First, Chuck Lawless, of Southern Seminary, has a fabulous post today imagining if he were Satan and how he would attack Christians today. You can read the whole post here. It's excellent and sobering.
Second, Michael Patton has a very helpful post (with a picture!) of proper exegesis (that is, biblical interpretation). This is a clip to wet your appetite (and hopefully convince you to read the whole post!):
The problem with the “What-does-it-mean-to-you” approach is that it is purely
subjective. It turns the Scripture into a wax nose that can be shaped into what
ever our our current situation demands. The Bible becomes subjective magic
book through which we serve as mediums to its message.
It does not matter
what it means to you.
It does not matter what it means to
you.
It matters what it means. Yes, there are various ways in which the Bible
can apply to you, but it is not going to apply outside its objective
meaning. It means what it means.
“But the Bible is God’s
word,” you may say. ”It is powerful. You should not limit it. God can
speak directly to me through it.” This is true. The Bible is powerful. It is
God’s word. It can speak to you. But it is not going to give you a different
meaning than it gives to everyone else.
Third, Doug McMasters just gives some notes from Spurgeon which are phenomenal! It is Spurgeon's charge to Trinity Road Chapel. Here's a clip (so, again, you'll read the whole thing):
You need power; not the power of money, or mind, or influence, or numbers;
but “power from on high.” All other power may be desirable, but this power is
indispensable. Spiritual work can only be done by spiritual power. I counsel you
in order to get spiritual power in all that you do to keep the King’s
commandment, for “where the word of a king is, there is power.”
And a little more...
If you want power, keep the King’s commandment, keep close to it in all
things, and make it the law of your house and the motto of your flag. Wherein
you go beyond the word. you go beyond the power, and wherein you stop short of
the word you also stop short of the power. In the King’s word there is power,
and you will have power as long as you keep to it: but real power is nowhere
else to be found. Let us take care that we do not look elsewhere for power, for
that will he leaving the fountains of living waters to hew out to ourselves
broken cisterns which hold no water. I fear that some Christian people have been
looking in many other directions for the power which can only be found in the
word of the King.
