The True Hero of the Titanic:
: 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 old 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 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 that after 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!