Are there any secondary issues pertaining to salvation? Isn’t that what the entire Calvinism debate is about?

All Christians should agree that 1) God is holy and just 2) man is a sinner 3) Jesus died as a propitatory substitute and rose from the grave for our justification 4) repentance and faith are necessary to be saved

But, what about God’s sovereignty? Sure, if you reject it, you reject the Bible. But what if my view is a bit different than yours? What if you say, “God regenerated me so I could believe” and I say, “God drew me to Himself and as a result of believing, He regenerated me.”? Certainly, the techinical issues of salvation can’t be held as fundamentals, can they?

“Our leader is so patient, yet firm, with us, and we submit appreciatively. No apostasy, rebellion, immorality, etc. is tolerated.”

Small groups are fine, but again this won’t ensure that there won’t be problems. Often, ‘no rebellion’ works out to mean that you cannot disagree with the leader (and/or the Confession), if you do, then you are ‘in error’. The leader is not an Apostle, and we shouldn’t raise him to this position. Also, we shouldn’t be too quick to label someone a tare, because they left the church due to the elders’ teaching. I know you meant if they didn’t agree on major subjects, like the person and work of Christ, saved by faith alone through Jesus alone, the Trinity, the authority of Scripture…, but many are too willing to so designate someone who doesn’t agree on ’secondary’ issues (i.e. Sabbath observance…).

…Let me just dream a little in these last days… It is Sunday morning at home with the family reading the word, praying the word, and confessing to one another. Preparations for corporate worship have been laid, and we pack the simple picnic with enough to share with others. Don’t forget your instrument! As a family we sit with the families of our small group, including our group leader. The word is read. The elder clarifies the teaching in our small groups. The groups vary in response… singing psalms, confessing, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns, crying, praying, exhorting, rebuking, encouraging, disciplining, loving, restoring…all the things we are commanded to do in the scriptures, but do not have opportunity to do as a body gathered together. We enjoy our sandwiches, and continue doing all the “one another” commands. Then as one big group, we sing our praises with all kinds of instruments. “They” know we are Christians by our love. We learn how to help other small groups in need, and of other assemblies who need our help.

Through the week we care for one another sacrificially so no one is in need. The community takes notice that no Christian is in want. Ever. How could it be otherwise?!!! God is faithful and our joy is complete. We gather as good Bereans to study, memorize and apply what was read on Sunday, continuing to encourage and rebuke, etc. as we apply the word to our corporate lives as one body. Our leader is so patient, yet firm, with us, and we submit appreciatively. No apostasy, rebellion, immorality, etc. is tolerated. Church discipline, if necessary, would require the person to be brought before the group, and if needed before the whole assembly. All efforts are done Biblically to restore the brother. If he refuses, he wasn’t really one of us.

Next Sunday, same thing: first individually, then as a family-confession, prayer, praise, communion, etc., then as a small group, then we sing a joyful new song with all the people together with all kinds of instruments. One group teaches a new song God gave to them. Another group brings a word of encouragement in a song. Another group has set the passage to music for us to sing together. No child is bored or misbehaving. (As a public school teacher, I know this is truly possible. It is so easy for children to behave when in the right environment.) Church discipline is done before the assembly when necessary.

The small group would be based on how close you live to one another so the making of disciples would come by “we have your house surrounded” so be at Martha’s for dinner at six! The neighbors would be served by the Christians. Eventually, “We’re coming to take you away haha, hehee…and we packed a lunch!” As long as I am dreaming, the neighbors are begging to come to the whole assembly, the teens are emulating the leaders and emerging as such, new small groups are being formed and our Lord’s name is praised all day long as there is no grumbling sin in our midst! There would be no empty talk, only what is edifying.
…just my thoughts on it…

I have found that without a clear and Scripturally referenced Confession of Faith, most Churches and even Elders are being tossed about with every wind of false doctrines. That they do gladly join themselves to the harlots of Baal in the world to advance themselves numercally, yet neglecting the spiritual care they ought to Shepherd among each the other.

Yet, the LORD did warn us to discern all things and teachers according to the standard of Scripture. The problem intensifies however when the Elder/s and the Church reject the Authority of Scripture inadvertantly or perhaps wilfully, then what can we do?

Let the LORD be true and every man a liar.

By grace alone through faith alone in our LORD God Jesus the Holy Spirit, our Redeemer.

I’m glad this line was in there. What most people speak of as tolerance today is not really tolerance. Jesus was indeed tolerant, but he did not accept error as a valid alternative. We are tolerant when we say to people, “I will respect your right to believe anything you want. I will try to show you the truth, but I will not force you to follow what I believe.” If we were truly intolerant then we would return to the religious persecution of the 16th and 17th centuries, burning people because they did not believe rightly.

We live in a tolerant nation. That is to say, we live in a nation founded on the principles that individuals cannot be coerced to any religion and that government should not promote or suppress any religion. That is tolerance and that is good. That is what we should be.

Post-modern tolerance is something altogether different, and it isn’t really tolerance at all. Post-moderns say we should accept any alternate choice or decision as a valid choice for the individual who made it. We should not speak out against their choices. We should be willing to understand them and their view and accept that their way is just as valid as our way. That is not tolerance, that is relativism. For tolerance to be tolerance there must be two mutually exclusive positions, positions that cannot be reconciled or spoken of as alternate but valid choices. For tolerance to mean anything there must be a situation in which one person is right and one is wrong and yet each person is willing to give the other person freedom to believe as he will while trying to convince him of the error of his ways.