See. Discern. Act.

Sermon Quick Summary
This was a joint worship service with Living Stones Christian Church and South Bay Community Church. Knee jerk reactions are healthy in the doctor’s office, but they are unhealthy when reacting to fear and anxiety from our social environment or in our personal lives. The most natural thing to do when facing fear and anxiety is to react. However, God is actually cracking open a window of opportunity for us to see God is still present, God is still working, and God is up to something GOOD! In Ephesians 5: 15-17, Paul redefines wisdom as clarity from God, revelation from God, and something you live out for God. Wisdom is not cleverness, not mere speculation, not something you just talk about. Ephesians 5:15-17 can be summed up in three words: See. Discern. Act. See is to be wise and watchful (v.15); pay attention; eyes wide open; alert; thoughtful; spiritual clarity. Discern is to understand God’s will (v.17). Act is to make the most of every opportunity (v.16). Evil days don’t eradicate opportunity; they heighten the urgency to act and respond right now in the middle of it all. As we see, discern, and act, there are practical ways to live up to the moment and live into God’s plan in the midst of social darkness in society and personal darkness. In darkness, God calls us to be careful and wise, making the most of every opportunity: First, SEE with eyes wide open with Jesus as truth, see issues in context, and see what is going on inside. Then, DISCERN to see what God sees, read God’s Word, get perspectives from wise and godly people, see things from a Godly spiritual perspective, and discern what is God calling you to do. Then, ACT! Seize the moment! Step out in faith and obey. We get drawn into social darkness when we bypass seeing, discerning, and then acting. Maybe for you, the darkness around you isn’t social, but personal. We heard personal testimonies that are choosing to see, to discern, and to act. We have opportunity to be people who see, who discern, and who act, not just in particular moments, but as a way of life.

This was a joint worship service with Living Stones Christian Church and South Bay Community Church.
           We are together practicing our togetherness reflecting the Good News Gospel. We will hear from Pastor Brian Hui of Living Stones Christian Church and Pastor Tammy Long of South Bay Community Church.

Knee jerk reactions are healthy in the doctor’s office, but they are unhealthy when reacting to fear and anxiety from our social environment and in our personal lives.
When we were kids, we’d play doctor. One of the things we did was to take a little hammer, and then we tap the patient’s knee. What’s supposed to happen? If your knees are healthy (Lord knows some of us, our knees aren’t healthy like they used to be), your leg naturally kicks up. This is the origin of the phrase “knee jerk reaction,” because when the doctor taps your knee, the healthy reaction is to kick in a knee jerk reaction.
However, when you think of a knee-jerk reaction, are you thinking of a healthy reaction or an unhealthy reaction? While it’s healthy for a knee to react in the doctor’s office, in life, most of our knee-jerk reactions are not healthy. They can be outright destructive especially when we are reacting to fear and anxiety.
There has been a lot of fear and anxiety lately. We have fear and anxiety from our social environment. Just open the news. We have fears and anxiety from politics, the economy, fires, rising prices, and wars. Every day there is bad news, and it is scary! We also experience personal fears and anxieties even if we don’t follow the news. For some of us, the unpublished news in our own lives is about our families, decisions looming over us, fears of being left behind, or fears of being left alone. Isn’t there much fear and anxiety for us to face?
 
The most natural thing to do when facing fear and anxiety is to react.
Unhealthy reactions when facing fear and anxiety include to freak out, to sell those stocks, to hurt those people, or to put our heads in the sand. What if this scary thing doesn’t have to be that scary? We should not downplay bad or even evil things.

God is actually cracking open a window of opportunity for us to see God is still present, God is still working, and God is up to something GOOD!    
           This moment is an opportunity for us to respond to step out in faith, and join God in the good that God is bringing into the world and into our lives. It is not the moment to react out of fear and anxiety. The question is: “What if this isn’t a time to react, but to respond?” This is the same challenge Paul gives the church in Ephesus as well as the Church today. That’s what we want to talk about today.
 
In Ephesians 5: 15-17, Paul redefines wisdom as clarity from God, revelation from God, and something you live out for God. Wisdom is not cleverness, not mere speculation, not something you just talk about. Ephesians 5:15-17 can be summed up in three words: See. Discern. Act.
           “Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). Paul’s words here are short, but loaded. In just three verses, Paul gives us a blueprint for how to live faithfully in a world that often feels like it’s falling apart. For the Ephesian church, as well as for us, it’s a wake-up call to live with purpose and clarity.
Let’s begin by remembering where we are in the letter. Ephesus had the Ephesus Amphitheatre and the Library of Celsus, Ephesus was one of the most influential and spiritually intense cities of the Roman Empire full of idolatry, power, status, entertainment, and distractions. Living in Ephesus, one would feel pressure to blend in, numb out, or give up.
Paraphrasing what Paul says in Ephesians 5:15: “Be careful how you live. Don’t live like unwise fools but like the wise.” The word “wise” was a significant word for the Ephesians. Wisdom (“Sophia” is the Greek word) was a prized concept in Greek and Roman culture. Ephesus was a city steeped in philosophical debate, magical practices, and elite knowledge. Wisdom was often about intellect, rhetoric, or secret insight.

See is to be wise and watchful (v.15); pay attention; eyes wide open; alert; thoughtful; spiritual clarity.
Paul begins with “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise…” The Greek here literally means to walk carefully and watch where you’re going. This is a call to attentiveness and alertness. Pay attention, not just to your behavior, but to your surroundings, to the moment you're in, to what God is doing, and what is happening in the world. 
Paul is challenging them and Church to live with eyes open, not on autopilot, not spiritually asleep, not numbed out by fear, fatigue, or distraction. Paul is speaking to the Ephesian church which is in a city full of competing voices, cultural confusion, and chaos. Does this sound familiar? Paul is saying: don’t run and hide; don’t close your eyes and wish it away; pay attention and be alert.
We are reminded of the sons of Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12:32 as men “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” They had spiritual awareness. They weren’t just informed about what was going on; they were in tune. Jesus was giving the same challenge when he said in Matthew 10:16: “Be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.” Be alert; be thoughtful; be clear-eyed in a clouded world.
This is how good God is and what Paul knew. This kind of spiritual clarity is available to followers of Jesus Christ, and it is not a mystery. James 1:5 tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault—and it will be given to you.”
But before we ask for wisdom, we have to wake up enough to know we need wisdom. So the questions for us now are, “Are you awake, or are you sleepwalking?” “Are your spiritual eyes open to what is happening around you, or are you numbed and dulled by the noise around you?” See means to pay attention. In a world like this now, Godly spiritual attention is the first act of wisdom.
Seeing is only the beginning. Paul knew once we’re awake, we have to ask: “What now?” Awareness, without discernment to what God is doing, will still leave us lost.
 
Discern is to understand God’s will (v.17).
Paul continues in Ephesians 5: 17 with, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” The word “foolish” here isn’t about intelligence. Foolish is about being spiritually unaware. It means to be mindless, unresponsive, disconnected from reality that really matters. Paul contrasts this foolishness with the ability to understand the Lord’s will and to be in tune with what God desires and what God is doing.
Discernment means seeking alignment with the heart and purposes of God. Discernment doesn’t mean having all the answers. Paul was challenging the Ephesians and the Church today to consider questions like: “What does faithfulness to God look like here?” “How does the Kingdom of God come in this situation?” “What is God inviting me to be or do now in this moment?”
Romans 12:2 gives us a clue where Paul writes, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is…” Discernment grows as our minds are renewed by the Spirit. We begin to see through a different lens; we're no longer guided by culture or fear, but we are guided by the leading of the Lord.
Micah 6:8 also reminds us that God’s Will isn’t always mysterious or hidden from us. Micah 6:8 declares, “He has shown you what is good… to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”
Discernment is both prayerful and practical regarding God’s will. It’s not just about listening for a whisper. It’s also about knowing God’s character, meditating on God’s Word, and letting the Holy Spirit shape our instincts in alignment with God’s Will and Way. In confusing, chaotic, and challenging times, discernment is our spiritual compass.
When we see clearly and seek God sincerely, we can move with purpose in step with the Holy Spirit. Paul exhorts his readers to action, not reaction.
 
Act is to make the most of every opportunity (v.16)
Paul writes in Ephesians 5:16 “Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” The phrase “make the most” is translated from the Greek word which means to redeem or buy up recognizing the value of something and claiming it before it slips away. It’s the image of someone in the marketplace, seizing what matters most, knowing that time is limited. Paul uses this word in the present tense meaning that it’s not a one-time act of redeeming. Rather it is a lifestyle constantly redeeming the moments we’ve been given in both good days and hard days (evil days to use Paul’s language).
 
Evil days don’t eradicate opportunity; they heighten the urgency to act and respond right now in the middle of it all.
Ephesus was filled with competing idols, political corruption, and spiritual confusion. But Paul doesn’t say to hide or wait it out; rather Paul says to redeem the time right in the middle of it all. We tend to think opportunity comes when things settle down. But Paul flips that; he says the opportunity is right now, because the days are evil. Paul is encouraging the Ephesians and the Church today to respond and to act with Kingdom of God clarity in alignment with God’s Will, not to react in fear or grasp for control.
Redeeming the time means stepping into the present moment with purpose, not with panic. It means living like each day matters, because each day does matter. It means refusing to drift through darkness, choosing to walk in the light, anchored in God’s will, and to be open to God’s leading.
James 4:17 puts it bluntly: “If anyone knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” The context of that verse is a warning not to presume the future and assume you’ll get to it later. James is instructing us: if you know what God is calling you to do, do it now. Delaying obedience is actually disobedience.
           In summary, Paul’s message to the Ephesian church and to the Church today is this: See the times we’re living in. Discern what God is doing. Act with intention and purpose in response to God’s leading. The opportunity is now to live into God’s plan that is always good even when it’s hard. How do we actually live this out? What might that look like today in our chaotic times? Pastor Brian will now drill down farther with some real and practical ways we can embody this call to see, discern and act in the days we’ve been given.

As we see, discern, and act, there are practical ways to live up to the moment and live into God’s plan in the midst of social darkness in society and personal darkness.
           Pastor Brian shared his story of why this is a timely word for us socially. At the beginning of 2025, all the emails and texts Pastor Brian is on with other pastors started blowing up. Would the government come to deport some of our members? What will we do? What can we do? There was a lot of fear and anxiety of the government. I do not encourage people to break the law. I don’t EVER want the government to scheme and target our members while they are here to worship. Fear of the government - there’s a lot of that going on right now, isn’t there?
Maybe immigration isn’t what’s scaring you right now. Maybe it’s the war. Maybe it’s the stock market. Maybe it’s layoffs. Maybe, if you’re unhoused, you’re wondering if the city can now just bulldoze away your home while you’re away! There’s a lot of scary news out there right now, isn’t there? When we see these news stories, what do we want to do? Do we react in fear, react in hate, or just put our heads in the sand? The problem is that when we react in fear and hate, we just become part of the very evil we see in the world. 
We are in such a polarized and partisan time right now. When we disagree with an opposing candidate, there is a danger of letting ourselves be co-opted by the evil we claim to hate. If we hate a person who has opposing views (who supports this, or voted for that), we assume we know all we need to know about the person. We are just letting ourselves get co-opted by the very evil we claim to hate. We become culture warriors - full of anger, prejudice, and hate - rather than the peacemakers Jesus calls us to be. If we win this culture war through anger, prejudice, and hate, how will we rule after we have won? We cannot react with fear and hate.
If we just put our heads in the sand when evil comes to us, we’ll get caught off guard. This is tempting. How many of us feel like the news is just too much to deal with these days! When evil finally comes knocking on our door, we won’t be ready.

In darkness, God calls us to be careful and wise, making the most of every opportunity:
 
First, SEE with eyes wide open with Jesus as truth, see issues in context, and see what is going on your inside.
-Am I seeing the facts? Or am I seeing things from a biased, partisan point of view? Jesus is the TRUTH, so let’s begin by caring about what’s true!
-What is the context? Does this issue have a larger context that helps me see this issue more clearly? Seeing unhoused folks on the street (however I feel about that), is there a bigger story that explains this issue?
-What’s going on inside of me? Why does this issue trigger me? Do I have old wounds? Do I have prejudices?

Then, DISCERN to see what God sees, read God’s Word, get perspectives from wise and godly people, see things from a Godly perspective, and discern what is God’s calling to you.
As you pray: As you listen to God in prayer, what is God up to? Is there a larger spiritual battle going on? Help me to see what God sees!
As disciples following Jesus, need to see things from a biblical, Godly spiritual and prophetic perspective.
What might God’s love, God’s justice, God’s peacemaking be calling me to do?

Then, ACT! Seize the moment! Step out in faith and obey.

We get drawn into social darkness when we bypass seeing, discerning, and then acting. 
If we just bury our heads in the sand - we miss out, we’ll miss the moment! But when we see, discern, and then act, we’re able to live wisely, making the most of the social darkness moments God puts before us!

Maybe for you, the darkness around you isn’t social, but personal.
Many are facing the personal darkness of an unknown future. They ask, “Will I be ok? Will I be alone?” Maybe it’s because of family; maybe it’s because of money; maybe it’s because of a decision, or maybe they are waiting on someone else’s decision.
How many of us today feel the personal darkness of an unknown future? Again, the temptation for personal darkness is to react, to run, to fight, to hide our heads in the sand. But if we believe God is in control, we don’t have to react! We can live carefully, wisely, rising to the occasion, making the most of these moments God has given us.
Again, instead of reacting, SEE! God, what am I feeling? Where am I feeling it? What am I afraid of or worried about? What is in my control? What is not in my control? What is my fleshly nature tempted to do that is usually destructive?
Then, DISCERN! Where do I sense God’s presence in this darkness? What is God telling me now about who God is? What is God telling me now about who I am? What step of faith is God calling me to take?
Then, ACT! Act in faith. Act in the confidence that God is leading you in this moment Act knowing you are not alone!
 
We heard personal testimonies that are choosing to see, to discern, and to act. 
Jackie Hui, wife of Pastor Brian Hui, spoke a testimony about see, then discern, then act in her personal life. She felt resentment when the family’s dog died. She asked, “What is God teaching me today?” She reflected on her personal self, family, and God. She decided to lean on God. In 2025, she gave birth to a baby girl. The death of the family dog has prepared Pastor Brian to be a better father.
Sylaine Agodi spoke a testimony about God’s call on her life to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ through counseling sessions in ministry to both women and men prisoners. Sylaine is a retired deputy sheriff in law enforcement. She has also had the opportunity to present the Good News of Jesus Christ to her former colleagues in law enforcement as she served at the prison.
 
We have opportunity to be people who see, who discern, and who act, not just in particular moments, but as a way of life. 
That’s the big picture of this message. It is not just information, but transformation. It is not just a call to notice the times we’re in, but to live faithfully now within our times.
Maybe for you, today is the call to wake up, to stop sleepwalking, and start paying attention. Or maybe for you, it’s to pause long enough to ask God what God’s will is right here and right now.  Or maybe you already know, and now it’s time to act not tomorrow, not later, but now.
            We don’t do this alone. The same Holy Spirit that empowered the early church is here with us now, giving us wisdom, guiding our discernment, and giving strength and courage to act.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
This was a joint worship service with Living Stones Christian Church and South Bay Community Church.
-When people worship together across typical dividing lines of race, gender, culture, and other dividing lines, what is your attitude towards joint praise of the divine God, Son, and Holy Spirit? Does your attitude reflect God’s heart, God’s Will, and God’s way? Why?
Knee jerk reactions are healthy in the doctor’s office, but they are unhealthy when reacting to fear and anxiety from our social environment or in our personal lives.
-In what circumstances have you had a scary moment marked with fear and anxiety?
The most natural thing to do when facing fear and anxiety is to react.
-In what ways have you reacted to fear and anxiety?
God is actually cracking open a window of opportunity for us to see God is still present, God is still working, and God is up to something GOOD!
- Since there is a window of opportunity, how would you change your response the next time you face fear and anxiety to step out in faith and join God in the good God is bringing into the world and our lives?
In Ephesians 5: 15-17, Paul redefines wisdom as clarity from God, revelation from God, and something you live out for God. Wisdom is not cleverness, not mere speculation, not something you just talk about.
-In what ways does Paul redefine wisdom? How will you make application of wisdom as redefined by Paul to get clarity from God, revelation from God, and action in your life for God?
Ephesians 5:15-17 can be summed up in three words: See. Discern. Act.
-What challenge are you facing to live faithfully in a world that often feels like it’s falling apart? What resonates with you from Ephesians 5:15-17 on how to live faithfully in the world as you see, discern, and act?
See is to be wise and watchful (v.15); pay attention; eyes wide open; alert; thoughtful; spiritual clarity.
-In what ways have you come to know that you need more wisdom that God provides to you? What practices will help you acquire more godly wisdom?
-Are you awake, or are you sleepwalking? Are your spiritual eyes open to what is happening around you, or are you numbed and dulled by the noise around you? Why is alertness and attentiveness so important to see God’s activity, God’s Will, and God’s Way?
Discern is to understand God’s will (v.17)
- What might God’s love, God’s justice, or God’s peacemaking, be calling me to do in tune with God?
Act is to make the most of every opportunity (v.16)
-How can we get spiritual clarity and wisdom to be in tune with God?
-Why is it important to act in the right now moment as if you need to act before it slips away? How can you make acting right now a constant lifestyle in both good days and hard days?
Evil days don’t eradicate opportunity; they heighten the urgency to act and respond right now in the middle of it all.
-Hardened and evil days give us the opportunity right now to respond and to act with Kingdom clarity in alignment with God’s Will, not to react in fear or grasp for control. Why do hard days give you the opportunity to glorify God in alignment with God’s Will?
As we see, discern, and act, there are practical ways to live up to the moment and live into God’s plan in the midst of social darkness.
-When you see news stories of social or political darkness, what do you want to do?
As we see, discern, and act, there are practical ways to live up to this moment and live into God’s plan in the midst of social darkness in society and personal darkness. In darkness, God calls us to be careful and wise, making the most of every opportunity.
-In the midst of the darkness in our society, why is it so important not to react in fear, hate, or ignore the problem and become part of the evil we see in the world?
First, SEE with eyes wide open with Jesus as truth, see issues in context, and see what is going on inside.
-How can we first care about the truth of Jesus, then examine the bigger story that helps me to see injustices to other victims, and examine any wounds or prejudices in my personal life?
Then, DISCERN to see what God sees, read God’s Word, get perspectives from wise and godly people, see things from a Godly spiritual perspective, and discern what is God is calling you to do.
-For personal darkness, why is it so important for you to read God’s Word, get perspectives from other people who are wise and godly, see things from a Godly spiritual perspective, and determine God’s calling on your life?
Maybe for you, the darkness around you isn’t social, but personal. 
-For personal darkness, in what ways do you wonder from an unknown future if you will be OK or if you will be alone? How can confidence that God is in control change your perspective from reacting to an unknown future to living wisely and making the most of moments God has given you?
We heard testimonies that are choosing to see, to discern, and to act.
-What gifts did you receive from hearing the testimonies of Jackie Hui (through personal family relationships) and Sylaine Agodi (God’s calling on her life of ministry service in prisons)?
We have opportunity to be people who see, who discern, and who act, not just in a moment like this, but as a way of life. 
-What opportunity do you have to see, discern, and act as a way of life?
-Why is it important to see, discern, and act in a community with other people, not alone?