PASTOR JEFF PINDER TRYING "SERVANT (STEALTH) EVANGELISM" TO BOOST CHURCH GROWTH~FALSE CONVERTS ARE THE PRODUCT

As we showed in our previous posts, Jeff Pinder, senior pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Wilmington, Delaware, is not about to give up trying to attract the unregenerate to this church using worldly, carnal and flat out apostate sources, albeit mixed with a paucity of Scripture, Southern Baptist style. As we showed, Pinder claims to have had no interest in joining the Southern Baptist Convention, but has ties to it, besides affiliating several start up churches in the South all with the Convention for reasons unknown. We have suspected that he will eventually convince Faith Baptist of the enormous benefits, as he sees them, of affiliating with the SBC. Of course, we have shown that there are drawbacks, not benefits, in such a relationship. See our previous posts:
http://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2013/01/amended-southern-baptist-convention.html, and:
http://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2013/07/jeff-pinder-pastor-of-faith-baptist.html
http://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2013/08/pastor-pinder-draws-on-yet-another.html
    Now, he has invited the popular Dr. David Wheeler to Faith Baptist http://www.fbcwilmington.com/, to spin his magic for two days enthralling the unsuspecting and gullible church members with a new kind of evangelism they never heard of in liberal dumbed down Delaware, i.e., "Servant Evangelism", a form of social gospel which is supposed to spoon feed, impress and soften the hard, unregenerate towards "Christianity" of the unoffensive variety, of course. This is a kind of evangelism that eliminates or hides sin and repentance under a cool, non-judgmental, "grace-filled", "God loves you, no matter what" load of pure heresy, typical of the emergent churches where the real gospel takes a back seat to feel good entertainment at its best.
See David Cloud's explanation of the need for true biblical repentance here:
http://www.wayoflife.org/index_files/repentance_in_evangelism.html
Also see John MacArthur's teaching on repentance:
http://www.gty.org/resources/Articles/A238/Repentance-in-the-Gospel-of-John

    David Wheeler

So who is David Wheeler and why have him come to a dying church in Delaware? To start, he is described at a U.K. site, 

http://www.re-vived.com/index.php?main_page=artist_info&aID=1391 as:
"David Wheeler serves as a Professor of Evangelism for Liberty University and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition, he has served as Senior Pastor of three growing churches in Tennessee and Texas, as an Associate Professor of Evangelism and Church Planting at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and as a Director of Evangelism for the Ohio and Indiana Baptist Conventions. David is the co-author of several books including ‘Evangelism Is’, ‘Great Commission to Worship’ and ‘Minister to Others’. He has been married to his wife Debbi for nearly 30 years and has two girls, Dana and Kara, who are both students at Liberty University."
VIDEOS of David Wheeler in action:

Becoming a Servant:

http://vimeo.com/8676802

Greatest Day: Sharing Christ:

http://vimeo.com/8679036

Dr. David Wheeler:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehed2ZYwv5A

David Wheeler - Liberty University Convocation:

Published on Oct 22, 2012

On October 19, 2012 at Convocation, North America's largest weekly gathering of Christian students, Dr. David Wheeler, Professor of Evangelism for both Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and Liberty University, spoke to students, parents, and families during Fall Family Weekend about whether God can be trusted.
Dr. Wheeler teaches the freshmen "Evangelism and Christian Life" classes, as well as the "Contemporary Evangelism" classes at the graduate level for the seminary; and two Ph.D. seminars on the "Theology of Evangelism" and the "Theology of Spiritual Awakenings."
Dr. Wheeler serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Ministry Training and is the Director of Applied Ministries. He also represents the North American Mission Board on campus as a recruiter for Church Planting and student internships.

Dr. David Wheeler-Liberty Baptist Theological 

Seminary Chapel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiQEb-ZCqDo

David Wheeler (03/07) - Liberty University Campus Church:P

Published on Mar 9, 2012

Dr. David Wheeler, a Professor of Evangelism for both Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and Liberty University, spoke on March 7, 2012 at Campus Church on becoming a game changer.
Dr. Wheeler is most know at Liberty by the freshmen "Evangelism and Christian Life" classes. He serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Ministry Training and is the Director of Applied Ministries. He also represents the North American Mission Board on campus as a recruiter for Church Planting and student internships.
Campus Church is a weekly gathering that connects students with their Creator through passionate worship and powerful messages firmly rooted in Biblical truth. Campus Church takes place every Wednesday at 7:30pm at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA.

David Wheeler (03/18) - Liberty University Campus Church:

David Wheeler (3/27) - Liberty University Campus Church:

David Wheeler (9/11) - Liberty University Campus Church:

And what is "Servant Evangelism"?

A very good explanation has already been given here:

http://www.churchleaders.com/outreach-missions/outreach-missions-how-tos/139572-servant-evangelism.html
EXCERPTS:
"“Servant evangelism basically enables the congregation to engage their own community,” he says. “It puts into practice the scripture that says the kindness of God leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4). As we show kindness to people by showing God’s love in a practical way, it draws them closer to God.”"
 "That servant-style evangelism (servantevangelism.com) shies away from an immediate, direct presentation of the Gospel draws some criticism. Is there a risk that someone who is touched only by a servant evangelism outreach may never again come into contact with the Gospel? How does washing windows for someone without telling him or her about Christ actually lead to salvation?"
    Another website, http://www.summit.org/resources/the-christian-worldview/evangelism-20-works-without-words/, points out the connection to Luis Palau Association, which we also posted about recently at: http://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2013/11/ecumenical-luis-palau-sons-ministry.html

EXCERPT:
"A recent column in USA Today entitled "Evangelism 2.0" admired the "Season of Service" taking place in what is being called "Jesus' Favorite City," Portland, Oregon, where the Luis Palau Association and other churches and religious organizations are partnering together with secular groups like homosexual mayor Sam to help the city's poor and downcast.
According to the article, the homeless are being fed and clothed and given health care, schools are being repaired, and low-income students are being supported and mentored.
Kevin Palau, executive vice president of the Luis Palau Association, emphasized that this "servant evangelism" is with "no strings attached," meaning that proselytizing or communicating the gospel of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ will be left out unless asked.
Is this "works without words" a biblically correct method by which evangelism should be pursued? What's more important in evangelism: works or words or both? Can someone be saved just by seeing or receiving "good works"?"

Steve Sjogren 

http://www.stevesjogren.com/ 

http://www.conspiracyofkindness.com/ 

http://www.kindness.com/ 

STEVE SJOGREN'S ORIGINS:

THE VINEYARD CINCINNATI, OHIO CHURCH

SEE: https://vineyardcincinnati.com/history

EXCERPTS:

"Steve Sjogren's vision for an outward focused church continued to take shape. Steve wondered how else we could share God's love in tangible ways. How could we share God's kindness with an entire city? In 1985, we held our first free car wash. And in the years to come, we experimented with all kinds of ideas-from gift wrapping, to handing out Cokes, to scrubbing toilets-all for free. All to show God's love in practical, powerful ways."

 "Routine surgery scheduled for senior pastor Steve Sjogren became nearly fatal."

Also: Vineyard Church in Bowling Green, Ohio: "Free Snacks, Hugs & Food":

http://www.vineyardchurchinbg.com/Servant-Evangelism.html

Also:  CFC Servant Evangelism Hot Dog Ministry:

http://vimeo.com/47210285 

Also: Interview of Sjogren with audio: http://yourchristianlifematters.com/sjogren.html,

reprinted in full below unedited for educational, informational & research purposes; bold type is ours for emphasis:

It was a beautiful winter’s day, showing no signs of what was to come. Our guest today, Steve Sjogren, pastor of one of America’s fastest growing churches, went into the hospital for routine gall bladder surgery and died—twice. What began as a tragic medical accident led to Steve’s encounter with death, an experience of unimaginable peace and some surprises, with comforting words from God, a meeting with an angel, and seeing those who had died before him.

In his book, “The Day I Died”, Steve writes about his unforgettable story and catches a glimpse of the hereafter. You will discover how he learned a myriad of lessons about hearing God’s voice in times of crisis, how he came to trust God in a new way during the recovery process and how his life has changed as a result of this experience.

Steve Sjogren launched the Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1985 with 37 people. Under his leadership, the dynamic congregation grew to more than 6000 in average attendance. From the onset VCC had a strong emphasis on servant evangelism, small groups, church planting and caring for the needy. Following a medical accident in 1997 and during his recovery, Steve became the Launching Pastor. Through the years the church planting internship program and Steve’s coaching efforts have produced several dozen successful church plants. Steve is currently focused on writing, speaking and mentoring church planters. Steve’s passion for evangelism, church planting and leadership development is reflected in his writing.

STEVE SJOGREN and his wife, Janie, have planted churches in Los Angeles, Baltimore and Cincinnati, and in Oslo, Norway. Launched in 1985, Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, grew from 30 to more than 6,000 weekly attenders. Steve currently writes, speaks and mentors church planters. He is the author of Conspiracy of Kindness and Changing the World Through Kindness, the coauthor of Community of Kindness and has written articles that have appeared in Charisma, New Man, Discipleship Journal and more. Steve, Janie and their three children live in Ohio.

"The cold voice of the anesthesiologist recited the typical ‘Count backward from 10’ routine. And darkness closed around me before I got to 7. That’s when I found out what it’s like to die—and to come back from the dead."

It was a beautiful winter’s day, showing no signs of what was to come. Steve Sjogren, pastor of one of America’s fastest growing churches, went into the hospital for routine gall bladder surgery and died—twice. What began as a tragic medical accident led to Steve’s encounter with death, an experience of unimaginable peace and some surprises, with comforting words from God, a meeting with an angel, and seeing those who had died before him.

In The Day I Died, you will read Steve Sjogren’s unforgettable story and catch a glimpse of the hereafter. Discover how he learned a myriad of lessons about hearing God’s voice in times of crisis, how he came to trust God in a new way during the recovery process and how his life has changed as a result of this experience. If you, or someone you know, are fearful of dying, curious about heaven or simply desiring to live life to its fullest, this encouraging book could change how you view life and death. 

___________________________________________________________

THE DAY I DIED

http://www.dayidied.com/ 

Steve Sjogren interviewed about The Day I Died:

 TBN Interview with Steve Sjogren on The Day I Died, pt. 1:

 TBN Interview with Steve Sjogren on The Day I Died, pt. 2:

 SERVANT EVANGELISM http://www.servantevangelism.com/

 ANOTHER INTERVIEW WITH SJOGREN:
http://www.graceandpeacemagazine.org/magazine/archived-issues/93-issue-fall-2012/298-servant-evangelism-an-interview-with-steve-sjogren

VIDEOS OF SJOGREN:

From the Church of the Nazarene channel on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/49321414

 Sjogren How to Get Servant Evangelism Started in Your Church:

 Uploaded on Apr 20, 2009

http://www.servecoachblog.com/ "Steve Sjogren shares ideas on how churches can start servant evangelism. Hundreds and hundreds of people emailed him saying that this was one of their top outreach challenges. Servant Evangelism is a simple, straightforward approach to sharing Gods love in simple, practical ways. In 1984, founding pastor Steve Sjogren and several people from the Vineyard Community Church loaded up bags of groceries and bought Christmas trees and took them to housing projects on the north side of Cincinnati. Out of this action was born a vision to reach the city of Cincinnati and the world by serving others with no strings attached. God is ultimately overseeing the process of evangelism in each person's life. We are the seed's fingers; He is the Master Gardener. God uses numerous connections to bring new children into His family. We are continually amazed at the diverse stories of conversion we hear from new believers. Every person is at a unique place in their gradual awakening to the love of Christ. Servant Evangelism draws everyone it touches closer to accepting Christ regardless of their own personal situation. In some cases we will be making initial contact with people. At other times we will be watering the seeds already sown by others. By itself Servant Evangelism is incomplete as an approach to sharing the gospel. Traditional approaches alone are also incomplete. By focusing on the earlier phases of planting and watering, deeds of kindness tenderize hearts; so they can later receive the message of God's love. We don't believe Servant Evangelism will work unless we also use more traditional approaches to actually harvest those accepting Christ. As we serve people, God will provide opportunities to explain the Gospel message and eventually pray a sinner's prayer with someone. Many useful aids have been developed for this purpose, including Evangelism Explosion, the Four Spiritual Laws, and Steps to Peace with God."

_________________________________________________________
COMPARE THE ABOVE TO THE TRIED AND TRUE TRADITIONAL GOSPEL EVANGELIZATION WHICH USES STREET WITNESSING, TRACTS, AND PERSONAL TESTIMONY, NOT LEAVING OUT THE SINFUL STATE OF MAN AND HIS NEED FOR A SAVIOR IN REPENTANCE TOWARDS GOD:
For example:
The 2013 "Open Air" Ministry Activities of Pilgrims Covenant Church, Monroe, Wisconsin, pastored by Ralph Ovadal:

http://www.pccmonroe.org/Updates/newsletter.htm

Dear Friends,

It has only been two months since our last newsletter update; but, since it is the end of one year and the start of the next, I thought a little summary of our public ministry efforts in 2013 might be in order. I should first mention that since our last update in November, we shared the gospel with tracts and Scripture signs at the WIAA high school football championships which are held at the UW football stadium in Madison. We gave out well over 1,000 of our Heaven or Hell tract to the fans, including busloads of young people. It is always such a blessing to share the way of salvation with young people.

We also witnessed at two different “holiday” events, one in Brodhead, Wisconsin and one in Monroe. In the first case, slow-moving, often bumper-to-bumper traffic on the main street of Brodhead (Hwy. 11) was exposed to one of our large double-sided Scripture signs. We also gave out our gospel booklet From Death unto Life to people arriving for a special outdoor event called Fire and Ice and held just off the main street. Though it was a very cold night, we felt greatly assured that the Lord blessed our gospel sowing. From Brodhead, we moved on to Monroe to stage a gospel witness on the square. The event was the annual holiday parade. Again, we set up a Scripture sign—in fact, on an elevated sidewalk where everyone in the area could read it and at a point where the parade came right at us, turning right in front of us. There were a number of young people in the parade, including a large high school choir on a flatbed truck. It was a blessing to know they all were given the gospel via that large Scripture sign. We also gave out our booklet From Death unto Life and Gospels of John.

I should also mention that, since our last newsletter, we sent free of charge 1,050 of our An Urgent Plea to Roman Catholics, Spanish version, to a trusted brother in the Chicagoland area for distribution in Spanish-speaking Roman Catholic neighborhoods.

On behalf of all of the members of Pilgrims Covenant Church, I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all who support the public ministry labors of this little church, both in prayer and with financial gifts to help fund the work. May the Lord bless and keep you all in the coming year, and may we all strive to be faithful and fruitful in His service.

Sincerely,

Ralph Ovadal

A Summary of PCC Public Ministry in 2013

For more detailed reports and pictures, see pccmonroe.org/2013/newsletters.htm.

March 2WIAA boys state team wrestling championships at the field house, Madison 
A team at each entrance, Scripture sign held at each door.
600 From Death unto Life booklets given out.

March 9WIAA boys state basketball championships at the Kohl Center, Madison
Three Scripture signs displayed. 
1,200 From Death unto Life booklets and an additional 150 other gospel tracts given out.

June 8Farmers’ marketThree Scripture signs displayed.
875 The Value of Our Souls tracts and 46 From Death unto Life booklets given out.

June 15-25College World Series in Omaha
Two of us from PCC joined our brethren in Omaha to witness at this multi-day event June 17-21.
Total PCC tracts and booklets given out: 7,850 Heaven or Hell; 239 From Death unto Life; 1,033The Value of Our Souls; 353 The Gospel of Your Salvation (TBS tract); 26 Gospels of John.
Several Scripture signs used.
Witness also in-between baseball games at the Old Market area with a good number of tracts given out.

July 13 Lafayette County Fair in Darlington Two Scripture signs displayed on a very busy highway bridge.

July 27Rock County Fair in JanesvilleScripture signs displayed at two intersections in front of the fairgrounds.
375 From Death unto Life booklets given out to fair-goers, and not a one was thrown on the ground.

August 15Our Lady of Good Help shrine, Champion Scripture signs displayed in front of the shrine. 
A good number of From Death unto Life booklets along with “Dear Roman Catholic” letters given out.
Some preaching as well as interaction with priests and “pilgrims.”
Roman Catholic newspaper the Compass included two pictures of some of our signs on its Flickr photostream. 
The Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Door County Advocate ran stories and included quotes from Pastor Ovadal.

August 17India Day in MadisonScripture sign displayed.
15 TBS Royal Ruby edition of the King James Version given out.
Close to 400 From Death unto Life booklets given out.

September 2
Labor Day parade in Janesville600 From Death unto Life booklets given out.

October 5Chili Cook-Off in MonroeScripture sign displayed.From Death unto Life booklets given out.

October 12 Badger homecoming game at Camp Randall (seats 83,000 people)Scripture sign displayed.
2,000 The Value of Our Souls tracts given out.

November 22 High school boys football championships at Camp RandallScripture sign displayed.
Well over 1,000 Heaven or Hell tracts given out.

December 6Brodhead holiday event and Monroe holiday parade Scripture sign displayed at both events.
From Death unto Life booklets and 16 Gospels of John given out.

Omaha events at which PCC tracts were given outU.S. Figure Skating championships 
State wrestling championships 
Creighton basketball game 
State basketball championships in Lincoln 
Annual meeting of Warren Buffet shareholders 
Nebraska state track meet 
College World Series
Pridefest event in Omaha 
A rock concert 
Two University of Nebraska football games 
Four Omaha high schools, including one Roman Catholic Jesuit school 
A sodomite rally in the Old Market area in Omaha 
New Year’s Eve in the Old Market area in Omaha 
Week-to-week, one-on-one gospel witness

Literature in 2013

We sent 19,030 tracts to our Omaha brethren in 2013.

We sent 1,050 Spanish Urgent Plea tracts for free to a brother in the Chicagoland area.

We sent 520 booklets to Andy Clarke, Salem Baptist Chapel, Peterborough, England for their week of evangelism at the end of September, beginning of October.

Lit Dropping  

Heaven or Hell tractBrodhead 
Darlington
Janesville
Milton 
Platteville
Verona 
Orangeville, Illinois
Warren, Illinois

The Value of Our Souls tract
Albany 
Argyle
Monticello
Winnebago, Illinois

The Gospel of Your Salvation tract
Ongoing in Monroe

What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality tract
Gillman, Illinois
Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa
Several other towns

___________________________________________________________________

SEE ALSO DAVID CLOUD'S ARTICLE ABOUT 

REPENTANCE, FALSE CONVERSIONS, AND 

"QUICK PRAYERISM":

http://www.wayoflife.org/index_files/sword_of_lord_and_carl_hatch.html

EXCERPT:
THE DANGER OF QUICK PRAYERISM
As I said in my article, I am thankful for many things the Sword has stood for through the years. I am thankful for the helpful things that I learned from Sword publications as a young Christian in the early 1970s that helped me personally, particularly the first year I was saved. But repentance and soul winning methodology is not a minor issue that can be treated as a “non-essential.”

The Independent Baptist churches that have adopted Quick Prayerism have produced probably millions of false professions. It is not uncommon that one percent and less of their “converts” demonstrate genuine salvation. There are many churches that can show only a handful of new creatures in Christ for every hundred or even thousand converts they claim. There is something extremely wrong with that picture. It is great confusion.

For decades I have observed the sad fruit of this technique: multitudes of false professions, confusion about salvation, indifference to biblical truth, agnosticism, reprobate living, failure to practice church discipline, and blasphemy against God. In many communities a large percentage of the population has prayed a sinner’s prayer under the ministry of churches practicing Quick Prayerism. VAST NUMBERS OF THESE HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN AGAIN AND THEY ARE NOW ALMOST INOCULATED AGAINST BIBLICAL SALVATION. When challenged about their lifeless spiritual condition, they commonly reply, “I have done that,” meaning they have prayed the sinner’s prayer and even been “given assurance” of eternal life. Since they were not told that God requires that they repent of their sin and idolatry, they are comfortable and self-assured that they have a ticket to Heaven. In fact, this soul winning package sometimes even provides them with a “spiritual birth certificate.”

Those who observe these things are made to think that salvation means little or nothing in relation to one’s manner of living, but nothing could be more unscriptural.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16).

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4).

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23).

I speak from extensive personal experience, beginning as a worker in the bus ministry of Highland Park Baptist Church, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and as a pastor of one of the Highland Park’s chapels in the mid-1970s, and as an Independent Baptist preacher and missionary ever since. 
________________________________________________________________