Stirred to True Growth
By Anthony Casperson
9-20-25

Almost as a continuation of last week’s blog—although that’s not my intent—I had been thinking about what messages our culture’s stories have leaned toward giving. The most prevalent of which caused me want to write about it with a biblical perspective.

Through an onslaught of protagonists whose stories concern the necessity for others to change their opinion about the character, instead of the character striving to grow past their weaknesses, we can see a theme of artists telling their audiences that it’s okay to stay exactly the way they are. Essentially, audiences are repeatedly told that their problems are because of the world around them, instead of possibly being because they need to grow past their areas of blindness and weakness.

A plethora of examples exist where the audience can witness protagonists who are exactly the same at the end of the story as they were at the beginning. Numerous critical analyses already exist on the internet for this phenomenon throughout the past 5-10 years. And I don’t need to add my criticism for any specific movie or TV show. Especially when I intend to spend more time on analyzing God’s word than on describing the problem.

It’s this message of, “Just be who you are because you’re good that way. And forget anyone who says you need to change at all,” that I want to write against.

Even if a person doesn’t ascribe to the words of the bible, that message should obviously be considered dangerous and deadly. Consider our cells. When the reproduction of cellular growth slows, it shows that death is close. The cease of growth means that the person has died.

Life is found in growth and change, not staying exactly the way that we are.

The word “stagnation” is often used to describe the situation where something stops growing. It’s used most commonly when water sits still for incredibly long times. When the flow of water stops, ceasing the oxygenation process.

At that point, life quickly diminishes. There’s a reason why fish tanks require something to cause the water to flow. If the water were to grow stagnant, all life inside would die.

The only thing left is rot and death. Scum-covered decomposition.

Moving past these visibly obvious examples, we can see Jesus speak in the bible about the dangers of staying just the way we are while thinking that we’re okay. And he also uses an illustration of water. However, he speaks of temperature more than stagnation.

In Revelation 2-3, we see John’s record of Jesus’ words to the churches in seven specific cities. The final of these seven cities is Laodicea, to which Jesus speaks the words from Revelation 3:14-22.

Jesus opens up with credentials for why he can speak these rest of the words. He is the Amen, the sure truth of God that will most assuredly be proven real. Beyond that, he’s the trustworthy and true witness. What he says about the way of the God’s work is as true as it can get. And finally, he’s the head of all creation. God spoke his Word, and creation came to be. That very Word is the Second Person of the Trinity who enfleshed himself in humanity and was named Jesus.

Who else could know the truth of creation better?

The point of the introduction is to remind the people who make up the local congregations in Laodicea that what he’s about to say is true. It might not align with the people’s perspective, but it is true nonetheless.

In verses 15-16, we get to the connection with water. He tells the people that they are neither hot nor cold. They’re lukewarm. Unfit for the main purposes of water.

The people of Laodicea knew the frustration of lukewarm water. They weren’t far from a city built on a natural hot spring that could soothe aching bones. But when that hot water was channeled toward their city, it had lost its heat. Become lukewarm. Failed at its purpose. They also weren’t far from a natural source of icy water. But again, when channeled their way, the water became lukewarm. Unfulfilling for the refreshment of cold water.

And Jesus tells them that staying exactly as they are will continue to keep them in this lukewarm state. They’d forever stay at a temperature that comes with a warning of being spit out. Useless for the purpose of the kingdom.

Jesus continues into verse 17, showing their perspective of themselves. They say, “I’m rich. I’ve prospered. I’ve no need of anything.” They think they’re good just the way that they are. That they have no need for further growth. Protagonists waiting for the world around them to realize how great they really are.

But the truth slaps them in the face.

He says that they are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. And they don’t even realize it. Jesus’ words are directly tied to the reasons why many of the Laodiceans saw themselves as rich and prosperous.

The city was a major banking hub, flush with gold. A flourishing textile market caused the Laodiceans to clothe people far beyond their borders. And a renowned medical school that mixed a special eye salve spread cures for a number of visual impairments.

But in verse 18, Jesus calls them to buy pure refined gold from him, to receive the pure white garments he has for them, and to acquire salve for their blind eyes. The very things they were banking on had blinded them from the truth, caused them to act as though they were good just the way they were. But they were in for a rude awakening.

Reproof and discipline were coming their way. A vigorous stirring to renew life to what had grown stagnant. The desire to do this came from his love, but it wouldn’t feel good to those who refused to grow and mature.

His call comes as a knock upon the door. An invitation that we must choose in order to accept. By moving. By receiving the life and inviting him in to clean and stir and enliven.

We can see very similar words of Jesus’ call in another passage: 2 Peter 1:3-9.

Through Jesus, God’s divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness. Knowledge of the one who called us to his own glory and excellence so that we might become partnered shareholders in the divine nature.

Because of all of this, in verse 5, Peter calls us to supplement our faith with virtue and knowledge and self-control and longsuffering patience and godliness and brotherly affection and unconditional love. We followers of Jesus should grow and mature in our faith. More and more.

There’s always more godliness for followers of Jesus to reach for. More for our Savior to clean and stir up in us and renew to true life.

Second Peter 1:8 tells us that if these qualities are in us and are continuing to grow, then it’ll keep us from being ineffective and unfruitful. This means that a lack of growth—that a feeling of being okay just the way that we are—causes us to be ineffective and fruitless. Useless in God’s purpose for his people.

Lukewarm, stagnant water that leads to rot and death, instead of the life to which we are called to live and spread.

Peter even adds in verse 9 that whoever lacks these qualities from verses 5-7 is so nearsighted that they don’t even realize that they’re blind. They’ve forgotten that they had been cleansed. Their life reveals only death. And their only spread is rot.

This message that we’re okay just the way we are is dangerous and deadly. It doesn’t empower us. It doesn’t speak the truth of creation. No, that truth calls us to grow, to continue striving for more godliness. It’s never content to stay the way it is.

Let’s not buy the lie that our problems are entirely because of the culture around us. Let’s stop thinking that we have nowhere else to grow. That we’ve arrived because we’re rich and prosperous and have everything that we need.

Stop being blind to the fact that we’re lukewarm, stagnant water. Blind and naked and poor.

Instead, let’s answer the knock at the door and let the truth of Jesus enter to work in us. He loves us as we are, but doesn’t want to leave us that way.

Humanity was meant to represent the holy God on this planet. And until we’ve perfectly reached that goal—which won’t happen in this life—there’s still room to grow. There’s still a call to greater godliness.

Don’t ever think that we can cease growing. That thought will only lead to death. So, instead of listening to messages that applaud our current situation, let’s listen to and create stories where the protagonist grows ever closer to the truth. And grows through areas of blindness and weakness, toward sight and strength.

That’s a message worthy of following.