About Us | White Oak Grove

Gospel?

As Christian believers, we acknowledge that the world (including each of us) has been broken by the consequences of sin. This accounts for the diseased and crippled effect we see on every aspect of the human condition. This condition began with an original sin by an historical man and woman (Adam and Eve) and has continued in all their children across the course of human history. God, however, having loved His own from before time began, sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem His people from the curse of sin and to reverse all the negative effects of the fall. This "Word become flesh" lived the life we should have lived (but haven't) and died the death we should have died (but won't). Jesus Christ's perfect righteous track record is freely given--by sheer grace--to every believer. It is impossible to earn an entrance into this favored position by good works. However, Jesus and the inspired writings of the Bible command us to love Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength and thus follow Him in faith and obedience.

Worship?

Worship is the preeminent activity to which a human being is called and for which he or she is made. Worship does not exist to serve other ends (such as fundraising or missions or youth training). Therefore, the gathered congregation is summoned to worship the living God and this is an activity intentionally different from all others in life. Like Jacob’s Ladder, the gathered church in Christ serves as a portal between Heaven and Earth. Angels of God ascend and descend upon this viaduct thus connecting the two spheres in ways calculated to elevate our earthly frame and energize angels in their godly work. In this way, the gathered church (as the body of Christ) experiences the numinous as a whole-person immersion. Head and heart are joined such that the intellect is stimulated and the heart is “strangely warmed.” Bowing in the presence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, then, becomes a high and holy privilege and not a mere obligation – true worship being the only response that makes sense in the presence of true, holy God.

Simple Church?

Toward the above ends, stripping the assembly of encumbrances and distractions becomes desirable. “Simple Church” is the aim. Praying together, singing unaccompanied hymns, and participating in gospel preaching and shared sacrament are the means by which we seek to go deep in our experience with God. The absence of costly facilities, paid staff members, and bureaucratic overhead allow generous giving to support worthy Christian causes beyond our own community. Additionally, because the experience of the Holy cannot be communicated in mere human speech, children and parents worship together (from youngest to oldest), affording the young an opportunity to imbibe the spirit of worship, even before they can articulate the experience. These young ones are thus conditioned to expect the unexpected as Jesus Christ Himself walks among His people. Authentic Christian community develops organically as believers learn to experience and express their vulnerabilities with each other in the understanding that discipleship and growth in grace are expected as part of the "salvation package" for every believer.

Rightly ordered, these simple means (all prescribed or exemplified in Scripture) will serve as a portal into the heavenlies. The power and poignancy of a lifetime spent in such environs is incalculable. Breathing this air, humming this music, experiencing these heights – this is the "with-God" life we seek. It is a vision of a new Kingdom, established by God in the top of the mountains, unlike anything offered by the world – a House which is sought only in vain unless the Lord build and bless it.