Gospel Gardening - Mark 4:10-20
by Pastor Lee Hemen
November 8, 2009 AM

Have you ever tried to explain something to someone who could not understand a word of what you were saying? No matter how hard you tried, they simply could not grasp the concepts you were trying to get across to them? I have. Especially when it concerns computer instructions or problems. I can relate to software or computer technicians that help folks over the phone on just how difficult it is to get concepts across. The person you are talking to needs to have a rudimentary understanding of computers, Microsoft Windows, and how they work together. And, contrary to what the Mac commercials you see on TV want you to believe, they have a multitude of problems just as PCs and Microsoft does.

Jesus used parables but they were not deliberately “mystic” nor was he trying to initiate people into some deeper religious practice. Rather, he spoke in parables so that those who had already been sensitized by the Holy Spirit would understand. We find Jesus talking about the subject of gospel gardening. His disciples did not understand what in the world he was talking about, so they privately ask him to explain it to them. Let's discover what Jesus meant as we also learn about gospel gardening today...

READ: Mark 4:10-20

I can remember trying to understand for the first time how to fertilize, moss kill, and take care of my lawn! Then I discovered that I had to weed my own flower beds! (Well, we heard how I feel about that last week. I just thank the Lord for my Weed Eater and Casoron crystals.) Gardening, while a very familiar thing for many of us, can be confusing when it is applied to spiritual concepts. Today, we find Jesus explaining the meaning of his parable of gospel gardening to his followers. We discover that…

I. The mystery of God’s gospel garden can be understood by those chosen of God! (Vv. 10-13)

  1. God’s followers become his farmers in the world! When we are chosen of God, as I related last week, we immediately become one of his gardeners. Surprisingly, we find that Jesus’ disciples did not understand what Jesus was teaching with his parables. So, “When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.” Jesus begins to patiently explain to them its meaning. As his farmers they would go “out to sow… seed.” And, as such “The secret of the kingdom of God [had] been given to” them. The idea here is not one of secrecy but that of “mystery” (Greek: mustērion), and this mystery was now fully revealed to them. The mystery Jesus is speaking of is not some mysterious religious rite, but the gospel truth that salvation comes by faith in God’s messiah – Jesus himself! However, “to those on the outside everything is said in parables.” Those on the “outside” are those who were not chosen by God—the world. Jesus said that it was “so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” The age of Jesus was the arena where the gospel seed would first be sown only to those whom God had chosen to follow him at that time. Later, these would be the ones to sow the gospel seed to the world. Therefore, the gospel mystery would not be disclosed to everyone at that time on purpose. Why? Jesus had not died for mankind’s sins. Even the Old Testament prophets did not fully understand this truth! Paul related that it was “the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him!” (Romans 16:25-26) This is why Jesus asked his disciples, “Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” Jesus hoped those he had chosen would understand the gospel message, the seed, contained within the parable. He knew that the mystery of God’s garden could be understood by those chosen of God!

  EXAMPLE: I can remember as a young boy building tree houses and forts and then posting bold notices on the outside of them that would read: “No girls allowed!” After all, what self-respecting boy would allow cootie-ridden girls into their secret club!? Right? Of course the girls on the playground had their own secret societies that used cryptic languages such as pig-Latin or other things like Barbie-speak! (Don’t ask, I never could understand it.) However, this is not what Jesus was doing by using his parables. He did not use special language to exclude, but rather to see who would understand the spiritual truth they contained. Those who understood showed that they were chosen of God to hear and understand his message, and it would be these who would later cast the gospel seed. Jesus knew that the mystery of God’s garden could be understood by those chosen of God!

The soil here at the church is far different from the soil found out in the Orchards area where I live. While it is hard during the summer, it is easy to work in the winter, fall or spring. Whereas the soil out in Orchards is like concrete no matter what season of the year! It is full of rocks large, small, and all sizes in-between. It is amazing to me that anything grows in it at all. In fact, the trees out where I live, unless you provide and very large hole for them that goes deeper than the rock layer, their roots will be extremely shallow. This is why a lot of fir trees out where I live are always in danger of blowing over during big wind storms. We also discover from Jesus that…

II. The gospel garden of God consists of a variety of soils! (Vv. 14-20)

  1. Sin-sick soiled souls will either accept or reject the gospel seed! The follower “farmer sows the word of God”, but he is not to notice the soil he tosses the seed on. Jesus gives his listeners three negative responses of how people respond and one positive one. 1) “Some” hear the word with a kind of hardhearted indifference. They “are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.” Satan is like the blackbirds that come immediately and steal the seed away as soon as it is cast. In effect, there is no response. 2) “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.”  They immediately take the Word with great outer enthusiasm, but since it is only a shallow acceptance “they have no root” and “last only a short time.” In fact, “When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” These people are like many in the world today. The word really takes no root in them at all. They love the sound of its goodness, but literally they “are repelled” by its message because it requires personal change. Their profession proves not to be genuine. 3) “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” These weeds of the world choke the word, making it unfruitful in the life of the hearer, indicating they were probably not true believers in the first place. The word of God was only a convenience for them when it brought them happiness, but when real life hits them, they cannot continue to walk in it. They are totally unfruitful their entire lives. But finally, 4) “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.” These are the ones whom God has chosen and they are like fertile ground just waiting for the gospel seed to take root in their lives. The gospel garden of God consists of a variety of soils!

  EXAMPLE: I can remember hiking the length of Colockum Creek as a young boy. There were places a long its banks that contained ash deposits, clays of red, grey, green, and white, and fossils of many kinds. We would take the clay soils, mix them with water, and then paint our bodies all over with it. We looked like something out of a Amazon jungle movie, but man was it fun! Then we would run and hit the water and splash each other until it was all washed off. It was amazing to discover all the different soils along the banks of Colockum Creek. Jesus also taught about soils as well. He taught that the gospel garden of God consists of a variety of soils.

Conclusion:
We discovered Jesus talking about the subject of gospel gardening. His disciples did not understand what in the world he was talking about, so they privately ask him to explain it to them. He related that 1) the mystery of God’s garden could be understood by those chosen of God, and that 2) the gospel garden of God consists of a variety of soils.
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Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2009 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my written permission.

Did Obama Graft His Way Into the White House?
by Lee Hemen
October 31, 2009

Many of you who voted for President Obama wanted "Hope and Change," in other words you hoped he would bring change. Well, in a way he did by bringing old style Chicago political graft and corruption into the White House. His "community" organization skills have been used to line his political pockets before and after the election. While out of one side of his mouth he allows those around him to bad mouth the banking industry, big business, and Wall Street greed he and his cronies have hit them up for huge sums of donations. And you thought you were getting change? All the while he is gouging your pockets with trillion dollar budgets and the largest national debt ever. So, as he and his Chicago thugs line their pockets through political graft and arm-twisting, you pay all the bills for his thuggery. Welcome to the new Obamanation!

I find it absolutely hilarious that those who screamed, cried "foul", and wanted to hang President Bush, or Vice President Cheney, all of sudden are deathly quiet to their POTUS when he is involved in actual corruption with his connection to ACORN, cronyism, and graft. Whatever happened to that "evil" corporation Halliburton and the "investigations" that were supposed to take place after the election? Oh wait, they gave Obama and other Democrats huge campaign contributions, more than they ever gave Bush! Who has taken more vacations in the first nine months, Bush or Obama? (Obama - 4, Bush 1, Please do not make the stupid idiotic mistake like the Huffington Post does of thinking that going to Camp David or the Crawford Ranch was always a vacation, he was still working as does Obama when he goes to Camp David or Chicago, so I did not count these kind of days for either President.) Who has done more fund raising in the first nine months, Bush or Obama? (Obama - 24, Bush - 4) Who has played golf more in the first nine months, Bush or Obama? (Obama - 24, it took Bush 2 years to reach this number!) Who has held the most political private parties in the White House in the first nine months, Bush or Obama? (Obama - weekly, Bush - about 12) Who has appointed more "Czars" or personal advisers, Bush or Obama? (Obama - over 43 in the first nine months, Bush - less than 35 for his whole eight years in office.)

Read the following article by Michelle Malkin and honestly answer these two questions: 1) If you voted for Obama the first time, knowing all you do now about his policies, the perverts he picks for his "Czars," and how he has used old style Chicago backroom graft and payola, would you vote for him again? And, 2) Do you think Obama grafted his way into the White House?
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Friday, October 30, 2009
The Obama White House: Bundlers' Paradise
by Michelle Malkin

Like Capt. Renault in "Casablanca," I am shocked, shocked to discover that access peddling is going on in the Obama White House. Perks for deep-pocketed donors? Presidential meetings for sale? The stale Chicago odor of pay-for-play wafting from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Knock me over with a feather.

Despite the president's claimed distaste for the campaign finance practice known as "bundling" (rounding up aggregate contributions from friends, business associates and employees), the House of Obama has been a campaign finance bundlers' paradise from Day One. A new report by Matthew Mosk of The Washington Times just confirms the gob-smackingly obvious: It's business as usual in the era of Hope and Change. O's wealthiest Democratic donors have received lavish receptions, golf outings, bowling dates and movie nights with Obama.

And internal Democratic National Committee documents acquired by the Times reveal that "high-dollar fundraisers have been promised access to senior White House officials in exchange for pledges to donate $30,400 personally or to bundle $300,000 in contributions ahead of the 2010 midterm elections." Yup, they're just haggling over the price.

Many Obama bundlers have secured slots on federal advisory panels and commissions. Still more have benefited from the time-honored patronage tradition of rewarding political benefactors with ambassadorships. Clinton did it. Bush did it. And despite all his fantastical, Balloon Boy-level rhetoric of bringing a "new politics" to Washington, Obama's done it, too.

His ambassador to London, Louis Susman, is a Chicago crony with no diplomatic experience who bundled between $200,000 and $500,000 for Team Obama and is known as "The Vacuum Cleaner" for his fundraising prowess. His ambassador to France, entertainment mogul Charlie Rivkin, headed up Obama's California fundraising operations, raking in $500,000 for the campaign and another $300,000 for the inaugural. His ambassador to Spain, Boston moneyman Alan Solomont, also bundled the same amounts for the campaign and inaugural.

In June 2008, candidate Obama railed: "We need a president who will look out for the interests of hardworking families, not just their big campaign donors and corporate allies." Immediately after the speech, he headed to a campaign fundraiser at the Manhattan headquarters of Credit Suisse, one of the major investment companies caught up in the subprime lending debacle. President Obama collected $3 million last week at another Manhattan fundraiser after carping about Wall Street's "self-interestedness." Audacity is his middle name.

When Obama inveighs against Wall Street greed and politicians beholden to Big Business, remember this: The Wall Street gamblers that Obama and his wife carped about on the campaign trail shoveled money to his campaign hand over fist. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, hedge funds and private equity firms donated $2,992,456 to the Obama campaign in the 2008 cycle. No fewer than 100 Obama bundlers are investment CEOs and brokers: Nearly two dozen work for financial giants such as Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs or Citigroup.

Obama happily accepted more than $200,000 in bundled contributions from billionaire hedge-fund manager James Torrey, more than $100,000 in bundled contributions from billionaire hedge-fund manager Paul Tudor Jones and more than $50,000 in bundled contributions from billionaire hedge-fund manager Kenneth C. Griffin, chief executive officer of Citadel Investment Group in Chicago. Another notable: Chicago investment banker James Reynolds, who raised more than $200,000 for the Obama campaign while chief executive of Loop Capital Markets. The municipal bond specialist was a longtime friend of Obama's -- feting the rising star in his Hyde Park home and convincing friends and associates to open up their wallets more than a decade ago.

In 2003, USA Today reported, Reynolds was caught on FBI wiretaps arranging what prosecutors called a "sham" consulting contract with a gal pal of a Philadelphia mayoral adviser. After the conversations, Reynolds snagged $300,000 in no-bid city contracts for Loop Capital Markets. City officials went to jail over the scam. Reynolds skated. The Obama campaign's only statement? "Jim Reynolds has admitted that he made mistakes, but he has not been charged with any wrongdoing."

Fortunately for Obama bundlers who may find themselves in legal trouble in the future, Clinton-era donor-maintenance fixer Eric Holder (who oversaw the pardon for fugitive financier Marc Rich) is guarding the henhouse at the Justice Department.

Every corner of the Obama administration is stuffed with crony moneybags. Take the first lady's social secretary, Desiree Rogers. More than a party planner, she's a fundraising machine in her own right. According to left-wing watchdog Public Citizen, Rogers bundled more than $200,000 for Obama and contributed $28,500 to Democratic committees. Rogers' ex-husband, John W. Rogers Jr., chief executive of multibillion-dollar Ariel Capital Management, played basketball with Michelle O's brother, Craig Robinson, at Princeton. Mr. Rogers also served as a campaign finance bundler for Team Obama -- and hung with Obama in the White House on Super Bowl Sunday.

An indignant White House says this is about "friendship," not influence peddling. But as Obama himself noted in 2007: "It is no coincidence that the best bundlers are often granted the greatest access, and access is power in Washington."

Indeed, the Obama White House policy can be summed up in four words: No Bundler Left Behind.