Portrait of a Mooch-in-ary

Missionary Vince Larue (photo courtesy of YouTube)

Vince Larue is a phony missionary who exemplifies everything that is wrong with IFB missions. He is the quintessential false teacher and a lazy “moochinary.” Before Larue was sent out as a missionary, he admitted that he had never made more than ten dollars an hour, but he is doing a lot better financially these days thanks to IFB churches across America.

Larue is not a church planter or the pastor of a church, and he doesn’t exactly have a reputation for knocking a lot of doors. He was basically sent out to attend a Ruckmanite college to learn Spanish, which he had supposedly already learned. I guess he needed to be trained to better articulate Ruckman’s bizarre teachings in the exact Chilean dialect.

The people at the church Larue attends in Chile might be surprised to hear that “Vicente,” as he calls himself on Facebook, was overheard saying in front of a few people that, “Hispanic people just don’t understand the Bible.” This was said in the context of a conversation about Spanish Bible versions. LaRue hates the Reina Valera Gomez version and has called its translator, Dr. Humberto Gomez, a "gringo." Vince has also criticized my good friend, Pastor Roger Jimenez, rudely calling into question his intelligence. Ironically, Larue seems to have a disdain for Spanish-speaking Christians.

The people of Chile need the gospel, and Vince LaRue wants you to think he’s the great white hope that’s going to save them. He wants you to think he has a special burden for South Americans, but I doubt that's the case. The truth is that Valdivia, Chile, happens to be home to a Ruckmanite college, which was the real reason Larue was conveniently “called” to that location. For all we know, that could be the only Ruckmanite school on foreign soil.

In a recent missions letter, Larue laments the fact that his tracts are getting wet and cites rain as his "most consistent adversary." Why doesn’t he focus on actually talking to people? To be honest, I’m glad he doesn’t do much one-on-one witnessing because Vince is not even saved. I have had discussions with him in the past where he has said some pretty weird stuff. The guy is an extreme hyper-dispensationalist who has told me that people in the Old Testament could lose their salvation by shaving their beards.

Vince doesn’t just believe in dispensational salvation. Like most sign-holding street preachers, he preaches that you must repent of your sins to be saved. He mocks the true Gospel, calling it “neutered” and compares independent Baptists who preach right on salvation to Billy Graham. He has talked out of both sides of his mouth about repentance with me and others in the past, but he has recently come out as a full-blown repent-of-your-sins preacher by calling the free gift of salvation a “false gospel.”

“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Matthew 12:34

Of course there are some legitimate missionaries out there winning souls, but unfortunately, there are plenty of others who are as bad as Vince Larue. Unless you are a socialist who wants to pay anyone and everyone to go to school, you probably don’t want the money you put in the offering plate to feed greedy missionaries who teach works salvation. Friends, please get to know the missionaries you support, and pull the plug on Larue and others like him.

“Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” Philippians 3:19

Here is a sermon on Common Sense Missions.

Toronto Canada Soul-winning Event

The soul-winning marathon in Toronto was our first ever event in Canada, and it was a huge success in a lot of ways. Several Canadians, especially my friends Rob and Shane in Toronto, have been faithfully attending soul-winning marathons here in the U.S., and they have been trying to get me up there to Canada for a long time. They finally talked me into it, even though I thought there was a pretty good chance that I wouldn't be allowed to enter Canada.

If the U.K. and South Africa didn’t let me in, it didn’t seem like Canada would either, based on the Canadian government’s reputation for being extremely liberal. Soul-winning marathons are about preaching the Gospel, which is not illegal there, but I was still expecting them to ban me like those other places had.

When I got to the airport, they scanned my passport and put some special markings on it. They took me aside and searched me, and I was thoroughly interrogated. They asked if there was any “hate propaganda” on my computer, and I said, “It’s possible, depending on what you mean by that.” I explained that we weren’t going to be displaying or handing out anything like that, but I really thought it was over at that point because there were videos on my personal computer that many would consider controversial.

They asked for my passwords, and they took my phone and laptop into another room for about 45 minutes to go through the files on my personal devices. Apparently, there was nothing that offended them because after scouring my computer and phone, they just came back and let me through.

On that first Thursday we just had fun and saw the sights. Friday was the soul-winning marathon, which started in the morning. The forecasts predicted a high chance of rain and thunderstorms all day, but the rain held off until after the marathon. We said we were going to quit at 4:30 in the afternoon, and right at 4:30 there was a torrential downpour. My soul-winning partner and I were standing under a roof talking to someone when the storm finally came, so that worked out well.

I had been booked to preach that night in a hotel conference room. Over 100 people showed up, and the title of my sermon was “Emphasizing What God Emphasizes.” We performed baptisms afterward in the hotel swimming pool, and a total of 29 people got baptized, which was a new record for a soul-winning marathon.

There was a great spirit among the Canadian Christians up there. In fact, a total stranger actually approached us in Panera Bread right before we left for soul winning, saying she wished she was a part of our group because we had such great energy! She was a Christian lady who ended up going to the Babylon USA movie the next day. There were more than 90 people at the movie on Saturday morning, including several who were not able to take off work for the soul winning event the day before. I met a lot of great people during my visit that I hope to see again.

The Bible says, “Mine eye affecteth mine heart,” and I believe that it was God’s will for me to go to Canada. You can hear about a place, but it’s always different to actually see and experience it. God really gave me a burden for the people of Canada. Canada is a melting pot, and we were able to talk to people from all over the world. The totals for the trip were over 90 people out soul winning, 46 people saved, and 29 baptized. The people were much more receptive than I expected, and I am hoping to be able to go back and do more work there in the future.

Here is a sermon inspired by the people I met in Canada called "The Righteous Remnant."

New Thessalonians Series DVD Set

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

You are probably familiar with the above passage, but did you know that every chapter of 1 & 2 Thessalonians mentions the second coming of Christ? We now have a brand new DVD set available called “The Books of the Thessalonians.” This set of two DVDs goes through the eight chapters of 1 and 2 Thessalonians with an emphasis on end-times prophecy. In the sermons included on these DVDs, I go through each chapter verse by verse, leaving no stone unturned.

The Thessalonians series is a great companion to the Revelation series, which was produced back in 2013. If you have already watched that series, this is the one to watch next to take your understanding of Bible prophecy to the next level. This new DVD set demolishes the pre-tribulation rapture using 1 and 2 Thessalonians alone.

Director and producer, Paul Wittenberger, really hit it out of the park with this one. There are multiple camera angles and plenty of Bible verse graphics and other interesting graphics. These extras really enhance the sermons, creating an enjoyable viewing experience that will even hold a child’s attention. Like several previous DVDs I’ve been involved in producing, “The Books of the Thessalonians” includes the plan of salvation after the credits.

This set would make the perfect gift for an unsaved friend or family member who is interested in end-times prophecy. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t hear about someone who got saved after watching one of our videos. If you know someone who is saved, but is “pre-trib,” this series is also for them because it debunks that false teaching. This puts the final nail in the coffin of the pre-trib rapture!

The shelves are stocked here at Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona with this exciting new DVD set. The Books of the Thessalonians can be picked up for free here at our church or, if you live too far away to come visit, you can purchase it from Paul Wittenberger on his website: Framingtheworld.com

Click here to watch the official trailer.

Shyness is No Excuse

“And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,” Ephesians 6:19

The fact that the Apostle Paul had this prayer request means that there is a tendency for us not to want to go soul winning. What we all need is more boldness. To be bold means to be courageous as opposed to timid or shy. I hear people making excuses that they are not a good speaker or not talented, but what it boils down to is shyness, and that’s no excuse not to go soul winning.

There are people in our church who go soul winning consistently every week that are some of the shyest people in the church. They’re effective. They’re doing it every week, and they’re getting person after person saved, making a major difference for the cause of Christ.

One reason you might lack boldness is that some people act like you’re imposing on them. Don’t let that get to you because you aren’t imposing at all. They’re on their way to Hell. You have every right to be there because you are an ambassador for Christ. You were sent there by the God of the universe to try and save them from a deadly disease.

That said, don’t be prideful, arrogant, or obnoxious. You can be bold and still be meek. If they aren’t interested, tell them to have a great day and leave, but the point is that more people will listen to you when you exude confidence. Expect them to be interested, and they just might be.

We all feel shy inside at times, but when you show up at a door acting shy or awkward, it makes the person feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, when you speak up and look people in the eye, it helps them realize you know what you are talking about.

If you are still feeling nervous at every door, you probably don’t go soul winning often enough. The more you do it, the bolder you will become. Anybody can be a soul winner. I’ve seen people stammer and stutter and still get people saved because the Holy Spirit does the work. Those people are going to have great rewards in Heaven, and that could be you, too. Just pray for boldness, and then get out there and do it. Like the Apostle Paul, you too can be a “chosen vessel” used by God.

Here is a sermon called "Getting Started Soul-winning."