by Jim Stewart
"Everything coming from God and nothing coming from me"
was a favorite statement of Ray Stedman. After hearing Elaine
Stedman speak on February 28, 1995 about Ray's life and the history
of PBC I have a much clearer understanding of why Ray liked to
say this.
From the outset it was God who prepared the man, the men around
him, the circumstances and the time. Ray and these men by just
being faithful to the plan that God was setting forth in the scriptures
were the Martin Luther's of their generation as they realized
from God's word that the work of the formal church/pastors was
not to bring people into the church to evangelize them but instead
it was to equip the saints through expository preaching/teaching
of the word and send them back out into the arenas of life (work,
home, neighborhood) where they walked the rest of the week as
ambassadors for Christ and ministers of a new covenant to do the
real work of the ministry (Eph. 4:12-13). Forty-five years ago
this was a revolutionary concept within the church and still is
even today. In many ways it was our day equivalent of Martin Luther's
revolution in the 16th century.
In examining the early days it truly was God preparing the man,
the men, the circumstances and the time. Following W.W.II after
being involved in the Navigator's ministry in Hawaii, Ray returned
to Montana. At this point married to Elaine, he decided to seek
formal seminary education at Dallas Theological Seminary. As the
prerequisites for attending this school included a Bachelor's
degree, Ray with only an Associates degree had one strike against
him. However, following the war a special exemption was made and
Ray was able to apply. After applying Ray and Elaine waited and
waited for a reply but none was forthwith in coming.
Undaunted Ray and Elaine, decided to go to Dallas to find out
the reasons why Ray was not accepted. After arriving at Dallas
Seminary, no one could even find Ray's application which it turned
out had been lost when the Registrar's briefcase had been misplaced
in Denver in which was contained Ray's application and papers.
To make a long story short Ray was finally accepted and there
with Elaine lived in the married quarters area with other couples
that included the Howie (Howard) Hendricks and Don Campbell families.
Over the Dallas Seminary years God was forging in Ray the vision
that the Word of God was the centerpiece and by just unfolding
what the Word said and by following those directions authentic
New Testament Christianity could be a reality to any generation.
For the formal church of Ray's day this was radical. By just wanting
to wash the scriptures of the dirt and grime that had accumulated
on them through their lack of use, Ray was being prepared by God
for something special. However, while all their friends around
them as graduation neared had obtained jobs and pastorates, Ray
and Elaine were kept waiting as door after door of opportunity
kept closing.
At the same time God was preparing Ray in Dallas, God was preparing
the circumstance and situation for Ray to walk into (Eph. 2:8-10).
Some prominent Christian businessmen in the Palo Alto Bay Area
led by Ed Stirm and Bob Smith had formed a group called Peninsula
Bible Fellowship. The purpose of this group was to provide more
in-depth bible study/teaching in addition to what PBF's attendees
home churches were already providing and to make the Word of God
available to a larger arena people who might not normally attend
church.
During this time notable guest speakers passing through the Bay
Area would also teach at PBF's meetings. These guests included
such people as John Walvoord from Dallas Seminary, J. Vernon McGee
from The Church of The Open Door in LA and J. Mitchell, one of
the founders of Multnomah Bible College. It was evident to these
men that PBF was growing and rapidly becoming a church and unbeknownst
to each other each of these three men wrote a letter to the Directors
of PBF recommending they consider calling Ray Stedman to become
their first full-time teacher.
These three letters arrived on the same day at the same post box
which made it very clear that Ray was their man! Bob Smith then
while on a business trip to San Antonio stopped in Dallas to meet
Ray for the first time. Within the first 30 minutes of this meeting
they knew immediately that this was the match God had prepared.
Soon thereafter upon Bob's return an offer was extended to Ray
to become the Executive Director of PBF without mention of salary
but with the promise that "all your needs would be met."
Ray without ever having preached to or having met the attendees
of PBF (or they him) accepted the offer and moved to Palo Alto
with Elaine.
V. PBF To PBC
Upon arrival at Palo Alto, Ray's first message at PBF was on Ephesians
4:12-13. This verse was to be a main centerpiece of Ray's ministry
as he felt so strongly as mentioned earlier that the work of the
church/pastors was not to bring the unevangelized into the church
to be evangelized but instead was to equip the saints through
expository preaching for the real work of the ministry as ministers
of a New Covenant in their everyday settings where they came in
contact with so many more people. Not by design but in looking
back, the initial years of Ray's ministry were spent in God preparing
"home base - PBC" and in God making "broken vessels"
that He could use for His purposes. During this time Ray like
a rough diamond was being refined and smoothed, Ray's Jethros
(Bob Smith, Bob Roe and others) were being taught to teach, counsel
and shepherd and the PBC Body was being fed the Word of God. The
central precepts that flowed out of this biblical focus and application
were:
On Elaine's side, her first reaction to
the Bay Area upon arrival here was that she thought that their
choice must have been in the flesh because everything was so beautiful,
the schools were great and what a perfect place to raise a family.
Little did Ray or Elaine realize how much this would change in
a short period of time with the advent of the Vietnam War where
this area was to become the focus of the anti-war/free-love movement
and hippie culture. Over the years from 1950 till these turbulent
years of the mid 60's/early 70's the truth which Ray/PBC had been
expounding and taking root was to be tested. Would they really
practice what the Lord had been teaching them? As Elaine Stedman
said at the advent of these turbulent years it was if the Lord
Jesus Christ himself was knocking at the doors of their hearts
saying, "are you going to be self-righteous stuffy Palo Altoans
or are you going to be obedient to the truth that I have taught
you?"
After some soul searching PBC unlike many of the churches around
them opened its doors to the Jesus movement which brought many
"different" people to PBC to the exasperation of PBC's
neighbors. From this influx one result were the introduction of
"Body Life" services on Sunday evenings where the PBC
congregation was given the opportunity to praise God, share hurts/needs
and really practice the agape love of Christ to other brothers
and sisters in Christ who were in need and/or so "different."
This "body life" which was nothing more than a return
to authentic/radical Christianity seen in the 1st century church
was in essence God's answer to the free love movement sweeping
the country during this time. As a side note, about this time
Ron Ritchie was brought on staff at PBC and led these Body Life
services. Ron as the "non-conformist" was the perfect
link between the mainstream church and these new Christians who
were definitely "different."
Following these initial years after God had prepared "home-base/PBC"
(by this time Dave Roper was on staff and preaching in Ray's absence
to be later followed by others such as Steve Zeisler, Gary Vanderet,
etc.) the PBC Elders felt Ray should be an Ambassador-to-the-Church-at-large
so that more people/church leaders could see what "Authentic
Christianity" was about and the possibilities for the church
if God's model for man and for the church was followed (not PBC's
model! - "When All Else Fails...Read The Directions"
- Bob Smith). As a personal note, I will forever be indebted to
the elders' decision to share Ray, as I was the recipient of God's
grace through one of Ray's trips abroad to Indonesia in 1984 (
I always marvel that God sent Ray to Indonesia not for the Indonesians
but to find an American in Jakarta. What a sense of humor our
God must have! How marvelous is His grace). On that trip Ray's
and the other pastors' modeling of this authentic Christianity
and the words spoken were so attractive that they showed me there
was an alternative to the Christianity I had seen up to that point.
Paul Stevens, 1995 PBC Men's Retreat Speaker commenting to Brian
Morgan at the retreat said that in his travels in meeting many
Christian leaders the more power/influence a leader has in so
many of those cases those same leaders have no intimacy in their
marriages. Paul Stevens' idea of a Christian leader is someone
who loves his wife, goes to his children's soccer games and when
reaching the height of "fame" quietly steps off the
stage without the slightest hesitation when it is time to retire.
Finally in 1990 after 40 years of ministry when Ray had all fame
at his grasp, modeling the humility and style of leadership evidenced
throughout these years and consistent to the end Ray and Elaine
stepped quietly off the stage and retired to Oregon to be with
their children and grandchildren. What a contrast to so many of
the Christian leaders of today who believe they are God's gift
to the church and can never step down after becoming used to positions
of influence and power!! Once again this just represented Ray's
practice and understanding of authentic Christianity that he was
just a broken vessel with God working in and through him and God
would use others who understood this principle to do God's work
after him (another former PBCer Dave Roper, Pastor now at Cole
Community Church is doing the same thing as in 2 weeks he is quietly
retiring and stepping off the stage there).
After being diagnosed with cancer, finally in October 1992 Ray
went home to be with the Lord. During Ray's last days as Elaine
was reading all the letters and messages that poured in expressing
thanksgiving and praise to Ray for his life and ministry, Ray's
response was genuine surprise and his response typical, "All
I did was do what I was sent to do!"
VI. Looking Back
At the Memorial Service for Ray, Dave Roper reflecting on the
secret of Ray's life and ministry told the story from 2 Kings
2 about Elijah and Elisha when Elijah was about to depart this
life. Elijah asked Elisha, " Ask what I shall do for you
before I am taken away from you?" Elisha replied, "Let
a double portion of your spirit be upon me." To which Elijah
answered, "You have asked a hard thing, nevertheless, if
you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but
if not, it shall not be so." Then there appeared a chariot
of fire and horses which picked Elijah up and took him away. Elisha
saw it and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots
of Israel and its horsemen." Thus the hidden spiritual realities
that Elijah believed in and that controlled everything he did
now finally became a personal reality to Elisha. Once Elisha saw
these realities he was a changed man. The point Dave Roper was
making from this text was that we too must see this same chariot
of fire and horses that have picked up our beloved Ray. By seeing
and believing in these same heavenly invisible realities that
Ray lived in we will then understand the secret to Ray's life
and like Elisha be changed forever as well.
In closing, let us read Ray's own assessment of his ministry from
a sermon he gave on 17 March 1985 at PBC from John 14:1-14.
"Thirty-five years ago I came as a pastor to Peninsula Bible Church. I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back now I must confess that I was motivated more by personal ambition than any other thing. I thought I was dedicated to the work of the Lord and to some degree I was. But on reflection I can see how much of it came from an urge to be a well-known pastor, to make a name as a Christian leader, to see an effective ministry begin with a great congregation. Through these 35 years, through much pain and struggle, those dreams have been fulfilled. But I want to tell you this; they do not mean very much to me right now! As I look back, what means more to me are the hundreds of lives that have been changed as people heard the Word of truth, right where you are sitting now. Homes have been revitalized, marriages have been restored, young people have turned from hurtful and destructive practices, such as drug addiction, alcoholic abuse, false doctrines, and led into purity, and righteousness. I think of the great number of printed messages that have gone out to the far corners of the earth, and the hundreds of letters that keep coming back telling of dramatic, life altering circumstances that have come out of reading these messages.
"I want to tell you that this is not my work, nor is it the work of anybody associated with us here, loyal and helpful as they have been. That is the work of Jesus, His mighty work, conducted from the throne of power at the right hand of the Majesty on high, carried out through the Spirit by means of willing men and women who saw themselves in the same relationship to Him as he is to the Father, "You in me and I in you." That is the greatest truth in the Bible. How ignorant the world is of this! It is by far the greatest, most magnificent miracle that has ever taken place on this planet - this mighty work of reaching, changing, healing and restoring. Yet the world sees nothing of the magnificence of what is happening here and in other places like this. But we know! This is what ought to lead us to give thanks to God, to joy in the ministry that He has given us, you and I alike. Let us carry on in His name."