But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
— John 14:26

Have you ever wondered how the four gospel writers separately recorded four gospels with no contradictions? With all the countless words the disciples heard Jesus speak, how did they ever remember them all accurately? It is absolutely remarkable to me when I think about each apostle’s fantastic ability to remember what Jesus said and did. This leads us to the next responsibility God gave to the Holy Spirit — to bring to our remembrance all the things Jesus said or taught.

When Jesus taught about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He said that bringing what Jesus said to remembrance would be a part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. In John 14:26, Jesus said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and will bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

bookmark2

The word “remembrance” is a translation of the Greek word hupomimnesko, which is a compound of the words hupo and mimnesko. The word hupo in this particular case means by — as to place something alongside of something else. The word mimnesko means to remember, to recollect, to remind, to regather, or to recall. When these two words are compounded, the combined nuances depict someone whose memory is awakened or one who is enabled to call something to mind.

This is truly amazing to me. When I read the gospels and I see how the Holy Spirit brought explicit, vivid details to the remembrance of four gospel writers, I know that it would have been naturally impossible for all four of these men to so precisely recall everything they remembered on their own. However, the fact is that they were all listening to the same Holy Spirit who was bringing to their remembrance everything they had experienced with Jesus.

The Bible gives us a very clear example in John 12 of this “reminding work” of the Holy Spirit. In this account, Jesus was entering into Jerusalem triumphantly as people joyfully proclaimed, “Hosanna, Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13). At the time this was happening, the disciples didn’t realize Old Testament Scripture was being fulfilled before their eyes. But John 12:16 goes on to say, “These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.” This very clearly refers to the reminding ministry of the Holy Spirit.

After the Holy Spirit was poured out upon those who prayed in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost, one of the ways the Holy Spirit taught the apostles about Jesus was by tying Old Testament Scripture into events they had experienced with Him. Many things that hadn’t been clear or hadn’t made sense to them while Jesus was on earth were now being explained and defined as the Holy Spirit led them in Old Testament verses. As He inspired the apostles to write the New Testament, He clarified and revealed to them the significance of the Old Testament as it related to Jesus’ ministry and calling, the newly emerging Church, and the future.

Furthermore, the gospels contain no errors. What we have in them is exactly what Jesus said and did. They were written as the Holy Spirit put Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in remembrance of what Jesus said and did. How marvelous and fantastic it truly is to see how the Holy Spirit illuminated their minds to recall vivid details from Jesus’ life and ministry. It is due to this wonderful reminding work of the Holy Spirit that we have the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in our Bibles today.

This makes me know that we can never claim ignorance for not knowing Scripture. Part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to bring to our memory exactly what verses we need — when we need them. If our partnership with the Holy Spirit is strong, we can lean upon Him the moment our memory fails us, because it is His responsibility to remind us of the Word of God. When we are in the midst of a difficult situation and don’t know what to do, the Holy Spirit will reach into the Word of God that is stored in our hearts and minds, and He will withdraw the exact verse or truth we need and put us in remembrance of it at just the right moment.

Perhaps this particular reminding work of the Holy Spirit is best illustrated in parts of the world where the Bible is illegal. My family lives in the former Soviet Union, where the Bible was forbidden for more than 70 years. I am constantly in awe as I meet leaders and entire churches that had only one Bible over a span of many years. Sometimes it was a hand-copied version with torn and tattered pages from decades of use. Those yellow, tattered pages of the Word of God meant everything to them.

It is the most amazing thing to see people who have had limited access to the Bible and yet know it so well. They can quote it and remember it better than people in free countries who have several Bibles in their homes and the opportunity to read them every morning and every night. There is only one explanation: the Holy Spirit. He is doing exactly what Jesus said He would do — putting them in remembrance of the Word of God. This is especially true where the Word of God, although it may be scarce, is embraced and esteemed. When a person has given precious care to reading and meditating on the Word day and night, the Holy Spirit has the wherewithal to call to remembrance what that person has read and assimilated in the deepest parts of his being. That is one of the Holy Spirit’s responsibilities as our Partner in this world.

Today I want to encourage you to open your heart to this reminding ministry of the Holy Spirit. If you say you have a difficult time memorizing Scripture, open your heart to the ministry of the Holy Spirit because He wants to put you in remembrance of everything that Jesus said. And He will help you recall everything you need to remember that Jesus said to you — exactly on time and exactly at the right place. That’s part of His reminding ministry to you and to me.

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


F
ather, I am so thankful for the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit to put me in remembrance of the words and acts of Jesus Christ. I confess that there have been times when I found it difficult to remember scripture verses, but now I understand that in times when my memory fails me, the Holy Spirit will step forward to help me remember exactly what needs to be brought to my attention. I will no longer claim a poor memory but will now embrace this special reminding ministry of the Holy Spirit!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that the Holy Spirit brings to my memory everything I need to recall about the life, words, and acts of Jesus Christ. I have the mind of Christ working in me because the Holy Spirit lives in me and is helping me. Part of His ministry is to remind me of everything that Jesus said or did, and I declare that because of the Holy Spirit’s faithfulness to remind me, I recall everything I need to — on time and in every situation where it is needed.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Can you think of a time when you couldn’t recall a verse or a passage of Scripture, and then it suddenly came to your mind at exactly the right moment? When was that? How did it affect you when you remembered it so correctly?
  2. Is this reminding ministry of the Holy Spirit a brand-new concept to you, or have you already been aware of His function to remind you of things Jesus said or did?
  3. Everyone has a responsibility to memorize Scripture. If this is difficult for you, do you see more clearly after reading this Sparkling Gem how the Holy Spirit is ready to help you with this? As you plant the Word in your heart and determine to set certain scriptures to memory, He will be faithful to bring those words to your remembrance!