Right Start Radio with Pastor Jim Custer

Barnabas - Part 2 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

A Spirit-filled life isn't necessarily flashy. We've said that Barnabas is a wonderful example of a spiritual man. But if you want to read about him in the book of Acts you'll have to hunt for him! Search for an "and" beside his name, because Barnabas is a team player. Today we'll look at several characteristics of this godly man, who may have had a "Type B" personality.

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Barnabas - Part 1 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

The Diaspora - the Christian one. In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the most brilliant strategy to persecute and scatter the young church. Because wherever those believers went, they talked about Jesus. And it was bad enough, from the devil's point of view, that they spread the gospel to Jews - if they kept talking, eventually Gentiles would get the message. Our friend Barnabas was right in the middle of all that. In fact, he seems to be purpose-built for the assignment.

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The Power Of One - Part 2 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Antioch was a model church because of its model minister, Barnabas. Yesterday we started to investigate this "son of encouragement" who was such a blessing everywhere he went. When he went to Antioch, that church eventually became not just a model church, but a missionary church and a merciful church. Not to take anything away from Paul or other leaders, but as we read "Acts" we start to see Barnabas as the glue holding everything together.

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The Power Of One - Part 1 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Who was the most successful Christian in the New Testament? Paul left a gigantic footprint on the Earth, as did Peter and John; some deacons, including Stephen and Phillip, changed the course of history; but Jim believes that the Christian leader who shines brightest in the book of Acts is... Barnabas. That wasn't what his parents had called him; he earned that nickname. We often see Barnabas in a supporting role, which suited him just fine. We're in Acts, chapter 11.

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Scripture References:

John 17, Acts 2-4, Romans 8

The Signature of God - Part 3 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Have you heard God? If someone knocks on your door and asks whether you believe that God still speaks to people today, watch out; that's a trick question. Yes, God still speaks, but He's not inspiring any more scriptures! Yes, He speaks to us, but we can mistake someone else's voice for His. And when we do get a genuine communication from the Lord we have ways of dismissing it, if it's something we don't want to hear. Today Jim will conclude his message, The Signature of God.

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The Signature of God - Part 2 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Can you read the sign? It started out as an ordinary day in Jerusalem. But, about 3 in the afternoon, God inserted Himself into everyone's schedule. A man was healed. 5,000 Jews turned to Jesus. The rulers had not snuffed out this Nazarene cult at all; it was growing! A sign! Jim reminds us of a similar miracle in John, chapter 5.

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Scripture References:

John 17, Acts 2-4, Romans 8

The Signature of God - Part 1 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

What did the Cross purchase? We've just gone through Passion Week and Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday... and now it's Monday. Back to the usual routine. Whatever Jesus did for us 2,000 years ago, we won't get the benefits until we're dead - right? No, that idea is very wrong - though very popular. The New Life is much more than we've imagined. And we have the option to enjoy it, or not. Here's Jim with an illustration.

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Scripture References:

John 17, Acts 2-4, Romans 8

Heaven's Hope - Part 2 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Evidence won't do us much good without eyes! On the afternoon of the Lord's Resurrection His Disciples had the evidence of the Scriptures, but they didn't understand it. They had the testimony of the women, but they couldn't bring themselves to believe it. Could it be that their problem, and ours, is not with the evidence, but with closed eyes? We're in need of a miracle that will allow us to accept an impossible truth: He is risen. Here's Jim in Luke 24 to speak about Heaven's Hope.

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Luke 24:30-53

Heaven's Hope - Part 1 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

From the open tomb... to opened eyes... opened Scriptures... and opened minds. When Jesus returned from the dead He wanted His friends to believe. But more than that, He wanted them to understand what had happened. Luke tells us of a few Resurrection Day miracles that might go unnoticed in the shadow of the big one. These "openings" brought the Disciples up to speed, and back into full fellowship with their Lord. Here's Jim with Part 1 of a sermon called, Heaven's Hope.

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Luke 24:30-53

Palm Reading - Part 2 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

The king who comes on a colt comes in peace. "A new emperor is riding into the capitol!" "Oh, what does his chariot look like?" "No chariot." "How big is his army?" "No army." "A popular uprising, then? Pitchforks and torches... like that?" "No, just a donkey. And some palm branches." The king who comes on a colt comes in peace. But how He is received will determine whether that peace lasts.

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Luke 19:28-48

Palm Reading - Part 1 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

There was a lot going on 2,000 years ago! There are some periods of time of which we could say, "Then not very much happened." Or maybe those are just the afternoons I dozed off in History class. Around AD 30 Herod was expanding the Jewish temple; Rome was occupying the country; religious and political parties vied for dominance. There was a certain itinerant preacher raising a stir, and as always, some very bad people in the shadows. Let's travel back there, with Jim.

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Luke 19:28-48

The Peter Principle - Part 2 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Maybe we can discover our gifts, by giving! Peter denied having healed a man. The man was healed, no question about that. But the Apostle told everyone that this miracle had come, "by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene." And that was something he could share. Well, what do we have to share? Today Jim will suggest that we can find out, by sharing. Instead of pleading that God would reveal our spiritual gift, maybe we could just give! We're in Acts, chapter 3.

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Acts 2, 3-5

The Peter Principle - Part 1 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks," and out of the cupboards of our lives, we give. We've been watching the Holy Spirit's work in the book of Acts, and today we'll focus on an incident involving Peter. He's going to respond to the need of an unbeliever, and he'll have to give the man not what he asks for, but what he, Peter, has in stock. And the question will come back to us: What do we have? What can we give? Here's Pastor Jim with Part 1 of, The Peter Principle.

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Acts 2, 3-5

The Holy Spirit - Part 3 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

The greatest promise, and the greatest miracle: We'll talk about both today! It would be hard to find a more magnificent pledge than the one given through the prophet Joel: "Then everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." The simplicity, the scope, the lack of fine print on that promise are stunning. It's the subject of Peter's first sermon. Luke has given us highlights in Acts, chapter 2. And the miracles that follow are unsurpassed, as well!

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Scripture References:

Acts 1 & 2

The Holy Spirit - Part 2 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

More impressive than the foreign tongues was the fisherman's theology! Time ran out on yesterday's program just as we had read about the sound of the violent wind in Acts 2. Today Jim will talk about the flames, and the foreign languages that the Holy Spirit brought at Pentecost. But if you're looking for the mightiest miracle, keep listening to that unschooled fisherman, Peter.

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Scripture References:

Acts 1 & 2

The Holy Spirit - Part 1 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Meet the Holy Spirit! If the third Person of the Trinity seems veiled in mystery, that's understandable. After all, there's plenty about God the Father and God the Son in the Bible, and not very much directly about God the Holy Spirit. That's all the more reason to read deeply and carefully the verses that we do have about Him. And the book of Acts is a focal point of those. Some have noticed that Luke's second book isn't really about the Acts of the Apostles, but the Acts of the Holy Spirit.

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Acts 1 & 2

The Promise - Part 2 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

We can only "work out" what the Spirit has dropped in! "Power from on high!" That's one of the phrases Jesus used to predict the arrival of the Holy Spirit to His followers. And sometimes when we read Acts, chapter 2, we can be wowed by the demonstration of that power. But God's purpose isn't just to amaze us. It's to use that energy to transform us from the inside out. From Acts, Pastor Jim has taken us back to another scene in the Upper Room, and John 14.

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Acts 1-2

The Promise - Part 1 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Some profess Christ without the Spirit of Christ. The "missing ingredient" for many folks today is the same thing the Apostles didn't have... for a while. Jesus had told them not to try to fulfill the Great Commission on their own, but to "wait for the Promise of the Father." That promise was power, in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Today we begin a new series in the book of Acts. As distant as first-century Jerusalem may seem to us, it might start to look pretty familiar.

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Acts 1-2

Provoked By The Resurrection - Part 4 of 4

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Reader discernment is advised. In the concluding portion of our concluding message on the Gospel of Mark, we have some challenges: What to do with the content, and what to do with the text itself. If modern scholarship casts doubt on the authenticity of Mark 16:9-20, how can we tell what to trust? Apart from that question, what about those "signs" mentioned in verse 17? And how do we proceed if the answers are not as firm as we'd like?

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Provoked By The Resurrection - Part 3 of 4

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

The problem with signs. "And these signs will accompany those who believe...," Jesus said. Or did He? We're pretty sure Mark didn't write the last section of the Gospel of Mark. "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign" - we know the Lord said that. "The Jews ask for signs," Paul informs us, but they don't understand or accept the proofs God has provided. What are we to think about miracles in general, and about this passage in Mark 16?

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Provoked By The Resurrection - Part 2 of 4

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

We know the evidence for Jesus; what's the evidence for you? We're confident that the Lord was raised to new life because of the Empty Tomb, because of the eyewitnesses who died rather than change their story, because of the changed lives and the changed world. But do you and I have any evidence that we've come back from the dead, to "walk in newness of life?" What is our resurrection story? How are we different - and who can tell? We're back in Mark, chapter 16 with Jim.

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Provoked By The Resurrection - Part 1 of 4

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Maybe we can't know what the Resurrection is, but we can see what it does. It's a weird thing about life: People argue about when human life begins, or how all life began, but we have to admit that we can't define it. We can only see its effects. Maybe it's the same way with the special kind of life we call "resurrection." That would explain why our friend Mark ends his Gospel not with a discussion of how Jesus was raised, but by showing us the impact it had on people.

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He's Alive ... So What? - Part 2 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Jesus did not die for Himself, and He did not rise for Himself! Jim has given this message the provocative title, He's Alive - So What? "What does that mean to me?" as we're always asking. Well, a lot. Because the Lord's resurrection wasn't the only one of its kind, just the first of its kind. We might call it a prototype. The Apostles used phrases like, "firstborn among many brethren," and "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." We're in Mark, chapter 16.

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He's Alive ... So What? - Part 1 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

The women trudging to the tomb of Jesus on that Sunday morning didn't expect an angel - but he was expecting them! Our expectations and assumptions have a lot to do with what we see, and what we believe. And with what sinks into our ears, too. All of these factors were in play in those holy hours when Christ had risen, but no one knew it! Mark has four things he wants to lay out for us, simply and clearly. Jim will tell us about those in his sermon, He's Alive - So What?

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The Day that Changed Eternity - Part 3 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

There is comfort in suffering. When we deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus, surprising things happen. Oh, the expected things happen, too: God is glorified, observers have their eyes opened to a higher kind of life, the gospel advances, believers earn eternal rewards. But there are less-obvious benefits to our suffering, as well. Today Jim will look at the life of Jesus to find some of those. Here's Part 3 of, The Day that Changed Eternity.

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Scripture References:

Mark 14

The Day that Changed Eternity - Part 2 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

What does it mean to take up our cross and follow Jesus? Yesterday we got a glimpse of Simon of Cyrene, the foreigner who was honored to carry the cross of Christ up that hill. We'll think some more about him today, from chapter 15 of Mark's account and beyond. But that crossbeam - the one the Savior hung on - is not literally our cross. Jim will talk about what our cross is, and what it is not, on today's episode. It's the middle part of his talk, The Day that Changed Eternity.

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Mark 14

The Day that Changed Eternity - Part 1 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

The divine plan must have looked totally random to Simon of Cyrene! Everything about that last day of Jesus' life was "by the Book" - I mean, according to what was written in the Scriptures. And people created in the image of God were making free choices. Somehow these cosmic forces intersected on a busy street right in front of a dark-skinned foreigner named Simon. He was chosen to ease the burden of a condemned man.

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Mark 14

The Week That Changed The World - Part 2 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Our "rogues' gallery" is about to get some rouge! As Mark describes the trials and crucifixion of Jesus, several characters are suddenly thrown into the stream of events: Pontius Pilate; a very nasty criminal named Barabbas; and others who were encountering Christ for the first time. But today we'll see two more who had a chance to observe the Lord for a while. One of them is a woman, Mary Magdalene. Here's Jim with the conclusion of his sermon, The Week That Changed the World.

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Mark 14-16

The Week That Changed The World - Part 1 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Confronted by the Truth. The Disciples had gradually come to know Jesus over a period of time. But for a handful of people, Christ suddenly burst into their lives, and they had to try to come to grips with Him as best they could. Those folks make up the majority of the case studies we'll examine today and tomorrow. Their lives were all changed, but were they all changed for the better?

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Mark 14-16

Signs and The End - Part 3 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

There is more than one "End." We talk about "the End of the Age" as if it were the same experience for everyone, happening at the same time. Today Jim will unconfuse us about that! But to follow this thread we'll have to widen the discussion beyond Mark's record (which we've been studying), and bring Luke, Paul, and even Daniel onto the panel. Once we see the distinction between what Jesus said about the "Kingdom of God" and our "redemption," things will start to fall into place.

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Mark 13

Signs and The End - Part 2 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Signs of the End: Lies, and persecution. Falsehoods have been loose in our world since that late unpleasantness in the Garden. False Christs were luring people after them even before the real one appeared, 2,000 years ago. And let's reluctantly add one more sign: Persecution of the people of God. So what's different about these phenomena in the Last Days? How can common, "normal" things be signs? Here's Jim in Mark, chapter 13.

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Mark 13

Signs and The End - Part 1 of 3

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Let's get chunky! Recognizing the structure of what we're reading is crucial to understanding the material. We've mentioned it, and you've noticed it in your own studies and even casual reading. When we're trying to grasp what Jesus was telling us in Mark 13 about the End Times, we notice that He's built His discourse in "chunks." It isn't just a list of events; there are stages to watch for. Today we begin a sermon called, Signs, and the End.

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Mark 13

What Is The Sign? - Part 2 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Signs in the Earth, signs in the Heavens! Mark informs us that it was Peter, James, John and Andrew who got a private audience with Jesus. Christ had just foretold the destruction of the Temple, and the four wanted to know about Heaven's timing. What the Lord told them surely shattered all their notions about the End, and the coming Kingdom. Today we'll look at what they learned, and how today's headlines may start to look like old news.

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Mark 13:4

What Is The Sign? - Part 1 of 2

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Today we'll look at what Jim calls the "greatest prophetic passage in the Bible." The Disciples thought they had asked an easy question, but Jesus gave them an answer that we're still sorting out today. Some of them wanted to know, "What will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?" And the Lord gave them a very detailed reply. It would cover the destruction of Jerusalem, the Antichrist's blasphemy, and the return of Christ. Here's Jim to open his sermon, What is the Sign?

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Mark 13:4

The Authority of Jesus - Part 4 of 4

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Not everyone in the Temple was there for the wrong reasons! The merchants and moneylenders had come to church to line their own pockets. Paul would later write about those who confuse godliness with gain, religion with riches. The Jewish leaders had come to strut their superiority, it seems, and to police everyone else's religion. But at least one woman had come to the place of worship to worship - with her offering. And of course, Jesus noticed. Here's Jim, reading from Mark 12:43.

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The Authority of Jesus - Part 3 of 4

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

One bride for seven brothers! Oh, those soft-headed Sadducees! They weren't just hostile to Christ, like most of the religious VIPs around them - that was bad enough - these fellows were opposed to one of the foundational teachings of their own scriptures! But they thought they had enough brainpower to trap the Lord, and so they came up with a trick question for Him. One bride, seven brothers - and no fractions allowed! Here's Jim with part 3 of, The Authority of Jesus.

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The Authority of Jesus - Part 2 of 4

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Your boss ... the king ... God: Three people you don't cheat! We've been reading from Mark chapter 12, and what has been called the Parable of the Tenants. By the time it was done, the Pharisees were practically indicting themselves as "wretches," "worthless" and "corrupt" - information that we get from Matthew's account. The parable and Jesus' later answers are connected, as Jim will show today.

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The Authority of Jesus - Part 1 of 4

rightstart@rightstartministries.com (Pastor Jim Custer) — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Your gifts won't save you. The Jewish leaders thought they were sitting pretty on a five-legged stool... until Jesus knocked each leg out from under them, one by one! These five things were gifts from God, given uniquely to the Hebrew people. That's surely evidence that they were on the road to Heaven! And all of these gifts were real. And their recipients were not on the road to Heaven. We're in the Gospel of Mark. Here's Jim to open a sermon called, The Authority of Jesus.

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