Kevin Makins: A Collection of Teachings and Comments

Church Plant Update

2011-02-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

Fall of 2010, myself and a group of friends planted "Eucharist Church" in downtown Hamilton, which has been an amazing adventure.

However, it has also been a lot of work, and I no longer have the time to update this site with any of the most recent teachings.

That said, all Eucharist teachings, including my own, will be available on our website, and will be updated regularly.

Come visit Eucharist, and Hamilton; which is probably the greatest city in the world.

Grace/peace/love

Kevin

eucharistchurch.ca

facebook.com/eucharistchurch

eucharistsermons.tumblr.com

Two Crucifixions

2010-07-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 16:25 - 11.07.2010

Two Crucifixions

From the series: "Peril"

Hope Fellowship asked me back again, and were hoping I could speak from the Proverbs on the theme: "We rationalize our sin to our own peril".

We got to ask some great questions about what sin is, why God stands against it, and what it means to be living in the Kingdom of God.

Download "Two Crucifixions" from Hopefellowship.ca

An Empty Tomb

2010-06-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Mark 16 - 27.06.2010

An Empty Tomb

From the series: "Who is This?" - Irony in the Gospel of Mark

Mark has acted as a skillful tour guide, taking his readers from the River of Jordan to Jerusalem, from the height of a mountain to the lows of a Roman Cross.

And in the end there is only one place left to take us: an empty tomb.

Download "An Empty Tomb" from Freechurch.ca

The Upside-Down Kingdom

2010-06-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

Mark 10: 35-45 - 13.06.2010

The Upside-Down Kingdom

From the series: "Who is This?" - Irony in the Gospel of Mark

Glory can be described as: "the quality of splendid, remarkable appearance".

We've seen his glory revealed on a mountain, in miracles, on his entrance into Jerusalem; but all of these pale in comparison to his moment of greatest glory.

What is Jesus' greatest moment of glory, and what does that mean for those of us following him?

Sermon not recorded

Preaching Demons

2010-05-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Mark 1, 3, and 5 - 30.05.2010

Preaching Demons

From the series: "Who is This?" - Irony in the Gospel of Mark

Jesus said to the storm "Peace. Be still."

And the chaos calms, the wind dies down, and the waves subside.

And the disciples look at each other and say "Who is this?" "Who is this man, that even the wind and the waves obey him?"

"Who is this?"

This is the question that runs through the book of Mark, and the answer lies in the most unexpected places.

Download "Preaching Demons" from Freechurch.ca

"What is that to you?"

2010-05-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 11:13, 29:19; Leviticus 19:16; John 21 - 09.05.10

"What is that to you?"

I was invited to Hope Fellowship Church in the Oshawa area, and asked to speak about gossip from Proverbs. It seemed to connect well with an older teaching I did called "What is that to you?" that never got recorded, so I decided to tie it all together.

Sometimes when we gossip we think we are talking about them, but really we are talking about ourselves.

Download "What is that to you?" from Hopefellowship.ca

Walls

2010-05-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Heb 4.12; Eph 6.17; Rev 1.16 - 02.05.10
Walls

Everyone has a story. Every story has it's own "good-news," it's own Gospel. What happens when the story of Jesus collides with all these other gospels?

Download "Walls" from Freechurch.ca

Influences:

Wall and Piece - Banksy

How can the Bible be Authoritative? - N.T. Wright

What you can't hear:

In this sermon you can't hear the stain of the empire! A little back story? In the live sermon I mentioned a few brands by name, intending to tear them down and reveal some of their agendas. It was all well and good until a wise friend of mine pointed out (after the service) that I had actually just given them advertising that money can't buy! This made me really frustrated (they played me like a fool!), and so I vowed to not let it exist online forever, but to censor out all the branding.

So this is the clean version... you can let your children listen to it without fear of them becoming corrupted by evil companies!

Lay Down Your Branches

2010-03-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Luke 19 - 28.03.10
Lay Down Your Branches

Jesus is riding a donkey, entering into Jerusalem, knowing it will lead to his death. The people see him coming and run out, dropping their clothes on the road, ripping palm branches off the trees and laying them down before him.

But they've done this before.

This is how they treat a Messiah, a warrior, a deliverer, a king.

But Jesus is making it very clear: "I'm not that type of King"

A look into the counter-cultural, subversive Kingship of Jesus.

Download "Lay Down Your Branches" from Freechurch.ca

Fruit of the Spirit: Self-control

2010-03-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

Galatians 5 - 21.03.10
Fruit of the Spirit: Self-control

Our journey through one of the most life-filled sections of Scripture concludes! When someone asks you: "What is Christianity all about?" I imagine that you (like me) take them to the Fruit of the Spirit! You say to them: "Being a follower of Jesus is all about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and ... self-control?" ... Really? That's where it ends?

Because to many of us, self-control just sounds so dead. When contrasted with all of these beautiful things that hum with life, self-control sounds like a let down. But maybe this is because we don't understand it properly? Maybe if we really understood self-control, and understood why we need it, it would change everything!

Download "Self-control" from Freechurch.ca

Watch the music video that accompanied "Self-control"

Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness

2010-02-28T17:00:00.000-08:00

Galatians 5 - 28.02.10
Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness

Throughout scripture we see different sides to the sea. The sea first appears in Genesis as this raging chaos, until the Spirit calms it. It violently destroys in the story of Noah, but in the Exodus, the sea becomes a protector and guardian for the Israelites. To the Israelites, the sea is a place of uncertainty, a place that could be good to them, or could be evil.

Throughout scripture, we learn that the human heart is like the sea.

Download "Goodness" from Freechurch.ca

Watch the music video that accompanied "Goodness"

Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

2010-01-31T17:00:00.000-08:00

Galatians 5 - 31.01.10
Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

Joy is a strange thing to dissect. What is joy? It it happiness, or something deeper? Is it temporal? Where does it come from?

Download "Joy" from Freechurch.ca

Watch the music video that accompanied "Joy"

Influences:

Nothing influenced me more than this. Take the time to meditate on it.

Reconstructing Christmas: Celebrating

2009-12-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Revelation 5 - 20.12.09
Reconstructing Christmas: Celebrating

In the book of Revelation we are given the image of a scroll. Inside of this scroll are written all of the promises of God: peace, love, reconciliation, redemption, comfort, glory, joy... but no one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll.

Download "Reconstructing Christmas: Celebrating" from Freechurch.ca

Reconstructing Christmas: Feasting

2009-12-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

Genesis to Revelation - 06.12.09
Reconstructing Christmas: Feasting

In the book of Genesis, the story starts with people, God, and food. At the end of the Bible, in Revelation, there are people from every nation, God, and a feast.

When Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to be betrayed, he is sharing a meal with them, and when he resurrects they eat again.

Why is there such a focus on food in the Bible? What does the meal say about the new creation? Why should we feast?

Download "Reconstructing Christmas: Feasting" from Freechurch.ca

What you can't hear:

On the Tuesday after this sermon we gathered together for our Winter 09 Love Feast. It was a real feast, complete with a five course vegan meals, beautiful aesthetics, live music, and great people from our Church and the neighborhood. In the center of it all was a seat of glory for God, to remind us where He belongs in our feasting. It was one of the most serene experiences of my life.

Influences:

Love Feasts!

I think you're in my seat...

2009-11-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

2 Corinthians 5: 17-20 - 22.11.09
I think you're in my seat...

A lot of people talk about how we can tell people about Jesus, but there is another question that is just as valuable: why? Why should we should bother telling people about Jesus and the gospel of reconciliation?

Download "I think you're in my seat..." from Freechurch.ca

What you can't hear:

The throne above was there for the whole sermon... just so you know.

Influences:

Surprised by Hope - N.T. Wright
II Corinthians - Frank J. Matera

Deepest Magic

2009-11-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

1 John 4: 7-8 - 01.11.09
Deepest Magic

Every story has a force that propels it, a fuel, an engine. The Christian story claims to be the true story of the universe, the story that holds together all the other stories: what is its engine?

A sermon about a God who is eternally committed to the seemingly absurd and illogical notion that this place and these people are worth saving, and who refuses to be motivated by anything but pure, true, good, break-you-open-pour-you-out love.

Download "Deepest Magic" from Freechurch.ca

Influences:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling
The Drama of Scripture - Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen

"Going" and "Being"

2009-10-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Acts 2: 42-47 - 11.10.09
"Going" and "Being"

It's simple. So simple. But we forget it every day: church is a family.

Not a building, not a time in the week; a group of people coming together as family. We say its obvious, but we ask people: "What church do you go to?"

"What family do you go to? How was family last night? I am family shopping."

If we think of church as something that we go to, then we show up, smile, consume our spiritual goods, and go on our way. If we think of church as something that we are, then everything will change. There is a world of difference between "going" to something, and "being" something.

Sermon not recorded properly.

Influences:

Derek Webb - She must and shall go free (album)
No Perfect People Allowed - John Burke
George Hunsberger's essay in Evangelical Ecclessiology - John Stackhouse Jr.

"What is that to you?"

2009-09-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

John 21 - 20.09.09
"What is that to you?"

There is this moment in John's Gospel where Peter betrays Jesus three times next to a charcoal fire. He is broken, ashamed, and lost. Later, the resurrected Jesus sits Peter down next to a charcoal fire and asks him three times if he loves him. Peter is forgiven, empowered, and given the most important mission of all time. His response to this incredible, personal, history-altering moment? He points to someone else and says "What about him?"

We have all been forgiven, equipped, and trusted with a mission that will change the world. Each of us has an individual calling to do things that only we can do, to bring God's Kingdom in ways only we can. How often is our response to point to the person next to us and ask "What about him? What about her? Why does he get that house? Why is she so good at that?"

Jesus' response? "What is that to you? You follow me."

A sermon about always asking "What is that to me?"

The sermon was not recorded at FreeChurch, but a similar one was at Hope Fellowship. Click for the download.

Influences

Name (Nooma) - Rob Bell
A hundred conversations with a hundred people who feel the same thing

dead people's bones

2009-08-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

Matthew 23: 27-28 - 23.08.09
dead people's bones

Jesus points out two ways of existing. In one we are filled with living waters that overflow into life. In the other we are like a tomb filled with dead people's bones.

Not recorded.

Wrestling

2009-08-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

Matthew 15: 21-28 - 09.08.09
Wrestling

In the ancient world, your name was more than just a title, it spoke to the core of who you were. The name of God's chosen people? Israel.

Israel means "wrestles with God."

A teaching about wrestling with God and man.

Download a clip of "Wrestling" from Freechurch.ca

Influences:

The Orthodox Heretic - Peter Rollins (specifically the parable "The Final Trail")
Kester Brewin's parable "Footprints" (http://www.kesterbrewin.com/2009/09/04/winning-a-parable-competition/)
Derek Webb - Stockholm Syndrome (album)
Being able to be honest with God about things He already knows

more like Rome

2009-08-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Matthew 6: 9-10 - 02.08.09
more like Rome

Earth, glory, sin, death, order, chaos, anti-kingdom, redemption, cosmos, escapism, justice, dancing and the reconciliation of all things.

What is Christianity really about?

Download 'more like Rome' from Freedomize.com

Influences

Books:
Surprised by Hope - N.T. Wright (or any of his other work, specifically 'Simply Christian')
The Drama of Scripture - Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen

Other:
Mockingbird - Derek Webb (Album)

the Rabbi and the Talmidim

2009-06-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Matthew 4 - 14.06.09
the Rabbi and the Talmidim

Jesus calls a bunch of fishermen to leave everything and follow him, and they just do it. No questions, no doubts. They just go. Why?

Not recorded.

Influences:

The Rabbi and the Talmidim - Ray Vanderlaan (http://www.followtherabbi.com/Brix?pageID=2753)

Youth Retreat: Jacked up stories in Judges

2009-05-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

The Book of Judges - 16-19.05.09
Jacked up stories in Judges

Note: None of these sermons were recorded. They were preached at both the Elmira Youth Retreat (May 09) and Joy Winter Retreat (Feb 2010)

The Bible is a messy book. You might not know it from ‘Veggie Tales’ and flannel-graph boards, but there is some seriously twisted stuff in our Holy Book! What do we do with it? So often we ignore the stuff in the Bible that makes us uncomfortable, but what if we dealt with it head on? What if we intentionally spent time in the most violent, depraved, jacked-up sections of the Bible? Maybe we will all close the book and never speak of it again… or maybe something beautiful and redemptive will happen in the very place we least expect it!

The Bible is God’s Word to us, right? And that means the whole thing, doesn’t it?

1) we just call them by different names

God promised to always love, defend, and provide for His people; but what happens when they turn their back on Him? What happens when they grow cold to the one true God and chase around all the others? What happens when we grow cold to the one true God and start chasing around all the others?

2) we’re all left handed

We do a lot to cover up our weakness, don’t we? We dress cool, listen to cool music, wear cool sunglasses, slick back our hair and roll up cigarette carts in our sleeves (no one else?). We all want to be friends with the most popular people; we want to grow up to be famous, to be winners! But the God of the Bible seems to prefer those that are the weaklings, the losers, those on the underside of power… God runs with the underdogs.

3) you don’t get to be Batman

The book of Judges is filled with interesting characters who save the day… so it’s a book of heroes… isn’t it? But what happens when heroes let us down? What happens when we can’t save the day? Who is the real hero of the story?

4) a new deliverer

We get it, we need rescuing: but who will deliver us?

jumping into the pool and running around the block

2009-05-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Psalm 137 - 10.05.09
jumping into the pool and running around the block

Tragedy strikes, the walls fall down, Babylon comes, and we find ourselves at the rivers side; sitting, mourning, and wondering 'where is God?' We ask the question 'how can we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?' Sometimes suffering takes us into exile, and we wonder what to do with our pain. Maybe the Psalms have something to say about our pain? Maybe God wants us to voice it?

Download 'jumping into the pool and running around the block' from Freedomize.com

Recommendations/Influences

Books:
Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak For Us Today - Bernard Anderson
The Drama of Scripture - Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen
Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven, But Nobody Wants To Die - David Crowder and Mike Hogan
Answering God - Eugene Peterson

Other:
Introductions to the Psalms (Heritage Seminary Course) - Dr. David Barker
I Can Feel Your Pain; Sleeper 1972; Where Have You Been?; I Can Feel A Hot One - Manchester Orchestra
Matthew (Nooma) - Rob Bell

you only have I known

2009-05-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

Amos 1-3 - 03.05.09
you only have I known

Subversive, edgy, out-spoken, poetic. At a time when Israel was comfortable with the 'status-quo' it was the prophets who stood up, gave voice to the way things were, and pointed to the way they should be.

'Prophecy is the voice that God has lent to the silent agony, a voice to the plundered poor, to the profaned riches of the world. It is a form of living, a crossing point of God and man. God is raging in the prophet's words.'

Who are the prophets today? What do they say to us? What is raging in our words?

Download 'you only have i known' from Freedomize.com

What you can't hear:
Near the end of the sermon, after Joy spoke of her sister's piece, a video played showing its display and construction. The other thing you can't hear (much) is the technical errors!

Recommendations/Influences

Books:
The Prophets - Abraham Heschel
Wall and Peace - Banksy
The Drama of Scripture - Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen
Jesus Wants to Save Christians - Rob Bell and Don Golden
An Introduction to the Old Testament - Tremper Longman III

Other:
She Must and Shall Go Free; Mockingbird (Albums) - Derek Webb
Of Plastic Circumstance - Rose Broadbent (http://ofplasticcircumstance.com/)
The Old Prince (Album) - Shad K.

no more heroes

2009-03-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Judges 6-8 - 15.03.09
no more heroes

It is in Israel's darkest times that they realize the most profound truths. In their darkest time God raises up for them a deliverer, but will he forget who raised him up? Will Israel remember who the hero of the story is?

Link not available

Recommendations/Influences

Books:
Judges: Such a Great Salvation - Davis Dale Ralph
NIV Application Commentary: Judges - K. Lawson Younger
Word Biblical Commentary: Judges - Trent Butler

Other:
Watchmen (Comic Book) - Allan Moore
Judges (McMaster Divinity School Course) - Dr. Keith Bodner

the walls fall down

2009-03-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Numbers 13 and Joshua 6 - 08.03.09
the walls fall down

In the face of incredible promise and overwhelming challenge... Israel has a decision to make. Do they trust God and claim the land they have been promised? Or do they doubt, fear, and return to Egypt? Do they trust in horses and chariots, or the God that has been leading them?
Do they really believe that God can be trusted? Do we really believe that God can be trusted?

Download 'the walls fall down' from Freedomize.com

What you can't hear:
During the sermon, starting from the mention of walking around the walls, members of the band, one by one, began to stand up and walk around the sanctuary. Once the finished the lap they would take their place up front. When all six band members had circled and sat, I began my walk around the edge for the final part of the sermon. Upon reaching the front and shouting 'the walls fall down...' the band exploded into a celebratory song and led us in the worship of the God we trust.

Recommendations/Influences

Books:
Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals - Dr. William Webb (deals with the idea of God's ethical ideal, or potty training... if you don't get it, listen to the sermon)
NICOT: Joshua - Martin Woudstra

the new exodus

2009-02-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

Exodus 3 & 12 - 15.02.09
the new exodus

Egypt starts as an empire, but becomes a metaphor:
Egypt is a place where things are more important then people
Egypt is a place where people are treated as machines
Egypt is a place concerned with making a name for itself
Egypt is a place where motivation comes from violence
Egypt is a place where people are stuck in slavery
Egypt is a place where humanity is separated from the God who created them
And Egypt is a place that we all recognize is alive and well today, isn’t it?
Maybe some of us need to leave Egypt?

Download 'the new exodus' from Freedomize.com

What you can't hear:
At the end of the sermon we literally packed up our stuff and performed out own exodus out of the building. We walked as a congregation a few blocks to another church building where we had an elaborate, beautiful 'love-feast'. The love-feast was a seven course meal made by our church's small groups and consisted of eating, laughing, talking, singing, praising, and baptizing! It was a holy and sacred evening!

Recommendations/Influences

Other:
Eating, drinking, dancing, laughing, praising, hugging, praying, baptizing...

may i be ripped limb from limb

2009-02-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

Gen 12 & 15 - 01.02.09
may i be ripped limb from limb

The church has a difficult calling, the call to be God's hand's and feet, to be His body in the world... what if we fail? Who does the burden fall on? An agreement has been made, a covenant, but who is the God on the other side? That will make all the difference...

Download 'may i be ripped limb from limb' from Freedomize.com

What you can't hear:
Near the end of the sermon, when talking about the covenant ceremony being lay out, I walked down the center aisle, treating it as the aisle Abram made. If you are the imaginative type, you could see a little more clearly what it looked like for Abram to cut these animals in half, aware of what this covenant might cost him. One person later said "I could smell the blood of the animals; hear it sticking to his sandals." Awesome!

garden.field.tower

2009-01-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

Genesis 3-4, 11 - 25.01.09
garden.field.tower

Sin is on the move, out to pervert everything good that God has made, turning Kingdom to anti-Kingdom. It moves from a garden, to a field, to a tower; and cheapens, perverts, and destroys everything along the way. What does this mean for us? Can we fight back? Can we move from a tower, to a field, to a garden?

Download 'garden.field.tower.' from Freedomize.com

What you can't hear:
Well, you can hear it a bit this time! Around the 17 minute mark there is a fight in the congregation... a planned fight, but a fight none-the-less! In an attempt to show people just how harsh and real the pain of sin can be, when talking about the man and the woman's relationship we had a mock fight between a man and a woman in our congregation! They both have history in acting, and it showed... a little too well. Their fight was apparently too accurate for a few people, who then spent the rest of the service praying for the couple that got in a fight! At the end of the sermon the couple came in for communion together, which was beautiful and moving, but apparently a few people still missed it, resulting in us needing to make an announcement about it the next week! Lesson learned. That said, at least the image will never leave your head!

we all come at noon

2008-10-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

the zombie sermon

2008-10-05T17:00:00.000-07:00