{"id":1299,"date":"2017-03-31T01:11:31","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T01:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takingeverythoughtcaptivetoobeychrist.wordpress.com\/?p=1299"},"modified":"2017-03-31T01:11:31","modified_gmt":"2017-03-31T01:11:31","slug":"proceed-at-once-to-the-text","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/proceed-at-once-to-the-text\/","title":{"rendered":"Proceed at Once to the Text"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was reading a sermon by Charles Spurgeon not too long ago, wherein his opening remarks he stated, \u201cLet us proceed at once to the text!\u201d That little, almost insignificant phrase struck<\/span> me in a way that made me pause. No jokes, no personal stories, no novelty; just procession to the text. How could the man dubbed, \u201cPrince of Preachers\u201d attract thousands upon thousands, week upon week, by simply proceeding to the text? That seems a little dry, some might say. <\/span>Is there not a need to add a little personal flare to our preaching, at least to hook the listeners in? Spurgeon did not think so, and neither do I. There was no dancing around the text with Spurgeon. It was this conviction of the text that drove hearers to him in droves.<\/span> There is much we can learn from this. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>As pastors, we must be men who proceed at once to the text. But here\u2019s the deal: we\u2019ve got to get over ourselves. We will not hurriedly proceed to the text, if we think our intelligence or <\/span>humor is of some great value. No mat<\/span>ter how awesome we think we are<\/span> it is not our awesomeness that our people need; it\u2019s the <\/span>text. Give them the text, a<\/span>nd give it to them at once! We must flee from the trappings of our self-perceived intellect, and sprint to toward the text. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>If we are to proceed at once to the text, we must not only be over ourselves but we must also be convinced of the text! We must believe that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edge sword. We must be gripped by the gospel, knowing that it is the only power of God to save. We must be confident knowing that the Word of God will not return void. We must believe that there is an eternally rewarding treasure of great value that is found only in the text. T<\/span>hat<\/span> treasure of great value is Christ. And He is there, in the text! Your people need the text because they need Christ! Your people need the text at once because they need Christ now!<\/span> So fly to the text because your life depends on it! Let us find ourselves winded by the pace at which we get to Christ. Let us move at once and not stop until we get there.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Let us proceed at once to Christ<\/span>!<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was reading a sermon by Charles Spurgeon not too long ago, wherein his opening remarks he stated, \u201cLet us proceed at once to the text!\u201d That little, almost insignificant phrase struck me in a way that made me pause. No jokes, no personal stories, no novelty; just procession to the text. How could the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[205,269,274,281,557,562,678,679,699,888,920,975,987,1180,1231],"class_list":{"0":"post-1299","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"tag-bible","8":"tag-charles","9":"tag-christ","10":"tag-church","11":"tag-god","12":"tag-gospel","13":"tag-jenkins","14":"tag-jesus","15":"tag-joshua","16":"tag-once","17":"tag-pastor","18":"tag-preaching","19":"tag-proceed","20":"tag-spurgeon","21":"tag-text","22":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2420,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/simple-preaching-like-c-h-spurgeon\/","url_meta":{"origin":1299,"position":0},"title":"Simple Preaching like C.H. Spurgeon","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"July 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I have learned so much about preaching from reading Charles Spurgeon. Whether it is reading what he says about preaching, or watching his example of preaching by reading his sermons, it is evident that his nickname, the \"Prince of Preachers\" is fitting. I was struck again by his example as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "theology"","block_context":{"text":"theology","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/theology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/07\/70948.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/07\/70948.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/07\/70948.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/07\/70948.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6366,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/look-unto-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":1299,"position":1},"title":"Look Unto Me","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"March 31, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio \"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.\" (Isaiah 45:22) Introduction This statement from the prophet Isaiah is a simple call for sinners to look unto God and be saved from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Church History"","block_context":{"text":"Church History","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/church-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/Painting-5366-1024x683-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/Painting-5366-1024x683-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/Painting-5366-1024x683-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/Painting-5366-1024x683-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3449,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/begin-at-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":1299,"position":2},"title":"Begin at Christ","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"December 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The following post is a selection from a sermon Charles Spurgeon preached on 1 Corinthians 1v24 entitled: \u201cChrist - the Power and Wisdom of God.\u201d \u00a0 \u201cIf you want to be a thoroughly learned man the best place to begin, is to begin at the Bible, to begin at Christ.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/faith\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/12\/charles-spurgeon-scan.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2046,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/you-have-no-heart\/","url_meta":{"origin":1299,"position":3},"title":"You Have No Heart","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\"You have no heart! 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