What is the Alpha Series? Is it a
program? Is it a religion? Just exactly what is the Alpha
Series anyway?
The simplest answer to these and similar questions is
that the Alpha Series is an attempt to explain the gospel
of Jesus Christ in a way that ordinary people can
understand, and apply it to themselves. It began some
twenty years ago when I first began to search for what it
means to live as a Christian in today's world and
continues to be refined each time I share it with another
person or group. What makes the Alpha Series effective as
a counseling model, discipleship course, training
curriculum, or recovery tool is the fact that it is a
practical application of the gospel which is "the power of
God unto salvation to everyone that believeth..." (Romans
1: 16).
The Alpha Series is a twelve part teaching that was first
offered in the Alpha program of Faith Farm Ministries in
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In the fall of 1988 twelve
recovering addicts and alcoholics received the good news
that God had made them to be "new creatures" and that they
could enter into a new lifestyle of grace. This gospel
combined with emotional healing and the small group
process made dramatic and lasting changes in their lives.
At the same time the Alpha series was offered to
individuals and small groups in the community with the
same kind of results.
People are hungry for the gospel
but turned off by religion. Because the Alpha Series is
not religious but biblical in nature most people will be
receptive to the teaching regardless of their background
and life experience. Religion is man's attempt to
manipulate deity by what he says or does. Biblical Christianity is a personal
relationship with God based on believing in what He has
done for us in Christ that we could not do for
ourselves. The Alpha Series is simply an
explanation of what the Bible says that God has done to
make it possible for us to be worthy as persons. Whenever
the gospel is taught it is the power of God that changes
the lives of all who believe it.
The Alpha Series is constructed in three main parts.
Part
onedescribes the manner in
which personal and relational problems develop
from the core emotions of fear of rejection and fear of
failure due to low self esteem. The insight gained in
understanding how problems develop sets the stage for the
application of the gospel of Jesus Christ as the only
workable solution.
Part two
provides a biblical foundation on
which to build a healthy self-image based
entirely upon our new identity in Christ. The good news of
our union with Christ is applied to the daily task of
allowing ourselves to be transformed by the renewing of
the mind.
Part
threecarries the gospel of our
new identity in Christ to the logical end of ministering
to the needs of others. Having been assured of
our personal security in all that God has done for us in
Christ, we have the confidence and power to concern
ourselves with helping others. True recovery is not
complete until we learn to minister rather than
manipulate.
In as much as it focuses our attention on what God has
done for us in Christ, the Alpha Series is simply the
"milk of the Word ." My experience has been that there are
many "babes in Christ" who are starving to death for lack
of this milk. They are choking on the
diet of legalistic demands- "touch not; taste not; handle
not," rather than being told the good news of their new
identity in Christ. They are being condemned
and criticized by those who seek to make themselves look
good at the expense of those they are supposed to be
leading. My heart breaks for the "lambs" who are being
offered on the altar of religious "dead works" and aches
for the Lamb who is worthy to be truly exalted and
worshipped for all that He has done to make us worthy in
Him. For this reason I offer the Alpha Series to all who
will accept it for themselves and share it with
others.
Come and join the adventure of love, offered to us by
God.