Relationship with a Purpose: How to Have Successful Christ-Centered Relationships

By Antonio R Matthews

Do you find yourself sometimes facing confrontations—big or small—that leave your relationships damaged with no clarity on how to repair them? Are you sometimes left standing confused after someone said or did something that grieved your spirit? In this book, Antonio Matthews brings attention to the very important subject of relation

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zion Publishing House
• Release date: Nov 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781732352049

Antonio R Matthews

Antonio R. Matthews is an advocate for right relationships, first with the heavenly Father and then with all people. "They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do," II Corinthians 8:5 (CEV). Antonio is an encourager, a motivator, and a relationship builder, who uses godly principles. He spends quality time studying the Word of God and reading other religious books and enhancement materials. His primary purpose in life is to help others live according to God's will.

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RELATIONSHIP

WITH A PURPOSE

RELATIONSHIP

WITH A PURPOSE

How to Have Successful Christ-Centered Relationships

Antonio R. Matthews

Copyright@ 2018 Antonio R Matthews

Relationship With a Purpose: How to Have Successful Christ-Centered Relationships

Published by ZION Publishing House

Los Angeles & Washington, D C

www.zionpublishinghouse.com

ISBN: 978-1-7323520-4-9

All rights reserved. The author guarantees all contents are original and do not infringe upon the legal rights of any other person or work. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means –electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition™ Copyright © 2012 BRG Bible Ministries. Used by Permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

Scripture taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

DEDICATION

To my late grandmother, Carrie Sykes-Boone, for introducing her children to the Lord, and that knowledge and blessing continues to this day.

To my late brothers, Ralph and Mike, for teaching me much about life.

To my late biological father, Ralph Matthews, Sr., for the wonderful times we did share. I was most thankful when you came to stay with me.

To my late mother and father in-love, Fred Hamlin and Bernice Hamlin, for trusting me to love and care for your daughter ‘til death do us part.’

To my late Pop, Mr. Frank Cannon, for showing me how to be a man and to provide for my family. I was paying close attention, sir.

To my first Pastor, the late Verlean Boone of Miracle Temple Church– thank you for setting an amazing example in demonstrating the love and power of God. You will never be forgotten; you’ve done too much good.

CONTENTS

DEDICATION

Introduction

Chapter 1

The First Relationship

The Impact of a Broken Relationship

Parable

Being Healed and Restored in Relationships

The Purpose of Relationships

Testimony:

Kingdom-Minded Relationships

Chapter 2

The Elijah Effect

Man’s Perspective versus Supernatural Man’s Perspective

Chapter 3

Relating to Your Spouse: Learning to Spouse One Another

Relating to Your Children

Relating to Your Parents

Relating to Associates

Relating to Our Heavenly Father

Chapter 4

THE DEMISE OF RELATIONSHIPS

How to Avoid Seeds of Destruction

The Renewed Mind

Chapter 5

PERFECT LOVE DEFINED

Intimacy With the Father

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Walking in the Resurrection Power of Jesus

Coming to the End of Self.

Absolute Truths.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Introduction

This book is about relationships and how to properly relate to others. In it, I discuss the key relationships in your life and help you to have a complete and correct understanding about these relationships. I am not claiming to be an expert on relationships; however, I now know through experience what was missing in my ability to relate to others in a more profound and honorable way—God, Jehovah.

It’s an amazing and awakening experience, that transpires, when you have a true relationship with God the Father. You receive great revelation on the ideal of relationships, and your perspective is totally different than before. As your relationship grows with the Father, so does your understanding and knowledge of Him and how He wants you to relate to others.

To be honest, we won’t know how to relate to others without the Father teaching us how to relate to Him first. I do believe this is primarily why so many relationships have failed because people do not have the right knowledge of how to relate to one another. We’ve all engaged in relationships based on our own limited and inaccurate understanding that we’ve operated in without the Father’s help.

Consider the damage done in family relationships over the years—siblings against siblings; children against parents; cousins against cousins; nieces and nephews against uncles and aunts. Disrespecting my aunts and uncles was never a consideration for me. What in the world has changed that allows this kind of disrespect to be normal?

I’ve never seen so much turmoil in relationships than I’ve seen in the past few years; and if we don’t correct this lack of understanding of how to relate, it will only get worse. It will continue to the next generation, and so forth, and so on.

Unfortunately, this is a disheartening truth I know firsthand. When the pioneers in my family went home to be with the Lord, division, disrespect, and dysfunction seemed to take over. The turmoil I see