Proverbs 11:30 (ESV)
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever
captures souls is wise.
John Harper was born to a pair of solid Christian parents
on May 29th, 1872. It was on the last Sunday of March 1886 when he was thirteen
years old that he received Jesus as the Lord of his life. He never knew what it
was to "sow his wild oats." He began to preach about four years later
at the ripe old age of 17 years by going down to the streets of his village and
pouring out his soul in earnest entreaty for men to be reconciled to God.
As John Harper's life unfolded, one thing was
apparent...he was consumed by the word of God. When asked by various ministers
what his doctrine consisted of, he was known to reply "The Word of
God!" After five or six years of toiling on street corners preaching the
gospel and working in the mill during the day, Harper was taken in by Rev. E.
A. Carter of Baptist Pioneer Mission in London, England. This set Harper free
to devote his whole time of energy to the work so dear to his heart. Soon, John
Harper started his own church in September of 1896. (Now known as the Harper
Memorial Church). This church which John Harper had started with just 25
members had grown to over 500 members when he left 13 years later. During this
time, he had gotten married but was shortly thereafter widowed. However brief
the marriage, God did bless John Harper with a beautiful little girl named
Nana.
Ironically, John Harper almost drowned several times
during his life. When he was two and a half years of age, he almost drowned
when he fell into a well but was resuscitated by his mother. At the age of
twenty-six, he was swept out to sea by a reverse current and barely survived,
and at thirty-two, he faced death on a leaking ship in the Mediterranean.
Perhaps, God used these experiences to prepare this servant for what he faced
next...
It was the night of April 14, 1912. The RMS Titanic
sailed swiftly on the bitterly cold ocean waters heading unknowingly into the
pages of history. On board this luxurious ocean liner, there were many rich and
famous people. At the time of the ship's launch, it was the world's largest
man-made moveable object. At 11:40 p.m. on that fateful night, an iceberg
scraped the ship's starboard side, showering the decks with ice and ripping
open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in.
On board the ship that night was John Harper and his
much-beloved six-year-old daughter Nana. According to documented reports, as
soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, John Harper
immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that
this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety;
however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his
precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him
again someday. The flares going off in the dark sky above reflected the tears
on his face as he turned and headed towards the crowd of desperate humanity on
the sinking ocean liner. As the rear of the huge ship began to lurch upwards,
it was reported that Harper was seen making his way up the deck yelling
"Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" It was only minutes
later that the Titanic began to rumble deep within. Most people thought it was
an explosion; actually, the gargantuan ship was literally breaking in half. At
this point, many people jumped off the decks and into the icy, dark waters
below. John Harper was one of these people.
That night 1528 people went into the frigid waters. John
Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water leading them to
Jesus before the hypothermia became fatal. Mr. Harper swam up to one young man
who had climbed up on a piece of debris. Rev. Harper asked him between breaths,
"Are you saved?" The young man replied that he was not.
Harper then tried to lead him to Christ only to have the
young man who was near shock, reply no. John Harper then took off his life
jacket and threw it to the man and said "Here then, you need this more
than I do..." and swam away to other people. A few minutes later Harper
swam back to the young man and succeeded in leading him to salvation. Of the
1528 people that went into the water that night, six were rescued by the
lifeboats. One of them was this young man on the debris. Four years later, at a
survivors meeting, this young man stood up and in tears recounted how John
Harper had led him to Christ. Mr. Harper had tried to swim back to help other
people, yet because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim. His last
words before going under in the frigid waters were "Believe on the Name of
the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." Does Hollywood remember this man?
No. Oh well, no matter. This servant of God did what he had to do. While other
people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats and selfishly trying to
save their own lives, John Harper gave up his life so that others could be
saved.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay
down his life for his friends..." John Harper was truly the hero of the
Titanic!
Dear Lord, help us to do what we need to do so that
others may be saved. Help us not just think about our self but to think about
those around us that are lost. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Sources for this article: "The Titanic's Last
Hero" by Moody Press 1997.
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