THE CHRUCH OF THE NAKED

                                                                                                                                                                                      By W. G. Guy

          This obviously refers the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3.

Revelation 3:14-16 – And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;   I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.   So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

          The Church of Laodicea is the last church that Christ addressed; thus it represents the condition of that Christ sees at the end of the church age.  This is the church that Jesus dictated His last letter to because it had a serious problem: such that it made Him want to vomit.

          Their luke-warmness made Jesus want to vomit it out.  This character of the end-time church that Laodicea represented was focused on materialism because it embraced the prosperity and success doctrine.

Revelation 3:17 – Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

        Jesus goes on to say that they were “naked”.  This was further emphasized when Jesus says that they needed “white raiment” to cover their nakedness.

Revelation 3:18 – I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

          What does “nakedness” refer to?  This is identified in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve transgressed the command of God and realized that afterward they were naked.  Adam and Eve lost their righteous covering that clothed them.  That covering was the God likeness of His character and nature that God placed in them when He formed them.  They lost that righteous garment by submitting to the ploy of the devil.  They now knew that they were naked and ashamed and tried to cover their nakedness by their own human efforts which did not accomplish anything.

          This is the nakedness that was evident in the Church of Laodicea that Jesus addressed.  The righteousness of Christ is not evident in much of the last form of church in these last days.  Thus the Spirit of Christ is left standing on the outside asking access to get in; but first repentance is required for this nakedness and spiritual blindness.

Revelation 3:19-20 –  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.   Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.    

       The Laodicean Church was void of His character and nature, which is why Christ was standing outside seeking to come in.  Lacking His character and nature means they were compromised with the world.  Thus they thought they had it all and needed nothing.  This describes much to the church today; it has to form but not the substance.

       This church also was not walking in faith or being faithfull.  The need to receive of God “gold tried in fire” clearly refers to FAITH, which obviously was lacking.  In addition they needed their eyes opened so they could see their true The Laodicean Church put their trust in material things, not in the LORD by His Holy Spirit.  Thus they had no power to change the world because they were like the world.  Again, having form without substance - naked before God.

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

          The substance that was lacking was faith (and faithfulness), as gold tried in the fire is purified.  They had no purified faith; just a presumption.  Thus the power that was lacking in the Laodicean Church is Faith, along with Hope and Love.

1 Corinthians 13:13 – And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

          Even today much of the church fails to recognize that greatest power we can have is love: the God kind of LOVE.
The Laodicean Church was full of man’s efforts to gain what they thought they needed as a church.  The problem is that their focus was on the world, its ways and how to appeal to those on the outside of the church.  They adopted the things of the world to attract the world; just like is done in many churches today.

          However, man’s ways are not God’s ways.  The end result of a naked and lukewarm church is exactly what Paul described would be evident of the church in the last days.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 – This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.   For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,   Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,   Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;   Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

          As I have stated many times, ”Where do you find a form of godliness?, nowhere but in a church”.  And what did Paul say to do in with such a church?  “from such turn away”!

          Jesus also spoke of the kind of leadership would be in a Laodicean type of church.

Matthew 7:20-23 – Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.   Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.   Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

          What is the conclusion regarding the Church of the Naked?

Revelation 3:20-22 – Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.   To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

       Note that Christ acknowledged Laodicea as one of the seven churches, at least in form.  Thus His loving desire for the Church of Laodicea is to repent, open their hearts and receive Him in His fullness.   It appears that the church of the naked is the Institutionalized Religious System that represents itself as what is called much the church today.

        Obviously He has the same concern for the churches of today!  Are you part of a naked church, or are you in one that is clothed with His presence and power that changes live and affects the world?