6/18/25 - 2099: A Front Row Seat to the Miraculous

Jim: You've tuned into iWork4Him, the Voice of collaboration for the Faith and Work Movement.

Martha: We are your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. Our mission is to inspire every workplace believer to recognize their workplace as their ministry place where they work with God every day. What can that look like in your workplace? Let's find out right now.

Jim: When Chuck Ripka, a US Bank banker from Elk River, Minnesota - a great place, by the way, love Elk River, Minnesota - when he read the scripture that promised believers could do even greater things than Jesus, he signed on. By faithfully doing what God tells him, he's experienced a stream of miracles transforming his work, other businesses, communities, countries. That story started in 2003 and continues today.

Martha and I had the honor of being with Chuck in Tulsa last October at the 94X conference and asked him to be on iWork4Him to share the story that impacted Elk River, Minnesota, and beyond. Chuck joins us today to tell us his banking story, probably a lot of other stories, and how his mortgage business has carried the torch for God for decades. Chuck Ripka, finally, welcome to iWork4Him.

Chuck Ripka: Hey guys. Thank you for having me on. I appreciate it. I always love sharing God's stories.

Jim: I know you do. We've just had an incredible lead up to recording today's show. I wish I captured all those stories for you guys in the audience, but you just have to go hear Chuck, speak one time.

Chuck, we will always start off with first time guest on our show, the Jesus Story. How did you start walking with Jesus?

Chuck Ripka: I grew up Catholic, so I had knowledge of God, but I wasn't satisfied. And then, so in 1980 at a Amway Convention in Arizona, I was searching for God and someone made an altar call and I stood up. Here it is, I get saved in the marketplace. And then I made a decision, came back to my home, 1980, told my wife what's going on, with my brother-in-law, and we started a Bible study.

And through that process began the journey. But the thing that for me was I started reading the Bible with new eyes, and it said, God's the same yesterday, today, and forever. I said, okay, God, if that's really true, then speak to me. I want to hear your voice. I wanna have dreams. I want visions. I want burning bush experiences. I wanna see angels. I want it all.

Be careful what you ask for. I can tell you a story, multiple stories, I have it all, and I'm not satisfied. I want more. I keep asking and asking for more and more, and I've been blessed. God has just, has honored that prayer for me. I've witnessed, I've, I tell people I feel like I have a front row seat with God. But usually to have that, that's always the most expensive seat, is the front row seat, right? And I've come to realize the price I have to pay to have that seat with God is I tell people I'm finally getting comfortable being uncomfortable.

I'm not comfortable doing what I'm doing, but that's the price I have to pay, is being uncomfortable, and then I'm willing to do whatever he asked me to do. So I've been extremely blessed. I feel like along the way also too, I tell people, I feel like God has just personally mentored me. I do things I'm doing not because I read a book or someone told me to go do this. I've had people come alongside me and encourage me in my walk, in my journey, but I really feel personally, God has come along and has taught me how to do what I'm doing along the way.

And just even, I'm 66 now and three years ago I started seeing a lot of my friends start posting about different things, about retirement, and I had that thought just for a second. And then God spoke to me and he said, Chuck, you've been practicing all your life for what's ahead of you. What you've experienced in the past has been phenomenal but will be considered just good compared to what you're about to enter into. So there's no retirement.

It's just another season, another story. So I'm getting ready for what's going on, so I just tell people I'm still practicing even after I've been walking with the Lord for 41 years, I'm still - actually walking with the Lord for... I'm 66, so actually, yeah, so I'm really about 45 years I've been walking with the Lord.

Martha: Wow.

Chuck Ripka: But I'm still practicing yet.

Jim: You worked at Levitt's Furniture. Love that. Levitt. Levitt. Levits. And then you worked at Market Bank in Minneapolis, and then God led you to start a brand new bank, as they say, a Denovo Bank in Elk River, Minnesota. Mind you, I've never seen an elk in Elk River, by the way. So don't really know where that name came from. (laughter) Were there ever elk in Elk River? I don't know, but I've been there a bunch of times. So pick up the story there, Chuck.

Chuck Ripka: I wanna back up just a little bit before we jump into that story, because this one story, it's really, it's a story for every listener. And it's really, it is what caused me to do what I still even do today. And I wanna go back to that Levit story. See, when I was 25 years old, God spoke to me and he said, Chuck, someday you're gonna pray with a customer. Never done that before. Never thought I could do that. But I got tricked into saying yes because you said someday.

I said, sure, I can do that someday. I'd never prayed with anybody at that point except for my mom. But I said yes. Three months goes by. I worked with lots of customers and then a stranger walks into the store and as he was approaching me, God said, this is the one. And right away I got super uncomfortable and I said, no, I can't.

I'm on commission. I got a bad week going. I'm coming up with a list of excuses why I cannot talk to this guy about the Lord. But God was real quiet. I said, okay, fine. It's still my number one prayer today. Lord, open the door. If this is really you, open the door. And this stranger walks into the store, walks up to me and says, I'm looking for a mattress that you have on sale.

I said, I know which one you're talking about. As I was walking him down the aisle to this mattress, this stranger begins to tell me the struggles of his life. He's divorced, he's got custody of the kids. Life really stinks, and he says, why am I telling you all of this? I said I know why. God told me three months ago, somebody like you was gonna come into the store. I was supposed to pray with you and invite Christ in your life. And he did.

And something really important happened right after that: he bought the mattress. And God spoke to me again. He said, Chuck, I've just proven to you that you're gonna be able to do ministry and prosper at the same time. So it's been, that's been 41 years of walking out my faith wherever I go, where it doesn't matter where I'm working.

Still, even just recently, just a couple weeks ago, led somebody else to the Lord. But it's been 41 years of leading hundreds of people to Lord. But that was the very first one. And I really believe that's a story for everybody, that if you're willing to be obedient, listen to God, and he can use us. And so that's how the door - God just continues to open those doors. And along the way, eventually God opened the door... see, I have a high school education, no theological background, just being a regular guy. But along the way, God would speak. And so as time went along, eventually God opened the door for me to get into banking, which is another story itself.

But eventually I got into mortgage banking and part of one of those stories before I even started my own bank and I won't get into the full story, it's a great story, but I won't get into the full story, but I was working for Market Bank. And so I had been there for two years, so started in 1995, and 1997 I get a call from the owner of Market Bank. His name is Carl Pohlad. And he owns 135 banks. Reception said Mr. Pohlad's on the phone, he wants to talk to you, and I'm thinking I'm in trouble.

Why is he calling me? And I get on the phone with him. He says, you're doing a loan for a family friend of mine, for his son, and I want you to reduce some of the closing costs. I said, I know who you're talking about. I think I gave him a pretty good deal. I don't think we need to do anything more.

He said as a favor to me, would you reduce the cost? We figured out what that would be, and we hung up. I thought, what a nice man. He could have called the bank president. He could have my manager, but he called me and so the very next day I decided to call him back. I said, Hey, Mr. Pohlad, I did that favor for you yesterday and I've been working for you for a couple years.

I've never had an opportunity to meet you. Could I have lunch with you? He said, sure, why not? And what happened was that we scheduled a lunch appointment, but when I hung up the phone, God spoke to me. He said, Chuck, not only are you going to have lunch with him, but you're gonna lead him to me. He's gonna invite Christ in his life.

I thought, oh, okay. So because that's just how simple it is. Actually over whatever, 47 years, no one's ever said no. It's just a matter of listening to God when the right moment, right timing it is. And I won't get into the full story, but actually that lunch appointment got rescheduled and rescheduled. Finally, as the Lord began to mentor me, he said, pray for his heart to be ready to receive me for when it's time.

That took a whole year for that lunch appointment to happen, October 20th, 1998. I won't get into the story. It's a great story, but it actually happened. Him and I had lunch, led him to the Lord. He was 83 years old. We became friends for the next 10 years until he passed away.

But the day, that day that happened, october 20th, 1998, I got back to the bank and I was so happy, so excited, because the same thing I was just doubting that morning, is it really gonna happen? It all came to pass, just as God said it would.

But this is what God told me: when I got back to the bank after that lunch, God spoke to me. He said, Chuck, I wanna let you know, I trust you. And to hear God say that... this is the God of the universe telling me he trusts me. I said, oh no. I trust you. Everything you sent me to go do, you did. He said, oh, if you trust me, take me outta the box you put me in. You're limiting me what I want to do in your life.

And see, because in my mind, again, I just have a high school education, no theological background at all. And I told the Lord, I said, but I don't know anything. He said, perfect. Less that I have to correct. I love that. And he said, because you say that, you don't know what you can't say, and you don't know what you can't do. I can use somebody like you.

Gosh, that makes so much sense. Because I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know what I can't say, but I'm willing to be obedient and listen. And eventually what happened, eventually I went to Carl Pohlad and I told him I'm going to go start my own bank. And I figured that he might be upset with me, but he said he wasn't.

And actually I asked him for something before I left his bank. This was in December of 2000. I said, Carl, I said, so I worked for his bank for five years. I said, Carl, I want to ask you for something before I leave 'cause I'm gonna go start my own bank. And this is in December of 2000. And he said, what's that?

I said the Lord told me that you have an anointing to raise up banks and financial institutions, and God told me to ask you, would you pray for me and part that into my life? And he said, wow, no one's ever asked me that before. Okay. He comes up behind his desk. So I figured here, Carl, I'm going to leave your company. I'm going to compete against you, but would you bless me before I leave? Do you do that? Does anybody ever do that? No.

But God told me to ask him and he said yes. And he came and he began to pray. We were holding hands. He said, father, you've given me much. Now I release. As soon as he said release, I could feel the physical, electrical current flowing from him to me. And right away I got nervous and said, Lord, I don't want something that doesn't belong to me. Shouldn't his sons receive this? He said, oh no. His sons received the monetary blessing, but you'll receive the anointing now. Be quiet and receive it. And he prayed and parted that into my life. And we remained friends until he passed away. He was, I think 95 years old or 93 years old.

But along the way, so eventually we had to raise - a friend of mine, Dwayne Kapinsky, that I had worked with years earlier, approached me, said, Chuck, would you consider coming back to work with me? And we wanna start our own bank. And so that's in 2000, so we had to raise $5 million.

And so we were running a mortgage company at that point, but it took us a few years and we eventually raised the $5 million to start our own bank, and officially, March of 2003, we launched our bank in Elk River, Minnesota, Review Community Bank. Now, the interesting thing about that though is the moment, the very second, the bank officially opened up, that very morning, I'm sitting at my desk, God spoke to me. He said, Chuck, a key word: if you do all the things I've called you to do here, I promise you I will take care of the bottom line. I said, where do I sign? I get to do what you want me to do and you'll take care of the bottom line. He said, yes, but because you're going to do that, the secular world's gonna call, and simply tell 'em the truth.

Secular world's gonna call... again I knew what I heard, but I didn't know what he meant. Just file that one away. And I said, by the way, so this is March of 2003. By the end of the year, you will grow to $42 million. 12 months from now, you'll hit $50 million, and within three years, you'll hit a hundred million dollars in growth. Remember we started with $5 million.

I went to Dwayne, the president, and I told him exactly what the Lord told me. He said, check, that's impossible. There's no way we can grow that fast. We don't have the staff to handle it. I said Dwayne, I want to tell you, I already said yes. (laughter)

I said I know we can't make it happen, but God could . And by August of that year, we hit $30 million. End of the year, $42 million. 12 months, $50 million. 30 months, a hundred million dollars, which is all really good stuff. But this is the God part of it. When we hit $30 million, I had led 30 people to the Lord in a bank.

When we had 42 million, I led 42 people to the Lord, which is okay, Lord, this is really strange. When I hit 50 million, I led 50 people to the Lord in a bank. When we hit a hundred million, I led over a hundred people to the Lord in the bank. Now that was all really cool too, but the really amazing thing was people started getting healed.

God started giving me words about people coming and actually allowed me to use the prophetic gifting and give me words of knowledge. People would walk into my room, into my office to get a loan. They got tricked into coming to get a loan, and God showed up and all of a sudden God would give me a word for somebody and I would have grown men start weeping in my office. But how do you know this about me? I said, I don't know, but God told me, and before I know it, I'm leading them to the Lord.

And the thing is, the strange thing is you can't advertise this. God gave me this word. He said, if you do the right thing at the right place at the right time, you're gonna operate in my anointing, my power. That's what was going on. We're doing the right thing at the right place at the right time, and God showed up. The anointing was so amazing that I loved going to work. I was praying with an average of two or three customers or employees every day, going to work. I loved going to work.

There was one day I kept track. I had prayed over 20 some people one day and people said Chuck, how do you get any work done? I said, just stay a little later to get my work done. But in the midst of it, and it got to the point where the local pastors were sending people from their congregation to the bank to get prayer. Pastors were coming to make appointments to get prayer. Because they were having physical problems or issues.

One of the stories I love telling is I went to my dentist, and the dentist, typically the hygienist will clean your teeth. The dentist wanted to clean my teeth that particular day. And as she's cleaning my teeth, she was very inquisitive and just, I wanted to start asking lots of questions and thinking, it's hard to talk with all these instruments in my mouth and asking all these questions, but I keep thinking, but why is she talking so much? And all of a sudden, oh, I get it.

Oh, by the way, at my work, God's been showing up and people have been getting healed. And then she said this, she said, my sister has cancer and can I bring her to your office? That's what she was getting to. I said, sure. So here my dentist was making an appointment to come to the bank to bring her sister to get prayer for healing. That's just normal, right?

Martha: Not what most banks are offering.

Jim: If life was normal, we wouldn't need - wow, we wouldn't need Jesus, now would we? We also wouldn't need SaferNet, and it seems trite to bring up one of our great sponsors, but we need, internet safety, something that we all need and we don't like to need it. But I'm telling you what, SaferNet has served iWork4Him really well. We invite you to check out this great Kingdom company to protect your online experience, SaferNet.com.

Martha: So you have over the years seen a lot of miraculous things that God has done using - you know, I don't wanna discount... I mean there's just so much that you have shared already and I think that our listeners are already getting a sense of a very unique experience, but it doesn't have to be unique. I think that's one of the things I want our listeners to, like everybody doesn't have to come to Elk River to see God move in their lives.

Chuck Ripka: No. I believe that... I've been really blessed. I think in 2003, somebody came to me and said, Chuck, do you know that you're gonna go all over the world speaking? I said, about what? I'm not a preacher. I'm not a teacher. And he said, it's your stories. I said people want to hear stories? He said, your stories.

In 2004, it happened. I started getting an invite to go speaking and God gave me this word. He said when you go, no preparation, no Bible, no notes, no nothing. I'll tell you what to say when you stand up. And that's been 21 years of traveling the world and just sharing God's stories. And I really believe for me to share stories, it brings just normalcy to it, because I'm not a preacher. I'm not a teacher. I don't have a theological background.

I'm just a regular guy willing to be obedient to what God's called me to do. I love the simplicity of God. And how simple he has made himself. And there was one day, I think it was about 22 years ago, I'm sitting in the bank, just sitting there, just doing my work, and God spoke to me. He said, Chuck, I wanna simplify myself to you, make myself so easy, so understandable that I'm gonna take the entire Bible and narrow it down to one word for you.

I'm thinking, one, I didn't ask the question, and two, is that even possible? I said what is one word that describes everything? I'm thinking he is gonna say love. He said, oh, no. It's obedience. If you love me, you obey me. Obedience is better than sacrifice and the entire scriptures from the very beginning to the very end of time, it's always about obedience. And I tell people I'm not obedient because I have to be, it's because I want to be. I love the father so much. I love to please him. And if I'm willing to be uncomfortable, that's what it takes for me to please God, I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

And I just love walking with God. I go out for long walks and I remembered, God, you said that you walked with Adam. Walk with me then. I just really believe that's just, it's just normal. It's gotten to the point in my walk with God that I finally realized I know who's speaking. If it's the father, if it's Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.

Now the refinement of hearing the voice of God has gotten to the point where I know who's actually talking. They're one, but they're separate. And I know now how to minister to people when I know it's the father speaking 'cause I can give them the word based on how God's speaking or how Jesus is speaking. I can deliver it in the manner of how to do that. And I think that if God can use me, that knows nothing, he can use anybody. And I really believe me going out around the world speaking just really brings normalcy. And if you're willing to be obedient, willing to be uncomfortable, a couple things, then God can use you.

And I tell people, you don't have to do what I do. Just do what God's called you to do, just in your sphere of influence. And I ask the Lord a while back. I've been blessed to go into some amazing places to speak, and I'm thinking, but Lord, I'm just like in awe. Who am I to go into this place? Look at all the people that have come before me, and here I am going now into this place to speak. How did I get here? And he just simply told me, he said, you've been willing to be obedient in the little things, now I trust you in the greater things. And the doors keep opening and they keep opening.

And it's just, to me, I have a high expectancy of God. And I've learned in my walk that I can trust God. And God's learned that he can trust me.

Martha: And I would believe that's what is so compelling in people when they hear your stories, is to hear that same God that is using you in an amazing way in your workplace is there for each and every one of us if we will just be obedient and be willing to be uncomfortable, some of the things that you've just shared. It really is amazing when we see God move in our work. It can just be overwhelming even sometimes.

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Jim: I don't mean to correct you, but it's us christian chamber.com.

Martha: Oh, I'm sorry. Okay thank you. I'll put it in the show notes. We'll make sure it's correct there. Sorry.

Just, as I'm listening to your stories, Chuck, and they're God stories, and you make that very clear that this is God at work through you, I think what is so compelling is to think that could God use me in that same way? If I was willing and I was listening, and I think that's what's inspiring.

And I would guess that's the kind of feedback you get from people is that they ask questions like, if you can hear God, can I hear God's voice? What do you tell people when they ask you that?

Chuck Ripka: I said, actually, I think God's talking all the time. Are you just listening? He's always talking and are you just listening?

And I think the thing is we can hear the voice of God, but also too we can hear the voice of the enemy, where he brings in that doubt. Oh, if you can hear different things, when I was driving down the road one day, I was 27 years old working at Levit's yet, driving down the road, God spoke to me.

He said, Chuck, when you turn 40, I'm going to begin to use you. I'm gonna accelerate the things in your life. I've been using you, but I'm gonna accelerate things in your life. But my mind right away, I'm thinking, but oh God, how could you use me? Look at me. But again, he tricked me into it. That was 13 years later.

I said, sure, whatever. But see, he was looking at the future. He was looking at the person that I would come to be. See, as a father, we can see the potential in our children. Now they're not acting like they have that potential, but you know the potential in 'em. And you begin to speak those things into their lives before, and you pray them things in. You may not always can talk to them directly, but you begin to pray for those things.

So God was seeing things in my life before I could see them. And the thing is, when 13 years went by really fast as it does, and just before I turned 40, God spoke to me. He said, remember what you said yes to 13 years ago? And I said, I do, but you know what? It'd be easier for both of us, for you just go find somebody else. I said, I know you've forgiven me, but I struggle in forgiving myself. Look at all the past, look at all the sin, and every time I go to worship God, Satan always reminds me of all my past, all the stupid things I've done. I said, you know what? It's just be easier for both of us, just go find somebody else.

And he said, no. You said yes. It's your time. I said, but I struggle in forgiving myself. He says I'm gonna teach you how to forgive yourself then. I said, how are you gonna do that? He said, I want you to go on a 40 day fast and each day of the fast will represent one year of your life. And I will remind you of your past and you will come before me and you'll repent of those things. And I will show you.

And there are certain days, which will be certain years in this fast, you're gonna go back to certain people and tell 'em what you did. So that will take away from what Satan's been using against you, and you'll tell 'em what you did, even though it's 20 years ago. So that's on day 20, you're gonna go to that person and tell 'em what you did, and then you'll take that away from the enemy. I said, okay, this is like December of 1998. Said, but okay, when do you want me to start? You said January 1st, which makes sense. January 1st, everyone makes a commitment, right? So I decided to count out 40 days, January 1st to February 9th was 40 days. Not realizing February 10th, I turned 40.

Martha: Ah.

Chuck Ripka: And I'm thinking, oh. And I said, but why are you going to do this anyway? He said, I've called you a forerunner. And I as a forerunner, and I've never heard that term before, but I called you a forerunner and I'm gonna take you over a mountain around the bend where no one's been before. But then I'm going to send you back and I want you to go back and tell 'em how to get here. But see, as a runner, you can't run a very straight race when you are looking over your shoulder, looking in your past. I want you not to look in your past, but look to the future where I've called you to go to and that sin is like baggages weighing you down.

So I'm gonna get rid of all of it 'cause I'm gonna accelerate this, accelerate the things in your life. I think, oh man, I can't wait. And he said, when you go on this fast, you will not hunger for one thing but more of me. And I told my wife, she said, you can't do that. You'll die. You just can't stop eating. I said, no, I'm just going on a juice fast. God, he said, I'll actually hunger for more for him than anything. And that's exactly what I did. 40 days. I loved it. It was one of the highlights of my life is when I turned 40 because God got rid of so much stuff and we began my journey.

And so it's really, that's been 26 years ago and God literally has accelerated the things in my life. So if God can use me, he really literally can use any of us, because he's allowed me to take me through all my stuff and help me become who I am and the thing I'm excited about is I'm still practicing and I tell people it's okay to be wrong. Just be obedient. If we are wrong, you're wrong. But how can you be wrong when you want to give a word of encouragement to somebody, how could that be wrong? If you give the wrong word but it's still a word of encouragement, hey, is that from God or is that from Satan? No, that's probably from God. So along the way, I just tell people, keep practicing. It's okay to be wrong.

Jim: Chuck, we gotta close out, and I hate this. We could go on for seven or eight hours hearing all your stories, but this listening audience, the iWork4Him audience, been around for 12 years. They've heard stories of people living out their faith in all kinds of jobs. You can't even imagine it. It's thousands of people we've interviewed. Every one of them, the focus is how do I make sure my faith is impacting my work? Would you speak a word of encouragement to our listeners today before we go?

Chuck Ripka: I think a lot of times is people say, it's the stories I just told you. And like you said before, there could be many more. I think if you take those stories and say, God - I started reading the Bible and I said, Lord, I want that. I want that. I want that. And I tell people, if you're listening to me, if you want that, just say, that's what I want. I want that in my life.

Take it and chew on it and ask God, okay, God, if you could use Chuck, use me, and just simply start asking. I'm always asking God, I'm always talking. My friends would even say, Chuck, you're talking, asking God so many questions. He hasn't had time to answer us. (laughter) But that's the kind of childlike faith I have because I'm really walking and I'm always asking God questions.

And even when I'm going into meetings like this or going to a lunch or whatever Hey Lord. What do you got? I got nothing. But what do you got? And God shows up so often, but if I get nothing, then I got nothing. And I don't have to worry about it. The pressure's on him. If he wants me to say something, he'll give it to me.

So I just wanna encourage people just to simply dedicate your life, walk it out, and just get ready to be uncomfortable. And if you're willing to do it, and I encourage people, if you want to hear more stories, you can get my book. You have to order it on Amazon. It's called Got Out of the Box.

I didn't even wanna write a book. God tricked me into writing the book even, but I'm so glad he did now because I've got so many calls from so many people saying could you pray for me? They've read the book and they've been encouraged by reading it.

Jim: God Out of the Box on Amazon. Chuck Ripka from Elk River, Minnesota, thank you so much for being on iWork4Him today, for sharing just a little teeny bit of what God has been doing in your life. But thank you, Chuck Ripka.

Chuck Ripka: You're welcome. Bless you guys.

Jim: You've been listening to iWork4Him, with your hosts, Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our workplace, it's our mission field. But ultimately, iWork4Him.