Servias Ministries Blog

The condition of your heart determines what Truth you can receive!

Jesus often spoke in parables.  Why?

In Matthew 13:14–15, Jesus explains why He taught in parables. These verses are both a judgment and a mercy. They quote the prophecy of Isaiah and reveal that a person’s response to God’s Truth depends largely on the condition of their heart.

Jesus spoke:

14 “Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
‘You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.

15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.'”

Jesus had been preaching openly throughout Galilee. He had:

• Healed the sick.
• Cast out demons.
• Raised the dead.
• Fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.
• Performed countless miracles.

Yet many religious leaders rejected Him despite overwhelming evidence.

In Matthew 12 they even accused Him of casting out demons by Satan’s power.

After this rejection, Jesus began teaching in parables (Matthew 13). The disciples asked why.

He answered them and us:

Those who genuinely seek Truth will understand.

Those who have hardened their hearts will hear only stories.

The parables became both:

• a revelation to believers
• a concealment from the unwilling.

“Hearing, they do not hear”

This doesn’t mean they couldn’t physically hear.  It means they heard the Words without allowing them to penetrate.  It is like someone listening while already deciding they won’t believe and this still happens today.

A person can hear hundreds of sermons without ever surrendering to Christ.

Knowledge alone doesn’t change a heart.

“Seeing, they do not perceive”

They watched Jesus perform miracles.

They saw:

• blind eyes opened
• lepers cleansed
• storms calmed
• demons flee
• Lazarus raised

Yet many still concluded, “He cannot be the Messiah.”

The issue was never a lack of evidence, but it was unwillingness to believe!

“This people’s heart has grown dull”

The Greek word means:

• calloused
• insensitive
• thickened

Imagine hands that have developed thick calluses where they no longer feel what they once felt.  Spiritually, repeated resistance to God produces a calloused heart and this rarely happens overnight.  Usually, it develops through repeated rejection.

Paul also went into great detail as he wrote by The Holy Spirit in Romans chapter 1:

20 Opposition to Truth cannot be excused on the basis of ignorance, because from the creation of the world, the invisible qualities of God’s Nature have been made visible, such as His Eternal power and transcendence. He has made His wonderful attributes easily perceived, for seeing the visible makes us understand the invisible. So then, this leaves everyone without excuse.

…

26-27 For this reason God gave them over to their own disgraceful and vile passions. Enflamed with lust for one another, men and women ignored the natural order and exchanged normal sexual relations for homosexuality. Women engaged in lesbian conduct, and men committed shameful acts with men, receiving in themselves the due penalty for their deviation.

28 And because they thought it was worthless to embrace the True Knowledge of God, God gave them over to a worthless mind-set, to break all rules of proper conduct.

Persistent rejection of Truth. leads God to “give them over” to the path they have chosen.

Jesus said of the pharisees, “Their ears are hard of hearing”  Again, not physical deafness, they only heard what fit their own expectations.

Many wanted:

• political freedom
• national power
• earthly prosperity

Jesus offered:

• repentance
• humility
• forgiveness
• surrender

That message was offensive.

“Their eyes they have closed”

Notice something important, Jesus does not say God closed their eyes.  He says:

They have closed them.

There is human responsibility.  People choose whether to respond to God’s Light.

Repeatedly refusing the

Truth makes it increasingly difficult to recognize it.

“Lest they should turn”

The word turn means repent.  Repentance is more than feeling guilty.

It means:

• changing direction
• changing allegiance
• returning to God

God’s desire was always, “I would heal them.”  His Heart is restorative, not destructive.

Why didn’t Jesus simply force everyone to believe?

Love cannot be forced.  God reveals Himself sufficiently for those willing to receive Him.  Jesus’ miracles were undeniable and His teaching was unmistakable.

Yet God allows people to reject Him if they insist.

This Principle Still Applies.

There is a Spiritual law seen throughout Scripture.  When people respond to truth…

God gives greater understanding.  When they reject truth… understanding gradually diminishes.

Jesus had just said in Matthew 13:12:

“Whoever has, to him more will be given… whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”

This refers to Spiritual receptivity.  Faithfulness with the revelation we have opens the door to more revelation, a sign of maturing in THE SPIRIT.

The passage in Matthew 13:15 ends with God’s promise: “I would heal them.”

God’s purpose isn’t merely to expose hardness but to bring healing.

Throughout Scripture, He promises to replace a hardened heart with one that is tender and responsive (see Ezekiel 36:26). Jesus came not only to reveal Truth but to restore those who turn to Him in faith.

We must ask ourselves these questions:

• Do I approach Scripture expecting God to speak, or merely to gain information?
• When God convicts me, do I respond quickly or explain it away?
• Am I cultivating a tender heart through prayer, worship, and obedience?
• Is there any area where I have become Spiritually calloused?

The central message of Matthew 13:14–15 is that the greatest barrier to understanding God is not a lack of intelligence but a resistant heart. Jesus invites everyone to come to Him, but those who continually reject His Words can become increasingly unable to recognize it. By contrast, those who humbly receive His Word find that He opens their eyes, deepens their understanding, and brings the healing and transformation He desires for all who turn to Him.

Your words will ultimately express your inner life!

We can express words to project an image of who we want people to believe but, in the end, our words will reveal who we really are.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Ephesians chapter 5:

4“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”

This verse is part of Paul’s instruction on how believers are to live as those who belong to Christ. The surrounding context (Ephesians 5:1–8) contrasts the old sinful way of life with the new life of holiness.

Paul begins by saying:

“Be imitators of God… and walk in Love” (Ephesians 5:1–2).

He then warns against behaviors that are inconsistent with a Holy life:

• Sexual immorality
• Impurity
• Greed
• Corrupt speech

Verse 4 shifts from sinful actions to sinful speech.

Three Types of Speech to Avoid

1. “Filthiness”

The Greek word refers to shameful or obscene speech.

This includes:

• Vulgar language
• Dirty stories
• Speech intended to stir up lust
• Words that degrade God’s gift of sexuality

Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 12:

34 But you who are known as the Pharisees are rotten to the core like venomous snakes. How can your words be good if you are rotten within? For what has been stored up in your hearts will be heard in the overflow of your words!

35 “When virtue is stored within, the hearts of good, upright people will produce good fruit. But when evil is hidden within, those who are evil will produce evil fruit.

36 You can be sure of this: when the day of judgment comes, everyone will be held accountable for every careless word he has spoken.

37 Your very words will be used as evidence, and your words will declare you either innocent or guilty.”

In Ephesians chapter 5, Paul isn’t merely policing vocabulary; he is addressing the condition of the heart.

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2. “Foolish Talk”

This means speech that is:

• Empty
• Morally senseless
• Spiritually unprofitable

It doesn’t necessarily mean humor or casual conversation.

Instead it refers to speech that reflects someone who has no regard for God.

Examples:

• Constant gossip
• Meaningless arguments
• Boastful talking
• Conversations centered only on worldly pleasures

Proverbs repeatedly warns about this type of speech.

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3. “Crude Joking”

The Greek word (eutrapelia) originally described someone who could turn a conversation quickly or cleverly.

Over time it came to describe:

• Double meanings
• Sexual innuendo
• Sarcastic ridicule
• Clever jokes that entertain by dishonoring others or glorifying sin

Paul is not condemning laughter.

The Bible actually encourages joy.

Examples include:

• Sarah laughing (Genesis 21)
• “A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22)

Rather, Paul warns against humor that:

• Makes sin seem funny
• Humiliates people
• Desensitizes the conscience
• Normalizes impurity

Many modern comedians build entire careers around exactly the type of humor Paul warns against.

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“Which Are Out of Place”

Paul says this type of speech is not fitting for someone who belongs to Christ.

The Greek idea is that it is inconsistent with your new identity.

A believer has become:

• A child of God
• A temple of the Holy Spirit
• A representative of Christ

Our words should reflect that identity.

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“But Rather Giving of Thanks”

This is the positive replacement.

Christianity doesn’t simply say:

“Stop talking this way.”

It says:

“Replace it with something better.”

Thanksgiving transforms speech because it focuses the heart on God.

A thankful person naturally speaks:

• Blessing instead of cursing
• Encouragement instead of tearing down
• Worship instead of vulgarity
• Gratitude instead of complaining

Notice that Paul doesn’t merely prohibit; he redirects.

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Why Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving changes perspective.

Instead of:

• Craving more
• Entertaining sin
• Complaining

the believer remembers:

• God’s grace
• Christ’s sacrifice
• Eternal hope
• Daily blessings

Gratitude leaves less room for corrupt speech because it fills the heart with worship.

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A Biblical Principle

This verse fits a larger New Testament teaching:

• Ephesians 4:29 — “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up.”
• Colossians 3:8 — Put away “obscene talk.”
• Colossians 4:6 — “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt.”
• James 3:9–10 — The tongue should not both bless God and curse people made in His image.

Paul consistently teaches that transformed hearts produce transformed speech.

Before speaking, it can be helpful to ask:

• Does this honor Christ?
• Does this build someone up?
• Would I say this if Jesus were physically present?
• Does this make sin seem attractive or Holiness more desirable?
• Does this reflect gratitude to God?

If the answer is no, it is worth reconsidering.

Our words reveal what fills our hearts. When Christ shapes our inner life, our conversations increasingly become marked by Truth, purity, kindness, Wisdom, and thankfulness.

The early “ekklēsia” was known as The Way!

What is the ekklēsia?  It is the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth.

“The Way” is one of the earliest and most meaningful names for Christianity in the New Testament. Before believers were commonly called “Christians,” they were often known as “those who belonged to the Way.” The phrase captures not only what they believed but also how they lived.

1. Jesus is “The Way”

The foundation comes from Jesus’ own Words:

“I am The Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Notice Jesus did not say, “I will show you a way.” He said, “I am the Way.”

This means:

• He is the only Mediator between God and humanity.
• He is the only means of salvation.
• He is both the destination and the path.

Christianity is fundamentally about a relationship with Christ, not merely following a set of religious rules.

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2. The earliest believers were called followers of “The Way”

Several passages in Acts use this title.

Acts 9:2

Saul (later Paul) sought authority

“…so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”

At this point, “the Way” had become a recognized name for the followers of Jesus.

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Acts 19:9

Paul encountered opposition in Ephesus.

“…speaking evil of the Way before the multitude…”

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Acts 19:23

“There arose no little disturbance concerning the Way.”

The spread of the Gospel was affecting commerce, religion, and culture.

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Acts 22:4

Paul later testified:

“I persecuted this Way to the death…”

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Acts 24:14

Before Governor Felix, Paul declared:

“According to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers…”

Paul did not reject the title. Instead, he affirmed that faith in Christ fulfilled God’s promises rather than abandoning them.

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3. Why was it called “The Way”?

The title reflects several Biblical Truths.

The Way to God

Jesus is the only Way to reconciliation with the Father.

There is no salvation through:

• good works
• religious rituals
• moral effort
• human philosophy

Only through Christ.

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The Way of Life

Following Jesus is a way of living.

Believers are called to:

• Love God
• Love one another
• forgive
• serve
• walk in Holiness
• obey Christ

Early Christianity was recognized as a transformed way of life.  How simple!

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The Way of Truth

Jesus is Truth.

The apostles taught what Jesus had taught them, preserving the Gospel rather than adapting it to culture.

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The Way of the Cross

Jesus said:

“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
(Luke 9:23)

“The Way” involves discipleship, self-denial, and faithfulness, even when it is costly.

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4. “Walking” is a major Biblical theme

Scripture frequently describes the Christian life as a walk.

Examples include:

• “Walk in Love.” (Ephesians 5:2)
• “Walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16)
• “Walk in the Light.” (1 John 1:7)
• “Walk worthy of the calling.” (Ephesians 4:1)

This imagery emphasizes that faith is lived out day by day.

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5. The Way fulfilled the Old Testament

Isaiah prophesied:

“A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness.”
(Isaiah 35:8)

This points to God’s redeemed people walking in Holiness. Christians understand Jesus to be the One Who opens this Way through His death and resurrection.

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6. “The Way” versus religion

The earliest believers did not think of themselves as founding a new religion. They believed Jesus was the promised Messiah Who fulfilled the Law and the Prophets.

“The Way” therefore emphasized:

• relationship over ritual,
• discipleship over mere profession,
• transformation over outward conformity,
• following a Person rather than simply adhering to a system.

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7. Characteristics of those on “The Way”

According to the New Testament, those on “The Way”:

• Believe Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah.
• Trust His death and resurrection for salvation.
• Repent of sin.
• Receive the Holy Spirit.
• Continue in the apostles’ teaching.
• Love one another.
• Make disciples.
• Live Holy lives.
• Persevere through suffering.
• Anticipate Christ’s return.

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The deeper significance

“The Way” is more than a historical name. It expresses the entire Christian life:

• Jesus is the Way by which we come to the Father.
• Truth is the way we are to live.
• Holiness is the way we are transformed.
• Love is the way we relate to others.
• The cross is the way we deny ourselves.
• The Holy Spirit is the One who empowers us to walk in that way.

As the early church understood it, becoming a Christian was not simply adopting new beliefs—it was entering a new way of life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

This also helps explain why the first disciples were known as followers of “The Way” before the name “Christian” became common (Acts 11:26). Their identity was defined by the One they followed and the path they walked.

How do the various church denominations, megachurches, and other gatherings stack up?  Look at the fruit.

If you were on a jury and the defense attorney produced 140 witnesses who all experienced the same event, how would you respond? Randy Kay was given an edict to “Take back the narrative!”

The following interview should broaden your understanding:

If we are to minister to people as Jesus commanded, we must have compassion!

Compassion was a driving force in Jesus’ ministry.  Jesus did not minister merely to demonstrate power. His power flowed through compassion.

Compassion sees the need.
Love is moved by the need.
Faith believes God can meet the need.
The Power of God acts upon the need.

The Gospels repeatedly say that Jesus “had compassion” or was “moved with compassion.” His compassion was more than sympathy. The Greek word often used, splagchnizomai, describes being deeply moved from within. His compassion repeatedly led to action—teaching, healing, feeding, cleansing, restoring, and raising the dead.

Major examples:

Scripture	Situation	How Jesus responded
Matthew 9:36	The multitudes were weary and scattered	He saw them as sheep without a shepherd
Matthew 14:14	A great crowd followed Him	He healed their sick
Matthew 15:32 / Mark 8:2	The crowd had been with Him three days without food	He fed the 4,000
Matthew 20:34	Two blind men cried out for mercy	He touched their eyes and healed them
Mark 1:40–42	A leper begged to be cleansed	He touched and cleansed him
Mark 6:34	The multitude was spiritually leaderless	He taught them many things
Mark 9:22–27	A father pleaded for his tormented son	Jesus delivered and restored the boy
Luke 7:11–15	A widow was burying her only son	Jesus raised her son from the dead

1. Compassion for people who were spiritually lost

Matthew 9:36

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”

Jesus looked beyond people’s outward appearance. He saw their spiritual condition.

They were:

• Weary
• Scattered
• Vulnerable
• Without proper spiritual leadership

His compassion recognized that humanity’s deepest problem is not merely physical or economic—it is separation from God and the need for a Shepherd.

Immediately afterward Jesus said:

“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.” — Matthew 9:37

Compassion sees spiritually lost people as a harvest to be reached, not as people to be condemned or avoided.

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2. Compassion that healed the sick

Matthew 14:14

“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick.”

When the crowds followed Him, He responded to their needs.

The sequence is important:

Jesus saw → Jesus was moved with compassion → Jesus healed.

His healing ministry was repeatedly connected with His compassion.  Compassion does not merely notice suffering—it seeks to relieve it.

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3. Compassion for people who needed Spiritual Truth

Mark 6:34

“And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”

Notice that Jesus’ compassion did not always result first in a miracle. Here, compassion caused Him to teach.  Why?  Because people need more than temporary relief. They need Truth.

Compassion without Truth may relieve a temporary problem.  Compassion with Truth can transform a life.

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4. Compassion for physical hunger

Matthew 15:32

“I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat.”

Jesus was concerned that the people might faint on their journey home.  He then multiplied the loaves and fish and fed more than 4,000 people.  Jesus cared about ordinary physical needs.  Spiritual ministry did not make Him indifferent to hunger.

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5. Compassion for the blind

Matthew 20:30–34

Two blind men cried:

“Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.”

The crowd tried to silence them, but they cried even louder.

Then:

“So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.”

The crowd saw an interruption. Jesus saw two people who needed mercy.  Compassion is willing to be interrupted.

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6. Compassion for the rejected and unclean

Mark 1:40–42

A leper came to Jesus and said:

“If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”

“And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His Hand, and touched him.”

The touch itself is significant.  A leper was socially isolated and ceremonially unclean. People normally avoided physical contact with lepers. But Jesus touched the untouchable.

Then He said:

“I will; be thou clean.”

Compassion moves toward suffering when others move away from it.

Jesus was not contaminated by the man’s uncleanness. Instead, His cleanness overcame the man’s uncleanness.

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7. Compassion for a tormented child and desperate father

Mark 9:17–27

A father brought his son, who was suffering terribly, and pleaded:

“If Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.”

Jesus responded by delivering the boy from the unclean spirit and restoring him. 

The compassion of Jesus confronts spiritual bondage and brings freedom.

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The pattern of Jesus’ compassion

JESUS SAW
↓
JESUS WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION
↓
JESUS ACTED

What He saw determined the particular response:

• The lost → He shepherded them
• The ignorant → He taught them Truth
• The sick → He healed them
• The hungry → He fed them
• The blind → He restored their sight
• The rejected → He touched and cleansed them
• The grieving → He comforted and restored
• The oppressed → He brought freedom

Jesus’ compassion should also characterize His followers.

The Beloved Disciple wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st John chapter 3:

17 If anyone sees a fellow believer in need and has the means to help him, yet shows no pity and closes his heart against him, how is it even possible that God’s Love lives in him?

18 Beloved children, our Love can’t be an abstract theory we only talk about, but a way of Life demonstrated through our Loving deeds.

19 We know that the Truth lives within us because we demonstrate Love in action, which will reassure our hearts in His Presence.

The clearest summary of Jesus’ earthly ministry is this:

He saw people through the Eyes of the Father, was moved by their condition, and acted in the power of THE HOLY SPIRIT to meet their need!

Being in unity is vital to our walk with Christ!

Jesus spoke in John chapter 16:

15 “All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me what He will make known to you.”

This verse comes from Jesus’ final teaching to His disciples before His crucifixion. He is explaining the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

1. “All that belongs to the Father is Mine.”
   1. Jesus is declaring His complete unity with the Father. Everything the Father possesses—His Truth, authority, Wisdom, glory, and Divine purposes—also belongs to the Son.
   1. This is one of several statements in John’s Gospel that point to Jesus’ Divine nature.

Jesus also stated in John chapter 10:

30 “I and My Father are One.”

And Jesus prayed in John chapter 17:

9 So with deep Love, I pray for My disciples. I’m not asking on behalf of the unbelieving world, but for those who belong to You, those You have given Me.

10 For all who belong to Me now belong to You. And all who belong to You now belong to Me as well, and My glory is revealed through their surrendered lives.

11 “Holy Father, I am about to leave this world to return and be with You, but My disciples will remain here. Holy Father, each one that You have given Me, keep them in Your Name so that they will be united as one, even as We are One.

When you and I fully surrender to Christ, we become one with Him and one with each other… we have a common goal- to establish HIS Kingdom on earth!

• “That is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me…”
  • The Holy Spirit does not bring a different or independent message. Instead, He communicates what belongs to Christ.
  • Since everything the Father has belongs to the Son, the Spirit’s message is ultimately the Father’s message as well.
• “…what he will make known to you.”
  • The Holy Spirit would guide the disciples into the Truth after Jesus’ departure.
  • This includes helping them understand Jesus’ teachings, His death and resurrection, and inspiring them to proclaim and write God’s Truth.

Jesus spoke in John chapter 16:

13 However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all Truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

This verse (John 16:15) beautifully reveals the harmony within the Trinity:

• The Father is the Source of all Divine Truth.
• The Son shares fully in everything that belongs to The Father.
• The Holy Spirit reveals and applies that Truth to believers.

The three Persons work together perfectly, not independently or in competition.

For us, John 16:15 is a reminder that:

• The Holy Spirit always points people to Jesus, not away from Him.
• When the Spirit teaches us through Scripture, He is revealing Christ and the Father’s Will.
• We can trust the Spirit’s guidance because it comes from the united purpose of the Father and the Son.

Preaching the fullness of the Trinity requires us to not neglect the vital role of The Holy Spirit in promoting unity among believers!