Groups Discussion Guide
Read Scripture. Go Deeper. Ask Questions. Take Action.
Fifteen To Forever
Scripture
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
Main Idea
Fifteen years of ministry is worth celebrating, but it is not a finish line. It is a milestone that points to what God is still doing. Because we have been raised to new life with Christ, we can stop measuring our lives by what is visible and start living in light of forever.
- A New Position: because you have been raised with Christ, your life is defined by Him, not by your failures or successes.
- A New Perspective: live here on earth, but look from heaven, so your circumstances no longer distort the truth about you.
- Forever as the Mission: the fullest fruit of your life is still ahead, hidden with Christ until He is revealed.
Fifteen is a milestone, but forever is the mission.
Discussion Questions
- When you look back over your own life, what is the difference between a fond memory and a faith memory, and where do you see God's faithfulness rather than your own effort?
- Paul says our position is established but our perspective has to be adjusted. What good or hard things in your life are currently distorting your view of what matters most?
- Pastor Justin said the key is not to change what you are looking at but to change where you are looking from. What would it look like this week to live here on earth while looking from heaven?
- Colossians 3:3 says your real life is hidden with Christ. How does knowing the truest thing about you is not the most visible thing change how you face what you are dealing with right now?
Summary
Fifteen years is a milestone worth celebrating. It is not a finish line but a moment to remember God's faithfulness and look toward what He is still doing. Paul writes to Christians whose view of life had become distorted, and his answer is not to think differently first but to remember what God has already done. Because we have been raised with Christ, we hold a new position, and that new position calls for a new perspective. Like the Hubble Space Telescope lifted above the atmosphere to see what could never be seen from earth, we are meant to live here while looking from heaven.
Our circumstances are real, but they are not ultimate, and the facts we face are not forever. The truest thing about us is not the thing everyone can see, because our real life is hidden with Christ in God. That means the greatest fruit of our lives may still be ahead, in what God does through our children and through those we pass our faith to. There is a day coming when Christ will be revealed and everything hidden will be brought to light. Keep moving forward, because fifteen is only the milestone and forever is the mission.
Take Action
- Each morning this week, name one circumstance or feeling that feels ultimate right now, and hand it to God as real but not forever.
- Write down two or three faith memories from your own life where you can see God's faithfulness rather than your own effort.
- Tell one of your children or someone younger in the faith about a time God carried you, planting a seed that outlasts you.
