MY SPIRITUAL BIRTHDAY JUBILEE YEAR!
This year of 2007, the third Sunday of February, is my 50TH SPIRITUAL BIRTHDAY. I have been preaching this wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ for 48 years. I was born in Pennsylvania and raised in a Jewish-Catholic home. My father was Jewish, born in the former Soviet Union. My grandfather studied to be a Rabbi before they came to the USA. My mother’s people were from Slovenia. I was converted on the 17th of February 1957 in a Kathryn Kuhlman meeting in Youngstown, Ohio and will be celebrating my 50th Spiritual Birthday by preaching and winning souls in Ukraine. We will be open our 20th Bible Training School in the former USSR. My life has been an amazing work of the grace of God. God did three wonderful miracles to lead me to Christ. The first one was when He planted a seed in my heart. My mother was very sick. She was skin and bones; the doctor said "No hope for you, Mrs. Abram." Then in her hopelessness, someone told her to listen to Kathryn Kuhlman on the radio. When my mother heard the testimonies of healing, hope came into her heart. Hope always precedes faith. When we give our testimonies of what God has done, we are giving hope to people. We cannot give faith. God gives faith through His Word. We can be ’hope givers.’ With the assistance of my Uncle Frank, (mother’s elder bother) she was able to get to the service at Carnegie Hall, Pittsburgh. She heard the Word of God first time. She received Christ and Kathryn Kuhlman called her out her condition by the Word of Knowledge. Kathryn prayed and God healed my mother. My mother was the instrument God used to pray the whole family into the Kingdom of God from both my father’s side and from my mother’s side of the family. It took over 20 years but all came to Christ. She stood on:
Acts 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Mom believed this promise and God did what He said He would do. Then about two or three years after her healing, God did a second miracle in our family. One day my father came home from work sad and discouraged. He was told he would not be able to work any more as they had found holes in his lungs. He did secret work during WWII and had to have exams every six months. My father loved to work. He said to my mom, "What can I do?" Mother said, "You are going to Kathryn Kuhlman’s service tonight in Pittsburgh." He said that he was not a believer. Mom replied with "But I am!" She said she had to stay home with the baby but that Sonny (me) would go with him. I remember, when we arrived, my father looked happy because the hall was packed with many people outside and we could not get inside. As we were turning to go back home, a voice shouted from the upper window of the hall for my father to wait. It was a Christian from work. He shook my father’s hand and told him that he had been praying for Dad and that he was so glad he was there. My father said he could not get in. The man said he would get Dad in. He almost dragged us behind him as he went into a side door to get to the balcony. He shoved us inside and locked the door. We were packed like sardines. Dad put me on a windowsill to sit and he stood against the wall. I was reading a Superman comic book I had brought along when Kathryn stopped the singing. She pointed to the balcony and said that there was a man there that had holes in his lungs. I looked at my Dad. His face was as red as a beet. I poked him and said "Dad, that’s you!" He put his finger to his mouth and told me to be quiet. Then she said he would lose his healing if he did not acknowledge it. She said, "Raise your hand." Dad raised his hand half way. Thank God for one elderly lady standing near by who shouted, "Here he is, Kathryn." Kathryn made eye contact with him and said, "You are the man." Then she said, "You are not a believer, but your wife at home is praying for you. You are Jewish, is that not correct?" My father just shook his head up and down. "Do you receive your healing?" He said, "Yes" and my father was healed that moment! I could not understand how she knew all this. We did not even have a phone. The next day the new x-rays showed my father was healed. Then, when I was fourteen, I was healed of large growths on my neck when my mother went to a Kathryn Kuhlman’s service, praying and fasting for my healing. When Mom came home, she found me healed. However, the greatest miracle took place on the 17th of February 1957. I was seventeen years old and had the worst reputation as a senior in Butler High School. My mother promised me a full tank of gas for my car if I took her to a service 45 miles from home to Youngstown, Ohio. Kathryn Kuhlman preached. I did not listen. At the end of the message, when her 100 voice choir sang ’Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling,’ (Little did I think I would singing in the same choir less than 6 months later.) In my heart I could see Jesus with His arms stretched out, calling me to salvation. I ran forward, repented and received Him as my Personal Saviour. When I stood, it was not the same Tony Abram that came to that meeting. I was a new creation in Christ. (2 Cor 5:17 KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Sister Kuhlman pulled me and another young man to the platform and prayed over us. Then she laid her hand on me and said that if I would be true to God, He would take me into many lands and that I would be a blessing to many people. That is exactly what God has done over the years. I have counted it a privilege and a high calling to carry out the Commission Jesus gave us in Mark 16:15 And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. For 48 years, into over 125 countries, I have tried to pursue the Commission of Jesus. We are celebrating this year praising God for all He has done is doing and what He yet will do.
Psalms 103:22 Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul. Psalms 107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. Psalms 111:6 He hath showed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen. This past Nov. 20th, my dear wife and I celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary. Throughout that time she has gone with me into over 125 countries to carry the Word of God. I do thank God for the superb helpmate God has given me. Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. We give all the Glory to God for all He has done! However, the time is brief and we must do all we can, while we can. This is why Marge and I have devoted our lives to telling the world of our MAGNIFICENT SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST! 2 Thes 3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you. I believe that World Evangelism is the Supreme Task of the Church. Pray for the ministry in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Ukraine and the former USSR. We are trusting for a vast harvest. Many have told us of the wonderful exciting life of travel we have had. However, it has gone against the natural desires of my life. I am a poor tourist. I naturally do not like to travel and being of Jewish heritage, I am a finicky eater. I also like to sleep in one bed and yet we have slept in more than 4,000 beds. We have slept in ‘water beds’ before they invented them. The roof leaked or the children playing on the bed. I do not want to speak about the food, etc, that we have eaten while doing missionary work. You may ask us if we are sorry for the life we had to lead? The answer is a resounding, "NO!" Next to receiving Christ and being saved, winning souls is the greatest JOY you can experience! We have given ourselves to the ministry of world evangelism for over 45 years and traveled and ministered on every continent. Our crusades have attracted many thousands in a single service. Marge is a singer and accordionist and has made many recordings. Multitudes around the world have been blessed through the ministry. I have written six books, which have been translated into a number of languages. Many churches have been established through this ministry in many different countries, more than 70 new churches planted just in the former USSR in the last 12 years. Our ministry has purchased more than 130 buildings in the former USSR, which have been converted into churches. This ministry is for all people and churches, being full gospel and interdenominational. The theme of our ministry is "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." We need your prayers. Our prayer is that our latter years may count more in the Work of God than our former years.
1 Thes. 5:25 Brethren, pray for us. God Bless You and Yours is our Daily Prayer!
More information can be found at www.abundantlifecrusades.com.
You can order the testimony of Tony Abram and other publications from the website.
