If salvation is by grace alone, why do so many still live as if they can lose it through failure? Could “Legalism 2.0” be quietly replacing freedom with fear in today’s church? 

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Hey GIGI kids,

Today we have a great story about Kali and Ella, two sisters who have an amazing day at a Wildlife Park! 

Here's a sneak peek:

Kali grinned and shouted a big "Woohoo!" as she opened the gift from her Aunt Mia and Aunt Siena, her mother's younger sisters. "Thank you!" She stood and gave each of them a big hug.

"I can't wait to go to the wildlife park." She turned the voucher over and gasped. "I'm even getting a photo with a koala?"

Her aunts laughed. "Yes!" Aunt Mia said. "You've been talking about getting a photo with a koala for two whole years, so we asked your mum, and she said it was fine."

Kali squealed and hugged them again. "Also…" Aunt Siena smiled. "We're taking you this Sunday."

Kali clapped and cheered as she spun around the room. "Oh, wait. Is Ella coming too?"

"Definitely!" Aunt Siena exclaimed. "We can't take one niece and leave the other behind, can we?"

Kali shook her head.

Ella, who had been watching from the corner of the room, grinned and ran to hug her aunts. "Thank you," she whispered.

That week, the sisters talked about nothing but the trip to the wildlife park. Kali had been wanting to go, and since her parents didn't have the funds for it, her aunts had kindly given her this birthday surprise. Sunday couldn't come soon enough.

What happened next? To find out, find a comfortable spot and listen to the episode.

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Story by: Esther Espinoza

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Special effects editing: James Wagner 

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What Love Does

First Corinthians 13:4-7 is the heart of the chapter. Paul focuses on the features of love--showing what love is and what it is not, or what love does and does not do. He personifies love so that we can have a glimpse of how a person filled with Spirit-driven love behaves. In his portrayal of love, Paul uses a series of verbs. For him, love is more about actions than about feelings or emotions.

What, then, does love do?

1. Shows patience (makrothymeō). Makrothymeō means to show patience, even amid challenging circumstances. Patience also highlights the ability to be forbearing with one another (Eph. 4:2).

2. Shows kindness (chrēsteuomai). Chrēsteuomai occurs only here in the New Testament, but other words from the same root are common elsewhere. In the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament), words from this root occur frequently in the Psalms to refer to God's kindness associated with His mercy (Ps. 145:9). By saying that love shows kindness, Paul meant that one's love for others must emulate God's compassion and mercy toward us.

3. Rejoices (synchairō) in the truth. Synchairō denotes the ability to experience joy alongside another person (Luke 1:58; Luke 15:6, 9; 1 Cor. 12:26; Phil. 2:17-18).

4. Bears (stegō) all things. Scholars debate whether stegō means "to cover," namely, to keep something confidential (which also has a sense of protection), or "to endure," with a sense of resilience. The concept of endurance clearly occurs in 1 Corinthians 9:12, leading most interpreters and Bible translators to take the second option as more likely.

5. Believes (pisteuō) all things. Pisteuō comes from the same root as the Greek term for faith (pistis). In the context of 1 Corinthians 13, believing all things means giving one another the benefit of the doubt.

6. Hopes (elpizō) all things. In the New Testament, the verb elpizō always refers to the belief or expectation that something good will occur.

7. Endures (hypomenō) all things. Likely, there is no difference between the verbs stegō and hypomenō in 1 Corinthians 13:7. They are synonyms, meaning here endurance amid hardship. Paul uses hypomenō at the end o

Every generation has heard talk about the end, and it can be tempting to tune it out. But we need to talk about this, not to scare us, but to help us stay awake spiritually. Bill will share what the Bible says the world will look like and how those signs invite us to stay connected, grounded, and ready.

Downey Adventist Church Sermon

I've Heard That Before

I Am Not Afraid sermon series

by Chris Famisaran

08 August 2026

www.downeychurch.org

Dr. Lucian Chalice’s sermon “Who Is Able to Stand?” calls believers to remain faithful during the coming time of judgment and testing. Using biblical prophecy and examples such as Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Noah, the sermon emphasizes that standing for God begins with faithfulness today.

The message highlights the church’s responsibility to study and proclaim Bible prophecy, share the Three Angels’ Messages, seek the Holy Spirit, and remain united. Global crises such as pestilence, famine, wars, and earthquakes are presented as signs that should awaken God’s people and strengthen their commitment to His mission.

The central question is: When our faith is tested, will we stand for Jesus? The appeal is to wake up, stand firm, proclaim God’s Word, and prepare for Christ’s return.

First and Second Corinthians — A Portrait of Love — The Essentialness of Love

Join us as we study the Bible Study Guide for the third quarter of 2026 called First and Second Corinthians. We are studying the lesson for week 7 called A Portrait of Love.    

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The Essentialness of Love

Last week we touched on the theme of love, as seen in 1 Corinthians 13. We need to explore Paul's words here in even more depth.

Read 1 Corinthians 13. Summarize what he is telling us about love.

Paul is not saying that tongues (1 Cor. 13:1), prophecy, understanding, knowledge, faith (1 Cor. 13:2), and benevolence (1 Cor. 13:3) are useless. They are useless only if not driven by love.

The kind of love Paul is talking about is not expressed in such sentences as "I love strawberries" or "I love my friends" or even "I love my spouse and children." Neither is he talking about the kind of love that one sees in movies. And no, it is not erotic love, although this passage has been commonly used in wedding sermons.

This love cannot be reduced to affection, or charity, or virtue, or benevolence. Yet, they all represent it to a lesser or greater degree. This love is a special grace bestowed upon us by the Spirit. Indeed, love in 1 Corinthians 13 is the Spirit-given motivation that leads us to act with affection, charity, virtue, and benevolence. It is a total commitment of our actions, feelings, and thoughts toward Christ and our neighbors.

Read Matthew 24:12. What warning does Jesus give us here?

That is why agapē love is so essential and necessary. In the power of Christ, we cannot let love grow cold in our homes, churches, and neighborhoods. We have the example of Christ on the cross, dying for us. What better and more powerful expression of this kind of love could there be? Though of course we could never equally express that kind of love, by God's grace we should strive to reveal it in our own lives to whatever degree we can.

What are some times when, indeed, an expression of this kind of love could have made a powerfully positive impression on someone who needed this love more than anything else?