R U A FANATIC?

Is this great or what!? Bruce Pearl went all out in support of the Vols. Over the top? Fanatic? Or was he just a die hard fan and unashamed to show up and show out? Either way, the verdict is unmistakable: This guy is a Vols fan and doesn't care who knows it!

This weekend we begin a new series we're calling Fanatic. Fanatics get labeled so because people consider them excessive or over the top. What would it look like to become a fanatic Christ follower? We're going to talk about that this weekend at TVCC. Here's the line-up for the entire month of August. (Click to enlarge)

The Unexpected Adventure

In Lee Strobel and Mark Mittleberg's book The Unexpected Adventure Mittleberg says this about one of his early experiences of sharing his faith as a young Christian.

"God used me in the story...I didn't have to complete a course or read a training manual. Mostly I just needed to cultivate a heart of concern, pray for an opportunity, and be willing to speak up when God gave me the chance." (p 83)

Too many times we think we don't know enough when all we really need is to ask God for the desire to know Him, love Him, and serve Him. Is it his will that we know Him, love Him, and serve Him? Certainly! But you can't do more in order to achieve this. You must simply abide. Jesus said, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (NKJV)

To abide is a picture Christ is giving us of being in constant communion with Him. Jesus said it like this: Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. John 15:4 (NLT)

We are not sufficient for the task. Only Christ through us will do. Mittleberg is correct when he says, "I wasn't adequate and you don't need to be either because God is more than adequate as he empowers and works through us."

Abide in Christ and get ready for the unexpected adventure to begin!