All photos courtesy of Unsplash
Edward Fogarty was very active in preaching and Sunday School work in Belfast but in 1918 a business trip to the North of England was to change his life forever. He saw the great spiritual need of Co Durham and Northumberland and gave up his employment to take the message of the Gospel, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, to areas rarely visited by any preacher who was prepared to go there.
He would preach in the open air and in his wooden tent. The wooden tent was a canvas tent with wooden sides, Edward himself having a room inside, which he used as his living quarters. He had little to support him for he was pioneering in areas of mining and farming that saw men taking home low wages. He moved amongst the poor with many only having the bare necessities of life. Nobody was too poor, too ill or too disagreeable for Edward to challenge them with his message. What, however, was the message that he preached unashamedly, whatever the cost to him.
In his early years Edward heard preached, at an open air meeting, that the Bible says that all have sinned before God. Furthermore as sinners men face awful consequences but God had provided a unique way to save men and women from the penalty of their sin forever and give them the free gift of eternal life.
All this was possible because the Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God came from Heaven to die on the cross at Calvary to pay the supreme price for the sin of mankind. He rose from the grave on the third day and now seated in Heaven He wants all to repent of their sin and put their faith and trust in Him. Edward’s heart was thrilled with this message and he repented and trusted in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.
So he became devoted to serving His Lord and Saviour in Belfast and later the North of England. Living in his room in the wooden tent he reached out far and wide, never seeking any monetary gain. There was one occasion when after preaching at a place, someone offered to walk with him to the bus stop. Upon arriving there Edward suggested that they ventured on to the next stop, a suggestion that was further repeated, when they got there. The companion was puzzled by all this and asked Edward if he had any money. The reply was that he had none, to which the enquirer responded by giving him the bus fare for the five or six miles to Sunderland. The evangelist was prepared to face any hardship, even if it required a long walk home, for the value of bringing the message to those who needed Christ.
Many came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour through his work. One particular man was very uncouth, who worked on Lord Durham’s Estate and carried a gun. Not only when on the land but also down the street. The very sight of him sent people indoors. Then one day God saved him, he put his faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and the gun was replaced by the Bible.
In 1928 Edward Fogarty went back to Northern Ireland and spent the last months of his life preaching the same great message mostly in the Mullafernaghan area. At 47 years of age his body was laid to rest in Dundonald Cemetery, a man used of God to change lives for eternity by preaching the greatest message ever told. Have you responded to it like so many have joyfully done?
DAILY MESSAGES WITH MEANING (06/08/24)
Written by RODERICK BARTON
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