Genesis Church - Carmel

It’s OK to have money… as long as MONEY doesn’t have us. And that’s where the problem usually arises. We go looking to money to meet our needs, to cover up our wounds, and to satisfy. But the important, and sometimes difficult lesson to learn about life and money and satisfaction is this… true, lasting satisfaction only comes to us through Jesus! That’s why this series isn’t about you having LESS money. The answer is MORE of JESUS… That’s what we want for our lives. That’s what we want for our church.

If we're not careful, fear can overwhelm any of us. It has a way of sneaking into just about every aspect of life, including how we think about and manage our money. God doesn’t want us living in fear. Thankfully, he has something better for each of us - a way of living that decreases our fear of the unknown and increases our trust in Him.

The way we view money and possessions can be positive and life-giving, or negative and disruptive. On several occasions, Jesus warned that a love of money can distract our hearts away from God and have damaging eternal consequences. The question that all of us need to answer is this; how can we learn to want less stuff so we can enjoy true contentment?

We live in a world that idolizes money and tempts us into believing the lie that the more we have the better life will be. The problem is that our pursuit of more has lead to more stress, more anxiety and more discontentment - no matter how much we have, make or save. Jesus has identified the problem as greed and he wants to help us learn how to dethrone greed in our hearts so we can learn to live a life of gratitude and generosity. Jerry Naville kicks off a new series entitled, "Less is More", with a message on being grateful for what God has given each of us.

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul reminds followers of Jesus that living a Sent life begins by allowing our behaviors to flow from our identity in Christ. We must continually abide in him so that our relationship with him can guide the way we live for him.

The final chapter of the book of Acts begins with the Apostle Paul surviving a shipwreck and then being bitten by a viper…and it ends with him on house arrest and chained to a Roman soldier.  But in spite of those challenges, he continued to live out his faith in Jesus and even got to see the fruits of his labor.  In this final chapter of Acts, Paul shows us how to stay on mission for Jesus, especially when it would be easier just to give up.

Life is guaranteed to be stormy at times, but what do you do when the storms of life attack your peace and rob you of joy? In Acts 27 the Apostle Paul shows us that it is possible to experience and share the peace of God in spite of the storms of life.

In Acts 24, Luke gives us a contrast between two men who respond very differently to the convenience of Jesus as Lord. The truth is, very little about following Jesus is convenient; it requires that we give total Lordship to every area of our lives. But, living under the Lordship of Jesus is the best place for us and also the honor he deserves.

The story of what God has done in our lives is meant to be on our lips everywhere we go. In Acts 22 we will discover that Jesus called Paul to use his story to share God's story, and that he calls us to do the same.

Farewell speeches have the potential to inspire and instruct. In Acts 20, Paul offers some important words for how to live a faithful life for Jesus in this world.

In Acts 19, we find the Apostle Paul continuing his missionary work in the city of Ephesus. During his time there, the Holy Spirit used Paul’s faithfulness in the small things to accomplish big things for God’s Kingdom. But the biggest impact may have been what happens at the end of the chapter when the Holy Spirit convicted followers of Jesus to burn the very things that represented their hidden sins.

God is able to work through anyone who is willing and ready to be used by Him.

In Acts 17 the Apostle Paul arrived in a city where people weren’t just far from God – they were completely confused about who God is and what He is like. But instead of getting angry or shrugging his shoulders and walking away, he applied his perspective as a follower of Jesus to introduce them to “an unknown God” who had the power to give them eternal life.

Genesis Church celebrated 20 years! Lead Pastor Paul Mumaw shares a message from Acts about what real life change looks like, and how we as a church are called to help people find their way back to God.

Life is hard and we don’t always get what we want. It’s Ok to pray and tell God what you need. There are also incredible benefits to asking God to give you the feet you need for the journey.

It’s easy for us to think that many of the stories in the Old Testament are weird, obscure, and unrelated. But, when we take a closer look at how the Old Testament is put together, we discover that it’s a collection of connected promises that are meant to help us understand the ancient past, make sense of the chaos of today, and most importantly - point us to a the return of Jesus as God’s promised Messiah King!

God's plan almost never looks like our plan. There's too much suffering, too many loose ends. But if we trust him, and can see our lives as part of a larger story, we'll see he's always with us, and he's weaving a beautiful tapestry with our lives.

Life has a way pulling us down and making us feel forgotten by God. In Genesis 37 we meet a young man named Joseph who was rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery, and put into prison. But even as his life continued to spiral downward, he began to learn that the Lord was with him, and would eventually use it all for his good and the good of his family.

It is our natural fleshly desire to try to fix and achieve everything on our own, but The True Gospel says that we are made right with God by His grace alone. When we choose doing and earning and achieving instead of simply receiving God’s grace by faith, we miss out on the true freedom Christ desires for our lives.

The story of Jonah is pretty well-known... at least the fish part. But even in Jonah's disobedience, we see an incredible story of a God who is faithful, even when we're not. Pastor Steve Wallen dives into this classic story from the Old Testament as we continue our summer series, Sticky Stories.