The Flourishing Laodicean Church

The Flourishing Laodicean Church

- by Ron Graham -

http://www.raptureready.com/2017/07/11/the-flourishing-laodicean-church/

 

"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" (Revelation 3:17).

 

The book of Revelation reveals to us who Christ is: He is Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Almighty. He wears this name on His vesture, King of kings and Lord of lords. The Revelation of Jesus Christ also tells of His church and its condition through the ages.

 

In chapters two and three Jesus addresses seven different churches and sends them a report card of sorts. These churches existed at the time John received the Revelation; these letters give the condition of each church. They also give a prophecy of what Christ's Church would go through.

 

Below is a Prophetic Profile of the Seven Churches Jesus is addressing:

 

Ephesus - The Apostolic Church;

Smyrna - The Persecuted Church;

Pergamos - The Married Church;

Thyatira - The Medieval Church;

Sardis - The Denominational Church;

Philadelphia - The Missionary Church;

Laodicea - The Apostate Church.

 

Two of the churches received a good report, but the other five were failing in some areas and Jesus warned them to shape-up. The last church Jesus addressed was the church at Laodicea in which He hands over the most scathing of indictments and tells them they'd do well to heed His words.

 

"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" (Revelation 3:15-16).

 

Jesus refers to the Laodicean Church as being lukewarm. This church is concerned with the materialistic riches of this world and not God. It's all about themselves and their well being. They are quite in tune with their own feelings and believe themselves to be very spiritual as well, but the spirituality they embrace is not of God. The Laodiceans put their faith and trust in prosperity, outward luxury and physical health. They are in need of nothing, especially Jesus.

 

When Jesus refers to the Laodicean church as being lukewarm, He's not saying they've almost made it to where He expects them to be. Jesus' reference to hot means to be on fire for Him and cold is compared to being refreshed with a cold drink of water on a hot parched day.

 

"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16).

 

The lukewarm condition is so distasteful to the Lord Jesus that He cannot even swallow it, all He can do is spit it back out of His mouth. My brethren, you don't want to be in that lukewarm state of affairs when Jesus raptures His Church.

 

What Jesus is telling this church is that they are spiritually naked, basically dead. The church of Laodicea is not heaven bound. The worst part is they don't realize how utterly distasteful they are to God. They truly believe they're in great shape and in line with what God expects of them.

 

That's what makes it difficult to witness to these type of folks. In their minds their relationship to God is faultless. But take another look at what God says about them. They are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. In the mind of God there's no difference between the folks of the Laodicean church, as described above, and those who are perishing through unbelief.

 

"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" (Revelation 3:20).

 

The Laodicean Church shut Christ out, yet He still wanted to come in. He is standing on the outside knocking, and even if one person will open the door for Him, He'll come in and sup (join in spiritual union) with that individual. Sadly though, the door of that Laodicean church remains closed to their true Messiah.

 

America is replete with Laodicean Christians, and these folks will follow anyone who tickles their ears with soft, persuasive, and appealing words. Jesus Christ is not the foundation in those churches. Heaven forbid that Christians should look to Christ as the Author and Finisher of their faith and place Him first in every aspect of their lives.

 

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).

 

As followers of Jesus Christ no matter where we are, at church, home, work or play our faith is paramount and Jesus is always the center of our lives.

 

A major factor at play with this end times apostate church is their undying support of what the Bible plainly refers to as abominations. They're upside down, as these folks now call evil good and good evil. The reason I know the Laodicean church is alive and well is by the many emails I receive from folks complaining about their Church leaders who've capitulated to Obama's socialistic agendas.

 

It's staggering when I realize that professing Christians can be so completely deceived as to follow such blatant evil. One of these days in the not so distant future, our government will be fully entrenched in interfering with even the content of the gospel message.

 

Most churches in America have bowed the knee to Baal, and it has now become more important for the church to retain their coveted tax exempt status than to speak out against a tyrannical repressive government. In order to remain tax exempt, churches have surrendered rights.

 

They can be tax-exempt if they remain politically correct and allow the government to police what can and cannot be said from the pulpit. Of course we know this is to be expected as we're watching the establishment of the apostate church in America and around the globe.

 

Think about it, the government of the United States currently interferes with our Christian churches by demanding our pastors refrain from endorsing a political candidate when addressing their congregations. This is just the beginning of their interference. We only need to look to China to see where America's Christian churches are headed.

 

China fully regulates the content of sermons preached in their government supervised quasi-Christian churches. America's not quite there yet, but we're getting close. As I've said before, the only church remaining in the last days unimpeded will be the apostate Church, from which a socialist government will have nothing to fear.

 

On a marquee in front of a church I passed one day were the following words: "The cornerstone of the Christian church is truth not tolerance." There's a good possibility that church is not of Laodicean fame.

 

Were the apostles Peter and John known for their political correctness? These two men had been brought before Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest for preaching about Jesus and for performing a miraculous healing in His name. Peter and John listened patiently as Annas and the others told them that they were forbidden to preach Jesus in public. Peter and John's response to these foolish men was quite blunt but precisely to the point.

 

"... Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye" (Acts 4:19).

 

Who are we hearkening unto these days?

 

Christians are told to submit to the governing authorities because they are appointed by God and they serve a purpose in His plan (Romans 13:1), although, sometimes it is to judge the people or to ripen the nation for judgment. Since governments derive their authority from God, we are bound to obey them-unless, of course, they order us to do something in contradiction to God's law.

 

The murder of unborn babies in the womb and the condoning of a homosexual lifestyle contradict God's laws.

 

We are to hearken unto God not Man (Acts 4:19). If the state's rulers are God's ministers (servants), they should remember that they serve the people, and they are not gods. Christian obedience to the state is never blind; it obeys with the eyes of conscience wide open. Know God's Word, His commands and precepts and don't be deceived.

 

Children many times follow other children without even a second thought, but now that we are older and able to think and discern for ourselves we should know better than to follow anyone opposed to God.

 

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things" (1 Corinthians 13:11).

 

It's childish to follow someone the way a puppy tags along after a small boy, be it someone of eloquent of speech or persuasive of words; whether he's charismatic and charming and though his stature be as a Greek god he still needs to be viewed through the filter of Scripture. And we never use Scripture to promote our preconceived ideas or agendas. Remember the one barrier to truth is the idea we already have without studying it.

 

We don't follow after vain, puffed up, arrogant, flamboyant, suave and articulate speaking men or women. We follow Christ and His commandments. As born-again believers we stand up for Jesus our God and we proclaim His message until He comes. Nothing else matters, nothing of this world can compare to what awaits believers on the other side.

 

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

 

Only born again believers are given the ability to grasp what the scriptures are proclaiming while the non-believer remains in darkness. That same darkness surrounds the Laodicean Church.

 

These apostate churches, have thrown away their first love-Jesus the Christ-and replaced Him with a naked spirituality. They've given up the battle and have crossed over to the camp of the enemy. The cause of Christ has been hurt far more by people who profess to be knowledgeable Christians, and yet through their very ignorance of the Scriptures do more harm than those who ignorantly and arrogantly proclaim there is no God.

 

Where's Satan in all this? He's done his part he's succeeded in moving the once Christian church into the land of Laodicea. Satan has moved on to greener pastures so to speak, to undermine Churches on other continents where Christianity is still flourishing and not dead. His greatest conquest has been America's Christian churches.

 

Oh sure, he left some of his minions of evil here to supervise the remaining slide to Laodicea, but for all intents and purposes he's accomplished his mission. America's once Christian churches have largely been moved into a new arena of spiritual apathy.

 

Satan was defeated long ago, at the cross, long before he began his work corrupting the Christian churches in America. Jesus did that through His death, burial, and resurrection. But the Church allowed Satan a stronghold, a footing as it were, so he could advance his agenda to the uttermost extreme. He and his minions of evil have now become more prosperous than ever.

 

So what motivates believers nowadays to keep the faith? Is it the love we have for Jesus that keeps us going in the face of all adversity? It should be. But where does that adversity come from if Satan's mission is mostly complete? Sadly, Christians today are finding their very own brethren to be their biggest stumbling blocks.

 

It seems we can no longer agree on what is right and what is wrong. Any mention of sin has been banned from the pulpits of these apostate Churches. Abortion, homosexuality, pornography, divorce are accepted in the minds of many professing Christians today, and if those four abominations aren't enough to turn God's stomach, we are quickly becoming a nation that curses Israel. That Brethren, is the scariest.

 

The church at Laodicea is a body of professing believers who aren't really followers of Christ; they are not born-again by the Spirit of God. They've stopped holding the entirety of God's Word as authority.

 

The congregational attendees who fall into that category will not be included in the Rapture of Christ's church. Sadly, they've eliminated Jesus as the foundation of their faith. People, that's not judging. If Jesus said He would spew them out of His mouth what makes us think He'll allow them into His heavenly kingdom in that state?

 

Yes my friends, the Laodicean church is flourishing in the United States of America and all around the world for that matter. These thriving congregations will soon be into full apostasy. This is the prophetic course set for the Church according to the Scriptures. If you feel you're involved in a church that is Laodicea bound, it's time to make a change in your Christian walk.

 

 

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