American Christianity: a lack of evolution

It's a stunning title -- don't you think?
Combining Christianity and evolution in a title is sure to get some attention even if I'm not talking about the evolution of humans, but rather the evolution of American Christianity.

Earlier this year I was preaching at a small church and said that it isn't enough that we believe in Jesus, but that we are to behave like Jesus. I don't believe that our evangelical churches are doing a very good job of teaching this.
For the most part, we seem to be satisfied in gaining a believer and never teach the evolution of following the behavior of Jesus. Once we've pointed out their egregious sins and properly condemned them to an eternity of hellfire and misery, we point the way to salvation through faith in Jesus.
We proclaim victory and leave them to struggle through their new belief as we move on in search of our next victim of religious malpractice.

Salvation and Christianity were never meant to be a moment in time.
Following Jesus is supposed to be a way of life. Sometimes it's simple; sometimes it's not.
Looking at Jesus' life back in the 30s (and I'm not talking about the 1930s or even the 1630s or 1030s. I'm talking about THE 30s!) can make it difficult to follow him in 2018.

How do I follow him as a husband when he wasn't married?
How do I follow him as a father when he didn't have kids?
How do I follow him as a worker when the Bible never addresses him as an employee (or a business owner)?

The answer is to study the life and character of Jesus so that we can become like Jesus.
Even if you don't believe that he is the Son of God, you've got to admit that living according to his teachings would make for a pretty respectable human life!

I think it's time for us to grow up as Christians -- to evolve as followers of Jesus.
I think it's time for us to stop focusing on what we believe and what we think others should believe.
I think it's time for us to behave like Jesus.

James, the brother of Jesus, warned about having faith without demonstrating it by our behavior. It's a little creepy that he could be accurately talking to us through the centuries
...and it's pretty sad.
Two thousand years later and we still haven't evolved past what we believe into how we behave.

sigh
smh

John <><