Can we know that we know the truth? The beloved disciple John wrote a letter to the various churches about how to spot counterfeits - counterfeit Christians and counterfeit Christianity. If you've been with us for the entire series through 1 John, you've probably been challenged, convicted, maybe even convinced. Now, as we come to the end of this weighty little book, we're struck by the contrast between the strong and definite claims of the gospel, and our culture's bland pluralism.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Everybody believes something. But not everyone believes the truth. The Apostle John has been giving us a polygraph, testing whether our profession of faith is the real thing. But what about the gospel message itself - is there is test for that? How do we know that Christianity isn't just one of many "world religions?" Today Pastor Jim takes us to the final chapter of 1 John, to talk about how we can know that both our faith, and its object, are valid. The message is called, He is Eternal Life, and Our Lives Show It.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

If you pass this test, you will be a confident Christian. We've been learning about the 7 tests of genuine faith found in 1 John, and today we turn our attention to the test of love. If divine love lives in us, it will prove to us and to outsiders that something supernatural has happened here. This isn't the kind of helping hand that expects something in return sooner or later; it's the selfless love springing from the nature of God. Here's Pastor Jim with a message called, He is a Lover and Our Lives Show It.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

The virgin birth was no greater miracle than the New Birth of Christ in you! One of the tests of authenticity that we've been discussing in our study of 1 John is moral purity. God is holy, righteous, and pure. If we have taken on His nature, we should be holy, righteous and pure. You see the difficulty here. We'll recap part of Pastor Jim's explanation from yesterday because it bears repeating. And then Jim will conclude his message, He is Pure and Our Lives Show It.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

"He came to empower us to be perfect." Wow! The minute any preacher starts talking about holiness the devil is going to tempt some Christians to despair, and scoffers are going to make a caricature of the message. But the truth is, we are called to purity - and - believers do sin. Pastor Jim will explain, in another Christmastime message from 1 John called He is Pure, and Our Lives Show It.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know." [1 John 2:20] The Gnostics, as we now call them, claimed a secret knowledge, available only to the initiated. But the Apostle John blasts all that to pieces when he assures Christians that every one of us has an "anointing" that gives us the most crucial knowledge: how to tell truth from error. Pastor Jim will explain what this gift is, and why we need it. We're back in the letter known as "1 John" for the conclusion of He is Love and Our Lives Show It.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Truth exists, and it is a Person! We're still poring over the letter of 1 John, thinking about Light and Love and Truth. There are many competitors for the truth these days - even one that claims there is no truth. Christians must be able to discern the real from the clever copy, and then "contend" for the truth. You may have noticed some Christmas references in this series, preached around that time of year. Pastor Jim begins this message in 1 John, chapter 2.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

A lot of people these days think they can love God without obeying God. Today we'll continue to learn about the Apostle John's 7 tests of authentic faith, including these two: Do we love God's Word, His commands? And, Do we love our brothers and sisters in the faith? The problem 2,000 years ago was the same as it is now: false teachers not only leading their followers astray, but confusing outsiders about what the gospel really is.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Light reveals flaws...and fakes. If God is light, as we've said earlier this week in our investigation of 1 John, then His light will reveal any darkness in us. And there is darkness in us; no use pretending otherwise. Yet maybe you've known people who excuse or even deny their sin, rather than confess it - and that's one of John's tests we'll talk about in this series. Today we begin a new message from Pastor Jim: He is the Light, and Our Lives Show It.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

God wants fellowship with us - but it will be on His terms! John was a writer who laid things out very clearly. He said, for example: "He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life." When you're dealing with heresy and hypocrisy, as John was, you try to leave no room for creative interpretation. And we're living in similar times; that's why our current series in 1 John is so relevant. Here's the conclusion to Pastor Jim's message, He is the Light.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.