"Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught” (Luke 1:3-4, NLT).

Dear Theophilus,

I thought it important to write to you knowing that you are a friend of God (Theophilus means "friend of God”). In order for you to respond to these precious days we live in from the vantage point of Kingdom nobility, a careful investigation of things from the beginning was necessary. It is fundamental to be mindful that the beginning of a thing has embryonic keys to understanding the end of the thing. If my recollection serves correctly, our brother Paul admonished us "to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise men.” The Father never leaves true friends in the dark, for darkness speaks of ignorance and improper information systems, thus leaving one vulnerable to think and walk foolishly. Many questions are being raised in these days about the activities of God, with some evolving out of genuine concern for the will of God, and others from suspect motives and doubtful disputations concerning the Kingdom of God. Certainly, God’s activities are important to know if we are going to walk with exactness and get away from inaccurate migrations. The Master spoke of the importance of friends and the elevated level of communion He had with them. He spoke with sincerity and a sense of clarity, intensity, and urgency as His passion and transition neared. He said,

"You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me” (John 15:14-15, NLT).

O Theophilus, I am profoundly grateful in this postmodern reformation that we have been delivered from slavery status to "friendship standing.” One of the worst positions in life is to be incarcerated to the unhealthiness of slavery in which one has no rights or privileges. One is dominated by the judgmental opinions of others, forced to comply with circumstances one did not choose, browbeaten with abusive words, and compelled to accept identities totally unfamiliar to one’s true heritage. Generally, slaves are prohibited from accessing valuable information conducive to freedom and living an abundant lifestyle.

We are no longer slaves to the old carnal apparatus, which includes methods, mechanisms, arrangements, schemes, organizations, operations, and machinery. To break this down, the old man is dead; the old world was washed away; the old order is abolished; and finally, the old covenant fulfilled. Sin, sickness, poverty, and death are rendered powerless; and the binding force of them all, the Law of Moses, is no longer viable as a covenant. And last, but not least, the old slave master has no legal jurisdiction to ply any of these tools anymore, for he has been disconnected and decommissioned from his power source. Did you note how often the word old appeared? Old speaks to the fact of something being antiquated and completely at a loss concerning relevance.

Jesus Christ was the Father’s faithful, final solution to terminate everything connected with the old system. For various reasons, we have transferred (what we thought was) the best of the old into God’s New Covenant, thinking it would aid us in keeping the New Covenant. How wrong we were for many years! It is baseless to think anything will satisfy God other than Jesus Christ. What we actually created was an unproductive, despicable hybrid. Theophilus, our creative potentials produced a beast rather than a life-giving organism! Or, shall I say that we created a performance-based, sterile mechanism that supplanted the fruitful powers of the New Covenant. You might be wondering what exactly does this mean to Christ’s friends.

It is important to know that when the New Covenant was activated it placed in force an entirely different order in God. The download had none of the appearance of the previous one other than to incorporate members (the Jewish people) of the previous covenant. The old order was decommissioned; in fact, God took away the Law Covenant in order to establish the New Covenant. We must remember that as long as the Law was operational we had to keep every word of it or be guilty of ALL OF IT. Jesus Christ came and settled all accounts with the heavenly Father, categorically satisfying Him. NOTHING was left undone! It was through His obedience that all the stillborn children of the first Adam gained the right to be made alive. Now we live out of the bounty of an exchanged life. We have exchanged the first Adam’s life for the last Adam’s. Once again, our brother Paul spoke very prolifically on this matter: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20, KJV). When we identify with Christ in crucifixion, we also identify with Him in resurrection. We, now, have the responsibility not to frustrate the grace of God by living out of some other source other than Jesus Christ. Any attempt to be right with God based upon the previous methodology of the Law Covenant is a work of futility. We have been totally released from performance-based religion to faith-based righteousness. Christ’s life is the only life that should matter to us. As long as we remain submerged into Him we are safe.

Theophilus, there is one other matter of necessary discussion. We will discuss it in greater detail in future communications. However, I spoke earlier of investigative matters connected to everything from the beginning. The beginning I speak of is the timeless dimension called being. A council convened identified as the council of God’s will before anything existed. The conveners are the members of the Godhead: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. Within the context of this council, there’s an agreed upon plan that’s to be executed in a time, space, and volume module, yet to be created, called planet earth. In due season, the Godhead’s plan would be administrated and adjudicated just as each portion of it was ratified in pre-existing approval. From the first moments of its spiritual existence and discussion, it became an everlasting, inter-theistic, pre-existing covenant: a covenant of glory with no ability to fail.

For matters of clarification, it is important to define the principle of covenant, Theophius. Of course this is no issue with you since your very nature is one of covenantal friendship. Webster defines covenant "as a binding agreement made by two or more persons or parties.” Based upon this definition, there must be more than one convener involved in covenant making. As covenant was enacted in the earth, the Hebrew definition implies "a sense of cutting” (i.e. ‘bara’ = to select, to choose, to create). It is a compact made by "someone passing between pieces of flesh.” In the New Testament, the word diatheke means "a disposition (i.e. a contract [especially a devisory will] and a testament).” God contrived, planned, and transmitted many wonderful things to us by will or covenant. God is the devisor and we are the devisee. The implication is that God utterly and completely set forth an unbreakable purpose. We see God creating, choosing, and confirming. God creates a condition; chooses who will occupy it; and He confirms overwhelmingly His choice.

God, in this case, is the initiator of binding covenants. Therefore, the Bible reveals a "culture of covenant” with seven major expressions broken down into two divisions. In each of the seven covenants, God established each based on promise because of men’s susceptibility to break covenants then and in the future. Theophilus, I don’t pretend to understand all the reasons why men, as the second parties to covenants, always manage to miss the mark in some point - at least all men except for Jesus Christ. Nevertheless the fulfillment of the Inter-theistic Covenant is based upon the integrity of God’s heart and His commitment to keep His own agreement rather than man’s ineptitude. In this sense, God refuses to deny Himself. Jesus signed and secured the Inter-theistic Covenant and sealed it with His own blood; and then, He left it as His last will and testament, which gives it finality. Everyone knows that legally once the testator dies the will is unchangeable. The certainty of truth is that God will get exactly what He wants, with nothing lacking. And remember, truth is the original information conceived in the heart of God and spoken as the living, breathing Word of God.

We will speak more on this matter at a more convenient season. My brother, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with your spirit. Amen.