Lord’s Day 23rd October 1966 a ‘Welcome Home’ rally was attended by some 12,000 people to mark the release from the Crumlin Road prison of Rev Ian Paisley, Rev John Wylie and Rev Ivan Foster.
A section of the crowd gathered to welcome home the three ministers
Those truly were the beginning of revival days. Please read the article “A time to be remembered” located below and see something of God’s mercy and blessing upon a reproached people 50 years ago.
“To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen,” Jude 1:25. A feature article commemorating the 50th anniversary of the events that led up to and which followed after the 1966 imprisonment of Rev Ian Paisley, Rev John Wylie and Rev Ivan Foster for a term of 3 months in Crumlin Road Jail, Belfast.This account is compiled from reports in the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster’s magazine, “The Revivalist” and some reports from the “Belfast Newsletter” and the “Belfast Telegraph”.
I have put together this collection of articles which appeared in the Revivalist in 1966 and 1967, and one from 1968, as well as some newspaper accounts of the June 6th protest, led by the late Dr. Paisley. The parade consisted of some 200 Free Presbyterian men, woman and children. It processed from Ravenhill Church to the building where the annual General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church was taking place. The aim of the event was to honour God, contend for the faith and highlight the ecumenical apostasy of that denomination.
Such were the consequences of that night’s protest that the small Free Presbyterian church, hardly known outside of the six counties of Northern Ireland, became the subject of discussion, mostly derogatory, throughout Christendom! But much more important was the moving of the Spirit of God that became evident within the ranks of the Free Presbyterian church from that time.
God was pleased to work mightily amongst us, adding to our numbers many new congregations and hundreds of new converts.
Printed copies of this article are available – £5 + PP. Contact Rev Ivan Foster Email : kilskeery@gmail.com
Recordings now available!
Kilskeery Autumn Prophetic Conference
Theme: THE EUROPEAN UNION – Its Future, Fulness and its Fall
1. “The Embryo of Antichrist’s dominion” Preacher: Dr John Douglas
2. “The Enlarging of Antichrist’s dominion” Preacher: Rev Brian McClung
3. “The Extent of Antichrist’s dominion” Preacher: Mr Stephen Toms
4. “The End of Antichrist’s dominion” Preacher: Mr Stephen Toms
“And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,to make the land of Babylon a *desolation without an inhabitant,”
Jeremiah 51:29.
*The words ‘desolation without an inhabitant’ clearly indicate that this prophesy has not yet been fulfilled but its fulfilment lies in the future.
CD recordings of these messages are available free of charge.
Foreshadowing of the future – a warning for the EU
A message preached by Dr. John Douglas, in which he expounds the Bible’s teaching on the development of the kingdom of the Antichrist and the role that the European Union will play in that development.
We would ask our friends who do not share in our view of prophecy – premillennialism – to give serious consideration to this message.
(This message was given at the first meeting of 2000 of the Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony in London.)
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44).
When it comes to the study of prophecy, this subject is a very elementary one, yet it is a subject to which many give little thought. Many Christians have a general view of the return of Christ, that it is going to happen, but they are not well versed on what the Bible has to say about that glorious event. That ought not to be. It is a subject with which God’s people should be well acquainted.
It is clear from the Word of God that the Christians in the days of the apostles were very well taught about the return of Christ. Indeed, when Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he said he needed hardly to write on this subject as they knew about it perfectly (1 Thessalonians 5:2). It could be thought that those early believers would have had to learn so many subjects; that they were to be taught in doctrine of which they never had the slightest knowledge before the gospel came to them. Paul would have had to deal with the doctrine of God, His Person, His power, the mystery of the Trinity, and the inspiration of God’s Word. Although there was so much to teach, the apostle found time to tell those early believers about the second coming of the Lord and of the end times. Many ministers today would speak as if Paul had so much else to proclaim, that teaching about the return of Christ and the doctrine of eschatology could be left to a later generation. Read more or listen using the player below.
(A message preached at a teachers’ day of prayer in Portadown FPC, May 14th, 2016, by Rev Ivan Foster.)
“And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them,” Gen 26:18
This portion of God’s Word is illustrative of the ongoing struggle that each succeeding generation of believers must engage, in if they are to enjoy the benefits of the covenant of grace.
That which ensures that there is an ongoing struggle is the unchanging enmity of the enemies of God’s people. Conquered by one generation of believers, they will rise up to challenge the next. Isaac found this to be so. “The Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham”.
Here in Ulster, the establishing and successfully running of independent Christian schools is central to that ongoing struggle.
I wish to apply this portion of God’s Word to that aspect of God’s work in Ulster today. Read more…
An article by Rev. Ivan Foster (Written for a ‘pre-digital’ edition of The Burning Bush shortly after a third spell in jail in April 1986)
Rev. Ivan Foster was arrested at his church in Kilskeery in Co. Tyrone on Monday 21 April (1986) and taken to Crumlin Road Jail to serve a sentence of 14 days for refusing to pay a fine imposed upon him for his part in a protest against the R.U.C. carrying out Dublin’s orders to ban the Protestant parade in Castlewellan last July (1985). With full remission of sentence, and, because the Prison does not have weekend releases, Mr. Foster was set free on Friday 25 April. Read more…
[The slightly enlarged substance of a message preached in Kilskeery Free Presbyterian Church, 31st March 1991 by the then minister, Rev Ivan Foster.
At the service Bibles were distributed to the children of the congregation to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Free Presbyterian Church on March 17th 1951.]
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple,” Psalm 119:130.
As a church we revere the Bible. It is given a prominent place in our services and in our lives. We preach its doctrines and contend for its truths. To mark the fortieth year of our church we can think of no better memento to give to our children than a copy of the Bible.
The word BIBLE comes from a Greek word BIBLOS = The BOOK. This is the BOOK for us in Kilskeery. We hope it will become the BOOK of all the children and young people here tonight. Read more…or listen using the player below.
“Encounters with Christ”, by Ann Foster, is a Bible-based record of some notable miracles of healing wrought by the Saviour during His earthly ministry. He healed multitudes, giving sight to the blind, casting out devils, cleansing the lepers, causing the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the maimed to be whole, the palsied to recover and imparting life to the dead. These miracles were always accompanied by earnest prayer, a consciousness of need and faith on the part of the one who sought healing. They also illustrate vital gospel truth. Sinners are spiritually blind, controlled by Satan, unclean, lame, maimed, paralysed and dead as a result of sin and they desperately need the spiritual healing and deliverance which Christ alone can give. They too must come with a deep consciousness of their sin, earnestly seeking salvation and believing that Christ alone can save.
The book also details some notable conversations with individuals. Again gospel truth is illustrated. In the Lord’s conversation with the woman of Samaria, He revealed to her the depth of her iniquity and His identity as the Messiah. The sinner must realise and acknowledge his sin in the eyes of a holy God and recognise Christ as God’s only anointed Saviour. In His conversation with Nicodemus, He stressed the necessity of the new birth even for a self- righteous sinner, spoke of His death on the cross, using the symbol of the uplifted serpent in the wilderness, to secure eternal life for His people.
However, not all who were healed were saved. Some, like Malchus, accepted healing for his severed ear, but rejected Christ’s message. Not all who talked with Christ, like the rich, young ruler, heeded His instruction to leave all and follow Him if he wished to obtain eternal life. Mercifully, Nicodemus was born again, despite all appearances to the contrary, for we find him at the cross with Joseph of Arimathea, carefully removing Christ’s body, wrapping it in spices and fine linen, laying it in the tomb and rolling the stone to the door.
Editor’s correspondence with ‘Father’ Patrick McCafferty
Pastor James McConnell and the RC priest Patrick McCafferty with whom he is most friendly
Back in 2002, I entered into a correspondence in the pages of “The Burning Bush” with a Roman Catholic priest from Belfast. The correspondence arose after I wrote a letter in reply to an article by the priest in “The Belfast Telegraph” of August 24th, 2002.
I was grieved at such a platform being given to the errors and deceptions of Rome and commented on the priest’s article in a letter to “The Belfast Telegraph.”
It will be noted how our two replies to the priest were edited by the ‘Letters Editor’ of “The Belfast Telegraph” before they quickly closed the exchange after two exchanges.
The Word of God was not liked by that ecumenical newspaper back then and it is still the case. Every effort was made to shield and protect the priest of Rome from the rebuke of God’s Word.
We are republishing the correspondence, which continued for eight exchanges, and appeared in “The Burning Bush” from October 2002 until May 2003, because of the publicity given to the ‘warm relationship’ that was manifested between this priest and Pastor James McConnell during the recent trial occasioned by Pastor McConnell’s pulpit statements about Islam. Pastor McConnell asked ‘Father’ Patrick McCafferty to speak on his behalf during the trial.
All this “ecumenical camaraderie” between the pastor and the priest may appear to some to give endorsement of the teachings of Rome and it is for this reason we highlight again the errors this priest, like all Roman Catholic clerics, propagates.
Needless to say, it also highlights the folly of James McConnell!
Rev. Foster is engaged in an ongoing series of studies in Kilskeery Independent Christian School morning assemblies in which he deals with the theme, “Pictures of Christ in the Bible”, i.e. the descriptions and types of Christ given in the Scriptures.
Each new study will be added as it becomes available and you can listen to new studies using the player below.
Previously published studies in this series can be heard here.
“Encounters with Christ”, by Ann Foster, is a Bible-based record of some notable miracles of healing wrought by the Saviour during His earthly ministry. He healed multitudes, giving sight to the blind, casting out devils, cleansing the lepers, causing the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the maimed to be whole, the palsied to recover and imparting life to the dead. These miracles were always accompanied by earnest prayer, a consciousness of need and faith on the part of the one who sought healing. They also illustrate vital gospel truth. Sinners are spiritually blind, controlled by Satan, unclean, lame, maimed, paralysed and dead as a result of sin and they desperately need the spiritual healing and deliverance which Christ alone can give. They too must come with a deep consciousness of their sin, earnestly seeking salvation and believing that Christ alone can save.
The book also details some notable conversations with individuals. Again gospel truth is illustrated. In the Lord’s conversation with the woman of Samaria, He revealed to her the depth of her iniquity and His identity as the Messiah. The sinner must realise and acknowledge his sin in the eyes of a holy God and recognise Christ as God’s only anointed Saviour. In His conversation with Nicodemus, He stressed the necessity of the new birth even for a self- righteous sinner, spoke of His death on the cross, using the symbol of the uplifted serpent in the wilderness, to secure eternal life for His people.
However, not all who were healed were saved. Some, like Malchus, accepted healing for his severed ear, but rejected Christ’s message. Not all who talked with Christ, like the rich, young ruler, heeded His instruction to leave all and follow Him if he wished to obtain eternal life. Mercifully, Nicodemus was born again, despite all appearances to the contrary, for we find him at the cross with Joseph of Arimathea, carefully removing Christ’s body, wrapping it in spices and fine linen, laying it in the tomb and rolling the stone to the door.
“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him,” Isaiah 59:19. (Read 1-21)
This statement is set in a prophetic context. It will undoubtedly find its final fulfillment in the day referred to in verse 20, the day of the Redeemer coming to Zion.
Revelation 11:1-15 is a record of the Holy Spirit raising up a standard in the very face of Antichrist’s flood of persecution against Jerusalem and its elect people in the last 42 months of this age.
But this statement embodies a general principle of truth which is clear to all. What is said of the Spirit of God acting against the enemy in the latter times is true of all occasions when the enemy attacks.
There is nothing new about the devil’s attacks nor is there anything new about God’s reaction. There never was a day in which the devil did not seek to come in like a flood. It is not a question of if but when.
In our day it is clear he is doing just that. Our text contains instruction and hope. Here is a foresight of his plans.
The Fire at Windsor Castle — was it the Finger of God?
“For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken,” Ezekiel 38/19 (Read Amos 4/6-13)
(A message preached by Rev Ivan Foster some quarter of a century ago and worth remembering as the Royal house and the nation rejoices at the Queen’s 90th birthday)
Fire is both the symbol and the substance of God’s wrath and judgment. The first and the final references in the Bible indicates this to be so.
“Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the out of heaven;” Genesis 19:24, and
“But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death,” Revelation 21:8.
The recent fire in Windsor Castle should be seen as a testimony of divine displeasure against the sin of the Royal family in particular and the nation’s in general.
The Royal family took the name Windsor from the Castle’s name at the time of the first World War to conceal their links with German royalty. Their family name is Saxe-Coburg Gotha. The castle is the favourite abode of the Queen. The fire started in the Queen’s private chapel.
The religious and spiritual affairs of the Royal family are undoubtedly subjects of divine disapproval.
Listen to the complete message using the player below.
Saturday 20th April (1968) was an important day for the Free Presbyterian Church and for County Fermanagh. On that day, Rev. Ivan Foster was ordained as the first minister of the first Free Presbyterian Church in the county.
For many years apostates, fearful of the effects of a strong Gospel preaching church upon their iniquitous intrigues, sought to keep us out of Fermanagh. However the Lord opened up the way, and what God opens no man can shut. As a result Lisbellaw Free Presbyterian Church was opened. Since this work commenced the devil and his agents have been busy, but their desires to bring to nought this gospel witness have miserably failed.
It was with great joy that the Presbytery of Ulster ordained Mr. Foster and installed him in Lisbellaw, The two ministers who, along with him spent three months in prison at the hands of a politico-ecumenical plot, took a major part in the ordination service. Dr. Paisley preached the main message and Rev. John Wylie (Coleraine) preached the charge to the newly ordained minister. Read more…
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus,” 2 Timothy 3:15.
The Message The Methodist Conference Would Not Allow Me To Preach
by Rev Ivan Foster
This sermon was printed in the “Revivalist”, July-August 1967. The message had been preached in an ‘After Church Rally’ in Mossley Orange Hall, 18th June 1967.
I must confess that I have never been asked to preach at the annual Methodist Conference in Belfast. Nevertheless, when I read some of the statements contained in sermons preached at this conference it was abundantly clear that any men with a message of truth would not be welcomed at this affair. I quote for example a guest speaker at the conference, Dr. Alfred Martin. In Tuesday, 13th June’s issue of the “Newsletter” we read the following words concerning the obedience of Methodists to the spirit of false ecumenism – “Already you have made it clear that if loyalty to Christ and obedience to his EXPRESSED COMMAND AND SPIRIT are called Romeward trends by knaves seeking a trap for fools then you are willing to be misunderstood.” Read more…
Christian Institute in cooperation with Humanists and The Peter Tatchell Foundation, a pro-sodomite anti-Christian organisation
There is one particularly unalterable law laid down by the Lord as to how His TRUTH is to be defended and His CAUSE maintained.
It is expounded for us by Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the Jewish leaders in charge of the rebuilding of the temple, in response to the suggestion by “the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin” that they would join in and help in the labour of rebuilding God’s house. Read more…
On 5th April 1964, Ivan Foster was converted to Christ. As a twenty-year-old, his feet were already set firmly on the downward road to hell when God broke in upon his soul most unexpectedly. Within one week he was under the ministry of Dr Ian Paisley who was then in the zenith of his pulpit power. What blessed days they were for the young convert!
On 5th January 1965, he began studies for the gospel ministry in the Free Presbyterian Theological Hall. He will always be thankful that one of his lecturers was Pastor James Kyle Paisley, father of Ian Paisley. He was ordained to the ministry and installed as minister of Lisbellaw Free Presbyterian Church on April 20th, 1968.
There followed wonderful times of mercy and blessing which saw four new congregations formed within a short time, including one in Co. Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland and a part played in the formation of Newtown Square Free Presbyterian church in USA, now Malvern FPC, Pennsylvania.
But while the last fifty-two years hold many blessed memories for Ivan Foster, including that happy day he married Ann Beattie on March 8th 1968, no day can feature more clearly in his heart than that of the day when he became, by God’s everlasting mercy, a child of God!
Just after his retirement in 2008, he was invited to give a word of testimony in Mullaglass Free Presbyterian Church on November 11th. He had to return on March 8th to complete that testimony.
Below are the two messages entitled: “Once I was blind!”
May the Lord be pleased to bless it to your heart and to His glory.
(Errata in Part 2: 1979 should be 1978 @ 45 mins 48 secs. Cecil Menary should be Cecil Harvey @ 53 mins 23 secs.)
Joel Beeke’s attitude to sodomy inadvertently substantiated
An incident was related to me just yesterday which unwittingly serves to show how the influence of Joel Beeke’s attitude toward sodomy, as exposed by Pastor Ralph Ovadal in his article “The Downward Spiral of Dr. Joel Beeke’s Ministries Continues”, is widely shared by so-called evangelicals.
I was told of a young Christian being invited to a youth testimony meeting by a fellow Christian some twelve months ago. Being a little anxious regarding the church in which the meeting was taking place, the person felt that because of the nature of the meeting, a testimony meeting, little harm would come of accompanying a friend.
However, one of those testifying spoke of herself as being a sodomite but nevertheless a Christian! Read more…
Editor’s correspondence with ‘Father’ Patrick McCafferty
Pastor James McConnell and the RC priest Patrick McCafferty with whom he is most friendly
Back in 2002, I entered into a correspondence in the pages of “The Burning Bush” with a Roman Catholic priest from Belfast. The correspondence arose after I wrote a letter in reply to an article by the priest in “The Belfast Telegraph” of August 24th, 2002.
I was grieved at such a platform being given to the errors and deceptions of Rome and commented on the priest’s article in a letter to “The Belfast Telegraph.”
It will be noted how our two replies to the priest were edited by the ‘Letters Editor’ of “The Belfast Telegraph” before they quickly closed the exchange after two exchanges.
The Word of God was not liked by that ecumenical newspaper back then and it is still the case. Every effort was made to shield and protect the priest of Rome from the rebuke of God’s Word.
We are republishing the correspondence, which continued for eight exchanges, and appeared in “The Burning Bush” from October 2002 until May 2003, because of the publicity given to the ‘warm relationship’ that was manifested between this priest and Pastor James McConnell during the recent trial occasioned by Pastor McConnell’s pulpit statements about Islam. Pastor McConnell asked ‘Father’ Patrick McCafferty to speak on his behalf during the trial.
All this “ecumenical camaraderie” between the pastor and the priest may appear to some to give endorsement of the teachings of Rome and it is for this reason we highlight again the errors this priest, like all Roman Catholic clerics, propagates.
Needless to say, it also highlights the folly of James McConnell!
Rev. Foster is engaged in an ongoing series of studies in Kilskeery Independent Christian School morning assemblies in which he deals with the theme, “Pictures of Christ in the Bible”, i.e. the descriptions and types of Christ given in the Scriptures.
Each new study will be added as it becomes available and you can listen to new studies using the player below.
Previously published studies in this series can be heard here.
A feature article commemorating the 50th anniversary of the events that led up to and which followed after the 1966 imprisonment of Rev Ian Paisley, Rev John Wylie and Rev Ivan Foster for a term of 3 months in Crumlin Road Jail, Belfast.This account is compiled from reports in the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster’s magazine, “The Revivalist” and some reports from the “Belfast Newsletter” and the “Belfast Telegraph”.
by Rev Ivan Foster
(A message preached at a teachers’ day of prayer in Portadown FPC, May 14th, 2016, by Rev Ivan Foster.)
[The slightly enlarged substance of a message preached in Kilskeery Free Presbyterian Church, 31st March 1991 by the then minister, Rev Ivan Foster.
“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him,” Isaiah 59:19. (Read 1-21)
“For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken,” Ezekiel 38/19 (Read Amos 4/6-13)
Saturday 20th April (1968) was an important day for the Free Presbyterian Church and for County Fermanagh. On that day, Rev. Ivan Foster was ordained as the first minister of the first Free Presbyterian Church in the county.
This sermon was printed in the “Revivalist”, July-August 1967. The message had been preached in an ‘After Church Rally’ in Mossley Orange Hall, 18th June 1967.
There is one particularly unalterable law laid down by the Lord as to how His TRUTH is to be defended and His CAUSE maintained.
On 5th April 1964, Ivan Foster was converted to Christ. As a twenty-year-old, his feet were already set firmly on the downward road to hell when God broke in upon his soul most unexpectedly. Within one week he was under the ministry of Dr Ian Paisley who was then in the zenith of his pulpit power. What blessed days they were for the young convert!
An incident was related to me just yesterday which unwittingly serves to show how the influence of Joel Beeke’s attitude toward sodomy, as exposed by Pastor Ralph Ovadal in his article