|
A few weeks ago, I visited the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I learned about Thomas McCormick, a 19-year-old who took the chance of a lifetime to experience the Titanic's first historical voyage. The ship boasted state-of-the-art amenities; it was the largest ever constructed, the fastest, the strongest, and was deemed "unsinkable" by architects. Thomas was a third-class passenger. Many in third class had never been served, slept in a private bed, or experienced prestigious accommodations the likes of those on the Titanic.
In the early morning of April 15, 1912, Thomas heard that the ship had struck an iceberg and was sinking. He fled third-class and raced to the upper decks only to be forbidden access to a lifeboat. It was a chaotic scene. The crew yelled, "Only the women and children!" Two hours and forty minutes later, the Titanic disappeared into the black waters of the Atlantic, and Thomas began to tread the 28-degree waters. He spotted a half-empty lifeboat but was struck in the head by the oars of defiant passengers. He swam to another lifeboat only to be pushed away to die. Several lifeboats with plenty of room refused Thomas' cry for help.
Each hypothermic breath in the freezing waters was a struggle; within ten minutes, Thomas' numb limbs were barely responsive; it was as if he was swimming in a pool of freezing sand. Minutes before freezing to death, concerned sisters in a lifeboat scooped Thomas from what would have been his tomb. He was saved by Mary and Kate Murphy, who refused to ignore his dying cries. Thomas spent time in the hospital for a head injury sustained from the oars of those lifeboats that denied him life. He never married but lived to be an 82 year-old man in New Jersey.
Jesus said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). A witness has seen and experienced an event and testifies about the facts of what happened. After trusting Jesus, Christians are supernaturally empowered and commissioned to tell the story of Jesus. Christians are to testify of Christ and rescue the perishing! As the old hymn says, "Rescue the perishing, duty demands it; Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide; Back to the narrow way, patiently win them; Tell the poor wanderer a Savior has died. Rescue the Perishing, care for the dying; Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save."
Many around us are treading water without a personal relationship with Jesus; they are drowning and sinking to eternal death. Every day, 178,000 people die on this Earth; that's over 7,400 people every hour. Jesus' plan to rescue the world only requires faith. Anyone who believes will be saved. Romans 10:14 reads: "…How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?" As Christians, we are navigating lifeboats and must make every effort to rescue people from the waters of death. Let's listen for their cries, lean wholly on the power of the Holy Spirit, and share the gospel with all those in reaching distance of our lifeboat. 100% of humanity will die; only those who know Jesus will live with Him for eternity in heaven.
|
Apple
Spotify
Stitcher
YouTube
