Reuben Hunter: Christians believe in transformation. After all, we are transformed people. Individually, when one is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, Paul says that “the old has passed away; behold the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). That’s a radical transformation if there ever was one. But we’re also transformed corporately: “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18). And as the “earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14), the effect of these transformed lives on our local communities will have the salt-like effect Jesus expects them to have (cf. Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:9–12). So it’s every church planter’s dream that they move into an area and grow a church that has a transformative effect on both the lives and also the culture in a given area. But what does
Christian Life
5 Easy Steps to a Shallow Christian Life
By Josh Bount: Wait no longer! Write them on Post-It notes, cross-stitch them on your pillow, have Siri repeat them to you daily. 1. Don’t stop searching until you’ve found “The Secret to the Christian Life.” It’s out there! Don’t give up. It might be baptism in the Holy Spirit. It might be true surrender. It might be faith. It might be resting in what God’s already done. It might be…well, you go find it on your own. Don’t let the fact that two thousand years of Christian history has yet to produce the final solution to the perplexities of living as redeemed sinners in a fallen world stop you. Maybe the secret was just waiting for YOU to get out there and discover it… 2. In your advice to yourself and to other believers, use the word “just” regularly. This will be a lot easier after you’ve found the answer to #1. Then you can tell people, “Stop