The following blog post was originally posted on my blog, “Letters to the Jaded Evangelical”. The blog is geared towards those who have become discouraged by the church’s intermingling with conservative politics and American ideology and who seek a purer faith. There is another way forward – and we’ll find it by focusing on Jesus. You can read more at: Blog | The Jaded Evangelical (webador.com) or on Substack: The Jaded Evangelical | SM Reed | Substack.

Anyone else have picky eaters in their house? My oldest has been a continual challenge. When he was around five, there were only about five things he would eat. Anything else would make him gag or we would have to fight over, and it just wasn’t worth it to me. I figured we could be patient in introducing new things little by little. 

That has worked… some. He eats more than five things now, but he’s still very picky about his food. For example, his food cannot touch in any shape or form. There can’t be any kind of sauce or juice or gravy. He doesn’t like food mixed together, so no pasta dishes or casseroles or even tacos – everything has to be separated and in its own place.  

Vegetables have been particularly difficult. Fruit he loves, but veggies? Nope. Until we discovered a little trick.

The key to our trick? 

Salt. 

Carrots? No, disgusting! Carrots with salt? Oh, yeah! Cooked broccoli? No, gross! Cooked broccoli with salt? Cool! Avocado? Ewww! Avocado with salt? Yummy!

It amuses me to no end. We have even gotten him to eat boiled eggs this way. Such a small thing makes a big difference.

What is it about salt that makes things taste better? What is it about salt that makes something otherwise undesirable now appealing? Who among us would eat potato chips if they weren’t covered in salt? Or French fries? Or popcorn? These beloved treats just aren’t the same without a whole bunch of salt. 

Salt is a mineral and a naturally formed compound. There is tons more salt in the world than we need for human consumption. That’s why it’s so cheap to buy in the grocery store. 

Salt is essential for human health. In any given time, we have about 250 grams of sodium running through the fluids of our bodies.

It is one of the oldest food seasonings in the world. When added to the food we eat, it can bring out the flavor. It also helps as a preservative, to keep food from spoiling so quickly. 

They had salt back in Jesus’ day, too. It was used much as we use it now, though it was more expensive back then. Sometimes Roman soldiers would be paid in salt. Which makes sense, if you know these famous words of Jesus: “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13a). 

Interesting. We are the salt of the earth? Not God? Not the gospel? No. We are. 

What does it mean to be the salt of the Earth? 

The gospel to unbelievers can sometimes seem rather… unpalatable. The idea that we are sinners and held accountable to God. The idea that we are in need of a savior when so many of us pride ourselves on being self-sufficient. The idea that one day we will have to give account for everything we’ve done before our Creator. The idea that those who reject God and live for themselves, have chosen hell. These may be hard pills to swallow. 

Perhaps we are the salt of the Earth because it is our job to make the gospel more tasty. Not by watering it down or covering over the bad parts or changing the message. But by showering it in love, mercy, and compassion. By showing and living the positive difference it can make in one’s life and in the world. 

I fear many times our message, instead of making the gospel more desirable, has made it less so. Instead of flavoring the gospel with our love, we poison it with politics and nationalism and white supremacy, with hate and commercialism and privilege. We add a whole lot that doesn’t belong in there, making the gospel truth seem more like a lie.

It’s no wonder others are not convinced by or interested in our message. I wouldn’t want to stomach something sprinkled in cyanide, either. 

How many of us know the second part of verse 13, where Jesus says, “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

What causes salt to lose its saltiness? Impurities. When other things get mixed in with the salt, it no longer has its flavor. It no longer serves as a preservative. It’s worthless.

When our message is polluted by the things of this world, it loses its saltiness. It loses its truth. It’s worthless. It’s unpalatable. Worthy only to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

The salt of the gospel should be about giving life: a better life here now, as well as life everlasting. The gospel should be about love. Love is not mere lip service and a few dollars thrown in an offering plate. Love is caring about someone’s well-being and promoting good in their life. Love is caring about those who are suffering in unjust systems. As Cornell West has said, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” The gospel should look and sound like Jesus.

We have so much to do to reclaim our message. I believe the Evangelical Church in America – those who truly believe in following Jesus Christ, needs to come together and make a very coherent and very public statement against Christian nationalism, fascism, white supremacy, and all the other things that have been associated with us because of our intermixing with conservative politics. We need to be clear to all the world – this is not who we are. This is not who Jesus is. We need to repent and turn back to the way of Jesus. 

But also, I think each and every person who claims to follow Jesus, needs to actually do just that and follow Jesus. Follow the way He loved and the way He cared for people. Follow His words to bring His kingdom come on Earth through meeting needs and establishing a more just society. 

If each of us were to do that, we would be the salt within our own circles. And, eventually, that salt would spread. The ripples of influence would grow. 

Until we truly were the salt of the Earth.

“For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” – Matthew 7:8

When my oldest son was merely a toddler, we would play hide and seek. At first, he didn’t seem to truly understand the strategy behind the game. Rather than finding a good hiding spot, he would sit against a wall in the middle of a room, cover his eyes with his hands, and say, “Mama, come find me!” Then he would giggle like crazy as I pretended I couldn’t see him sitting there right in front of me and made a big deal of looking for him.

I’m remembering this adorable story as I contemplate how we seek and find Jesus.

Sometimes, especially when we are going through something difficult, we may feel as though Jesus is hiding from us. Or worse, as though He has left us entirely.

But is it true? Is He hiding? Has He left us?

Or could it be, that He is right there in front of us, but we are not looking in the right place?

There’s a story I heard once about Billy Graham – one of Evangelical Christianity’s greatest evangelists in his time. The story goes that Graham once traveled to a Buddhist monastery high up in the mountains of Tibet or Nepal (I forget which). He was able to meet with one of the monks who lived there. He sat down with this monk, and he told him about Jesus. After he finished his evangelistic spiel, he asked, Would you like me to introduce you to Jesus? And the monk said, No, because I already know Him. 

The monk had sought out truth, and he had found Jesus. Or, perhaps, Jesus had honored his seeking by revealing Himself to the monk. The Buddhist monk lived secluded in the mountains of a country where less than 2% of the population is Christian – but he came to know Him, because Jesus was near.

There’s another story, told in the excellent book, “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus” by Nabeel Qureshi.  In the book, Qureshi chronicles his journey, which began with him setting out to debunk Christianity and prove Islam. Along the way, he found Jesus instead, and, convicted of the truth of Christianity, he converted. He sought the truth, and found Jesus, because Jesus was near.

Lee Stroebel is another example. He was an atheist in a marriage on its way to divorce when his wife met Jesus. She didn’t bang him over the head with it or try to get him to convert. But he saw the change in her. Change for good – not changing into some cold, judgmental, hateful person. She became more patient, more loving, more joyful. So, he set out much like Qureshi did to debunk Christianity and to convince her she had fallen for a ploy. Instead, he also found Jesus. He was convicted by the amount of evidence for Christianity and has become one of our generation’s great apologists. He found Jesus – because Jesus was near.

When I took a missions class some years back, I heard stories like this from real life missionaries serving all around the world. Stories of Hindus coming to Christ through mind-blowing miracles, of Muslims meeting Jesus in their dreams, of entire families and even communities being transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. Jesus not only is found by those who seek Him but shows Himself to those who do not even know what it is they seek.

Here in the U.S., our churches sometimes seem confused about where to find Jesus. We are told – implicitly or explicitly – Jesus doesn’t do miracles like in New Testament times. We are told Jesus doesn’t necessarily speak to us directly, but rather only through His Word. It is almost as though we are lowering our expectations so as not to be disappointed.

But what if He does? What if Jesus does do miracles, does want to speak to us directly, and does want to engage with us, but we no longer know how to hear Him?

Or maybe, we are not finding Him, because we are not even looking for Him.

In Matthew 13:58, Jesus is teaching at the Sea of Galilee and Matthew notes, “And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief.”

What if we are missing out on Jesus because we do not believe?

Maybe we believe in Jesus, in the God-man who existed on Earth 2000 years ago and did many great things. Maybe we even believe He rose and died again and hope in Him for our salvation.

But we do not believe He wants and is able to radically move in our lives today. We do not expect to hear Him or experience Him in any kind of real way.

Or maybe, we aren’t expecting Him to do anything because we are so busy trying to do everything ourselves.

We think we’ve got this. We don’t need divine intervention. We’re doing a-OK on our own.

We’re bustling about, trying to usher in His Kingdom through passing the right laws and voting for the right political candidates and marching against our “heathen” neighbors.  

Forget about the fact that this approach is contrary to the gospel of Jesus. Jesus who loved and served and had compassion on the vulnerable around Him.  He didn’t care if they were outcasts or if they were unpopular or if they were unclean. He just loved people.

Why is it so hard for us to do the same?

Maybe that’s the real reason why we can’t find Him – because we’ve been blinded by our own pride and privilege and determination. Because our independence and individuality means more to us than the King we claim to serve.

But, if we are truly followers of Jesus, if we are “little Christs”, should we not be emulating Him rather than some white savior type image? Should we not be more concerned about following Christ than following a flag?

I think if we were, if we truly were seeking Jesus, I think we would find Him. I think He’s not as far away as we believe.  I think He wants to be found, just like my toddler did. Jesus wants to step in and do amazing things in and through our lives.

Because He is near.

At my place of employment, we like to celebrate. We celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries, new employees and retirements, the conclusion of internships, the end of the fiscal year and the beginning of the new.

I celebrated my second work anniversary a couple of weeks ago. I received a Starbucks gift card, flowers, and a card signed by all my co-workers. The picture on the front of the card was a woman in a business suit with several arms, each juggling something. The words by the picture read, “To the woman who wears many hats.”

It has become a bit of a joke around the office how many things I do. Much more than the job description I was originally hired for. My supervisor tells me sometimes she worries about the day when I leave, as she says it will be impossible to replace me with only one person – she jokes she’ll need to hire at least two. What can I say? I like to be busy.

Let’s say, though, I had a different attitude. Let’s say two years ago when they offered me the position, I accepted it, but then never went into work. Or maybe I came in for an hour a week to attend staff meetings. Perhaps I even put a few dollars into a jar for someone’s birthday celebration now and then. 

Possibly I thought about my job off and on during the week while going about my life. I might even have picked-up something position-related to read for 5-10 minutes once a week or so. I tried to personify what someone in my position should, but since I was never there, what did I really know?

How long would that fly? No doubt they would have tired of such an attitude rather quickly – and I would have been fired.

I fear sometimes many Christians believe faith is like that. Two years ago – or perhaps, when they were a kid – they “accepted Jesus” through a prayer they repeated after the pastor. Now they go for an hour to church once a week, or less, if they are too busy. They occasionally drop a dollar or two in the offering plate when it goes by. They have random thoughts about God off and on throughout the week as they go about life. Might pick-up the Bible to read for 5-10 minutes once a week or so… or not. They try to be a “good person”, as much as they can. And they believe that’s all there is to it.

How long can that fly? 

In the words of James, can such a faith even save you (James 2:14-24)? If we are merely “calling it in”, claiming the name of Jesus but not obeying His commands, should we truly even call ourselves Christians? Christian – which means, “little Christ”? 

But wait, doesn’t Paul say, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Yes, AND… don’t stop reading there. The very next verse states, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Created to do good works.

NOT… created to believe. 

NOT… created to attend church.

NOT… created to live a good life.

No, created to do good works.

You were created with a purpose. You were given the grace and strength necessary to live out that purpose. God has given you unique talents and gifts and skills and abilities and experiences that this world needs. That the Kingdom needs.

Christianity is not about what church you attend (though church attendance does help us stay strong in the faith!) or about the bumper sticker on your car or the music you listen to. It is certainly not about who you vote for or your political stances or what social issues you stand against. Nor is it about America or any one flag or country.

Christianity is about following Christ.

Faith is a verb, not an adjective. 

We are to love, as He loved. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” John 13:35.

We are to serve, as He served. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace” 1 Peter 4:10-11.

We are to sacrifice, as He sacrificed. “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” Romans 12:1.

We are to obey, as He obeyed. “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” John 14:23.

We are to forgive, as He forgave. “Forgive one another, just as God forgave you” Ephesians 4:32.

We are to make disciples, as He made disciples. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” Matthew 28:19-20.

This is an active, living, breathing faith.

What about Romans, however, where Paul writes, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (10:9)? Doesn’t this negate the importance of our actions?

Let’s consider the context. In this section of Romans, Paul is lamenting Jews who have rejected Christ. They rejected Christ because they believed their inheritance as the Jewish people and their adherence to the law was sufficient to save them. In other words, they believed their religion, not God, was all they needed. Paul argues the law was created in order to point us to our need for grace, and that no one was ever saved by following the law alone – they were saved by faith, put into action through the following of the law. 

Faith… in action.

Faith… and obedience.

Together.

Unfortunately, we have this pervasive, watered-down definition of faith which has tricked us into thinking Christianity is about a superstitious prayer and a certain set of issues we believe to be true, rather than a calling to something greater. To Someone greater.

When we truly connect to Him, our lives are never the same. After Paul’s conversion experience, he said he was “compelled” to share Jesus with the world. “Compelled” as in, despite all the hardship he experienced (and he experienced a LOT), he couldn’t stop. He was transformed from the inside out – and he changed the world for Jesus.

Clearly, Paul saw a connection between faith and action. James, the half-brother of Jesus and a leader in the early church, also, when he penned, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26). Some translations say, “faith without deeds is useless.”

Useless. Useless to make a difference in this world. Useless to bring others to Jesus. 

Useless even to save us?

Faith is a verb. How will you live out yours?