Essays for King Jesus

Peter Eby did much for the health of the Mennonite church in the 1800’s. Merle Weaver tells the story of Peter’s life with special attention to his pastoral work and spiritual life. We can learn much from this leader who ministered in a strikingly different historical context from our own.

Practical crucifixion is not separate from practically putting on Christ. Within the larger context of beholding Christ and the work of the Spirit our actions help orient us to what is true and good.

During World War 1, opposing soldiers called a battlefront truce on Christmas Eve. Ben Metzler asks us to think about what this reveals. They knew the Prince of Peace should bring peace. Do we? Or do we buy into the hostilities around us?

Scripture describes baptized believers as “dead” with a life that is “hidden with Christ.” Marlin Sommers explores the contrasts of this joyful “death-life.” What does it look like when we put on Christ and put off the old human?

Anabaptists have been known for their refusal to use the power of the state to accomplish Christian goals. Dan Ziegler warns that Anabaptists on both the left and the right are losing this commitment. He calls us back to a biblical understanding of the two kingdoms for the sake of the church and her ministry. 

When we are young life is filled with ambitions, dreams, and possibilities, but life happens and we easily become cynical. Merle Burkholder gives practical steps and challenges us to become people who do the work God has given us to do.Read the essay and comment at https://anabaptistperspectives.org/essays/how-passionate-25-year-olds-become-fruitful-45-year-olds/ 

Do medical "sharing plans" give an example of bearing one another's burdens or do they make us self-sufficient and individualistic? Marlin Sommers argues they are an economic tool distinct from brotherly aid. He challenges us to share to address actual needs and to pool our resources to support ambitions Christian teaching. https://anabaptistperspectives.org/sharing-plans-cannot-replace-brotherly-aid

Conscience made Adam and Eve hide from God. Fred Wiebe explores the way we all experience this separation due to sin and God’s solution to bring us from shame and guilt to joy and belonging as children of God. Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers, and he is the hero we attentively model ourselves after.

Each of us do and say things because of the culture we grew up in. Is that wrong? No. However, we as God’s children need to look beyond our culture and try to look through other cultures’ glasses. God is not bound to culture, and all of us can be thankful that the Bible is not culturally bound. John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

We need to offer the gospel to the world. We need to offer the gospel without contaminating it with our own culture. We need to offer truth that will inform, confront, and change every culture. There is nothing wrong with our culture as long as we do not make it the gospel. The gospel will change individuals, and it will change entire cultures. 

Roseanne’s experiences challenge each of us to be the Good Samaritan to others even when it is hard. Jesus showers love and mercy on us even when we are unlovely; we as His children should do the same. Essay originally published 08/2020. Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

God delights to pardon and save. He delights to bring life from death. But we are sometimes tempted to mock God and to think that we can claim the benefits of pardon while opting out of God’s plan to free us from the actual grip of sin.  

In this first essay of a 3-part series, Roseanne Bauman speaks from her personal experience about teaching an ethnically diverse group of students. While Roseanne was the teacher, she quickly realized that she was also a student. In this post, you will read about the many valuable lessons that Roseanne learned from her students.Essay originally published 08/2020. Audio narration just released.Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

Many faithful believers rejected the sword and positions of earthly rule because they were convinced from the Scriptures that these were not part of God’s design, whether in the Garden of Eden or in the establishment of Christ’s church. If we choose to depart from God’s ways, we become like killdeer birds suddenly deciding to nest in the trees. It seems, then, that we have two traditions to choose from: the true, original design God created, or pervasive, normalized evil.  

A business person should steward his business abilities and roles. Stewardship is not limited to managing profits that may be gained through business. Marlin Sommers reflects on job creation, business investment in general, and concludes with a few words about the steward mindset in business.Essay originally published 04/2020. Audio narration just released.Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

We want the entire world to understand who Jesus is. But what are we to be doing and how is this message supposed to spread? Is serving the poor part of Jesus’ commission to the church? Or is humanitarian aid a second-class ministry or, even worse, a distraction from our real mission? Gary Miller reminds us that God wants people to flourish, both physically and spiritually, and that this should be our desire as well. Like Jesus, we are representatives of the character of God. Like Jesus, we should be known for doing good. 

What does it mean to be a steward of business giftings and abilities, and of business roles and opportunities?  Marlin Sommers explores some biblical points, focusing on business applications, and encouraging business people to recognize themselves as servant-managers of both a set of giftings and abilities and of certain roles and opportunities. Essay originally published 04/2020. Audio narration just released.Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

“Our own attentive openness to the world around us and the generations before us is what prepares us to educate. If we are not attentive, humble, and learning, we are left either neglecting education or simply trying to pass on what we think we know.” 

Did you ever consider that not everyone grew up like you did? How would your life be different if God had placed you in a different home? Essay originally published 03/2020. Audio narration just released.Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

In his essay "Schism is Heresy", Frank Reed exhorts the church of Jesus Christ to be unified as a body, not falling prey to the many divisions of the world. In clear and simple language, he shares principle truths from Scripture regarding how the body of believers should view unity. "Principles transcend policies. If we are led by the same Spirit, we will walk the path together. If we allow personal preferences to divide us, we are not part of the body of Christ. "

Loving your enemies can be hard. Many people do not understand how it is possible to love even when being attacked. Even though it is hard, Jesus gives his followers the answers for this subject. Marlin Sommers wrote this blog about a conversation that he had with his college students, and he discusses the reasons that followers of Jesus should love their enemies.Essay originally published 07/2020. Audio narration just released.Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

Many Anabaptists have been more scared of education than money. Brian Martin calls us to examine that assumption and approach both with fear and trembling (and wisdom and courage). We must not forget the biblical call to wisdom and knowledge and the avenues of service that can be opened by study.

It is not always easy to invest your time into another person. However, as Keeshon Wasington expressed in his life’s story, he is very grateful and thankful to God that someone took the time for him. Are we willing to let God use us to help those in need? 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 by email!

Is an investment a gamble? Does it matter? In this essay, Marlin Sommers seeks to clearly differentiate between gambling and investing, to call us to a positive moral ethos for investing, and to give some tools for how to think about borderline cases.Stephen Russell’s episodes on Usury and DistributismHow Should We Then Money?Usury and the Historic ChurchMarlin’s two-part essay on Business as StewardshipBusiness People among God’s “Servant-Managers”Entrepreneurs as Servant-Managers

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 12/2020. Audio narration just released.Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

“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 songs will arise in wonderful offerings of sound and sense”

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 by email!

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 wives? Marlin Sommers explores biblical submission in order to apply a robustly Christian understanding of submission to this text on marriage. 

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; but God makes it part of His process of glorifying us. While full redemption lies ahead, we are now in Christ. We now walk in the Spirit as God’s children. We can live in freedom from the devil and in joyful belonging to God.

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 means a life offered in worship.”Essay originally published 01/2020. Audio narration just released.Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

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 essays by email!

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 have questions about certain essays you would like to hear us address, let us know.The essay we discuss: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/essays/rebirth-and-the-law-of-sowing-and-reaping/All our essays: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/essays/Contact us: [email protected]

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.Essay originally published 06/2020. Audio narration just released.Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

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 in our children.Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

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 lives. Subscribe to receive new essays by email!

It's not our job to create unity! In this essay, Marlin Sommers argues we must understand unity as something God already did. Our job is to walk out that unity by bearing with each other, caring for each other, and bringing our full range of contributions to the spectrum of the church. Subscribe to receive new essays by email!