Ray stedman devotional
Biography
Ray was born in Temvik, North Dakota where his father, Charles,worked for the railroads. The family lived for a while in MilesCity, Montana, then in Tacoma, Washington and finally settledin Denver, Colorado where his father worked in a Burlington Railroadroundhouse. Ray's mother, Mabel, was asthmatic and developed aheart condition, and after the age of six Ray lived with his father abandoned the family, and all efforts to locate himwere to no avail.
About Ray Stedman: Ray Stedman is one of the twentieth century's foremost pastors and biblical expositors. His message of Authentic Christianity is shaping the lives of individuals and churches worldwide. Ray's message now reaches across the globe, for the glory of God and the building up of the body of Christ.
Ray came to know the Lord at a Methodist revival meeting at ageof ten and, living on a farm, began to preach to the cows. Hisdream was to one day become a surgeon, and after high school inMontana he entered a premed course at Whitworth College, Spokane,Washington. Financial difficulties forced him to drop out. Afterworking in Montana, Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, he moved toHawaii to work for Libby Pineapple when World War II broke enlisted in the Navy there in During the Hawaii yearsRay began to lead Bible studies for both civilian workers andnavy personnel as well as preaching on a local radio was during this season that Ray realized the Lord wanted himin full time vocational ministry.
Ray met his wife Elaine in Great Falls, Montana, and at the closeof the war they were married in Honolulu on October 22, Upon their return to the mainland in , Ray began a four-yearcourse of study at Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating inl Ray and Elaine spent two summers during seminary with Dr.J.
Vernon McGee at Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church in Pasadena,California doing youth ministry. This was just before Dr. McGeebegan his long ministry at the Church of the Open Door in LosAngeles. The Stedmans went on to spend one additional summer inPasadena at Emmanuel Baptist Church. In the fall of , aftertraveling for several months with Dr.
H.A. Ironside, Pastor ofMoody Church in Chicago, Ray accepted the call (conveyed to himby Robert W. Smith) to serve on the staff of Peninsula Bible Fellowshipin Palo Alto, California.
The Stedmans then moved from Great Falls,Montana to the Bay Area with their two young daughters, Sheilaand Susan.
PBF had begun two years earlier as a small Bible study, prayer,and fellowship group led by a group of lay leaders from severallocal churches. By l it had grown to the point of needing pastoralstaff care.
Three letters arrived in the PBF mail box on the sameday, written by Christian leaders in different parts of the country,with none of them having any knowledge of the other letters. Allthree encouraged the PBF Elders to consider a young man namedRay Stedman to fill their pastoral need. Based on the strengthof those recommendations, a brief meeting with Bob Smith at DTS,and a meeting after graduation in Palo Alto with the directorsof PBF resulted in Ray being offered the position without hearinghim preach.
PBF was to become PBC, and Ray's leadership here was to last 40years, culminating in his retirement as a Pastor and Elder onApril 30, During those 40 years God blessed Ray and Elainewith two more daughters, Linda and Laurie, and eventually elevengrandchildren. Ray and Elaine have lived in Grants Pass, Oregonsince his retirement, surrounded by their daughters, Sheila, Susan,Linda, Laurie, and their families, all of whom live in the Northwest.
A Tribute by Christianity Today
Ready for Something Tremendous
On October 14 () we lost to cancer an outstanding leader amongus, Ray Stedman.
Long-time pastor of Peninsula Bible Church inPalo Alto, California, and author of Body Life and otherbooks, Ray contributed largely, yet humbly.
Why? "He had his ego under control," says his closefriend, Fred Smith. Fred always marveled that a man so giftedcould seek applause so little.
Another close friend, Jack Modesett, Jr., quotes Ray himself assaying, "If we will admit our inadequacy, we can have God'sadequacyThe greatest problem in the church is trying to doGod's work with man's strengthThe key to Christian sufficiencyis realizing that everything comes from God and nothing comesfrom me."
Then Jack adds this: "In Ray's book Authentic Christianity,he tells the story of Paul's escape from Damascus by being letdown over the wall in a basket.
Ray commented that Paul was uselessto God until he became a basket case! He adds that we also areuseless until we are 'utterly bankrupt before some demand of life,and then discover it to be a blessing,' because it forces us to'depend wholly on the Lord at work in you.' When I read that Ithought, It may be that no one has ever lived a life that wasfully yielded to Christ, but Ray Stedman came very close."
Life slipping away
Jack is not alone in that assessment.
Perhaps it was because Ray'sperspective on earth foreshadowedhis current perspective fromheaven.
Ray c stedman biography Spiritual Warfare: Winning the Daily Battle With Satan, by Ray C. Stedman (paperback ) Joy of Living Bible Studies: Nehemiah, Job, Psalms of Faith, Prophecy in the Book of Daniel, Gospel of Mark Part 1 & Part 2, Acts, Romans, Ephesians and Revelation—commentary by Ray Stedman, with study questions by Nancy J Collins and/or Kathy G.In a sermon he preached just a year before his death,he quoted Paul's statements about our "light affliction"working in us "an exceeding great and eternal weight of glory"and followed that with a call to break out of the limitationsof this-world thinking:
"The world tells us, if you don't take it now, you're nevergoing to get another chance.
I have seen that misunderstandingdrive people into forsaking their marriages after 30 or40 yearsand running off with another, usually younger, person, hopingthey can still fulfill their dreams because they feel life isslipping away from them. Christians are not to think that life is a school, a training period where we are being preparedfor something that is incredibly great but is yet to come.
I don'tunderstand all that is involved in that, but I believe it, andsometimes I can hardly wait until it happens."
The best is yet to be
In the same message, Ray spoke of being readied for "somethingtremendous" and warned his congregation, "Don't succumbto the philosophy that you have to have it all now or you willnever have another chance.
You can pass by a lot of things nowand be content because you know that what God is sending you nowis just what you need to get you ready for what he has waitingfor you when this life is over.
One of my favorite quotationsis the words of Robert Browning, which you sometimes see carvedon sundials:
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made."
Ray is now experiencing "the best," and the best conclusionhere is to quote Ray's own challenge to his congregation: "Sodon't lose hope.
You are headed for hope, headed for life, headedfor glory. All of this life is working toward that end; that'sthe first thing to hang on to. You don't need to be depressedor feel that everything is useless, that you can't do anythingbecause you are getting older that is not true. Paul praysthat these Christians may feel in their hearts the great hopeto which God has called them.
It is all waiting for them, theshining hope beyond death."
Two Quotations from the Sermons of Ray C. Stedman
On Death and Dying
"What is your view of your approaching death? Do you havesome sense of anticipation about it, with the awareness that beyonddeath is the final explanation of all the unanswered, unexplainedquestions of life?
I became a Christian when I was 11 years all young boys, I faced life then with mixed feelings ofboth anticipation and dread. But one thing I have always wantedto do was to grow old. God has answered that prayer. Now, as Inear the end, I can say that looking ahead is a time filled withhappy anticipation that God is going to answer all the questionswhich I have had to leave unanswered, because the full meaningof this present experience will never be brought out until deathintervenes.
Then will come all the answers, abundantly, satisfyingly,fully.
"That is the Christian perspective of life. If we succumbto the empty view of the worldlings around us we too will findourselves all ajitter, frustrated, feeling bitter, angry and upsetwith our circumstances. But these words call us to the realizationthat the meaning of life can never be found by trying to solveall the problems.
Rather, it is by trust in the Living God, whoknows what he is doing and is working out his strange purposesthrough our existence, teaching us all we need to know as we goon through, so that our eyes should reflect the peace of God andour hearts respond with joy at the promises that await fulfillmentyet to come."
"Our own personal death is the hard, harsh, square pegthat refuses to fit into all the round holes we plan for our future;it is the sand in our oyster that irritates us and makes our spiritsprotest against it.
Why should we learn all these great lessonsof life and, just when we have learned them we must give themall up and there is no opportunity to exercise them? Somethingabout that makes us protest.
"If we have been brought up to believe the universal lieof our day which is being flung at us all the time through themedia that we deserve to live, then this constantly approachingtermination of our life reminds us that that is not so.
In theeyes of the God of the universe we do not deserve to live. Ifwe are allowed life beyond death it is a gift of God's grace,not something we have earned ourselves. Something in us deservesto die; that is what universal death declares.
"That fact is what makes everybody essentially is why man cannot live like an animal.
Ray c stedman library
Raymond Charles Stedman (October 5, – October 7, ) was an evangelical Christian pastor and author. He was a long-time pastor of Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California, and author of several books. Stedman worked in Montana, including a stint as a Brahman bull rider in rodeos.Even those who claimatheism, and attempt to act and live as though there were no God,give evidence from time to time that they do not really believethat. Beyond death is something someone they do not know who orwhat waiting for them, so they cannot be comfortable with theidea of atheism. They have to find some answer to the problemsof life, and death is what forces them to do that."
Anecdotes and Testimonies
Ray Stedman had an encyclopedic mind and could quote hundredof poems, hymns, literary quotes and of course Bible verses.
Hehad a wonderful and warm sense of humor. If you knew Ray Stedmanor were influenced by him, or if you have comments on his sermons,please send us your comments.
Books, Tapes, and Papers
During his life time Ray preached over sermons at PBC (andprobably as many more out of town during his extensive world travels).He authored more than 28 books, many of which are still in may read many of his messages on these web pages, and youmay order sermons, books and tapes from Discovery Publications,a ministry of Peninsula Bible Church of Palo Alto.