Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders

Thursday, April 27, 2017

LCG Sermonette Topic List



An LCG member sent me this.  It is a list of possible sermonette topics for speakers in LCG to talk about.  For a church that claims to follow Jesus Christ there is verily a scant reference to Jesus anywhere except around Passover and even then they leave him beaten and battered on a pile of broken matzo's on a gym stage.

I also find it interesting that it talks about the speaker speaking to his "audience" and not as members or brethren.  The church elite has never thought of the members as brethren but as a commodity. Church has always been a spectator sport instead of a community, particularly in the more legalistic splinter groups.

1. Select positive, uplifting, inspiring subjects that excite you and will interest the audience!

Sample Sermonette Topics

Difficult Scripture Types
Gen. 1:30 Should we be vegetarians?
Gen. 2:17 Explain “in that day”
Gen. 3:15 Explain “It shall bruise your head, you shall bruise his heel.”
Gen. 5:24 Explain how Enoch “was not found”
Gen. 9:3 Does this disprove “unclean meats?”?
Gen. 9:24 Why did Noah curse Canaan?
Gen. 14:18 Who was Melchizedek?
Gen. 17:10 Just a token of the covenant?
Matt. 1:18-20 Holy Spirit member of the Trinity?
Matt.  3:11 What is the “baptism by fire”?
Matt. 3:17 Was this the Father speaking?
Matt. 4:17 How was the Kingdom”” “at hand”?
Matt. 5:32 Explain the word “fornication” here
Matt. 11:12 What does it mean for the kingdom to suffer violence?
Christian Living Types
Why do we sing songs at services?
Why do we ask a blessing on the meal?
How to count the cost
How to “remember Lot’s wife”
How to fast
How to prepare for the Sabbath
How to study the Bible
Honesty and keeping our word
What is meditation?
Should we “recite the “Lord’s Prayer”?”
What is the proper position for praying?  Does it matter?
Praying for the sick
Pray for world leaders
What does it mean to “”pray without ceasing?””?
Analysis of a parable
A foot washing attitude
Laying down life for a friend
Explain why we do not eat pork
Explain why we are not vegetarians
Why do we not keep Christmas?
Why do we not keep Easter?
Why first tithe? second tithe? third tithe?
Why do we not speak in tongues?
Godly sorrow versus worldly sorrow
One of the parts of the armor of God
One of the fruits of the spirit
Think on these things (Phil. 4:8)
Providing for our house (I Tim. 5:8)
Historical/Analogy Types
Characteristics of salt (we are compared to it)
Characteristics of water (Holy Spirit)
Characteristics of an ambassador (we are ambassadors for Christ)
Characteristics of a lamb (Christ, the Lamb of God)
Characteristics of a mustard seed
Characteristics of a servant (we are the servants/bond slaves of God)
Characteristics of light (light symbolizing good, darkness symbolizing evil – John 3:19)
Characteristics of a bride (we are the bride of Christ, individually, collectively)
Characteristics of a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1)
Characteristics of leaven, as sin
Characteristics of a building (Christ chief cornerstone, of the Church)
Characteristics of a temple (our body and the Church is the temple of God)
Background of person of Bible – David
Background of person of Bible – Samson
Background of person of Bible – Paul
Background of person of Bible – Peter
Background of person of Bible – Jesus Christ
Background of person of Bible – Gideon
Background of person of Bible – Joshua
Technical/Definition Types
Meaning of the word for “baptism” (baptizo)
Meaning of the word for “spirit” (pneuma)
Meaning of the different words for “love”
Meaning of the word “character”
Explanation of the personal pronoun for Holy Spirit (should be “it” not “He”)
Explanation of the word “unworthily” (I Cor. 11:27)
Explain the “fear and trembling” in Phil. 2:12.  Are we to be scared of God?
Youth-oriented Type sermonette
Following the Father’s footsteps
Heroes of the Kingdom
Building a good foundation for the future
Supporting your family
How to treat your siblings
“He who is faithful in little will be in much”
Importance of time (avoiding procrastination)
Investing in education
Avoiding the pulls of the flesh
Resisting peer pressure
Lessons from Daniel
Lessons from Samson
Lessons from David
Lessons from Timothy
Lessons from Ruth
Lessons from Esther
Passover
What is a foot-washing attitude?
What is humility?
Have you forgiven your neighbor?
How to go to your brother
Why is Christ compared to a lamb?
Characteristics of a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1)
Characteristics of a lamb (Christ, the Lamb of God)
How to become a lamb and not a goat (Matt 25)
Importance of Jesus’ sacrifice
Ceremony of sacrifices in Old Testament
Explanation of word “unworthily” (I Cor. 11:27)
Unleavened Bread
How do we de-leaven our homes?
How to come out of sin
Resisting sin
Words for “sin” in Scripture, and their meanings
Characteristics of leaven, as sin
Pentecost
Why is the Holy Spirit compared with wind?
Why is the Holy Spirit compared with fire?
Why is the Holy Spirit compared with water?
Why is the Holy Spirit compared with oil?
Characteristics of a temple (our body and the Church is the temple of God)
Should we speak in tongues?
Historical background of harvests (first fruits harvested at Pentecost)
Explanation of the personal pronoun for Holy Spirit (should be “it” not “He”)
Matt. 3:11 What is the “”baptism by fire?””
Feast of Trumpets
How will it feel to be “changed”?
How to be at peace with our family members
Rooting out anger (the spirit of war)
Description of the blowing of the trumpet in O.T. times (historical)
Gen. 5:24 Explain how Enoch “was not found”— did he go to heaven?
Are there saints in heaven already?  (Explaining the resurrection)
Matt. 11:12 What does it mean— for the Kingdom to suffer violence?
Day of Atonement
Discuss the meaning of the word “Azazel”
Discuss one of the devices of Satan
Why is Satan compared to a “roaring lion”?
How is Satan a deceiver?
How do we become “at one” with our neighbor?
How to fast
Feast of Tabernacles
What will your city be like?
How to rejoice during the Feast
How to share with others during the Feast
How to be a light during the Feast
What will it be like to be a teen in the millennium?
Young heroes for God’s Kingdom
How to benefit from spiritual meat (studying and praying during FOT)
How to get the most out of the messages
The importance of fellowship at the Feast
Infrastructure of society during the Millennium
Last Great Day
Hope for your relatives
Taking care of strangers (to prepare to serve the billions)
Infrastructure of society during the Last Great Day
What will be the first thoughts of those resurrected to physical life?
Analysis of scripture of a child living 100 years
Why will Gog and Magog fight against God?
Offertories (any Holy Day):
Giving cheerfully, happily
Being generous
Giving according as you are able
Counting your blessings
Giving for the Work

11 comments:

  1. These are the exact same topics that were from a list used in WCG in the late 60's. it is no wonder LCG members are. Ores out of their minds every week. Are the men in LCG incapable of thinking of something new?

    ReplyDelete
  2. For interested brethren, if you think you’re “sermonette-man” material, feel free to use one of the topics I’ve annotated.

    Why do we ask a blessing on the meal?
    - You don’t ask a blessing on the meal or ask God to bless the food, that’s a pagan concept
    - Possibly this misunderstanding came into the church through some “Anglicanizing” the KJV text; for example, “Jesus took the bread and blessed ,it” is correctly rendered as “and gave thanks” in other translations
    - Giving thanks before a meal is not commanded in the Bible, it’s a custom of the Pharisees that Jesus adopted
    - And be sure to give after the meal, as commanded in Deut. 8:10!

    Should we “recite the “Lord’s Prayer”?”
    - Although the WCG taught the “Lord’s Prayer” was a “prayer pattern” it is similar to some Hebrew liturgical prayers of the first century
    - The Didache (“Teaching of the 12 Apostles”) instructs that the “Lord’s Prayer” should be included in each of the three daily prayer sessions (morning, afternoon, evening)

    Why first tithe? second tithe? third tithe?
    - Tithing is ubiquitous in mainstream churches, but it is not Biblical tithing
    - After the Catholic Church tried several times to institute tithing, the brethren really didn’t “get it” until it was commanded by Charlemagne
    - The idea of the a change from the Aaronic Priesthood to priesthood of Melchizedek carried out on Earth by the mythical true church is nonsense derived from a gross misunderstanding of the Book of Hebrews
    - Second and Third tithe were part of the Levitical system, but not part of the patriarchal tithing to Melchizedek prior to the Aaronic Priesthood; like first tithe, as there are currently no serving Levites, and most of us don’t live in Eretz Israel, we can’t Biblically tithe on the increase in our herds, flocks and other agricultural produce

    So, sermonette men, I hope that will give you an idea of some sermonettes that will get the minister’s attention!

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  3. I don't see third tithe in the NT. Christ made no mention of it. In the old testament, it was the nations social security system. There's nothing spiritual about it. People today already pay more than third tithe through government taxation, so why are the churches demanding members pay them third tithe??
    Why should members pay third tithe not once, BUT TWICE?

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  4. This is Rod
    The reason members should pay third tithe two times rather than once, is human greed. We want your money, as much of it as possible. So give us your third tithe and 'excess' money as well.

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  5. Tithing is not even a new covenant concept. People freely give because they have been blessed and want to share that grace. LCG lies when they say it is commanded.

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  6. Anon 1048 wrote: [third tithe] was the nations social security system

    In a sermon on tithing, a minister said, Israel was the first welfare state!

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  7. The triple tithe doctrine to me is one of the most financially destructive doctrines in my opinion to the poor and their families, I once had an lcg member tell me she can't pay her bills and take care of her health because of the financial burden of paying tithes on a small salary. She was too afraid to say it to anyone else, she would be labelled as having no trust in God. You know you are brainwashed when someone can convince you that giving them your money is no benefit to them but to you. As the saying goes "a fool and his money is easily parted". I once heard a church member tell me I don't want to rob God so I must pay my tithes,they had me as well one time, I remember the first time I decided to stop paying tithes, I was going home from services saw a man coming towards me and was sure he would rob me because I didn't pay tithes, looking back at how terrified I was to stop paying tithes even though it was making me suffer helped me to see how psychologically controlled LCG had me, sincere I was but so naive. Even when you know tithing isn't a blessing they convince you that the problem is you and not the doctrine. MANY a minister screamed from the podium you are struggling because you are not being faithful to God by paying your tithes. So the way out of poverty was to tithe harder and harder when the opposite was true, I really believe many minister's know much better but many members believe it to be true others are too terrified to stop tithing lest they rob God and God curse them. SAD IT IS BUT THAT IS THE HARSH REALITY of Religious Abuse or should I say religious Deception.

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  8. Couldn’t help throwing in some comments on other sermonette topics, for those sermonette men who want to wake up the congregation and get the minister’s attention:

    What is the proper position for praying? Does it matter?
    - The WCG booklet on prayer cited 1 Kings 8:54 where Solomon prayed on his knees with his hands in the air, so this became the “recommended” method, except for standing when praying in public - a blessing, opening/closing prayer (or in a minyan – a group of at least 10 - as Jesus did)
    - Jews are careful about kneeling in prayer, because of the prohibition of using a prayer rock in Lev. 26:1 (yes, Gerry, it’s pagan!)
    - Hebraic tradition is to face Jerusalem, specifically, the location of the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount, when praying; Daniel did this (Dan. 6:11). FYI, the coordinates of the Temple Mount are 31.7781 degrees North, 126.5350 degrees East, so for most this will mean facing an easterly direction
    - Some (most recently, Bob Thiel) have cited Ezekiel 8:16 to show one shouldn’t face East when praying, but a careful reading of the text shows that isn’t the case: the men are facing the sun with their backs to the Temple

    The next one can be considered in its simplest form, from an historic perspective, from a health perspective, or from textual analysis:

    Explain why we do not eat pork
    - Simply because the Bible says so! But the Bible also says to wear tzitzis and stone false prophets – why don’t we do that too?
    - Historically, this was a divisive issue when HWA associated with CG7, and when he had to be ordained he had to agree to their teaching on unclean meats. Rather than simply agree, he made nuisance of himself to make sure the CG7 leader (who he mocked) knew his own reason for agreeing to the command, which differed from the CG7 understanding
    - Health and hygiene were not considered to be the basis of the prohibition of unclean meats. Although it was mentioned by Maimonides (12th century) health and hygiene were not considered an explanation until the 18th century
    - The Hebrew translated as “unclean” (or in some translations, “ritually impure”) is tamei, yet the English does not capture the true meaning. To be tamei means something like, “not in a suitable state to be in the presence of God”. A person who was tamei would not enter the Temple without going through prescribed actions to make them tahor (translated as “clean”; let’s say, the opposite of tamei). And removing the bacon from your filet mignon (as one minister claimed he would do) was not enough; you still became tamei. And yes, there are a lot of things listed in the Bible that make one tamei and the status was transmissible by physical contact. Oh no! I shook hands with someone who had a BLT!

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  9. I (Hoss) wrote: ... stone false prophets – why don’t we do that too?

    I have been advised to state that I in no way advocate any harm come to anyone. The statement "why don't we..." was just a question about the COGs' cotton pickin' cherry picking of Torah commands to enforce.

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  10. Anon 10:48 & 10:52 AM

    LCG teaches that third tithe is not required in countries having a social security system (basically all of Europe, Canada and many other places in the world).

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fair amount of Anonymous in this blog.
    If its truth and facts you share, you shouldn't be afraid to speak up.
    LCG teaches third tithe is not applicable in country where salary deductions are high and whose government offers substantial social welfare programs.
    Almost everything else including the other tithes, clean and un-clean meats and the assumptions of what LCG teaches are dead wrong!
    It would be helpful to share accurate facts and balanced information instead of biased opinions.

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