Ivan Foster retired as a minister of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster in November 2008. He had formed a number of Free Presbyterian congregations in the west of Ulster and pastored two of them, Lisbellaw/Bethel congregation from 1967-1976 and Kilskeery congregation from 1978 until his retirement. He has preached quite extensively in Canada and the USA, having links with the formation of the church in Newtown Square, Pa. The congregation outgrew its premises and relocated to nearby Malvern, during the pastorate of Rev John Greer.
He lives with Ann his wife, whom he married on 8th March 1968, in Kilskeery, a village in which his paternal great-grandmother was born and where his paternal forebears resided for three previous generations at least.
He has continued to preach in Kilskeery Independent Christian School, (pioneered by Mrs Ann Foster from its foundation in 1979 until her retirement as Principal in 2008) at the school assemblies twice a week, though now as he is about to reach his 80th birthday, he has reduced that to once a week, though he continues to write articles for ‘The Burning Bush’ as the Lord gives opportunity. He also preaches occasionally at Sabbath services.
Ivan has written 1336 articles so far, you can find them below.
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD,” Psalm 40:1-3.
The word ‘patiently’ in the verse is one that refers to a ‘looking with expectancy and a lying quietly waiting’. Prayer often entails a ‘waiting’. Over against that, we must remember that the Lord has said: “before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear,” Isaiah 65:24. The commentator, John Gill has rightly said of these words: “That is, their desires shall be anticipated, God will see their needs, and He will impart to them the blessings which they need. He will not wait to be applied to for the blessing. How many such blessings do all His people receive at the hand of God! How ready is He to anticipate our needs! How watchful is He of our necessities; and how rich His benevolence in providing for us!”
General Rule
I think that we can say that such speedy answers are the exception to the general rule. “Waiting” is a time of preparation for the believer. Their desire for God’s blessing is heightened during the waiting. An awareness of their need is pressed in upon those praying and they are made to recognise their own helplessness and utter dependence on God’s mercy.
Swift answers come to those who are in a right state of heart and mind to receive mercy.
This is illustrated in the account of the death and resurrection of Lazarus, John 13:3-7. “Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.”
That two day wait was for a purpose. There was a readying of Martha and Mary.
The verses I have quoted from Isaiah 65 come from a passage which relates to the future changes that God will bring about amongst His ancient people, Israel. At the end of this age, the remnant of Israel, humbled, broken and distressed by the events they endured during the ‘great tribulation’, will be visited by the grace of God and in a miraculous manner, they will be converted.
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn,” Zechariah 12:10.
And again, “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children,” Isaiah 66:8.
It is in this context that prayer is so swiftly answered. Those seeking the Lord’s blessing are so brought into union with the Lord and at one with God that they are thinking as one mind!
As the thought of a request is formed the answer to it is on its way.
Peter
I think the events featuring Peter walking on the stormy sea illustrates this. “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Matthew 14:30-31. Peter’s sinking down into the sea instantly brought him to a place of the awareness of his helplessness and danger and he cried with an unusual urgency and ‘immediately’ the Lord answered his prayer.
But to return to our subject: the blessings of patiently waiting on God.
I. THE LORD INCLINES TOWARD THE ONE PRAYING
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me . . .”.
The word means the Lord stretches out and bows down to hear the prayers of His people.
1. How faint and feeble are our prayers. The Lord underscores this by inclining toward us in order to hear our weak cries. As the approach of death robs a person of a strong voice so sin strangles our ability to ‘cry aloud’ in prayer. Sometimes our prayers are reduced to mere groanings. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered,” Romans 8:26. So weak are we that it is only by the help of the Holy Spirit that we are able even to groan!
2. The Lord is most attentive to hear our prayers. It is said of Samuel that “The LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground,” 1 Samuel 3:19. That is a reference to Samuel’s preaching. I believe that in like manner the Lord will not allow one word of our poor prayers to fall to the ground and lie unheard!
3. How precious to the Lord is even the weakest cry of the saint. Can we not see an eager response by the Lord and a reaching down so as not to miss one word of His child’s cry for help! In another place David prayed: “Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy,” Psalm 86:1. How often the Lord shows His love to us by hearing our feeblest cry!
This is a most welcome ‘Belfast Newsletter’ Editorial on the subject of the shift in ‘Abortion’ law here in Northern Ireland.
Stormont is rightly termed ‘cowardly’ for superintending such changes. Those who profess faith in Christ are to be particularly censured for their failure to mount a protest against such evil.
Political status and wages come before standing for the sanctity of life it would appear. Surely such remaining part of the legislative body which legalises the murder of the unborn make those who do so share in the guilt of that heinous crime!
Ivan Foster.
Editorial: Cowardly Stormont goes from an almost total ban on abortion to making it legal on demand, then placing sweeping restrictions on protests against such terminations
By Editorial
Published 17th May 2024, 00:15 BST
When same-sex marriage came into Northern Ireland, we were assured that churches would not be forced to bless such relationships.
While that principle remains largely intact, it has already been challenged and undermined within a few years of such marriages becoming legal so as to suggest that such a religious exemption is by no means guaranteed in the medium term (although radical activists who would merrily force Christian institutions to endorse such relationships would not dare to do the same with Islam).
When it comes to the horror of abortion, things are moving similarly quickly. Remember how only a few years ago we were told that legal reform was all about facilitating terminations in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and other exceptionally rare situations? Then in no time abortion on demand was on the statute books in Northern Ireland, a position that is legally far slacker than England and Wales, where there are stricter (albeit largely theoretical) rules before a pregnancy can be carried out.
Not only have we moved to abortion on demand in the first third of a pregnancy, we have made it hard to so much as protest outside a clinic where such a revolting procedure is taking place. Two people have just been in court for such protests in Coleraine.
These anti protest laws demand such long distances between protest and clinic as to render almost useless the right of the demonstrator to make a point that might in fact be heard.
Intimidation of people entering clinics should of course be prohibited. But it is cowardly of Stormont to go from being a parliament where there was a big majority against any liberalisation of abortion laws at all to one that won’t even let people make public the reasonable view that terminating a pregnancy is the calculated snuffing out of an emerging human being.
On Saturday, 11th May, 2024 at 8pm around 40 believers assembled outside the Bannville Hotel in Banbridge to oppose the flagrant violation of God’s law that was due to take place by the so-called “Pleasure Boys” group from England.
There was a large media presence to capture footage of our witness and we endeavoured to exalt Jesus Christ and expose the vices of darkness with the Spirit’s help.
A section of the supporters who gathered with Rev Henderson to protest at the lewd show that so many were happy to brazenly be seen entering the hotel where it took place.
This photograph appeared in the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ but I have edited it for the newspaper superimposed some of the ‘lewd fellows of the baser sort’ (Acts 17:5) upon it.
We had a tremendous evening of gospel opportunity with even the proprietor of the Hotel coming outside and having a very keen ear for the gospel and all that we had to say about the event itself. Please pray for the many souls that were genuinely interested in what was said.
We were also asked for an interview with a local podcast that has a studio in a different area of the Bannville Hotel to comment on why we were protesting. Revs. Henderson and Smith spoke on the podcast for 30 or so minutes against the event that was taking place, the sanctity of marriage and the gospel of saving grace. Please pray that these means of sharing the gospel would be blessed by the Holy Spirit of God.
On Monday morning, we were encouraged to learn that an article in the Northern Ireland World published the story that the Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Council stepped in and said that “no nudity” was permitted. This was a tremendous victory as the sin-loving attendees had only come and paid for such obscenity and were reportedly left “disappointed”.
We count this as a victory to encourage our souls. We are told by the Saviour to be salt and light in this world. By the stand we make for Christ, we can see things done for God.
Rev. Daniel I. Henderson
I will only add that those “disappointed” by the restriction place upon the scandalous exhibition will find that an eternal disappointment awaits them when the stand before God to give an account of their open, shameless support for what amounted to an outrageous attack upon public decency.
What dreadful changes have come into Ulster with the decline of gospel knowledge and the fear of the Lord that ecumenical apostasy has brought upon us.
Here is a link to a video taken during the protest.
The Lord frustrates the enemy as they seek to mock the gospel witness protest but end up simply advertising the very thing they sought to ridicule. Apparently some 127,000 have viewed this video and it has been forwarded on to others some 4000 time!
These two sermons were preached yesterday in Coragarry Free Presbyterian Church, Co. Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland.
“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Matthew 24:3.
The subject of both were “A glorious light at the end of a long dark tunnel!”
Master of Philosophy, School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics
One policy area that differentiates the UUP and DUP sitting in the NI Executive at Stormont from the TUV (sitting in ‘opposition’ in the NI Assembly) is their respective positions on the funding, monitoring and regulation of NI third-level education sector. An examination of how the DUP and UUP administer the third-education sector, not only indicates differences between them as unionist parties sitting in government for two decades from the TUV, it also highlights (as a case study) a growing credibility problem that incrementally, year-after-year, impacts on the declining number of NI unionist voters, voting in Stormont Assembly elections. Essentially, if a political administration and system of government loses credibility, people cannot be enticed to vote for it. If the political representatives elected are incapable of satisfying the philosophical foundations and long-established principles of representative government, the democratic system will collapse. This historical fact is something that all NI political parties appear to have forgotten. Our inept NI unionist politicians ever dutiful to their party political leaders put at risk what remains of our liberal democracy.
Within GB over the last year, all the political partes have acknowledged that there are existential funding and sustainability problems in the GB university sectors. The dilemma for all the political parties is how best to tackle historical problems given the political importance of the sector and the rising cost of third-level education. As yet, no political party is publicly prepared to admit that the UK university sector has grown too-large and needs to be culled in order to allow for public investment in the (badly neglected) UK further education sector. The recent UK media disclosures of ‘back-door entry routes’, (or in other words, structured discrimination) into UK universities has galvanised Westminster, but not Stormont, into action. Stormont’s intransigence, or cowardice, to act in this policy matter, is similar to Stormont’s indecision during the 2020 Covid-19 crisis when NI lockdown policy was decided on only after Westminster had acted! Click to read more…
So ran the headline in a national daily newspaper today. The ugly grimace of the ‘Green Councillor’ at the centre of this controversy was pictured snarling out the Islamic catchphrase, so often used by terrorists with the intention of intimidation, ‘Allahu Akbar’. The words mean ‘god is the greatest’. The god referred to is the Islamic idol, known as ‘Allah’ and not the God of the Bible, Jehovah.
Mothin Ali, the pro-Gaza activist belligerently shouting out ‘Allahu Akbar’ following his election to Leeds City Council
We have thus the situation developing in the nation of those who come to the United Kingdom for reasons of bettering themselves from under the privations of an Islamic state but with the real agenda of destroying what remains of the Protestant heritage which has been enjoyed for centuries in this land.
In the early days of the New Testament Church, the enemies of righteousness were compelled to disguise themselves and their intentions and this is made plain by the warning of Jude in his epistle. “There are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ,” Jude 1:4.
However, those bent on destroying the remnants of gospel liberty left us in the United Kingdom, be they political or religious activists, need no disguise. They can come in with ‘trumpets blaring’, as do the Islamic councillors recently elected in England and who make no secret of their intention of imposing their perverted religious and political views on the nation.
These individuals care nothing for the culture or heritage of the land to which they have come. They are intent upon changing this nation, destroying this nation by imposing their own heathen notions upon it and reducing it to the impoverished state of the land from which they sought to escape.
Desolation is often the result of man’s wickedness. Photo by AJITH S on Unsplash.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE SAVIOUR’S RETURN FOR THE WORLD AND FOR THE NATION OF ISRAEL
Please read Psalms 46 and 47.
Upon reading these two Psalms on May 3rd, as part of my daily devotional Bible readings, my heart rejoiced afresh to read of God’s revelation of events that will take place at the end of the age when the Saviour returns.
Many commentators have attempted to apply these two Psalms to events in Israel’s past. That is not so. C H Spurgeon, in his ‘Treasury of David’ commentary has the following comment on verse 7 of Psalm 47:
‘For God is the King of all the earth’. The Jews of our Saviour’s time resented this truth, but had their hearts been right they would have rejoiced in it. They would have kept their God to themselves, and not even have allowed the Gentile dogs to eat the crumbs from under his table. Alas! how selfishness turns honey into wormwood. Jehovah is not the God of the Jews only, all the nations of the earth are, through the Messiah, yet to own him Lord.’ (The Treasury of David). He obviously saw a reference to the ‘future’ in these Psalms.
Three verses
Three verses in particular indicate that it is future events that are spoken of here.
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth,”Psalm 46:10.
“For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth,” Psalm 47:2.
“For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding,” Psalm 47:7.
These verses refer to that event set forth in Revelation 11:15.
“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”
It may be argued that the Lord is presently ‘King’ over all the earth. That is correct in a sense but it pleases God in His wisdom to ALLOW sinful man to live in defiance of His rule. BUT there is a day coming when the Lord will take to Himself the power and authority that are His and bring mankind UNDER His rule!
I. THE TIME OF THE EVENTS HERE REVEALED
There is a number of indications of when the events spoken of take place!
This is set down very clearly.
1. It is at a time of great and unusual terrestrial and celestial occurrences. The Psalm 46 particularly refers to most unusual occurrences in the natural world.
“Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah,” Psalm 46:2-3.
The saviour referred to such phenomena as taking place just prior to His return in glory and great power. Click to read more…
It was with great sadness we heard of the sudden home-call of Mrs Linda Ovadal, wife of Pastor Ralph Ovadal of Pilgrims Covenant Church, Monroe, Wisconsin, USA and mother of Gregory, Janet, Joy, and Thomas — and a grandmother to many grandchildren.
We offer our sincere sympathy for we have been close friends with the Ovadal family for many years and admire their uncompromising stand for the Lord Jesus Christ in these evil days.
We have experienced and enjoyed the kindness and Christian grace of Mrs Ovadal on our visits to their home.
May the Lord comfort all the family circle in this time of deep sorrow.
“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord,” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd) and the Foster family circle in Kilskeery, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD,” Psalm 40:1-3.
The word ‘patiently’ in the verse is one that refers to a ‘looking with expectancy and a lying quietly waiting’. Prayer often entails a ‘waiting’. Over against that, we must remember that the Lord has said: “before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear,” Isaiah 65:24. The commentator, John Gill has rightly said of these words: “That is, their desires shall be anticipated, God will see their needs, and He will impart to them the blessings which they need. He will not wait to be applied to for the blessing. How many such blessings do all His people receive at the hand of God! How ready is He to anticipate our needs! How watchful is He of our necessities; and how rich His benevolence in providing for us!”
General Rule
I think that we can say that such speedy answers are the exception to the general rule. “Waiting” is a time of preparation for the believer. Their desire for God’s blessing is heightened during the waiting. An awareness of their need is pressed in upon those praying and they are made to recognise their own helplessness and utter dependence on God’s mercy.
Swift answers come to those who are in a right state of heart and mind to receive mercy.
This is illustrated in the account of the death and resurrection of Lazarus, John 13:3-7. “Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.”
That two day wait was for a purpose. There was a readying of Martha and Mary.
The verses I have quoted from Isaiah 65 come from a passage which relates to the future changes that God will bring about amongst His ancient people, Israel. At the end of this age, the remnant of Israel, humbled, broken and distressed by the events they endured during the ‘great tribulation’, will be visited by the grace of God and in a miraculous manner, they will be converted.
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn,” Zechariah 12:10.
And again, “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children,” Isaiah 66:8.
It is in this context that prayer is so swiftly answered. Those seeking the Lord’s blessing are so brought into union with the Lord and at one with God that they are thinking as one mind!
As the thought of a request is formed the answer to it is on its way.
Peter
I think the events featuring Peter walking on the stormy sea illustrates this. “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Matthew 14:30-31. Peter’s sinking down into the sea instantly brought him to a place of the awareness of his helplessness and danger and he cried with an unusual urgency and ‘immediately’ the Lord answered his prayer.
But to return to our subject: the blessings of patiently waiting on God.
I. THE LORD INCLINES TOWARD THE ONE PRAYING
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me . . .”.
The word means the Lord stretches out and bows down to hear the prayers of His people.
1. How faint and feeble are our prayers. The Lord underscores this by inclining toward us in order to hear our weak cries. As the approach of death robs a person of a strong voice so sin strangles our ability to ‘cry aloud’ in prayer. Sometimes our prayers are reduced to mere groanings. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered,” Romans 8:26. So weak are we that it is only by the help of the Holy Spirit that we are able even to groan!
2. The Lord is most attentive to hear our prayers. It is said of Samuel that “The LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground,” 1 Samuel 3:19. That is a reference to Samuel’s preaching. I believe that in like manner the Lord will not allow one word of our poor prayers to fall to the ground and lie unheard!
3. How precious to the Lord is even the weakest cry of the saint. Can we not see an eager response by the Lord and a reaching down so as not to miss one word of His child’s cry for help! In another place David prayed: “Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy,” Psalm 86:1. How often the Lord shows His love to us by hearing our feeblest cry!
“ . . . . thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived,” Revelation 18:23.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime issued a report in 2023 on the subject of drugs.
Here are some extracts from that report.
“New data put the global estimate of people who inject drugs in 2021 at 13.2 million, 18 per cent higher than previously estimated. Globally, over 296 million people used drugs in 2021, an increase of 23 per cent over the previous decade. The number of people who suffer from drug use disorders, meanwhile, has skyrocketed to 39.5 million, a 45 per cent increase over 10 years.
The Report features a special chapter on drug trafficking and crimes that affect the environment in the Amazon Basin, as well as sections on clinical trials involving psychedelics and medical use of cannabis; drug use in humanitarian settings; innovations in drug treatment and other services; and drugs and conflict.
The World Drug Report 2023 also highlights how social and economic inequalities drive – and are driven by – drug challenges; the environmental devastation and human rights abuses caused by illicit drug economies; and the rising dominance of synthetic drugs.
The demand for treating drug-related disorders remains largely unmet, according to the report. Only one in five people suffering from drug-related disorders were in treatment for drug use in 2021, with widening disparities in access to treatment across regions.
Illicit drug economies (are) accelerating conflicts, human rights abuses, and environmental devastation.
The drug economy in the Amazon Basin is exacerbating additional criminal activities – such as illegal logging, illegal mining, illegal land occupation, wildlife trafficking and more – damaging the environment of the world’s largest rainforest. Indigenous peoples and other minorities are suffering the consequences of this crime convergence, including displacement, mercury poisoning, and exposure to violence, among others. Environmental defenders are sometimes specifically targeted by traffickers and armed groups.
While the war in Ukraine has displaced traditional cocaine and heroin routes, there are signs that the conflict could trigger an expansion of the manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, given the existing know-how and the large markets for synthetic drugs developing in the region.
In the Sahel, (hot semi-arid climate that stretches across the southernmost latitudes of North Africa – Editor) the illicit drug trade finances non-state armed and insurgency groups, while in Haiti, drug traffickers take advantage of porous borders to bolster their businesses, fuellSing the country’s multiplying crises.”
Long before men realised the growing curse that drug addiction was becoming, the Lord told us that such substance abuse would become an ‘industry’ in the last days, the means of deceiving and blinding the inhabitants of the earth to the eternal truth of God and the everlasting damnation that the rejection of the gospel will bring.
In our text above we have mention made of ‘merchants’, ‘great men’, ‘sorceries’ and ‘deception’. (more…)
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD,” Psalm 40:1-3.
This is a most welcome ‘Belfast Newsletter’ Editorial on the subject of the shift in ‘Abortion’ law here in Northern Ireland.
