Religious Rigor Mortis
Sam Dilbeck
When Christians do not pray, study and grow (outside the worship or class setting), they are openly declaring their religious rigor mortis.
Rigor mortis is a postmortem condition in which the muscle tissue chemically changes and stiffens. It is a gruesome symbol of death and has earned the deceased the nickname Stiff. God’s church sometimes witnesses rigor mortis in local churches and individual Christians.
When churches fail to grow and be active, they show signs of religious rigor mortis. The mission of the church is three fold: evangelism, benevolence, and edification. However, many congregations tend to dwell of edifying its members to the neglect of evangelism and benevolence to their communities. Worse still is the fact that many of these churches do not edify well, failing to provoke Christians to love and good works (Heb. 10:24-26).
In cases like these, religious rigor mortis has set in as the church becomes content with status quo. Churches like this are stagnant, being content with a few services a week and their yearly gospel meeting, never pushing its members to fulfill their individual duties.
Religious rigor mortis is not just the bane of congregations, but many Christians succumb to its stiff fetters. Christians are obliged to work, serve and grow. Failing to do these things shows rigor mortis. Some saints warm the pews at the appropriate time, but not much more. Others do not even do this, often attending less than a third of the church’s assemblies. Some stagnate, thinking the good done by the church will be applied to them, regardless of the fact they do not help in the church’s growth. It is certainly possible for members of a living and growing congregation to be individually dormant and thus spiritually dead.
When Christians do not pray, study, and grow (outside the worship or class setting), they are openly declaring their religious rigor mortis. These spiritual stiffs neglect their obligation to teach their neighbors, encourage their brethren, or to feed the hungry. In speaking of the judgment day, Jesus said that those saints who do not fulfill their duty to others will be told, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick and in prison, and ye visited me not” (Matt. 25:41-43).
Rigor mortis is a grim sign of death! Religious rigor mortis is a gruesome and grim sign of spiritual death. Are you a spiritual stiff plagued by religious rigor mortis? Maybe you are only starting to have stiffening of the joints (sort of a spiritual arthritis) like the church in Sardis that was dying and stiffening. Jesus encouraged them to “strength the things which remain, that are ready to die” (Rev. 3:2). Do not let rigor mortis set in your spiritual body. Get busy working for the Lord and strengthening His church.
Editors note: We have discussed the three areas of work for the church and are going to try to improve our involvement in each of these areas. We are setting goals for each of these areas. What that means to each one of us is that we are going to have to do our part. The church is not a “them” or “those people” but it is us. That is each person here is a member of the church and must work for the success of the church. Those older can do something and those who might think they are too young can do something. We make up the church, and the church must do her God given work! When we have our goals set why not volunteer for something? Do not wait until someone has to ask you go ahead and decided what you want to do. Also do something that you have never done before. Let us grow in these things that the men are planning. With grow comes pain but we have overcome problems before and we still can. The Lord has work for us to do; let us all resolve to be a part of this work. There will be plenty to go around. I am looking forward to seeing what is going to happen in the months ahead and the growth that will take place here with us. Be sure you are a part of that growth.
Love Keith
