In the Bible, "remembering" is more than mental recall. It involves emotion and volition as well as cognition. It not only touches the past; it also articulates with the present and the future, helping a person connect previously acquired wisdom to current and future decisions. .. Bruce Waltke says simply, "Remembrance equals participation."Preaching as Reminding, 13
It is possible to preach with exegetical accuracy but not reach the heart. Reminding may seem to be primarily a cognitive function of preaching, but it actually has just as much to do with emotion as cognition. This is because an act of reminding assumes that the listeners already know the content of an utterance, but their knowledge slumbers and must be aroused. It smolders and must be ignited.Preaching as Remembrance, 57
Like Moses and the prophets, Paul and the other New Testament letter writers regularly reminded their hearers of what they already knew and believed. The Epistles show what preaching to believers probably sounded like in the first century—not preaching for evangelism (Acts illustrates that), but preaching to the faith family within the walls of a house church. In such preaching we overhear the apostles stirring memory. Their Epistles show us that we are not forced to communicate something novel each week.Preaching as Remembrance, 53
"I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb 13:5). The Greek text of this verse contains five negative particles, cumbersome to render into English, but soul-enriching nevertheless: "Never will I leave you—no, never—no! Nor forsake you."Preaching as Reminding, 20
In the ancient world people sometimes collected and kept their tears in a small bottle as a memorial of their grief. God so identifies with his people that he puts our tears into his bottle and writes them in his book. When the Heavenly Father remembers, he answers prayer (Gen 30:22), blesses (Ps 115:12-13), saves us from our enemies (Num 10:9), protects (Gen 19:29), and rescues (Ps 136:23-24).Preaching as Reminding, 19
Ministers must learn to stir memory, not simply repeat threadbare platitudes. We must rouse that which is already present within the child of God: knowledge of our Father's love and majesty.Preaching as Reminding
without memory, we are lost souls. That is why the Bible is replete with statements, stories, sermons, and ceremonies designed to stir memory. Even nature—the rainbow after the flood—serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness (Gen 9:13-17).Preaching as Reminding (p. 3)