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A message from 10 years ago which is most relevant for today

God’s message for these dark days

What is our message in these dark days?

“Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon,” Jeremiah 37:17.

I must tell you a story about this text. It was the text the Lord laid on my heart for the welcome home rally held in the hills of Dundonald when Dr P, Rev JW and myself, a ministerial student, came out of prison in 1966. The rally was held on Lord’s Day, 23rd October, some four days after our release. There were approximately 25,000 people in attendance.

I had jotted down a few thoughts, an outline, in the margin of my Bible. When I was called upon to speak, I announced my text and started to speak. When I glanced down at my notes, the wind had turned over some pages of my Bible. Strange as it may seem, I could not remember the chapter my text was in! I asked the Lord to help me and I strongly felt that I was to forget looking for the text and my brief notes and trust the Lord for words. This I did!

Afterwards, Dr Bob Jones Jr said to me: “I pity you son! Most men begin their ministry with small numbers and hopefully build up. You have started with a multitude, the like of which you most likely will never again address!” I think that he was correct.

I want to turn to that text which I sought to preach upon some 48 years ago and which I have never preached upon since though I have often meditated upon it.

The blasphemous bletherings of a fool!

I just had to respond to this article from today’s ‘Belfast Newsletter’, sent to me by a friend.

The writer, John Coulter, the son of a Presbyterian minister, shows yet again the moulding of his thinking under the modernistic and liberal theology he would have been placed under in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, a church now embracing in various degrees all the immoral and God-dishonouring practices of the world-wide apostasy!

His articles invariably carry at the end this little statement: ‘Dr John Coulter has been a journalist since 1978’! I can tell you he has been an ‘eejit’ a lot longer!

What he says in this article, and employing a modern ‘perversion’ of the Scriptures in order to give the appearance of having support for his nonsensical views, is a direct denial of what the Bible in truth teaches.

In so doing he maintains his track record!!

1. He calls the Bible view of modest appearance a ‘draconian view’. In other words, ‘harsh and severe’. That is a very dangerous thing to say of the Word of God.

2. He then goes further and states that it was ‘very misogynistic’ for all women to have their heads covered in any place of worship. That was and still is the command of God. “‭Every‭ man‭ praying‭‭ or‭ prophesying‭‭, having‭‭ ‭his‭ head‭ covered‭, dishonoureth‭‭ his‭ head‭.‭ ‭But‭ every‭ woman‭ that prayeth‭‭ or‭ prophesieth‭‭ with ‭her‭ head‭ uncovered‭ dishonoureth‭‭ her‭ head‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ (her husband)‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭: for‭ that is‭‭ even‭ all one‭ as if‭ she were shaven‭‭,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ 1Corinthians 11:4-5.

I preached on this portion back in 1995.

Here are links to two sermons on the subject and the notes that accompanied them. I was preaching against the very views that Coulter is here espousing!

Read sermon notes here

3. The man shows himself a fool by thinking that the abandoning of God’s Word and substituting it with man’s notions is how to fill pews! I dare say that he is ignorant of the Saviour’s words to those of a similar ilk to himself back some 2000 years ago (there really is nothing new under the sun! Ecclesiastes 1:9). “Why‭ do ye‭ also‭ transgress‭‭ the commandment‭ of God‭ by‭ your‭ tradition‭?‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬” Matthew 15:3.

What Coulter would have the Christian do is abandon God’s Word and take up his silly theory for advancing the cause of the gospel.

Silly indeed, and more than that, it is to think that by abandoning God’s Word we can fulfil God’s will and purpose and see His blessing descend upon such disobedient assemblies!

As I said, the poor man is a fool!

Below is a picture of his article.

Sincerely in Christ’s name,

Ivan Foster
23rd August 2024

Logos Ministries International — Is This The Final Straw???

An open letter to all Free Presbyterians from Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)

Free Presbyterian Church ministers have publicly associated themselves with ‘Logos Ministries International’ and three of them have stated their approval of what it was Mr Danny Roberts (who is, I understand, a member of Ballynahinch Free Presbyterian Church) said in response to my setting out the fellowship and cooperation with ecumenical churches here and abroad and also the organisations that promote and endorse Roman Catholic doctrines, that he and the LMI are openly engaged with.

In his response to my article on the LMI, Mr Roberts at no point denied that he and LMI are involved with ‘ecumenical churches’ here in Northern Ireland or in many other places.

He did, however, attack me stating that I am engaged in tearing down ‘the church and God’s people’ and ‘spreading false information’. I am a liar in other words.

He clearly insinuated that I spread hate and false information, as well as being unbiblical in my dealing with him and blasting other believers online for the world to see.

He also indicated that he would have nothing to do with ‘mixing with Catholics’ and that I was therefore accusing him falsely.

I set out in detail in a further article, just how false these denials were and that the internet is full of clear documentary evidence that Mr Roberts and the LMI organisation have very close links with and are in a working relationship with ecumenical churches and those who promote Roman Catholic doctrine.

Mr Roberts has put on record that he is not going to reply to my third article: ‘Logos Ministries International attack answered!’

Now why is that?

Might I suggest that it is because HE CANNOT TRUTHFULLY ANSWER THE ARTICLE.

The facts of his unscriptural associations and activities are displayed repeatedly on the internet – put there by him and his associates!

Since I mounted on the ‘Burning Bush’ my third article, many Christians, who did their own research, sent me links of the unorthodox religious alliances that Mr Roberts and the LMI have formed! (more…)