The Grace Meeting of 1989

Here are the meeting notes that I condensed from audio tapes which Mike Montoya transcribed. You can find the complete transcribed meeting notes on Mike Montoya's website; 
https://www.angelfire.com › cobu › front2

I was not present at that meeting. It is to show what was really said at the Grace meeting and also to be able to see that none of the things that were promised at the Grace meeting actually happened or continued. But it is absolutely true that God’s Grace is the basis of our salvation! I am of the opinion that this may have been the closest stewart got to describing the real basis of our Salvation and maybe it was the most honest he was as to what he did to the brothers and sisters. But of course this is just my opinion and as to his motives, that is open to discussion.

Points Stewart made about God's Grace (This is S.T.'s usual method, ramblying on and on with bits thrown out here and there, no coherent thread or overview)

By Grace you are saved through Faith, never BY Faith (Ephesians 2:8+9)

We’re saved by Grace and kept by Grace.

Grace is the chain that connects everything to Jesus

Grace is meant to be the framework, the format

Receiving Grace with thanksgiving is almost the basis of Christian life

God’s view is that salvation is over and done with; otherwise Grace would no longer be Grace

Grace says that our salvation is already finished and that it’s all over, we already have it, there is nothing left, nothing to work for, Jesus said; it is finished. Part of what Grace is; Christ making a way for us

Jesus Christ is the foundation, but the next thing is Grace. Without Grace as the foundation on Jesus Christ, there is no framework. Our fellowship must be in Grace

What does it mean; my Grace is sufficient for you? That means you get all the Grace you need. There is no relying on Jesus apart from his Grace

He gives more Grace to the humble

Grace gives us the chance to take advantage; there is no way around that (I DISAGREE)

Grace is the key to the right approach, the right balance

Free is a Grace word, we were set free by Grace, for freedom Christ has set us free

Grace is something like a gift basis

Many scriptures; Grace is given to us, Grace is received by us

We react in thankfulness, that’s our response. All our works have to be the result of my thankfulness for his Grace, not me trying to earn something

It’s in the view of Grace that everything starts to make sense

Ask each other; how is your relationship with Jesus? Is it based on his Grace? 

Grace, Faith and his Spirit

Grace, Faith and Spirit; all of them are important and they have to be in the right balance

Grace is first and Faith is second. The truth is; we must be led by his Spirit to walk by Faith in his saving Grace. Grace is the basis, but Faith is how we operate

Faith

It isn’t how faithful you are, or how well you use your Faith, what’s most important is whether you have Faith or not

We were assigned a measure of Faith, each of us, long ago, his chosen ones

His sheep hear his voice, they react to his call by Faith

Not all men have Faith, his chosen do

When you hear the gospel, you respond to it by Faith, therefore beginning to prove who you are…it did not meet with faith in the hearers

We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of Faith

If you have Faith in him, that is proof that you have been justified

It is the fact that we have Faith that is the good news, because that is proof that we are his

Points S.T. made about the church and the brothers and sisters;

STEWART; it is clear that God has decided that it is time for you to transfer your allegiance, if that’s the right word, from Stewart's spirit to God’s Spirit

There are deeply ingrained ideas and feelings running wild in our fellowship, many of them directly or indirectly can be traced to my (S.T.) error

We have come to depend on Faith instead of Jesus; it’s up to you and your Faith

Faith in his love, but instead it’s up to you somehow

STEWART said; I was not rightly strengthening the brothers, it’s up to you, you got to be faithful

There isn't any strengthening the brothers the real way, strengthening the brothers in Faith that they are God’s chosen, first and foremost. I’m not doing that, instead I’m building up with one hand and tearing down with the other

How can you rely on Jesus with some sort of “it’s up to me” feeling, you can’t

Everything is sort of disconnected in a strange feeling kind of way and every week it’s a new direction, a new teaching and therefore there is no confidence

STEWART said, As it is written; how come they never marry around here? For that alone I repent

Marriage itself is nothing but the Grace of God

STEWART asked; Why don’t the brothers have confidence? It is because of their impossible task, all these ills from the brothers at least are made worse by me, every one of them!

When, where and how did we become a church, if we ever did. We have to redo everything, from the bottom up

What is the use of all these lessons? These lessons accomplish nothing!

STEWART said; it is my fervent spirit that is doing everything, you’re not listening to the lessons. You do as I do! Stewart says don’t smoke, but he smokes. Therefore, what do you do? SMOKE

STEWART said; it started out as Jesus showing you things through me, but then what did it turn into? STEWART TOLD US, STEWART SAID….

You know something we got to start? Bible studies, as we had at the beginning! GAYLE says; we would all fellowship together in trying to understand God’s will and not assume that STEWART knows everything

Bob Whipple; we were all involved, it wasn't always brother Stewart, we were all giving our opinions, what we thought it meant and everything and you know Jesus was using all of us together