About Frank Ebell
6/14/07
A Testimony
How do I begin? Well, I guess I should start by telling you a little about myself. I was born in Philadelphia, PA 1952. I have one brother. My mother was an Episcopalian, and my father was a Roman Catholic. I went through the Catholic right of confirmation when I was 12 years old.
My mother suffered a nervous breakdown, which caused her to sleep more than being awake. My father was an alcoholic who strangely, never missed a day of work. He was employed at the oldest arsenal in the country, The Frankford arsenal. He retired from the Philadelphia Naval shipyard in 1987, a master machinist.
My brother and I grew up in the section of Philadelphia known as Kensington, which always had a reputation as a tough, blue collar neighborhood, where boxing was a common pastime, either in the rink or in the street! Fistfights were common!
My father rarely spent anytime with my brother and I, and my mother, despite her mental problem, did try to be with us. However, my brother and I roamed the streets with friends that very few parents would approve of. We would steal fruit from produce stands, sneak on the elevated & subway trains all the time, rob telephone booths by hot wiring the phones, and when we were teens, steal a bike or a car or two. We played hooky more than most kids attend school! That was a time when everyone smoked. All of us started smoking when we were about 10 or 11 years old. When you met someone who didn’t smoke, you were in total shock! Even the doctor smoked! Oddly enough, we had some “honor”. We would never rob a home or a person. Never use foul language in front of women, or in front of a church, regardless of the denomination. If you cursed in the presence of a girl or women, even your best friend would hit ya’ in the face and say, “Hey man! Watch your mouth!”
By 1968, we were introduced to marijuana. In 1969, I quit high school while in the 10th grade, and joined the Army in the hope of learning a trade, and putting on a little weight, since I was a skinny kid then. The Army did help. However, even in the Army, marijuana and hashish were prevalent at the time. My high school, by the way, has the dubious distinction of suffering the most casualties of the Vietnam War of any high school in the United States, 54 killed. The high school is Thomas A. Edison, 7th & Lehigh Ave, Philadelphia, PA. I served in Vietnam 1970-1971.
There are so many evil things that I was a part of, and am now severely ashamed of, and I would rather not mention, and for this reason. I don’t want any non-christian reading this and say to them self “Well, if he can do those things, and get away with it, so can I.” Trust me on this; you’re getting away with nothing! All you will gain is a burned out conscience!
As of this writing, I have 34 close friends who are dead from: 4 being murdered, 3 have committed murder, 4 have committed suicide, and the rest overdosed from drugs!
1978 was when I finally started rethinking my life. I married the best women that I could ever have imagined to have. She lived three doors down the street from me. My wife, Valerie and I lived in a small 3rd story apartment across the street from a church. Many times I would look at that church building and think, “I need to get back to God.” I would talk with my wife about it and she agreed that we should. However, we never did attend that “church”. We moved to another neighborhood where we thought our future children would have a better chance at growing up than we did. We started watching TV evangelists, such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Dr Charles Stanley, and D. James Kennedy. I never did buy into any others. You can't con a con artist, know whudda mean? After awhile, I would listen only to two: Falwell and Stanley, then, only Stanley. Now I don’t listen to any of them! Even though they do give the gospel, the rest they teach destroys.
When I would hear the gospel, I would always pray, “Lord? Is this true? That you will forgive all this evil I have done?” I couldn’t believe that The Lord Jesus Christ would forgive me because my sins were way too bad! I went too far! But the more I would listen, the more my heart was telling me, “Jesus does love you and has forgiven you.” I would beg The Lord for forgiveness with tears streaming down my face. I asked The Lord Jesus, “Please save me Lord Jesus.” This I did on my own, and not led into a “sinners prayer.” And when I prayed, I was alone. Not even my wife was with me. I can’t count how many times back then I would pray for forgiveness and salvation. There is no date on my salvation. Only The Lord knows. All I know is that it happened around 1984? However, it wasn’t until 1987 when I made a commitment, went to a “christian” rehab to get off of booze.
That was when my wife and I “joined” a Conservative Baptist Church. I did learn a lot there, but mostly milk. I must tell you this. As an ex-catholic, I knew that so much of what they teach is false, that one night I prayed, “Lord Jesus: If the largest church in the world is wrong, who then is right? Who teaches the truth? I need to learn the truth. Please Lord lead me to the truth.” I balled my eyes out asking for the truth. When I cleaned myself up, I opened the bible (Which I knew little to nothing of) and I opened straight to 1st Kings, Chapter 3, verse 10 & 11. Read it. Have you any idea how hard that hit me? The Lord has been answering that prayer for me ever since, and this is why I take this verse ever so seriously,
“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” 1 John 2:27
I know firsthand that The Lord has been doing that for me ever since I prayed that prayer! Oh amen! Things happen when you BELIEVE The Lord!
I have three sons, two in the Army, and one still at home. In 1995 I moved my family here to South Carolina, mainly because of the “Bible Belt” reputation, which is highly undeserved, and because I wanted my sons to grow up in a better place. We attended 5 different Baptist “churches” and disappointed every time. All five “pastors” fell into adultery!
Now comes the learning. My wife and I are without a “church” so we thought. I would beg The Lord, “Help us find a good church”, and none were to be found. We grew thirsty for fellowship and Gods Word. Then, one day I found a website, www.cnview.com, and He (Andy Neckar) has online reading about home churches, tithing, false brethren etc. Then, I find other websites, which lead to others. Now, my wife and I worship The Lord at home, though still lacking fellowship with others, we now KNOW, That The Lord IS HERE when we fellowship with Him, amen. Church is The Lords PEOPLE, temples made without hands. Not bricks and mortar.
To all those who think their sins are too great to be forgiven; you’re listening to a lie from Satan. That’s exactly what he wants you to believe. The Lords blood has covered a MULTITUDE of sins, ALL SINS, and that no sin is great enough to keep you from being forgiven. The Lord wants none to perish, not a one. Yet so many reject the free offering of forgiveness and salvation. Believe on The Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:31
I pray that whoever reads this testimony, will pray to The Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. He does not promise an easy life of get rich quick scams, Rolls Royce’s etc. What He does promise is that one day we will all be in paradise together with Him forever, and sin and death will never exist again. Amen.
Sincerely in Christ,
Frank Ebell
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