The Faith of the Father(s) w/ Karl Gessler

Send us Fan Mail The church in the Western world has been in decline for some time now. We are struggling to find traction within our culture. Even within the walls of our church buildings we have found our effectiveness deeply wanting. We often say with words that the Gospel is “powerful” and changes lives, but it seems as though we rarely see it. What is wrong? Why is it that the Gospel is chang...

Send us Fan Mail "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so...The most well know Bible verse in all the world is John 3:16:"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son..." This is truly an amazing message and yet, in our country, it seems to fall on deaf ears. Are we preaching this message enough? Or are we preaching one message in words and another me...

Send us Fan Mail Getting Ready for JesusHow does one get ready for Jesus’ return? Empty your bank account? Untie your shoes? Get busy with evangelism? The real event of Jesus’ return is overshadowed in the Western world by popular, (but not necessarily Biblical), concepts of a rapture and cataclysmic final days of planet earth. The New Testament does indeed talk about Jesus’ return, or better said...

Send us Fan Mail "Foxes have dens," Jesus replied, "...but the son of man has nowhere to lay His head."  (Luke 9:58)Is Jesus a homeless pilgrim? Is that what Jesus was advocating and what Luke wants to tell us? Of the vast majority of Christians, those who truly study their Bibles are few. But of the few that actually do spend time reading the Bible, very few ever read it in la...

Send us Fan Mail Before my Dad suddenly passed away at the young age of 49, he used to casually say that “one day it would be fun to have a radio show”. My Dad loved to talk to people, but I think the radio show was more or less a pipe dream. But for me, it was a very exciting and appealing idea. When my father passed at such a young age, I decided that I didn’t want to wait for “one day” and, by...

Send us Fan Mail This question has always been absurd to me. Where did we ever get the idea that homosexuality and Christianity are compatible? Nevertheless, is seems that many Christians today are in doubt about how to answer this question. The truth be told, many people within our christian culture seem to be unable to define proper sexual behavior at all. It seems that our culture wants to say,...

Send us Fan Mail This week I have been in the studio working on a new music project, o for this week's podcast, I am dusting off the digital shelf to bring you a special podcast recorded with my wife last year concerning the doctrine of election. This was also recorded during the presidential election cycle of 2016.The popular Protestant doctrine of Election has been much contested down the y...

Send us Fan Mail Music moves us, Movements produce music, and the Church has always been full of music and movements. But which comes first, the music or the movements? Which movements from the past still effect us today? What are today's musical movements that are shaking and shaping the Church in the West? From the Wesley's to D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey, to Haight Ashbury and ​​the Jesu...

Send us Fan Mail Gluten has become a great evil in the world of healthy eating. It does feel sometimes like eating healthy has become a new moral obligation. Sometimes, when we read the Bible, it seems that foods that are eaten or not eaten also has some kind of moral attachment. But the apostle Paul told the Corinthians that "food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not e...

Send us Fan Mail Jim Beaver needed an escape as he grew up with wounds and hurts. Jim found part of that escape in his music, but still he needed real hope and real life. After struggling for many years, Jim was finally introduced to Jesus and His gift of the Holy Spirit that, in Jim's words, made him realize that "Oh! Jesus is real! This thing is real!" Now Jim still plays music, b...

Send us Fan Mail Nathaniel Jolly has been to many places where he has been confronted with demonic activity. Many people would find his stories fascinating and sensational, but also really creepy. Some people find this type of thing entertaining. But what if it is much more malevolent than that? What if these things were actually dangerous and kept people enslaved? What if they caused nightmares a...

Send us Fan Mail All religions are created equal. That is what we are taught to believe. “Religion” as we know the word today is, however, a misleading and largely unhelpful word when describing the world-views of various cultures and peoples. In today’s Western world, the word religion is used to categorize whole world-views as being superstitious or spiritual and, hence, having no real purchase...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus told the Jews in Jerusalem that they could tear down their temple and He would rebuild it in three days. (John 2:19). Did Jesus intend to really build a temple? Did Jesus intend to build anything? What did Jesus intend to accomplish through His ministry and His suffering on a cross? Did He intend to “start the Church” and did that mean the same thing in the first Century as...

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s  Podcast, I am joined by a very special guest from Columbia International University. Dr. David Cashin, professor of global, Muslim, and Intercultural Studies, will be sharing with us some keen insights on evangelism in our own culture as well as touch a little bit on the subject of reaching out to Muslims. Dr. Cashin also has a very helpful e-booklet that he offers...

Send us Fan Mail What is "The Gospel for Planet Earth"? In this week's podcast, I am getting back to basics, giving a brief account of how and why I got started doing this podcast and blog, and why I think it is relevant for today. Support the show ❤️ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT - LINKS BELOW... ➡️ Email me: https://www.karlgessler.com/deliverance ➡️ DONATE ➡️  Join our team! https://www.give...

Send us Fan Mail Michael Titus and His family used to be Muslim but now they are all Christians. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Michael believes that it is because Muslims are hurt by a following a religion that is spiritually dark. Jesus gives life and light! Michael and his coworker are bringing the gospel to places in Tanzania that have never heard it before! They are church planting...

Send us Fan Mail Easter is the pinnacle of the Christian calendar. In fact, it is the pinnacle of anyone's calendar because it is a celebration of the moment when the world turned its vital corner and God became King in and through Jesus. But what does this mean for us today? Bishop Jeremiah Kibobi is a former Bishop in the African Anglican Church. Bishop Kibobi shares with us his experience...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Brad Ames shares with us how he came to know the risen Christ and how Jesus can make Himself known to people in some of the strangest ways. Brad's story is moving and gripping, coming from an atheist background or simply a nominal "Christian" background into a real relationship with the living Jesus. But Brad also shares with us the story of how one perso...

Send us Fan Mail Michael Titus grew up as a Muslim. It was all that he knew. There had been no proclamation of the Gospel in his village in over 100 years. But Michael had a dream one night that gave him a deep longing for real joy. Michael dreamed that he saw a car full and people who were laughing and singing with great joy. They stopped the car and shouted to him, "Get in! You only have on...

Send us Fan Mail Hung Yang grew up in communist China in the 1970s. Dr. Yang is now a citizen of the United States and teaches in a US University but before that, he was a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party because he did not know that there was anything else to be. The young Dr. Yang did not even know that there was a book called “The Bible” until he was 20 years old and was studying Eng...

Send us Fan Mail Karl and Susie are BOTH in the studio this month with a cameo appearance by our youngest daughter (at least outside of the womb). This month, we are talking about our vocation as human beings and followers of Jesus. Vacation is the next best thing to vocation. Our vocation is what gives us value and is the most important thing to know about ourselves. Support the show ❤️ SHOW YOUR...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. One of the central ramifications of that accomplishment is that justice is brought to the poor and helpless. Jesus' victory over the darkness is brought to bear on the world through His people, like Debbie Gilbert who started In My Heart Ministries to help rescue and restores boys and girls that have been...

Send us Fan Mail "Silent Night" is one of the most popular Christmas Carols of all time. But does it actually teach us about what the birth of Jesus actually meant for the world? Was the first Christmas night truly a quite and peaceful event? What is this Christmas story all about? Karl and Susie discusses this and other Christmas Carols for this month's Gospel for Planet Earth Podc...

Send us Fan Mail Anna grew up in Armenia, the first nation to officially identify as "Christian". Anna's family identified as "Christian" but they didn't pray or read the Bible. In fact, when Anna wanted to learn more about Jesus, her mother refused to allow Anna to have a Bible, saying that the Bible "belongs in the church (building)". In spite of identifyi...

Send us Fan Mail Evangelism in the first century did not sound like evangelism in the 21st century. Why not? Why didn't Jesus ever ask people if they knew where they would spend eternity? Why didn't the disciples tell people that Jesus has made a way for them to go to heaven? In this week's podcast, Karl explores Stephen's words to the High Priest during his trial before his ma...