Alpha Course, Week 1

I feel honored to be helping serve as facilitator for the Alpha Course at Highlands Church. The course kicks off tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 6 p.m. We will be going through the Alpha Express — meaning the video messages are between 20-25 minutes. Each week I'll be using my blog to put up the week's outline (Tuesdays) and a few thoughts on the week's lesson (Wednesdays). Please feel free to put any questions here as well. Below is the week 1 outline.

Alpha Course, Week 1

Is There More to Life Than This?

Introduction:

Nicky Gumbel begins by saying he had three objections to Christianity: It was boring; It was untrue; and It was irrelevant.

John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

1. Christianity Provides Direction for a Lost World — Jesus said “I am the way”

  • People hunger for purpose and meaning.
  • It answers questions about life.
    • What am I doing on earth?
    • What is the point of life?
    • Where am I heading.

2. Christianity Offers Reality in a Confused World — Jesus said “I am the truth.”

  • It answers the question, “Does it matter what we believe?”
  • Truth, understood intellectually.
  • Truth, experienced as a relationship.

3. Christianity Offers Life in a Dark World — Jesus said, “I am the life.”

  • We are created in God’s image
  • We are fallen in our sin nature
  • We are forgiven in Jesus Christ

Conclusion:

  • Christianity is not boring, it’s about living life to the full.
  • Christianity is not untrue, it is the truth.
  • Christianity is not irrelevant, it transforms the whole of our lives.

Questions to Consider:

1. Nicky Gumbel said there are three reactions when people hear the Gospel. They ignore it; they aren’t ready to accept it but they want more information; or they believe it right away. What category do you fall into?

2. What do you think Christianity offers the world?

3. How would you respond to the three doubts Nicky Gumbel had about Christianity? What do you think of his concluding points?

4. What are you interested in learning more about in regard to Christianity?

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