Matthew Frank
I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t in church, as my parents were faithful in their attendance. As a young teenager, I had made a profession of faith and began “living the Christian life.” I sang in the choir, sat on the front row, said “Amen” while the preacher preached. I even went on visitation. For several years, I believed I was saved, but on June 25, 2002, at the Faith Baptist Camp in Resaca, GA, the Lord placed me under Holy Ghost conviction. Bro Sammy Allen was preaching on “Eight Things in Hell We Need In Our Baptist Churches,” and when it came invitation time, God showed me I was lost and in need of a Saviour. I remember trying to argue with the Lord, telling Him about all I was doing. He showed me that night that I was religious but lost. I went to the altar and was saved by the grace of God. That night, II Corinthians 5:17 became a reality in my life. I was and am from that point forward “in Christ,” and I am a new creature.
Hannah Frank
I was born into a Christian Home and raised on the mission field. I made a profession of faith at an early age and several more as I got older – always struggling with my salvation. When I was 17, I heard a preacher preach a message called “Joy in serving Jesus.” I realized that I didn’t have joy while serving Jesus. I just did things like singing in the choir, passing out tracts, cleaning the church, etc., because that is what I was taught to do. I realized I was lost and needed to be saved to have joy and not die and go to hell. On December 31, 2007, I asked the Lord to save me. I am so thankful that he showed me I was lost and how to have true joy, not just a profession, but salvation, saved from my sins and bound for heaven. It is a wonderful life serving my Saviour!
Our Call To Service
While serving under my pastor, Dr. Ricky Gravley, at the Bible Baptist Church in Rossville, GA, I was privileged to preach in numerous jails, nursing homes, and on the street. Also, the Lord allowed me to preach at several revival and special meetings while serving at my home church. I was the Adult Sunday School class fill-in teacher, teaching at least ten to twelve times a year. Hannah and I served in the Bus Ministry, where we conducted services every Sunday, and I preached to the kids during those services. Hannah and I also taught the Junior Sunday School class (ages 10-12) for approximately a year as well. The Lord allowed me to pastor for over two years at a church plant before calling us into missions.
Service As A Layman
I had just been saved a little over 3-4 weeks earlier, and I began to feel as if the Lord was dealing with me about preaching the Word of God. I struggled with it for a few weeks wanting to make sure I was making the right decision. On August 12, 2002, I surrendered to the call to preach. I was licensed to preach the Word of God in May of 2007 by my former pastor Bro. Eric Brown. Shortly after beginning to pastor, I was ordained into the ministry in January 2015.
Call to Preach
After I finished my tenure pastoring the church plant, we began praying about where God would have us serve Him. Bro. Gravley asked me to pray about working with Rock of Ages ministries. I met with my pastor and Dr. Ellis at ROA Headquarters. After our meeting, Dr. Gravley filled out his part of the application, but I still wasn’t sure. One summer Sunday morning, during Sunday School, Dr. Gravley had a group come and sing a song before the teacher came. They sang the song “Empty Me of Me So I Can Be Used By You.” God settled it in my heart that morning that we were to go with Rock of Ages and become a missionary to the prisoner. He gave me Hebrews 10:34 as confirmation, where the Bible says, “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.”
Call To Missions
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We believe that the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired of God and that they are the supreme and final authority for faith and practice. We accept the Authorized King James Version to be the Word of God, without error.
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We believe in a Triune God, (Ephesians 2:18) Who is – GOD THE FATHER, Creator of Heaven and Earth, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, rich in grace, supreme in love, and measureless in power. He hears and answers prayer. He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
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GOD THE SON, JESUS CHRIST, God’s only begotten Son and born of the virgin Mary. He is the only atonement for the sin of this world by the shedding of His blood on the cross. We believe that He arose bodily, ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the Father’s right hand as our High Priest and only Mediator. We look for His personal, premillennial, imminent return.
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GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT, a Person Who is co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is sent from God to reprove the world of sin and to regenerate all who receive Christ as personal Saviour.
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We believe that man was created in the image of God but because of Adam’s transgression the whole human race fell. All men everywhere are sinners, both by nature and by choice.
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We believe in a personal Devil who was cast out of Heaven and is now the prince of the air. He is the archenemy of God. He has already been judged and someday will be cast into the Lake of Fire to be tormented day and night, forever and forever.
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We believe that salvation is by grace, through faith in the shed blood of the Son of God, which was shed for the sins of all mankind, not merely for a selected few. When someone receives salvation, they are eternally secure.
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We believe that Heaven and Hell are literal places, prepared of God as the only eternal abodes. All those who have been saved shall live eternally with God. All those without Christ shall abide in the Lake of Fire forever, eternally separated from God.
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We believe local churches consist of regenerated believers who have been scripturally baptized and are banded together for worship, work, and spiritual fellowship, spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only church ordinances.
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We believe in Bible separation, that is, to be set apart from the world, sin, self, and Satan, and to be separated “unto the praise of His glory” and the furtherance of the Gospel.
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We believe that all believers are to be witnesses unto the lost for Christ. We believe that all believers have certain God-given gifts and talents and are stewards for God. Some are called to preach or to other special ministries. We also believe that all who have rejected the Gospel or who have never heard the Gospel are lost, and that it is every believer’s responsibility to help get the Gospel to everyone.
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We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography is a sinful perversion of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5-13; Genesis 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
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