The story you are about to read is true; however, very few people, including myself know that this small, but in my opinion, huge part of a major historical disaster every happened. I am a fan of the Johnny Anonymous YouTube channel. His video's are always inspiring. Sometimes he posts a video story that really touches my heart and makes me want, and need to share it with others. This is one of those stories. At the end of my version of the story will be a link to Johnny Anonymous' video of this story in his words. There is also a very short post that I saw on Facebook about several others who gave up everything to save a few.
God made it possible for one man to reach others. It was 2:00 am, and a man floats in the frigid waters of the north Atlantic Ocean. He is in a life or death situation, but is witnessing Jesus Christ to others.
Rev. John Harper
On May 29, 1872 in Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland, a Christian couple gave birth to a baby boy and named him John Harper. In March of 1886, at age 13, John Harper accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. At age 17 he would work in the mill during the day and in evenings and all other free time could be seen preaching on the streets in his village, pleading with anyone who would listen to come to Jesus.
As a child and a young man, God seems to have been preparing John for a future event that know one could have predicted. At age 2, he fell into a well and almost drowned. His mother pulled him out and resuscitated him. In his 20's, he was swept out to sea and almost drowned, but the back-currents brought him back to shore. Again, at age 32, he found himself on a leaking ship in the middle of the Mediterranean. It's ironic how these three events were all water related and were foretelling John's future.
During the time that John Harper was preaching on the streets, the pastor of Baptist Pioneer Mission in London, Rev. E.A. Carter, heard him street preaching and offered him a place in ministry work in Govan, Scotland. In 1897, John Harper became the first pastor of Paisley Road Baptist Church located in Glasgow, Scotland. The church started with 25 members and in the care of John Harper grew to over 500. The current location was too small to support the growth and moved to a new location on Plantation Street. Many years later, in 1923 the Church was renamed Memorial Baptist Church, in his honor. It moved into its current building on Craigiehall Street where it resides to this day.
While pastoring Paisley Road Baptist Church, John Harper married and the couple brought their one and only daughter into the world. They named their daughter Annie Jessie, known as Nana. The marriage was short lived when John's wife passed away leaving him a widow with a small daughter.
While still ministering his church in Glasgow, John visited America where he spent three months at the Moody Church in Chicago. During his time at Moody, the church underwent a huge revival. After returning to Britain, it wasn't long before Moody representatives sent him a message asking him to return. John, being flattered at the request, made immediate arrangements for him and his daughter, Nana, to sail to America. The arrangements he made had them traveling onboard the Lusitania. After booking the trip he learned of the brand new ship, the Titanic, that would be making her maiden voyage and thinking it would be a great experience. He changed his booking to leave a week later so he and his daughter could travel on the Titanic.
On April 12, 1912, on her maiden voyage, the RMS Titanic, the largest man-made ocean liner to that date, sailed swiftly on the bitterly cold waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean unknowingly heading into the pages of history. A total of 2,240 people from the rich and famous to the poorest of poor where on board. Among the passengers on board that night was John Harper, his niece 1 , Jessie W. Leitch, and his beloved 6-year old daughter, Nana, all looking forward to being in America.
While onboard John could be seen preaching the Gospel to any passenger or crew member willing to listen. John was a mighty man of prayer and preaching. He couldn't fathom simply enjoying the voyage, he had to bring as many people to Jesus as possible. Two days into the trip, on April 14, 1912, at 11:40 pm, the ships starboard side scrapped an iceberg showering the decks with ice and ripping open six watertight compartments allowing the sea to pour into her hull. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, John Harper immediately took his daughter and his niece 1 to a lifeboat and made sure they were safely onboard. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety; however, saving himself never seemed to have entered 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 light from the flares going off in the dark sky above revealed 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 her hull. Most people thought it was an explosion, but the gargantuan ship was moaning from 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 1,517 people went into the frigid waters of the north Atlantic and perished. John Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water and attempting to lead them to Jesus before the hypothermia he and others were experiencing became fatal. Mr. Harper swam up to one young man who had climbed up on a piece of debris. Between deep breaths Rev. Harper asked him, “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 2,240 people aboard the Titanic that night, 706 2 got into lifeboats, 699 from the ship and only 7 from the water. One of them was this young man who was floating 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. John Harper had tried to swim back to help other people, but because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim and sank into the 2-1/2 mile deep north Atlantic. This young man's testimony is as follows:
“I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful night, the tide brought Mr. John Harper of Glasgow, also on a piece of wreck, near me. “Man,” he said, “Are you saved?”...No, “I said, “I am not.” He replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” The waves bore him away but strange to say, brought him back a little later, and he said, “Are you saved now?” “No,” I said, “I cannot honestly say that I am.” He said again, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” and shortly after he went down, and there, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper's last convert.”
Before disappearing beneath the 2-1/2 miles of water, John Harper shared for the last time, the message of Christianity, which is that Jesus was born and ultimately came to earth to die on a cross in our place so that we might be saved. This Gospel does not spare us from drowning in an ocean, but it does spare us from a far worse eternal destruction. His last words before going under in the frigid waters were, “Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”
Harper's life was characterized by extraordinary prayer. “He was,” said a friend, “a man who craved for souls.” And for those souls he would sometimes spend all night in prayer. His brother George wrote, “My beloved brother was a man mighty in prayer. He was a master of this holy art. I have been with him in prayer again and again when his whole frame shook like an aspen leaf, so earnest was he in his pleadings with God for a perishing world. Little wonder hard hearts were broken and stubborn wills subdued under his ministry.”
Another friend witnessed,
“He was strong in his love for the perishing. Oh how he burned, and prayed, labored, and wept for the conversion of sinners and blessed be God, great numbers were led to the Savior through his consecrated efforts.”
Harper Memorial Baptist Church, in Glasgow, the church he ministered in and named in his honor is still preaching the same Gospel that he preached on the Titanic more than 100-years ago. His daughter, and niece made it safely to New York. Nana, married a pastor, and later died in 1986.
A reminder: There is no substitute for the torch of faith being passed from one generation to another through the influence of godly families.
Did Hollywood remember John Harper when producing their block buster film, “Titanic”? Of course not. This servant of God did what he had to do and God saw his efforts. While other people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats and selfishly trying to save their own lives, John Harper bore witness and gave up his own life, so that others could come to know Jesus and be saved.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for this friends.
John 15:13
John Harper
1872 - 1912
References
Titanic - The Little Known Story of John Harper. (n.d.). www.middletownbiblechurch.org. https://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/helpseek/titanjh.htm
Jacqueline. (2015, December 1). Titanic True Story: Preacher John Harper's Last Hours Remembered. Deep Roots at Home. https://deeprootsathome.com/titanic-preacher-john-harper-remembered/
An Inspiring Story of Faithfulness | Articles | Moody Church Media. (n.d.). Www.moodymedia.org. https://www.moodymedia.org/articles/sharing-gift-christmas-one-minute-you-die/
grac8815. (n.d.). John Harper - Hero of the Titanic - Grace Online Library. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://graceonlinelibrary.org/biographies/john-harper-hero-of-the-titanic/
As Titanic sank, he pleaded, “believe in the Lord Jesus!” | Baptist Press. (n.d.). https://www.baptistpress.com/. https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/as-titanic-sank-he-pleaded-believe-in-the-lord-jesus/
His story John Harper: An unknown hero of the Titanic. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2024, from https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/files/pub/20140254%20-%20Cross%20B%20-%20His%20story_0_0.pdf
John Harper (pastor). (2024, March 7). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harper_(pastor)
Additional Story of People with Moral Values
When the Titanic sank, it carried millionaire John Jacob Astor IV. The money in his bank account was enough to build 30 Titanic's. However, faced with mortal danger, he chose what he deemed morally right and gave up his spot in a lifeboat to save two frightened children.
Millionaire Isidor Straus, co-owner of the largest American chain
of department stores, "Macy's," who was also on the Titanic, said:
"I will never enter a lifeboat before other men." His wife, Ida
Straus, also refused to board the lifeboat, giving her spot to her
newly appointed maid, Ellen Bird. She decided to spend her last
moments of life with her husband. These wealthy individuals
preferred to part with their wealth, and even their lives, rather
than compromise their moral principles. Their choice in favor of
moral values highlighted the brilliance of human civilization and
human nature.
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