Classical Speech Theorist developed the concept of “topoi.” The “topoi” were “mind-generators.” The concept of “topoi” is abstract at first, but as you understand it, it takes on a role of great usefulness for all those who engage in public speaking!

When this classical concept is applied to “Pulpit Speech”, one use is a method to brainstorm, or to “generate” ideas for approaching a particular chapter or passage of Scripture.the passage.

If you are the sole pastor in a local church setting, you may well not have that advantage of having other pastors help jog your thinking as you prepare a message or lesson. Therefore, you may find some of these topoi lists beneficial as they become mental joggers. As you read through the list you will find your mind thinking, generating . . .

• directions you could go•
• what you could focus on•
• different approaches to the passage •
• a wording that works•
• a BigIdea•
• changing or adjusting words•
• a subpoint •
• a “sticky” idea worth repeating and • restating
• an illustration•
• an introduction•
• an interesting thought•
• a way of seeing the chapter you had • not thought of before
• an idea to research which could help • with an introduction or illustration
• a metaphor to build on•
• a conclusion•
• All designed to brainstorm, or to “generate”
• ideas for approaching a particular chapter
• or passage of Scripture.
• Here is a list of sermon “topoi,” gathered

. . . . from all different places. Its purpose is to help kick off, brainstorm, or “generate” ideas on I Corinthians, chapter 2.

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1 Corinthians 3

• Milk Or Meat?•
• Have You Got Milk?•
• God’s Firm Foundation•
• Marks Of Maturity•
• Walking Like Men•
• Nobody Does New Like Jesus•
• How To Build A Church•
• Symptoms Of Carnality•
• Habits Of Immature Christians•
• Highly Ineffective Habits Of Young • Christians
• Building Community•
• It’s Time To Grow Up•
• What’s Your Job•
• Falling In Love With The Delivery Man•
• Failing In Love With The Florist•
• Different Rewards For People Who Are • Different
• Growing Up Is Hard To Do•
• Still Not Ready!•
• Immature•
• All Christians Grow & Change•
• Family Photos•
• Heavenly Building Materials•
• Name That Tune•
• Extreme Makeover•
• Building Materials For Heaven•
• It’s Okay To Be A Carnal Babe•
• Tragic: The Baby That Never Grows Up•
• Marks Of A Carnal Church•
• The Babes Of Sin City•
• Now Stop It!•
• Milk For The Weak, Meat For The • Strong
• I Am Of Calvin, I Am Of Arminius•
• Heavenly Minded, Earthly Good•
• Expert Builders•
• Professional Home Builders•
• Privileged To Be Your Partner•
• A Cure For Division•
• Nothings Changed: Yet Carnal•
• Carnal Contentions•
• A Case Study In ……•
• The Corinthian Way Of Doing Things•
• Problems & Remedies•
• Division: Messy Christianity•
• Christ Expects Growth•
• From Creation, He Causes All Things To • Grow
• Fixing Fractured Fellowship•
• Cutting Jesus To Pieces•
• Childlike Or Childish•
• What God Does Not Bless•
• In Fighting•
• The Flesh Or The Spirit•
• Personalities: Feeding Frenzy•
• His Workmanship•
• Master Builder•
• For The Love Of God•
• Parties In Sin City•
• It’s No Small Matter: A Party Spirit•
• No Groupies In Church•
• Christian Celebrity-ism•
• Garbage In, Garbage Out•
• God Gives Growth•
• Let’s Not Party•
• God Gives The Increase•
• The Church In Conflict•
• Church Planting•
• The Janitor’s Reward•
• Fieldhands•
• Ministry Down At The Farm•
• Factions That Fracture Churches•
• How Do You Build A Church•
• What God Has Joined Together•
• Carnal Contentions•
• Can’t We All Just Get Along?•
• Respectable Sins•
• Transforming Thoughts•
• God’s Hired Hands•
• A Modern Ancient City•
• Burn Now, Or It All Burns Later•
• The People God Uses•
• Order, Order In The Church•
• Watering, Working, Warning•
• Diverse But Focussed•
• Words For A Worldly Church•
• Identity Crisis•
• Lego-es•
• How Satan Destroys A Church•
• Self-Absorption•
• Sectarianism Is Carnal•
• Marks Of A Carnal Church•
• Does Your House Come Up To Code•
• House Inspectors•
• Difficult People In The Church•
• Shinning As Lights In A Dark World•
• Under-Rowers•
• The Absurdity Of Divisions•
• The Drama Of Divisions•
• Like-mindedness•
• You’re A Big-Baby!•
• Maturity Matters•
• How God’s Work, Works•
• Merely Human Christianity•
• Growing Up In The Church•
• God-Given Growth•
• Defining Our Divisions•
• Playing Favorites•
• Dealing With Division•
• Destruction By Division•
• Take Heed How You Build•
• Act Like You Are•
• Act Your Age•
• Divided Loyalties•
• Singing Harmony•
• Baby Talk•
• Unity In Spite Of Diversity•
• In this Corner Stands . . .•
• Factions In The Church•
• The Church’s One Foundation•
• Whose Side Are You On, Anyway•
• Jesus Has Left The Building•
• How To Split A Church•
• Was Paul Crucified?•
• Saved: By Whom?•
• Jerry-built•
• I’m Not Built That Way•
• Building Harmony•
• Walking Temples•
• It Spreads: The Disease Of Carnality•
• Build Up Or Build On•
• Substandard Buildings & Substandard • Saints
• It Is Harder To Build Up, Than Tear • Down
• Built On Sand•
• Accountability•
• Just Bus-boys, Not The Cook•
• All Else Is Sinking Sand•
• Light A Fire Under Him•
• State Of The Church Address•
• Who Owns This Piece Of Ground•
• Killing Effectiveness•
• The Problem With The Church Is . . .•
• The Power Of Unity•
• A Split Down Party Lines•
• Lost Vision By Division•
• Different, But The Same•
• Under Construction•
• The Power Of One•
• To Do List•
• Lift Up The Cross, Not Yourself•
• A Lasting Legacy•
• Bringing In The Sheaves•
• Union Workers In God’s Field•
• The Cure For Cliques: Christ•
• What Kind Of Structure: Frame, Steel, • Stone
• Going For The Gold•
• Adding Fuel To The Fire•
• How To Neutralize The Cross•
• Body Building•
• Unity Means Thick Skinned•
• Jealousy: The Neutralizer Of The Gospel•
• Blueprints•
• A Three-alarm Fire•
• Philosophy & The Gospel•
• Nothings Changed: “Yet Carnal”•
• No Smoke Without Fire•
• It’s Okay To Be A Carnal Babe•
• Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire•
• It Will Catch Fire•
• A Crisis Of Jealousy•
• A Building Crisis•
• A Baby That Has To Shave•
• How In The World Did You . . .•
• Fired Up•
• Purgatory: But Not For People•
• Fireproof Service•
• Understanding The Church•
• Natural, Carnal, Spiritual•
• Combating Carnality•
• Cracks In The Foundation•
• Free-Masonry•
• A Crisis In the Making•
• Principles To Build On•
• Caution: God Is At Work•
• Direction For The Discontent•
• Who Needs The Church?•
• Trial By Fire•
• As Good As Gold•
• Nothing But A Pile Of Ashes•
• The Crisis Of Arrogance / Division / • Self-Confidence
• Foolish Talk•
• Unnecessary Division•
• Mere Men•
• Envy, Strife, Division•
• Homiletics 101•
• Pulpit Speech 101•
• Stunted Growth•
• The Sad Case Of Giant Babies•
• Under Fire•
• Back To Basics•
• God’s Garden•
• Mixed Metaphors•
• Church 101•
• Doing Your Rightful Part•
• Cornerstones•
• Unseen Foundations•
• Upon This Rock•
• Learning To Stay Focused•
• Getting Things Out Of Proportion•
• A Good Example Of A Bad Example•
• Warts And All•
• A Different Look At Leadership•
• Knee High By The 4th Of July•
• The Weakest Means•
• Gospel-Driven Growth•
• The Spirit Driven Church•
• Calling All Fools•
• Fire Is A Good Servant, A Bad Master•
• Fireworks•
• Cracked Pots•
• You Can Take It With You•
• Durable Materials•
• Fire Inspection•
• Growing Pains•
• The Building Begins In Sunday School•
• Managers, Not Owners•
• Coming Under Fire•
• Preparing For The Test•
• OSHA•
• Worth Its Weight In Gold•
• A Great Power Struggle•
• Growing Up Together•
• The Primacy Of Preaching•
• The Planning Department•
• Bricks Or Sticks•
• Building Materials•
• We Have The Foundation In, Now . . .•
• Grow Up•
• Wait Till The Fat Hits The Fire•
• Cross 101•
• Grow Up Or Grow Apart•
• I Couldn’t Put Out The Fire•
• Tested By Fire•
• Sitting On A Gold Mine•
• Gold Diggers•
• Litmus / Acid Test•
• Standing The Test Of Time•
• Empty Handed•
• Will Heaven Be The Same For Every•
• one?
• Test It Out•
• You Need Your Head Examined•
• Why Settle For Less•
• Still In Pre-school•
• All That Glitters Is Not Gold•
• Keeping The Endgame In Mind•
• There Are Two Books In Heaven•
• Gold Mine•
• Measuring Our Ministry•
• Every Man•
• Fire Shall Try•
• There’s No Faking It•
• FINAL Rewards•
• That Day WILL Declare It•
• Judgement Day•
• Take Inventory Today•
• Building To Code•
• Babes Or Builders•
• Occupation: Builder•
• Stop Kidding Yourself•
• Houses Have Only One Foundation, • Many Rooms
• Singed, But Save•
• The Three Pigs: Wood, Hay, & Stubble•
• Tried & Tested•
• Striking Gold•
• Building Or Breaking•
• It Doesn’t Pass The Smell Test•
• Construction or Destruction•
• Lasting or Lost•
• Farming 101•
• How Firm A Foundation•
• The Superstructure•
• How Much Do You Have In The Ac•
• count
• The Test: So As By Fire•
• Fireproof•
• It Is Smoke & Mirrors•
• What Sort Is It?•
• Setting Your House On Fire•
• When the Smoke Clears•
• There Is Hot and Hotter•
• Shadrack, Meshack, & Abednego•
• No Smell Of Smoke•
• It’s A Rewarding Job•
• Where The Rubber Meets The Road•
• You Are The Building•
• Handle With Care•
• Open the Doors, And Here’s All the • People
• Whose Approval Matters Most?•
• Rolling Stones Or Rock Of Ages•
• Civil Servants•
• Is Everyone In Their Place•
• Self-deceived•
• It’s All Yours!•