Kathryn Kuhlman was one of the great evangelists of her generation. She’s been with the Lord now for over 40 years, but on my podcast today, I had the privilege of speaking with someone who was very important in her life, Dino Kartsonakis. This anointed man of God says he sees revivals happening right now—and he believes Jesus’ return is fast approaching.
Kartsonakis played the piano for many of Kuhlman’s healing meetings, so he has had plenty of experience with revivals over the course of his life.
But revival didn’t stop when Kuhlman died. Kartsonakis says he sees God using hymns as a way to bring revival to the church. It started when Kartsonakis was live on Facebook one day soon after Billy Graham died. He started playing the old hymns that people heard at Graham’s crusades, the hymns churches hardly ever play anymore.
The response Kartsonakis received was overwhelming. The video got over 500,000 hits that day, and people kept commenting to tell Kartsonakis how much the hymns ministered to them.
“When you sing ‘What could wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus,’ the very atmosphere in the church sanctuary changes,” he says. “Everybody knows the song and they sing it. So there’s something about the anointing that’s on these hymns. So it’s bringing back revival into the church, and I believe it’s happening right now as we speak. I also believe Jesus is coming soon, and I believe the church is going to go out victoriously.”
At what he felt was the Lord’s call, Kartsonakis created four CDs of 101 great hymns and also published a hymnbook called Hymn Restoration: 101 Treasured Hymns With Devotions. The revival is still spreading, Kartsonakis says, as he and his wife, Cheryl, travel to different churches performing hymns.
“What I really love about this revival is that we’re really getting back into the Word of God in every one of these songs,” he says. “I mean, Jesus Lover of My Soul, Jesus Loves Me This I Know, Jesus I Love Thee—it’s about the love of Jesus. And [with the devotionals], Cheryl takes you right back to the Word of God, where it talks about His love and how amazing His extravagant love is.”
Some of the hymns in Kartsonakis’ hymn book were the same ones Kuhlman used for her services. He remembers so many incredible stories about his time helping Kuhlman with her ministry, including the moment when she asked him to take a prominent position in her ministry if anything were to happen to her.
“I’ve never really said this on any podcast or any TV interview, … but I remember the day we were sitting in her home … and she said, ‘Dino, if anything ever happens to me, I would like you to pull right up,'” Kartsonakis says. “… I was very young at the time. I wasn’t ready for that. It made me kind of nervous because I didn’t feel I was ready for that kind of position.”
When Kuhlman did die, Benny Hinn ended up being the main person to take up her ministry. Kartsonakis says he’s grateful for how God has used Hinn over the decades to preach the Word and touch countless lives with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
There was much more Kartsonakis, Cheryl and I discussed about Kuhlman and her ministry—including debunking several false accusations the media threw at her at that time. Be sure to listen to our full conversation by clicking here!
