Over the last thirty years since being brought to faith in Christ, I have always been taught (and made a fundamental presupposition of my own teaching) that true, Biblical Christianity is at its heart, relational in orientation. The summary of the Moral Law that Jesus Himself affirmed is to …

Sometimes, for some people, the problem is not such restoring a ruined relationship as it is developing one in the first place! When they look at their life, and the people who are (or are not) in it, they feel isolated, unimportant, unloved and lonely. All of us have …

Proverbs on Resolving Conflicts
Let us be honest; it does not always take two to break a relationship. Sometimes, no matter how committed we may be to loving another, some people are just hard to get along with. At other times, we may well find ourselves sincerely on …

The goal of this book, encapsulated in the title, is to “restore” Christian relationships. But does there come a time, when despite having followed all the principles, that one has to say, “Enough is enough?” Are there some relationships that CANNOT be restored?
The answer of course depends upon what …

Hello, my name is Brian and I am an Evanjellyfish. Yes, that’s right, though I have been reformed now for 15 years, I still have to live life one day at a time lest I fall back into my gutless, spineless, old ways. My story is not all that unusual; like most …

I’m offended that you’re offended that I’m offended!
Relationships in our modern world are often fragile things. Partially due to the sociological influence of pluralization, Americans today often see their relationships as disposable. Pluralization refers to the consequences of there being a “plurality” or options; as the number of options …

A Practical Guide to Handling Persecution, Suffering and Adversity
Introduction
I think every school has one. You know the kind of kid I am talking about. Perhaps he was an only child, or maybe he was sick as a baby or somebody dropped the poor thing on his head or something. Whatever the reason, his parents were …

#3 On the Application of Matthew 18 to Public Sin
Rev. Brian M. Abshire
When it comes to Matthew 18:15ff, most Christians just cannot seem to find the balance. On the one hand, when it suits their purposes, the principles and procedures of Matthew 18 are largely ignored in the average American church, even Reformed ones. …