Living Before Outsiders: Redeeming the Time

As we continue our mini-series on Paul’s exhortation on how to live before outsiders (see Introduction and Part 1), we come to his instruction to believers to “make the best use of the time.” Time is a precious commodity. Our time is limited, and therefore we must seize every opportunity God presents to us.

The phrase “making the best use of time” is rendered in other English translations as “redeeming the time” (NKJV, LSB). This is not a bad translation. The underlying Greek term refers to purchasing something in the marketplace—to buy out completely. Importantly, this doesn’t refer to chronological time (the ticking clock) but rather to a specific season or opportunity.

In Ephesians 5:15–16, Paul expresses a similar urgency: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” There’s an unmistakable sense of urgency here that should shape how we interact with the world around us.

This urgency is illustrated in the life of John Harper, a man who understood what it meant to redeem the time. Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1872, Harper grew up in a Christian home and embraced faith himself at age 14. From that moment, he dedicated himself to telling others about Christ.

By 17, Harper began street preaching, pouring out his soul in passionate pleas for reconciliation with God. After years of corner preaching while working in a mill, he was taken in by Reverend A. E. Carter of Baptist Pioneer Mission in London, allowing him to dedicate his full energy to evangelism.

In 1896, Harper started his own church with just 25 members. Within thirteen years, the congregation had grown to over five hundred. During this time, he married, fathered a daughter, and eventually became a widower.

Harper’s life was marked by several brushes with death. Aged two, he fell into a well but was resuscitated by his mother. At 26, he was swept out to sea by a current and barely survived. At 32, he faced death on a leaking ship in the Mediterranean. These experiences only seemed to intensify his evangelistic zeal.

His passionate evangelism caught the attention of Moody Church in Chicago, which invited him to America for a series of meetings. After a successful first visit, they invited him back again years later. Harper boarded a ship at Southampton with a second-class ticket, accompanied by his six-year-old daughter, Nana.

What happened next is known from two sources—primarily from Nana herself, who lived until 1986. She recalled being woken by her father around midnight during their journey. He informed her that their ship had struck an iceberg but assured her another vessel was coming to rescue them. As a precaution, he placed her in a lifeboat with an older cousin who had joined them on the voyage. Harper said he would wait for the rescue ship’s arrival.

The vessel was the Titanic, and the tragedy that unfolded is well known. Nana and her cousin survived, but Harper’s fate remained unknown until months later when a young Scotsman stood up during a prayer meeting in Hamilton, Ontario. Through tears, he shared an extraordinary testimony.

He explained that he had been on the Titanic that night and had clung to floating debris in the freezing waters. Suddenly, a wave brought a man near him—John Harper—who was holding onto wreckage. Harper called out, “Man, are you saved?”

When the man replied that he was not, Harper shouted back, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

The waves separated them, but later Harper was washed back beside him. “Are you saved now?” he called out. Again, the man replied that he had not yet believed, to which Harper insisted, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

Harper then lost his grip on the wood and sank. The young Scotsman concluded his testimony by saying, “Alone in the night, with two miles of water under me, I trusted Christ as my Saviour. I am John Harper’s last convert.”

This testimony embodies Paul’s instruction to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders, redeeming the time.” The psalmist prays in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Jesus himself emphasised this urgency in John 9:4, saying, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.”

Time is a valuable commodity that should be utilised intentionally. Paul isn’t merely advocating busyness for its own sake. Many of us fall into the trap of being so occupied with good activities that we miss the main things—so busy rushing to appointments and meetings that we walk past divine opportunities to share the gospel.

What Paul advocates is strategic living—developing an awareness to recognise opportunities when they present themselves and seizing them for Christ and his kingdom. As Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us, “There is a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Paul urged the Corinthians along similar lines:

For those who have not yet embraced faith in Christ, the message is clear: Today is the day of salvation. Believe in Jesus now, while there is still time. Don’t delay or hesitate. Seize this opportunity.

For believers, the challenge is equally clear: Make the best use of your time. Every opportunity God provides is a chance to speak truth to outsiders with wisdom and grace. The question remains—how are we to do this effectively in our daily lives?