our most dependable guide.

The psalmist affirms it. “Your word (the Holy Scriptures) is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

How Do We Manage Our Inner Darkness?

I believe in making our room darker during the night for its health benefits, and I even wear a “sleep mask.” My mobile phone’s flash light is my “lamp” should I move around. It is how I manage myself in a dark room. Similarly, without the Scripture’s insight and wisdom, you are lost in ignorance, without a light from God, and will finish your life like one who is unenlightened.

Yes, we need to manage our inner darkness.

I once listened to the life story of a 74-year-old man who sold his house and lived in a mobile home instead due to a lack of financial resources to maintain his decent house and respectable lifestyle. It happened after the death of his wife. It was very unfortunate that his two children did not show any concern for him. They didn’t care if he was still breathing. For a long time, he received no response to his calls and text messages. It was his darkest hour at age 74. It was a kind of existence that has relied heavily on human effort, wisdom, and a lot of mental programming to stay alive. He never mentioned God intervening in his worst moments.

But, like it or not, we always need our Creator’s hand, counsel, and rule. We need His word of encouragement, His strength in our difficulties, and His divine wisdom in our positive times.

EXPERIENCING GOD VS. EXPERIENCING CHRIST

To experience the God of the Scriptures today is not as extraordinary and marvelous as when the skin of Moses’ face shone because of his meeting with our Creator at Mount Sinai. (cf. Ex. 34:29) Abraham also offered the blood of animals before God that resulted in the Biblical Land Covenant, or the Covenant of the Pieces (see Genesis 15:9-21.)

In the New Testament, our experience with Christ is no different from our encounter with our Father God. In John 14, we find this Scripture enlightening:

Philip said to Him [Christ], ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?‘” (Verses 8-10a.)

1. First Encounter with God

My first encounter with God happened in 1984. It took place when I received Christ in my heart for the first time as my only Lord, Savior, and God the Son.

Today, our feeling with God is exactly the same as our meeting with Christ’s Spirit in our hearts for the first time. I encountered such a spiritual miracle in life when I received Christ sincerely by faith. I was saved that memorable Sunday morning. That’s all I can say with my first glimpse of heaven in my heart. I met the risen Jesus.

How did I know for sure?

Well, Christ has the answer: “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.'” (John 3:7-8)

You hear the wind blowing but you don’t know where it is coming from. You experienced divine forgiveness and a Christ-centered mindset, but you wouldn’t see it in a tangible way. The apostle Paul has explained the born-again experience in this way: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

Yes, I thought it was a spiritual miracle for me. It was like God sweeping away some dark power that has always kept me down, empty, and broken.

WHAT IS THAT EXPERIENCE WITH GOD IN TODAY’S CONTEXT?

Describing the spirit of the unregenerated people—like I was once—that I pictured as “some dark power,” the apostle Paul said,

“In which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” (Eph. 2:1b)

1. Demonic Forces

Before my conversion to biblical and Christ-centered Christianity, I have lived my life according to the influence of demonic forces like all the others who are lost in this world spiritually. Don’t misread me. What is this demonic authority that I experienced?

Or why did Apostle Paul declare, “Christ liveth in me”? (Gal. 2:20)

The answer was my hostility to everything Christ-related. It reminded me of a story about a girl who warned her boyfriend never to utter the word “Jesus” before her mother.

As clearly explained by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 2, a life without Christ is a life without hope and God in this world. (See Ephesians 2:12.)

As clearly explained by the apostle in Ephesians 2, a life without Christ is a life without hope and God in this world. (See Ephesias 2:12.)

2. Anti-Christianity Unmasked

Yes, anti-Christianity (I mean scriptural Christianity) is always an inner outrage and rejection of Jesus.

In John 3, Christ declares,

“And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed.” (Verses 19-20.)

Christ is the Light of this world. Outside of Him is perfect darkness.

3. Rejection of Christ is Absolute Absurdity

I have an encounter that is worth sharing—a supernatural confusion if it is proper to describe it that way.

One American missionary communicated with me (before the age of the Internet) concerning his ministry. I lambasted him with anti-American insults popular in those days while also carelessly mocking his Christian message to me.

Why was it an utter spiritual blindness—or a “supernatural” madness, I should say? Well, this missionary shared with me the Gospel, the only way to live forever in heaven by faith in Christ. Was it not an utter divine unplugging when we turned down Christ’s sweetest invitation to be with Him in heaven forever by trusting in His promises?

Yes, it was complete absurdity, just like rejecting scriptural immortality and instead preferring death in the grave and life in hell for millions of years.

As clearly expressed by the apostle Paul,

“But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:15)

4. A Natural Resentment for Everything Related with Christ.

As a former college instructor, I always clashed with religious teachers on our campus. I insisted that the Old and New Testaments were disconnected, even though I was absolutely unfamiliar with these Scriptures in those days.

It is what I meant. The spiritual blindness that I experienced before my conversion was obviously anti-Christian darkness. Why didn’t I care about the Koran, SDA, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hinduism, Judaism, or Buddhism?

Why did my inner hostility boil in me only when the subject matter was about Christianity and its risen Christ?

BEFORE TRUSTING IN CHRIST SINCERELY LIES A SERIOUS INNER STRUGGLE

I can understand you if you dislike Bible blogs like this one. I experienced the same inner struggle every time I was offered Christ’s forgiveness of sin through faith in His atoning blood.

Christ is the truth, and Paul said that His enemies are those having “the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” (Eph. 2:1b)

What is this disobedience? Simple answer: disobedience to Christ and His Word. And that’s how unbelief has shaped my early years in this life until I became born of God in 1984.

As explained by Christ Himself,

“The one who rejects Me and does not accept My teachings has one who judges him: the word which I spoke. That will judge him on the last day.” (John 12:48)

That is every person’s struggle in this world. It is the struggle of every Muslim, Hindu, or other sect outside of Christianity. They reject Christ because they don’t accept His teachings.

Christ is the Word of God—the Son of God who became flesh. (cf. John 1:1, 14)

It is the challenge. Muhammad, Buddha, and other “little gods” don’t claim they are the “Word of God.” Their teachings cannot touch people the way Christ did.

As written by the apostle John, “This was the true Light [Christ] that, coming into the world, enlightens every person.” (John 1:9)

In the non-Christian domain, the challenge lies in how to trust the bold claims of Jesus, who is viewed as a mere man.

What is the paramount message that all these religious and anti-Christian sects have in common? Well, they believe they can save themselves. Their superior moral codes and virtuous works are their ultimate passport to enter heaven.

But Christ said you are mistaken because you cannot save yourselves. I am the only Savior sent by my Father, and I died on the cross to pay off your sins by my own precious blood.

When asked regarding the only way to obtain salvation from sin and judgment, Paul and Silas said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)

CHRIST IS YOUR “GOD EXPERIENCE”

Some say they need to speak in tongues or feel something during a prayer meeting to experience God. The craving for “signs and wonders,” however, is not born-again Christianity. It is the hallmark of unbelief. When asked about His spiritual display of power, Christ said, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign; and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” (Matt. 12:39)

“Jonah was in the stomach of the sea monster for three days and three nights” (Matt. 12:39). It was the sign Christ was willing to give them, which was relating to His death (three days and three nights) and His ensuing resurrection. In a word, our Lord declares that His death and resurrection are enough proof to anchor one’s trust in Him.

The apostle Paul described born-again Christianity in four words: “Christ liveth in me.” (Gal. 2:20)

To borrow from Thomas Aquinas, “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

HOW TO EXPERIENCE GOD?

As already mentioned, to experience God is to encounter Christ, our Lord. This doctrine is supported by His affirmation that “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

1. An Encounter with Christ’s Spirit

My first taste of genuine Christianity was the love of God that had cloaked me the whole time after I sincerely received Christ by faith during an altar call. I don’t support drama in the church, but I could feel Christ’s Spirit possessing me and making me feel and think about our Lord Jesus differently—since then. As proclaimed by the apostle Paul, “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Rom. 5:5)

2. My Christian Conversion

After my real experience with Christian conversion, I realized how absorbed I was with everything related to Christ and His word. As a well-educated man, I would not just say “Amen” to every sermon but would verify its soundness and biblicality. I became a truth hunter, so to speak.

Early in my Christianity, God had led me to expose teachings that are unscriptural or deceptive. One is speaking in tongues. The second heresy is the belief that their group is the only true “Church of Christ.” Three. God saves only the elect, which is popularly referred to as hyper-Calvinism or predestinarianism. Four. Another popular heretical teaching is that Christ is not God. I have thoroughly explored all these topics in my books. (See je-estore.com)

3. My Passion for Biblical Truths

My experience with God is all that I came across with Christ and His Spirit. As taught by Christ Himself,

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth… But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” (John 16:13a, 14:26)

Some born-again Christians don’t have my passion for God’s truth. Perhaps they are just gifted with other spiritual riches for the edification of the Lord’s church. As clearly emphasized by the apostle Paul in Ephesians, “And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11)

4. Concerning Christ’s Encounters

Our key point is that your encounter with Christ is similar to your encounter with our heavenly Father. (cf. John 14:8-10) I shared about my experience with Christ, who opened for me the Holy Scriptures, giving me divine understanding. “Your gift,” Paul said. However, some followers of Christ have other forms of meeting or experiencing God. Their answered prayers or charitable ministries are undeniable testimonies that our Lord Jesus will always intervene for us as He promised.

OUR LIFELONG JOURNEY WITH GOD

Experiencing God is not a one-time event but a lifelong journey of faith and relationship. By opening our hearts to Christ and allowing the light of Scripture to guide our steps, we move from spiritual darkness into the fullness of God’s love and truth.

Those closing their minds on Christ are living in the darkness of demonic influences. However, God’s grace always has a way of saving the lost.

For instance, one highly successful man, in the prime of his life, has cursed God often and laughed at Christianity like a fool while bragging about how rational his atheism was. But then, at a quite unforeseen turn of events, he discovered that his beloved wife cheated on him. But it was just the beginning of his ordeal, since their doctor had also diagnosed his son with colon cancer.

Completely overwhelmed with how things stood, he called up a friend who led him to trust in Christ. The very Scripture that has steered him to believe in Jesus was found in Matthew 11:28, where our Lord says,

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

No matter where you are on your spiritual path, remember that encountering the divine is always possible through sincere faith and a willingness to seek Him.

If you trust in Christ’s forgiveness and reconciliation with the Father, God’s Word will illuminate your journey.

>>> Experiencing God, Christian faith, Spiritual transformation, Born again, Biblical teachings, Encounter with Christ, Personal testimony, Salvation, Scripture, Spiritual journey, Christianity, Light and darkness, Faith in Jesus, God’s guidance, Religious experience <<<

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