The Value, Benefit, and Necessity of Reminding

In Titus 2:15-3:1a, Paul lays out for us several responsibilities for the Pastor in regards to his preaching. All of the verbs here are present imperatives, which mean they are ongoing commands, not just for Titus but for everyone who occupies the pulpit. 

If you have studied what are called the Pastoral epistles of Paul, and followed his ministry through the book of Acts, most of what is listed here should not come as a big surprise; in fact, the commands are the usual suspects when it comes to preaching the word of God. We understand that we are to be continually speaking the word, and with the word to be continually exhorting and reproving. We understand that when we speak the word we are speaking it under His authority, and therefore with His authority. We also know of the importance of never letting anyone disregard or blow us off as we deliver His word.  However, have you ever thought about how a part of our responsibility as a pastor is to be continually reminding our people about what the word says?

That's what Paul says right there in the very first word of verse one of chapter three...be continually reminding them.  It is the last of the commands, and magnifies and reinforces all the others. When you remind someone, what you are doing is bringing to their remembrance something that they already knew. It is not giving them new knowledge, but is the re-giving them of something already taught. It is the re-telling of Biblical truth. It is the re-explaining of Biblical principles. Reminding is for remembering and therefore reinforcing. What are we to remind them of? We are to remind our flock what the Scriptures say, and what they already know to do in light of what the Scriptures say. We are commanded to remind, so it must be important. 

The Lord is big on reminders, from Genesis all the way through the rest of the Bible. In the Old Testament we have memorials and altars. We have covenant reminders. We have feasts that were to be held every year, and rituals to be continually followed (Hebrews 10:1-3). In the New Testament we have the Lord's Supper, which is to remind us of His death and our covenant with Him. In baptism we are visibly reminded or our union with Christ and our new identity in Him. So why is reminding so important, and why does He remind us so often? So we won't forget or be neglectful.

There are three primary words in the New Testament that are translated remind: 

The first is hupomimnesko, and it just simply means to remind, to bring to remembrance. We see this word used in II Timothy 2:4-14, II Peter 1:12-13, and the purpose of being reminded here is to remind them about the things concerning salvation and sanctification. As used in II Peter 3:1 it is so that they would be stirred up to remember the Scriptures. In Jude 1:5 it is used so as to remind them about the judgment of God upon those who do not truly believe. In Titus 3:1-2 it is used to remind them how they are to behave as Christians.

The second is anamimnesko, which means to remind again, to re-remind, if you will. It is used in
I Corinthians 4:17 to remind the Corinthians of Paul's example, his teaching and its uniformity. In II Timothy 1:6 it is used so as to strengthen and encourage Timothy.

The third is epanamimnesko, which means to strongly or greatly remind, so as to never forget. Paul uses this word in Romans 15:15-16 to tell them that he has written this great epistle to them so that they will never forget the gospel. In other words this epistle was written so that the gospel would be forever etched in their minds.

Additionally, in Philippians 3:1 we see Paul telling the Philippians that to write the same things again is a safeguard for them, so here we see that reminding is also for our protection. 

So in these verses we see some of what reminding is intended to accomplish. 

You see, going to church, studying the Bible, and listening to sermons is not always about hearing or learning something new, but many times it is to be reminded of what we already know. We are never too old in Christ or too old in years to learn something new, and we will never reach a place where we have heard it all or know it all. However, we will also never reach a point or ever reach an age where we won't need to be reminded. You see, so much of our Christian life is about being reminded. We, being the weak frail creatures that the Scriptures tell us that we are, need to be reminded. We need to be reminded so we won't forget. We need to be reminded so our faith will be reinforced and strengthened. We need to be reminded so as to be refreshed when we grow weary. We need to be reminded to be reproved for not doing what we know to do. We need to be reminded so as to be revitalized so we will fight the good fight and press on in our faith. We need to be reminded so we can be restored when we have been wounded or brought low. We need to be reminded so as to be renewed to a greater state of Christlikeness. Sometimes we just simply need to be reminded that we need to be reminded; and, if you  think about it, many times we are the most blessed by hearing a truth that we already hold dear.

So, fellow pastors, let us not forsake, neglect, or forget our responsibility to remind our people about what the Bible says. Let us not be afraid to remind, for we are in the reminding business. Those of us who preach should love to tell the story, again and again. Indeed, that is our charge. 

And how is the best way to do this, so that it doesn't grow stale from the repetition? Preach through the Bible verse by verse, book by book. This is one of the beauties and benefits of consecutive expository preaching. This way you will present the same truths and cover the same themes, but in different contexts and from different angles; and, in doing so, the gospel will be kept fresh, both for you and for your people.