Right Start Radio with Pastor Jim Custer
1,271 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 20 ratingsRight Start Radio with Pastor Jim Custer
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The Career Of The Bride - Part 3 of 3
October 14, 2019 05:00There will be a church on Earth during the Tribulation - but not the Church. On Friday we began to answer the question, "Where is the Church?" Can we resolve this old dispute about when the Church will be caught up to heaven? Revelation gives us some important clues. And Jim will have a few more of those for us today. He'll conclude the sermon, The Career of the Bride. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, ...
The Career Of The Bride - Part 2 of 3
October 11, 2019 05:00Will the Church go through the Great Tribulation? To ask the question a different way, When does the Rapture take place? If you've been a Christian more than a week or two, you know this issue is controversial. And our answer matters, because it might affect how we live, right now. The Apostle John should be a trustworthy authority, as he was taken into heaven and saw it all unfold. Let's pay careful attention to what he saw, from where, and when. We're continuing the sermon The Career of t...
The Career Of The Bride - Part 1 of 3
October 10, 2019 05:00What is the Church supposed to be doing? In the opening chapters of Revelation we see some churches that have stayed more or less on track, and others that have strayed, and wandered off to build their own kind of Christ-less Christianity. Jesus has insightful words for all of them. We'll look specifically at the church in Philadelphia and the one in Laodicea today. Ultimately, every assembly - and every individual - will have to decide which path to follow. Now Jim opens a new sermon entit...
The Church On Earth - Part 3 of 3
October 09, 2019 05:00Are the 7 churches of Revelation real, local churches, or are they types of churches? Or are they church eras? Yes! The real assemblies addressed in John's Revelation are also representative of many churches. And, when we view them in order, they match up to the changing character of Christendom through time. Our lukewarm Laodicean age is the last in line.Today Jim starts in Revelation 2, verse 4. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:...
The Church On Earth - Part 2 of 3
October 08, 2019 05:00Imagine getting a letter... from Jesus! You might say, "that letter's not from Jesus," but the Lord knew you would say that, and identified Himself in a way that had particular meaning for you. The letter starts, "I know what you've been up to." Yeah, that sounds like Jesus, blasting through my religious façade and getting right into my issues. Seven churches got such a letter, and we can read them all in the book of Revelation - because they're open letters for all believers to benefit fro...
The Church On Earth - Part 1 of 3
October 07, 2019 05:00Do you think of the Bible as a romance book? Some say there are only 7 basic stories. Some say 9, or 20. It would be easy to find all of those in the Bible, but the overarching story is a love story. It even has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Knowing how the story ends can help us stick with it when the plot gets thick. We're going to the final book in the Bible to see how the Author ties all His story threads together - and of course, to see the victorious Prince marry ...
Meet The Hero - Part 3 of 3
October 04, 2019 05:00Yes, Revelation is crowded with symbols...and that's good! I couldn't speak to you without symbols; we use them constantly to communicate. But the ciphers John has left us in Revelation seem difficult to de-cipher! Not really, says Jim. The key to decoding them is often right there in the text itself. We're ready for Part 3 of this introductory sermon called Meet the Hero, and Jim is explaining John's claim that he was "in the Spirit (or 'in spirit') on the Lord's Day." Please join us in ch...
Meet The Hero - Part 2 of 3
October 03, 2019 05:00When John saw the angels and the Antichrist and all the rest of the Apocalypse, was he watching a pre-enactment? When the Beloved Apostle was a very young man, he saw Jesus heal, and teach, and die, and ascend. He was there, "live on the scene," as we say. As a very old man he's called upon once again to be an eyewitness - an eyewitness of the future. Yesterday we started a series through the book of Revelation. Today Jim will continue to prepare us to encounter, and understand, that unusua...
Meet The Hero - Part 1 of 3
October 02, 2019 05:00If "history is His story," then we're about to meet the Protagonist. Some don't agree that Jesus Christ is the central figure of history, as well as its Author and primary Subject. But that argument will be settled one day - and that "day" is the subject of our new series expounding the book of Revelation. The book isn't as mysterious - or as novel - as we may think. Jim kicks off our study with an invitation to, Meet the Hero. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCV...
Dress To Make An Impression - Part 2 of 2
October 01, 2019 05:00You're wearing what you decided to wear this morning. There's something to this metaphor in Colossians 3, of "putting off" our old, sinful actions like garments; and "putting on" the robes of love and light. Every piece of your current ensemble started with a decision. Can the Christian life be as simple as choosing from a better wardrobe? Yesterday Pastor Jim talked about Receiving Jesus as Lord, and being Raised with Him. In Part 2 of this message, he'll complete his list of 6 features of...
Dress To Make An Impression - Part 1 of 2
September 30, 2019 05:00A man caught using counterfeit money is in trouble. But there's worse. Counterfeit gospels are in circulation, and maybe you've picked one up by mistake. It looks right, but it's worthless. How can we tell the genuine from a skilled forgery? Authentic bills have multiple security measures: watermarks, special inks, possibly even some we don't know about. Well, Jim has found 6 markers of the true gospel, and he'll share them now. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WC...
The Not-So-Tender Trap - Part 2 of 2
September 27, 2019 05:00If I'm dead...why do I still feel these old stirrings? In Colossians, and in recent broadcasts, we've established the fact that Christians are dead. Our "new life" was preceded by an ending of the old life. But since this is spiritual and involves some metaphor, maybe we think it's less real. Certainly some of us have a hard time wrapping our minds around what has actually taken place for us, and to us, and what (if anything) needs to by done by us. The Bible gives us several pictures to he...
The Not-So-Tender Trap - Part 1 of 2
September 26, 2019 05:00You are out of this world - and that's the gospel truth! In Colossians, Paul is unmasking the "Jesus Plus" teachers. His strategy is as devastating as it is simple: He argues that a dead person has ended his relationship to the physical world - and we have died with Christ. So all the religious regulations involving material things like food and circumcision, can no longer apply. The false teachers are, essentially, trying to put a corpse on a diet! Jim's message is called, The Not-So-Tende...
Motivated By A Mystery - Part 3 of 3
September 25, 2019 05:00We would never be tempted to add to the gospel if we understood just how good the "good news" is! Everywhere the simple message of salvation went, the legalists and the heretics popped up. For the Colossians, instead of refuting the false teachers point-by-point, Paul dispensed the most powerful antidote: a true picture of Christ, and our position in Him. Today we wrap up our message Motivated by a Mystery. Here's Pastor Jim. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX ...
Motivated By A Mystery - Part 2 of 3
September 24, 2019 05:00If Jesus is in you...where is there room to fit an intermediary? Religious people sense a gap between them and God, and want to bridge that gap. They try to fill it with holy people, institutions and objects. But the Apostle Paul says that, if Christ is in you, there is no gap to fill. Believers are united with the Son completely - and permanently. Yesterday Jim began a look into Colossians, chapter 2. He'll continue that message, called Motivated by a Mystery, today. Listen to Right Start...
Motivated By A Mystery - Part 1 of 3
September 23, 2019 05:00Jesus doesn't need our help. We want to help - we want to fast, or do penance, or observe some rituals, something! - to have a hand in our own salvation. And that comes from pride. The devil knows all about pride, and he's got human minions who'll show us all kinds of ways we can give Christ a hand. Paul wanted to keep the Colossians out of the "Jesus And" trap. Here's Jim with the sermon, Motivated by a Mystery. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cinci...
The Gumption Of The Gospel - Part 2 of 2
September 20, 2019 05:00You want to see a miracle? Look in the mirror! Yesterday Jim counted 5 miracles that have happened to us at the new birth: We were qualified to share a heavenly inheritance; delivered from the kingdom of darkness; transferred to the kingdom of the Son; redeemed from slavery to sin. And we'll revisit #5, reconciled to God, now. We're back in Colossians, chapter 1, for the conclusion of The Gumption of the Gospel. Here's Jim. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 11...
The Gumption Of The Gospel - Part 1 of 2
September 19, 2019 05:00What does the gospel do in our lives? And can it be undone? If you've responded to Jesus' call to "repent and believe the gospel," then several miraculous things have happened to you. You should be delighted to hear what Jim has to say in our inaugural message from the letter to the Colossians. But can salvation and its benefits be lost, or thrown away? Jim will weigh in on the controversy as he talks about The Gumption of the Gospel. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday...
Freedom Through Co-dependency - Part 2 of 2
September 18, 2019 05:00Christians have turned the verse "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" around sideways! Philippians 4:13 is taken out of context so often that we forget Paul was talking about "being content in whatever circumstances I am." We'll untangle that today as we finish a message called Freedom Through Co- Dependency. Yesterday we heard the first two grand purposes for need: It gives an opportunity for Care, and need can help us learn Contentment. Here's Jim with two more reasons. L...
Freedom Through Co-dependency - Part 1 of 2
September 17, 2019 05:00God designed us to have needs. But why? As the computer programmers say, "That's not a flaw; that's a feature." But what possible purpose could it serve to build an entire planet where everyone is needy...all the time? Jim has found four reasons, and he'll share them today and tomorrow, as we finish our survey of Paul's letter to the Philippians. Even the title of the sermon challenges us to think differently about this. It's Freedom Through Co-Dependency. Here's Pastor Jim to explain. Lis...
Pathway To Peace - Part 2 of 2
September 16, 2019 05:00We need to grant our brothers and sisters the right to be "wrong." Searching the letter of Philippians on Friday, we found "enemies to the cross of Christ:" fake brethren on a mission to twist and destroy the true faith. But... Now in chapter 4, Paul is going to pivot and tell us that we need to get along better with each other. For those truly in the faith, we need a generous shot of that lubricant called "gentleness." Otherwise the friction might produce heat. Here's Jim to conclude his s...
Pathway To Peace - Part 1 of 2
September 13, 2019 05:00Who are the "enemies of the cross of Christ?" They're not who we might think! The enemies Paul warns of in Philippians 3 are not people openly hostile to the Lord, but those who pretend to be His followers. Those are always the worst, aren't they; the ones who betray Jesus with a kiss? And there are a lot of them. Their message will sound very attractive if we don't know what pattern of life we're to follow. That's our topic of study today. Here's Pastor Jim with the opening portion of his ...
Ride The Thermal - Part 2 of 2
September 12, 2019 05:00How do you carve a statue of an elephant? Easy: you just get a big block of marble and chip away everything that doesn't look like an elephant! The Holy Spirit as a Master Sculptor is trying to remove everything in us that doesn't look like Jesus. He has the skill and the power to do it - but we can short-circuit that power. In Philippians, chapter 3 Paul warns of two ways not to live the Christian life, and gives us a positive example, too. Here's Pastor Jim to conclude his message, Ride t...
Ride The Thermal - Part 1 of 2
September 11, 2019 05:00Becoming a Christian isn't like joining a club; it's like plugging into a power plant! Saul of Tarsus went from Christian-killer to Christian, and it wasn't because he had learned a new philosophy; it was because he was "laid hold of." We know he's speaking from experience when he tells us that we can live a life of purpose, and power. We've been studying the book of Philippians. Now let's begin Jim's sermon called, Ride the Thermal. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday ...
Minding The Main Thing - Part 2 of 2
September 10, 2019 05:00What are you after? Fame? Fortune? Or do you want to "make a difference?" If we crave significance, first we'll have to realize how insignificant we are. Jim was talking about Minding the Main Thing when we ran out of time yesterday. And the "main thing" is not us! When we were infants the world revolved around us, and we liked it. Then we grew a bit, and found out that we were not the center of the universe. But do we ever fully accept that truth? Our text is Paul's letter to the Philippia...
Minding The Main Thing - Part 1 of 2
September 09, 2019 05:00You know all those annoying people in your life? What if God sent them to teach you unselfishness? In Philippians, chapter 2, Paul challenges us to choose meekness. He goes so far as to say, "Regard others as more important than yourself." That's not something you're likely to hear from today's self-help gurus! How can we understand, much less adopt, this "me-second" attitude? Pastor Jim calls this sermon, Minding the Main Thing. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on W...
The Winning Altitude - Part 2 of 2
September 06, 2019 05:00Christians know that we're citizens of a different Kingdom, but sometimes we forget that this kingdom and that Kingdom are at war! Yesterday we began a sermon called The Winning Altitude. It looks at the epistle to the Philippians, and the motivating cause behind this jailhouse letter from Paul. He didn't want anyone to be scandalized by his suffering; he wrote, in effect, that this is normal stuff - prepare for it. Jim will look today at the reasons and the benefits of suffering. He'll lau...
The Winning Altitude - Part 1 of 2
September 05, 2019 05:00If there's a storm, your attitude isn't nearly as important as your altitude. Paul was in a storm. He always seemed to be in the middle of controversy and conflict - we could say the storm followed him around. But above the tempest there is peace. And that's the perspective this Apostle of grace wants to give us. If you're feeling tossed and soggy in your own storm, turn up the volume for some advice from someone who has been there. From Philippians, chapter 1 Jim brings us the first part o...
What A Piece Of Work! - Part 2 of 2
September 04, 2019 05:00"What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty!" Hamlet got it partly right: Those of us who have put ourselves in the hands of the Master are a workpiece - a "piece of work." "We are His workmanship," the Word says. As imperfect and unattractive as we may be now, we're on our way to becoming a masterpiece. In this half-hour we'll complete a message we started yesterday, inaugurating our new series called Pressing Toward the Goal. We're in Philippians, chapter ...
What A Piece Of Work! - Part 1 of 2
September 03, 2019 05:00"Would it spoil some vast eternal plan," Tevye wailed, "if I were a wealthy man?" Broadway may have some fun with it, but the Bible teaches that God does have a plan for you. And it may not be "vast," but it is eternal! Naturally, we want to know, "What is this plan?" "Am I sure I want in on it?" And, "How do I get in on it - or at least not mess it up?" Pastor Jim opens Paul's letter to the Philippians today, to start a new series. He'll begin reading at chapter 1, verse 6. Listen to Righ...
Walk Watcher - Part 2 of 2
September 02, 2019 05:00True or False: A human being now sits at the right hand of God, in heaven. The correct answer is "True." Jesus is both the Son of God and the Son of Man. And that's important because early cults denied the humanity of Christ. In our day, some deny the deity of Christ. The question of who Jesus is, seems to be the dividing line.? On Friday we had to "pause" Jim's thoughts on the letter of 2 John. He picks up today with a side trip to the Gospel of Matthew. Here's Part 2 of Walk Watcher. Lis...
Walk Watcher - Part 1 of 2
August 30, 2019 05:00You may know someone who began in the truth, who was baptized into the truth, but who isn't walking in the truth today. It's great sorrow to learn that a friend has turned from the path - and it's great joy to come across someone, maybe decades later, still following Christ. These things were on the Apostle John's mind as he picked up his pen to write what we call his "Second Epistle." He writes to "the chosen lady," and whether that lady is a person or a church isn't as important as what h...
We Know! - Part 2 of 2
August 29, 2019 05:00The Apostle John closes his first letter with a warning about idols. Surely that advice is obsolete now...right? The false gods that surround us today are much more subtle than the ones in the first century. If that's true, then we should pay all the more attention to these words of caution. And that's just one of several topics John will discuss as he ends his epistle. Today we're wrapping up the series God's Love Letter with Part 2 of Jim's sermon, We Know! Listen to Right Start Radio ev...
We Know! - Part 1 of 2
August 28, 2019 05:00Some people say we can't know our spiritual destiny. John says, "we know!" We know about the certainty of heaven, about holiness, about answered prayer; and we know all of this because we know one Person. We know "the true God and eternal life," Jesus. In our final sermon in the series God's Love Letter, Jim will look at 1 John, chapter 5. Here's the answer to the "know-nothings" and the "know-it-alls." Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH)...
Benefits Of Believers - Part 2 of 2
August 27, 2019 05:00When God tells us to believe in His Son, He doesn't ask us to do something irrational. He gives us evidence, from witnesses. If you've scratched your head about the "three witnesses" mentioned in 1 John, Pastor Jim will bring you some relief today. We're actually continuing a message we began yesterday called Benefits of Believers, answering such questions as, What must we believe? On what evidence? And finally, What confidence can we have, once we've chosen to trust the evidence? Here's Ji...
Benefits Of Believers - Part 1 of 2
August 26, 2019 05:00Billionaires don't play the lottery. If you have an inheritance too large to count, the weekly "super-mega- jackpot" probably doesn't interest you. And that's a good illustration of what the world offers, versus our true wealth in the Kingdom of God. This inheritance becomes ours when we're adopted into the heavenly family by faith - but faith in what? What must we believe? The Apostle lays it out for us in 1 John, chapter 5. Here's Jim with Part 1 of his sermon, Benefits of Believers. Lis...
The Results Of Faith In God - Part 2 of 2
August 23, 2019 05:00Jesus asked, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' but do not do what I say?" That's a fair question! We're not saved by keeping commandments. That's true. But we shouldn't conclude from that truth that the Ten Commandments, or any of God's moral requirements, are optional. His Law is a reflection of His unchangeable nature. Today we're looking at another of John's tests in 1 John, chapter 4. We left off yesterday thinking about verse 19, "We love because He first loved us." Listen to Right St...
The Results Of Faith In God - Part 1 of 2
August 22, 2019 05:00"Love me, love my kids" - says God. In John's first letter he gives his readers a litmus test: OK, you who say you love God; how do you feel about your spiritual siblings? If I in some way have a bit of the divine nature, and you've become a partaker of that nature, too, then we should resonate on the same inner frequency. Personalities aside, there should be a fraternal bond between us. This challenge takes our love out of the realm of theory, and into reality. Listen to Right Start Radio...
The Nature Of Divine Love - Part 2 of 2
August 21, 2019 05:00The Apostle John is composing a symphony. Will we listen to the music? Paul builds arguments block by block like a stonemason. John, whom we've been reading, seems more like a composer. He presents a truth, then adds another and another until the first idea comes around again. He weaves together his themes so as to create a complete, unbreakable masterpiece. We were in 1 John 4 yesterday, hearing about The Nature of Divine Love. Today Jim winds up his thoughts on this passage. Listen to Ri...
The Nature Of Divine Love - Part 1 of 2
August 20, 2019 05:00People can't see God...but we can see love. If God is love, as the Apostle John is teaching us, then a glimpse of authentic, self-sacrificing love should be very close to seeing the Almighty. And we do sometimes say, "I can see God in that person." It turns out we're not just making metaphors. Today we continue our series through 1 John with a new sermon called, The Nature of Divine Love. That sounds like a heady, theological topic, but Jim will bring it right down to where we live. Listen...
The Impact Of Christian Love - Part 2 of 2
August 19, 2019 05:00We are loved beyond our capacity to understand how much we are loved. Most everyone in our culture has misdefined and misconceived love. Real love is much bigger than we knew - and much more tangible: It motivates actions. It makes judgments. And God's love is there for us to accept. We began this message on Friday, investigating the middle section of 1 John, chapter 3. The most powerful thing we know about love is that it was perfectly demonstrated at the Cross. Listen to Right Start Radi...
The Impact Of Christian Love - Part 1 of 2
August 16, 2019 05:00We could define "love" as "laying down our lives." After all, that's how Jesus defined it. We might volunteer some money or some time to help someone else. But to surrender our privileges, and even our rights - that kind of love has to be supernatural. We don't see it that often. But we did see it at the Cross, so we have an example of it. We've been wending our way through the first letter of John, and today we'll get to the "heart" of the matter. Here's Jim to open a sermon on The Impact ...
Fatherhood: Playing Thru The Handicap - Part 2 of 2
August 15, 2019 05:00Your child has two fathers! Each of us has an earthly father, and a spiritual father. And Jesus shocked religious people when He told them their spiritual father was not who they thought it was. Yesterday, as we studied 1 John, chapter 3, Jim said that the goal of parenting is to raise a child like Jesus. And that will require more than just teaching our kids to follow the 10 Commandments and the Golden Rule; they'll need a new nature. We're ready for the rest of Jim's message, Fatherhood: ...
Fatherhood: Playing Thru The Handicap - Part 1 of 2
August 14, 2019 05:00The object of golf is simple: get that little white ball in the hole. But what is the goal of parenting? Jim will take a swing at a sports analogy with a sermon called Fatherhood: Playing Through the Handicap. And don't worry; if you don't know anything about golf, you'll be able to follow it just fine. For any human pursuit, it's crucial that we understand our purpose. What's this all about? What are we trying to accomplish? How will we know we've won? It may be that many parents don't und...
Benefits Of The Children Of God - Part 2 of 2
August 13, 2019 04:00Today we'll talk about the soap of hope! The actual title of the message is Benefits of the Children of God. But my title isn't as awful as it sounds. The Apostle John wrote, "Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." What is this hope? Our eager expectation of the Lord's return. It will help us "clean up our act." We'll rewind a bit into yesterday's program so we can hear all three of Jim's applications of this passage from 1 John. They're as easy as "A,B,C."...
Benefits Of The Children Of God - Part 1 of 2
August 12, 2019 04:00There are many flavors of Christianity, but we want the "original recipe!" The Apostle John doesn't just tell us to watch out for phonies; he shows us how to spot these little antichrists: They've always got some new spin on the "old, old story." The Apostle Jesus Loved is concerned that we "abide," or rest in the Scriptures, and in the Spirit. And there's much more advice waiting for us in the passage we'll study today and tomorrow. Jim's current message from the letter of 1 John is called...
True Fellowship With God - Part 2 of 2
August 09, 2019 04:00How is your spiritual nose? The Apostle John writes about a common anointing that should help us sniff out danger - especially false doctrine. It's "common," I mean, in the sense that all believers have it. We're advancing a message we started yesterday called, True Fellowship with God. That fellowship will require discernment. Especially in these last days. We're in the letter of 1 John, chapter 2, with Jim. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnat...
True Fellowship With God - Part 1 of 2
August 08, 2019 04:00Satan doesn't have to use bad things to lure us away from God; he can use good things. "God richly supplies us with all things to enjoy" - that's Bible truth. But we it's also true that we can become too enamored with these lesser things. In the gray areas of Christian conduct, we're walking a tightrope: We don't want to fall into worldliness on one side, or legalism on the other. We'll need to walk by faith! We'll look at the letter of 1 John, chapter 2, today. Pastor Jim will speak about ...
God Is Life, Light, Love - Part 2 of 2
August 07, 2019 04:00People love to quote John saying, "God is love." They're not as familiar with his statement, "God is light." God is Life, Light, Love. That happens to be the title of the message we're hearing, yesterday and today. It's also a balanced representation of the divine nature. The Apostle John is helping us understand the true character of God, and helping us understand our real selves, as well. Let's dig into Part 2 of this sermon. Jim has a unique analogy for the "new life" God offers. Listen...
God Is Life, Light, Love - Part 1 of 2
August 06, 2019 04:00What's in a name? Or better yet, what's behind the name? You may call a rose whatever you like, but if you call it a rose, it had better smell sweet! And if we call ourselves "Christians," we had better have something of Christ about us, besides the name tag. Today Jim opens a new series in the letter of 1 John. And he asks us to open ourselves to John's fundamental questions: Am I a child of God; and How do I know? Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Ci...