Essays for King Jesus

Life is not always easy, but having kind friends that are ready and willing to help and be there for you always makes those rough bumps easier. Keeshon continues writing his experiences in getting beat up, forgiving those guys and ultimately giving his life to Jesus. To read more of Keeshon’s writing, check out his blog at: https://urbanitemusingskw.wordpress.com/ Essay originally published 12/202...

“We know we should sing, but what kind of song is most appropriate in public worship?”   James S. Martin helps us think about five main questions that have plagued discussions about congregational singing over the centuries. He does not attempt to build theological bulwarks around a particular singing style. “If the musicians among us drink deeply and work with integrity and discipline, new s...

A little kindness will go a long way. Doing good to others is always worth it. Keeshon Washington experienced the receiving side of this as he continues telling us his story in his four-part series. To read more of Keeshon’s writing, check out his blog at: https://urbanitemusingskw.wordpress.com/ . Essay originally published 12/2020. Audio narration just released. Subscribe to receive new essays b...

Confusion around assurance of salvation often stems from inadequate understandings of faith and works. Milo Zehr explains how people who want to emphasize either the importance of good works or the unimportance of good works often make overstatements that fail to take all scripture into account. Milo contrasts these inadequate views with scriptural teaching.

Keeshon Washington takes us on his journey from being a little boy going to Vacation Bible School to his years as being a teacher himself. To read more of Keeshon’s writing, check out his blog at: https://urbanitemusingskw.wordpress.com/ . Essay originally published 11/2020. Audio narration just released. Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians calls believers to submit to each other, to love each other, and to treat each other as members of the same body. The letter then takes these commands for all believers and specifically applies self-giving love to husbands and reverent submission to wives. How are we to understand this? Do wives not need to love their husbands? Do husbands not need to submit to their...

Are you guilty of doing nothing? Has the Way become so easy that you find yourself with one foot in the world and one in the church? Today, we are making history. Men will know by our fruits. Will we be known as “good men who did nothing” or as “good men who turned the world upside-down”? Essay originally published 08/2020. Audio narration just released. Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

How can we have a joyful, confident relationship with God amidst suffering and the threats of shame, guilt, and condemnation? In this essay, based on Romans 8:12-39, Milo Zehr calls us to see the foundational reality that God has called us and that we are made His children by the Spirit, and joint-heirs with Jesus, even as we share the suffering of Jesus. Throughout this life, suffering continues;...

You may feel like since you are not a manager/leader, this is not for you. However, we are ALL managers in some way. We each are responsible for what God gave us. Marlin Sommers delves into some of the areas in our lives that we need to steward well as children of God. Essay originally published 01/2020. Audio narration just released. Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

“What is Jesus’ sacrificial kingdom? Foundationally, our king established his reign through his sacrifice. Crucially, his sacrifice shows us how to live and relate to others. Finally, the whole of life is to be devoted to God as an offering. … Allegiance is directed to Jesus. But it is helpful to remind ourselves that allegiance means fidelity to his ways and to the nature of his rule, and it mean...

Matt. 6:24 says: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Chester Weaver digs into this subject on serving two masters and why it is not possible to serve God and this world. Essay originally published 02/2020. Audio narration just released. Subscribe to receive new...

What is spiritual creativity, and how should we apply it to our lives? In this episode we interview Reagan Schrock about his essay “Cultivating Spiritual Creativity in God’s Kingdom” which we published in August of 2022.  The essay we discuss: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/essays/cultivating-creativity-in-gods-kingdom/ All our essays: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/essays/

We don't have special priests because all believers are called to be priests. David Derstine notes that “one of the most important keys to finding truth is finding and following the golden thread of personal responsibility and service to God... To fully become his children, we must share in the load of the royal priesthood and become his loyal and grateful servant.”

God's Word has many treasures buried deep within, but too often we may feel unsure of how to go about discovering them. Frank Reed has written down some pointers that help him mine for this everlasting gold. Essay originally published 05/2020. Audio narration just released. Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

How does the law of sowing and reaping apply after salvation? How does rebirth apply when we think about sowing and reaping? This is the first author interview on Essays for King Jesus, where we occasionally sit down with various authors of essays and discuss more in depth the concepts they explore in their work. This is a new format we’re trying, and we would love to hear your feedback. If you ha...

Suffering love propelled the work of Christ through the ages.  Chester Weaver shares historical examples from Jesus’ sacrificial kingdom and challenges us to participate in that ageless burning engine. 

Sorting out the advantages and disadvantages of various Bible versions to study can be tricky. Marlin Sommers gives some helpful tips in choosing translations to guide Bible research. Essay originally published 01/2021. Audio narration just released. Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

“It is through the ‘verb doctrines’ that the poor are fed, the naked are clothed, the cheek is turned, the extra mile is walked, the good news is preached.” In this essay Dan Ziegler explains the temptation to take the great “noun doctrines” which explain what God had done while neglecting the “verb doctrines” that call us to obey. 

What does “visiting the Lord’s table” (Communion) mean to you? Is it something you look forward to each time? Some debate on how often to visit the Lord’s Supper—every week? Two times a year? Once a month? In this article, Stephen Byler does not promote one way over another however he challenges us to search the scriptures and to read how the early churches would have visited the Lord’s Supper. Es...

Why do we work? Is work only a means to meet needs? Marlin Sommers makes the philosophical argument that our work is also part of how we know God and his creation. This includes knowing other people and their human creations as well. 

Keeshon Washington tells his story of becoming and growing as a Christian in his teen age years. This was published on the blog in four parts.

Jesus didn’t give room for violent hatred against any ethnicity.  What is the current situation today, and will the Anabaptist community respond with indifference or the Spirit of the Messiah?  Essay originally published 11/2020. Audio narration just released. Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

If we are cultivating and valuing friendship with folks from different cultures and even religions, then our children will view this as normal. In “Teaching Children How to Relate to Children from Other Cultures,” Ryan Grove tells of his children’s experience among people of another culture and religion, sharing the blessings of these interactions as well as encouraging us to cultivate health...

While it is important to make regular use of a modern English translation of the Bible, it should be noted that not all translations are equal. Marlin Sommers dives into the fascinating differences between newer and older English translations. Essay originally published 10/2020. Audio narration just released. Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

“Grace means unmerited favor and truth means that which is right. The human problem with grace and truth is not that the words remain mysterious, but that humans tend to emphasize one at the expense of the other.”  Chester Weaver tells of the dangers of choosing either grace or truth at the expense of the other. This can be seen in church history, congregational life, and our own personal liv...