The Apostles of Christ faced a variety of enemies as they sought to establish churches during the first century. The two generations that followed the ascension of Christ featured more theological innovation than any other similar period in all of church history. That's a bit of an eye-opener to many people because they have the idea that for quite a long time after the days of the Apostles, things went along fairly well, and it was only later that the innovations began. But actually, the record shows that it was in that period while the Apostles were still alive that the devil unleashed every weapon from his arsenal. In fact, almost everything that has arisen since that time has been almost always a reworking of some idea that was spawned while the Apostles were still alive. The Apostle John, who is called by many the Apostle of Love, was one of the fiercest combatants against doctrinal deviation. and especially so as the other apostles died. And eventually, he was the last one left alive. It is significant that in the very epistle in which John spoke so much of the need for believers to love each other, he was also directing their attention to the theological dangers that were lurking all about them. For those dangers had the capacity to undermine the churches that had been established already and to lead them, succeeding generations in those churches, to spiritual ruination. It was no great wonder then that John exhorted the believers of that time not to believe everything that came along, but to test the spirits so as to determine which were from God and which were not. Many false prophets, John said, had spread throughout the world. And there was a great need for the believers to be able to discern that which was true from that which was false. And the inspired apostle made it clear here that the ultimate tool in such discernment is the person of Jesus Christ. What do people say about Jesus Christ? Has He come in the flesh? Is He the virgin-born Son of God or not? Those who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, meaning those who deny the doctrine of Christ, for to say that He has come in the flesh is to say certain things about His person and His work. Those who deny the doctrine of Christ, John said in this passage, are of the world. They follow the spirit, as he said, of Antichrist. Those who embrace the doctrine of Christ, on the other hand, are of God. That becomes then the touchstone, the determining factor. And notice that the emphasis is on the doctrine of Christ, so that John would say in his second epistle, if any come unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God's speed. So that any tendency to move away from the doctrine to the ground of emotional experience, will leave you without a firm reference point. And it will lead you into compromise, even unwittingly. It will lead you to a denial of the truths of the gospel. So that is the importance then of what John was saying here concerning the doctrine of Christ. It is that very tendency to compromise. and denial of the truths of the gospel that is the legacy of what is called the Alpha Course. The Alpha Course is a way described, supposedly, to introduce unbelievers to Christianity. It was developed in England less than 20 years ago. And not until 1991, really, was it used in a form that could be adapted widely. And since that time, the Alpha Course has spread around the world. The Alpha Course is a series of 15 sessions, about an hour long each. Those are spread over a period of 10 weeks. Each session begins with a light meal and is followed by an informal presentation of the subject designated for that session. And these sessions generally have relatively small groups of people in attendance. And after that informal presentation of the subject, by whoever's leading the whole session, then those who are in attendance are divided up, and this is done in a predetermined way, it's not left to chance or to random division, but they're divided up into smaller groups to discuss what they have heard and are encouraged to give any ideas they have, no matter how absurd they may appear to others to be. The last sessions in the course take place on what is called Alpha Weekend, and that is a weekend retreat. And those sessions feature an emphasis on the charismatic signs, on praying or trying to get the Holy Spirit. And those charismatic signs lie at the heart of the program's attempt to break down denominational barriers in Christendom. And that's one of the stated goals, to try to de-emphasize those things that divide people. And it's not surprising then that it has been endorsed by leaders from over 75 traditions, as they say, including Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, charismatic, Baptist, independent, all the way down the line. Now, when you look at the thing at first glance, it's very nicely packaged and it seems a very good idea. What can be wrong with an attempt to reach young people? And they are the chief targets, especially young people who do not now attend any church. What's wrong with trying to reach them with some introductory material about Christianity? What's wrong with an effort to take young people who have just professed faith in Christ and try to provide them with some grounding in the truth and some suggestions as to how to have a Christian life? Well, those are the questions that are always brought to those who criticize. the Alpha Course. And those questions underline the danger that lies in this approach to what is called evangelism. The Alpha Course appears to be something positive while it conceals something sinister, something that is designed to remove churches from their doctrinal moorings, to facilitate fellowship with those who reject the truth concerning Christ, the doctrine of Christ, and the gospel. And here is the very thing against which the Apostle John was warning the believers of the first century. Those who would not be bound by the authoritative word of inspired apostles were showing, John was saying, they had no connection with the church of Jesus Christ at all. In that very ominous sentence at the end of verse 6, which is our text, John said that hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. This evening, let us give heed to John's words and let us consider the subtle spirit of error. It is incumbent upon us as believers in Christ not to pretend that these things do not go not to bury our heads in the sand and to pretend that the trends of the times have no impact upon us. It is incumbent upon us to gather as much knowledge as we can so that we can more effectively be vigilant and guard our own hearts and our own minds and those of our children and our grandchildren. We are not to assume, John said, that everything is what it appears to be. No one should be against any genuine effort to reach sinners with the truth of the gospel. We are in favor of any means by which we can reach sinners with the truth of the gospel as long as those means do not compromise that truth in the process. But let us be aware that the devil can cloak himself as an angel of light. He can appear to be in favor of something that is commendable or seems commendable, while at the same time he delivers with it that which is evil and anti-Christian. Now, tomorrow and Tuesday, here in Phoenix, there will be a conference called the Alpha Conference. I received an information sheet about it in the mail here at the church a few weeks ago. That's what got me thinking about this particular message. It looks very inviting. There's a nice picture on the front of a group of young people sitting around a table at an informal meal, a light meal. That's the purpose of it. On the cover, Christianity. Boring? Untrue? And irrelevant? Who is Jesus? How does God guide us? What does the Holy Spirit do? Why did Jesus die? How and why do I pray? What about the church? All these questions that they propose to answer. Well, they're going to have a conference down at Foothills Baptist Church in South Phoenix. And sponsoring that conference locally, are Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, and Independent Churches. All those signatures were on the letter that was sent out. Now it should be obvious that not one of those groups sponsoring this conference, a conference which is for the purpose of teaching people how to implement the Alpha Course in their own churches, Not one of those churches is going to view the Alpha Course as a threat to its own doctrinal distinctives. And therein lies the danger. For the doctrinal aspects of the Alpha Course are so diluted, made so unimportant, really as some say irrelevant, that none of those churches that sponsors the Alpha Conference finds anything in the Alpha Course to be feared. Now, this evening we are here to provide an overview of the Alpha Course, and I can only really skim the surface of it. There is a lot of information regarding the Alpha Course on the Internet. If you just do a search for the Alpha Course, you will find out that there are a number of sites. I think the search I performed indicated there were more than 1,400,000 pages concerning the Alpha Course on the Internet. But tonight, I just want you to consider four things concerning this subtle spirit of error. Number one, supporters. of the Alpha Course. Now in considering the value of anything related to Christianity, it is almost always the case that you can gain a great idea about that value by looking at those who support it. In this case, there is a long list of leaders from the Charismatic Movement, notably the Vineyard Fellowship, and we will deal more with that by and by, from New Evangelicalism, from the church marketing movement, and from liberal Protestantism. And here are just some of the people who heartily endorse the Alpha Course, whose pictures and whose endorsements appear inside this brochure. Tony Campolo, Professor at Eastern University. Dr. Allison has referred to Eastern University. There are some students from Eastern who now attend the Free Church there. Eastern is a cesspool of apostasy. Tony Campolo is a professor there. He was a spiritual advisor to former President Clinton, was supposed to help him through all of his difficulties. He's an endorser of the Alpha Course. Leighton Ford, a close associate of Billy Graham, and now in evangelism on his own. Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago area, a leader in the church growth and marketing movements. Bill Bright, president of Campus Crusade for Christ. J.I. Packer, Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. And whenever I have to mention Packer's name, it always gives me great grief, because Packer is supposed to be reformed in his theology. He has written some of the finest books in the 20th century dealing with reformed truth. His book, Knowing God, is certainly a tremendous piece of work. But J. I. Packer is a compromiser to the extreme. And he endorses the Alpha Course. Charles Coulson is another one, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries, a leading New Evangelical. Charles Coulson is the one whose wife is a Roman Catholic, and Charles Coulson is the one who said he never knew what it meant to be born again until he went to the Mass with his wife. Luis Palau. an evangelist from Latin America known for his willingness to compromise with modernists and apostates. Those are some of the people who endorse the Alpha Course. There are many other names that we could list who are not so well known. But we can say about every one of those people who endorse the Alpha Course that they have sold out the Gospel in an effort to gain acceptance by a wider community. When you see those who support the Alpha Course, you should sense right away, there must be something wrong with it. I read some of the names off to my wife this afternoon, and she said, without hearing anything else, well that's all you need to know, to know that you can't support it. It is usually a safe method in determining where to stand on an issue to look at those who are in favor of it and those who criticize it. Now if I had any one of those people I named supporting me, then you would have just cause to be very alarmed that I had lost my separatist stand. And you would have every reason to wonder about how I would stand on every issue concerning the Gospel. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ gave instruction on this very matter. If you turn to the Gospel of Matthew and to chapter 7, And let's look at verse 15. Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Now here is an exhortation that's in the same chapter that begins with the words of Christ, Judge not that ye be not judged. And I don't know how many times I have heard those words quoted to me over the years when you try to point out compromise. Oh, judge not that ye be not judged. Well, if they want to quote that verse, let's come down a little ways in the chapter to this verse, where Jesus said, Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire, wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. You look at these people who support the Alpha Course, what are the fruits of their work? What are the fruits of the work of Tony Campolo? And when you look at that, you find out that Jesus said that's how you know. You beware of false prophets. So when you look at the supporters of the Alpha Course, there's every reason to be alarmed. But we find even more when we come to the source of the Alpha Course. Where was this idea hatched? It was developed at Holy Trinity Church in Brompton, in England. Brompton is a suburb of London. Now the current form of the course was finalized in 1990, and the leading figure in its development was an Anglican curate named Nicky Gumbel. He wrote a book called Questions of Life, and that book serves as the foundation for the course. And he himself has made the observation, look, this book and this course, they're not fixed in their content. That is, if times change and if circumstances change, well, we can certainly revise the material in the course or revise the material in the book as necessary. Now, there is a two-fold significance in the place of the course's origin. Holy Trinity Brompton is an Anglican Church. And the Church of England, especially during the last half century, has been sliding rapidly back toward reunion with Romanism. Indeed, it is marked by theological bankruptcy on a broad scale. Its pulpits are filled by an amazing variety of pastors, some who deny the cardinal truths of Christianity. The recently installed Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, of whom you may have read in The Burning Bush, has refused to challenge those who deny the virgin birth of Christ, or who deny the deity of Christ, or who deny the bodily resurrection of Christ. And he has also indicated his sympathy for the ordination of practicing sodomites as clergymen in the church, in spite of the fact that the church takes a position against those things. So it's hard to imagine a less auspicious source for anything purporting to do with Christian evangelism than an Anglican church. But the other thing to observe here is that Holy Trinity Brompton is also the seedbed for the so-called Toronto Blessing. The Laughing Revival. Now, the Toronto Blessing is a whole message in itself. Dr. McClelland, of course, is well acquainted with the Toronto Blessing and has even observed it first hand. But suffice it to say, it is a kind of approach to revival where people are taught that when you get the blessing, you fall down on the floor and roll around uncontrollably laughing, or sometimes barking like a dog, or snorting like a pig. At Holy Trinity, Brompton, taxi cabs are summoned for those who are in attendance at the services, who are too drunk in the Spirit to drive home safely after the services. So, instead of being drunk on wine, they're drunk on the Spirit, and they don't trust them to drive home, so they call a cab. And it was this kind of atmosphere that became the leading feature of the Vineyard Fellowship movement, both in England and in America. And it has become a leading feature of the Alpha course as well. Nicky Gumbel, in his book Questions of Life, says Sunday services should not be the dull and somber affairs that he says are part of traditional Christianity. They should be, he says, like a party. And he points to the parable of the prodigal son. And Gumbel said that Jesus was saying that the church is like a feast and a celebration. And at a party everyone has a good time. There's fun. There's laughter. Why shouldn't there be laughter at the biggest party of all? And that's what we're seeing today. Laughter and fun. And people getting drunk. Not with wine. Paul says don't get drunk with wine. Be filled with the Spirit. come to a party, he says, where you can get drunk on God. Now that is the spirit of the man who is at the heart of the Alpha Course. One woman in England refused to fall for this rubbish. She walked out of her church. Now, when an Anglican does that, that's significant. Because Anglicans have usually been in their churches since they were born. So she walked out of her church and she's holding services in her own home. And why? Because she said she doesn't want to snort like a pig and bark like a dog when she goes to church. So the connection between the Alpha Course and the charismatic delusion should be enough in itself. to warn Christians away from it. But then we come to the heart of the matter. The third thing. The substance of the Alpha Course. And here is the danger. Here is the subtle spirit of error. Because you see, as I pointed out, When you first look at the content of the course, you would say, well, I don't find too much objectionable about that, or that, or the other thing. But one word that comes through over and over in comments about the content of the course is shallow. They don't go into very great depth. They try to avoid going too far. And what's the reason for that? They don't want to raise any issues that might put people off, that might serve to divide people one from another. They're trying to get everybody to come together. So let's not get too deep into any one subject. An Englishman named Chris Hand has provided a telling analysis of the Alpha Course in which he makes the following observations. And he has a two-part message actually on the Alpha Course that is on Sermon Audio that you can listen to. He's from England. But this is what he concludes in his analysis. Number one, the God of Alpha is not the God of the Bible. He said it does not present us, that is the Course does not present us with the God who has revealed himself in the Bible. It simply fails to tell us anything we need to know about God. And what's the purpose? Keep everything vague. That way people who are coming from a Buddhist background, they may see God in the sense of Buddha. Those who are coming from a New Age background may see God as kind of an aura. So we don't get too specific. He went on to say, that the plight of man in Alpha is not as serious as in the Bible. Alpha does not use strong terms and leaves us rather unclear about where we stand. As one follows its argument, sin is more to be seen in the way we have messed up our lives. For all the gravity of sin, Alpha never allows us to feel too bad about ourselves. It never permits us to see ourselves in God's sight. And that is a big omission. And so it is. But isn't that the whole spirit of the church marketing approach today? Don't they tell people, if you come to our church, you won't be made to feel badly about yourself. Even if you are shacked up with somebody. Even if you have committed adultery and are committing adultery. You won't be made to feel bad about yourself. I've heard people tell me, you know, they don't say that they sinned, they say they messed up. And here's the concession to that. We just tell people, well, you made a mistake. You messed up. So the approach to sin in the Alpha Course is not the approach that the Bible takes. He goes on to say that the Jesus Christ of Alpha is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible. Despite having part of the Course titled, Why Did Jesus Die?, the Course is unable in the final analysis to answer that question. So the Bible makes it plain what the truth is about Jesus, what the doctrine of Christ is, but the Alpha Course is vague on the subject. It may identify him as a historical figure, But it really leaves out all of the content concerning His person and His work. He goes on to say, the love of God in Alpha is not the love of God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is love, but it is love that is seen in His willingness to save sinners. Without the context of God's holiness and absolute perfection, the meaning of love is lost to us. The Alpha Course does not provide that context. And what's the reason? You get these young people coming together in an effort to reach them. You don't want to emphasize the holiness and the justice of God. Why? That might make them sweat. That might make them uncomfortable. So we don't mention it. He goes on to say the Holy Spirit of Alpha is not the Holy Spirit of the Bible. Alpha's spirit appears to work in ways that lie, here's the key, outside the confines of Scripture. Whoever it is that people are introduced to at the Alpha weekend, that's the final sessions. Those are the final sessions in the Course. It is not the Holy Spirit. But whoever this mysterious guest is, he is equally at home with the ecstatic gatherings of New Age enthusiasts and non-Christian religions alike. There's the genius of the Alpha Course. You get people from all these traditions who come together and they're all happy. They don't hear anything that will make them divert from what they're used to. They are taught that they can take Christianity and continue on practicing their new age or their pagan religions. And then he notes that conversions in Alpha are not like the conversions in the Bible. More often than not, it is an emotional experience about the love of God, but without any understanding of holiness or the need to be saved from our sins. For all its efforts, Alpha does not help us to know God. It does not describe the true and living God for us. It does not diagnose man's condition accurately enough. It is unable to supply us with the good news. And I think that that is certainly a telling analysis of the substance of the Alpha Course. Let us remember what the Apostle John has said in the passage from which we have read this evening. He is saying in verse 1, many false prophets are gone out into the world. Yes, that was in the first century. They were already out there. And what were they doing? They were trying to water down the truth. They were trying to distract sinners from the real issues of sin and salvation. to enable them to feel more comfortable about themselves. But John comes to say that we determine whether or not something is of God by looking at the doctrine of Christ. We compare it to the doctrine of Christ. And if it diverges from that doctrine, if it does not come up to meet that doctrine, what do we know? It's not of God. It comes from the devil. It's of the world. And that leads us to the final point, the sadness of the Alpha Course. There are many people who have been taken in by the subtle spirit of error, who have had some kind of an emotional experience in connection with the Alpha Course, just as those who have emotional experiences at promise keepers meetings, who are confident that by reason of that experience they have become Christians, when all they have done is to accommodate themselves to some sort of Christian lifestyle. Here is the great danger. And here is why the Alpha Course really makes true Christian evangelism much more difficult. Because when you deal with people who have had this kind of an emotional experience, They find it very difficult to accept from you any suggestion that they have not become Christians. And so they go on then, simply assuming that all is well with them. And the reality is they have never repented of their sins. They have never come by faith to lay hold on Jesus Christ. Because everything about Christ and everything about the Gospel has been made vague to them. Oh, there is enough terminology there. There is enough terminology there. But it's all vagueness. So all they have accomplished is a reformation. They've reformed themselves. Living in a slightly different way than they used to. But it is not reformation that sinners need. They need regeneration. Now I said at the outset that for us to go into any depth, there's one article I read on the internet thirteen pages long. And it goes into some detail about the Alpha Course. Well, I wouldn't have the time to really go through all of that. It examines really the book itself that they use in some detail, some of the statements there. But here is something that, like promise keepers and like other things, the devil has put out there to try to muddy the waters. And the important thing is for those who are following after Christ to recognize that according to John's standard, it is not of God. Not in any way. So therefore, when we hear about the Alpha Course, our response ought to be to try to dissuade people from getting themselves involved in it. We ought to be encouraging them not to go to some course but to come to the house of God and listen to the exposition of the Holy Scriptures, even if they have no reference point for it. Because it is that which they need. They need the Word of the living God. It is the Word of the living God that operates in the soul of a sinner to bring light, to bring life. So then, Let us know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error, and let us resolve that by the grace of God we will not be taken in by the spirit of error, but will stand for the truth of the gospel and lift up Jesus Christ and Him crucified as the only hope for sinners. That is what sinners need. Whether they are young people or middle-aged people or older people, that is what sinners need. to hear Jesus Christ and Him crucified. May God give us the grace then to stand against the subtle spirit of error and to lift up the truth of Jesus Christ so that sinners may be drawn unto Him.