Living Stones in God’s Temple
The stones that built the temple in Jerusalem point to believers who are called “living stones.” And God is building His people up for an eternal inheritance.
Guest (Male): Open the Bible with Colin Smith.
Colin Smith: Building sites normally echo with the sounds of cutting and hammering and shouting. But Solomon’s temple was put up in complete silence. Every stone was cut and dressed at the quarry and then brought to the building site ready for assembly. When the command to build was given, neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.
That picture is taken up in the New Testament where God’s people are described as living stones. Everything God is doing in your life is shaping you for your eternal destiny. Painful things in your life are like the hammer and chisel in the quarry, shaping you to be a stone in God’s temple. When Jesus Christ returns, the preparation will be complete. God’s people will be a glorious temple in which His presence dwells.
Guest (Male): To learn more about the story of the Bible, come to openthebible.org.
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Everyone longs for hope. Everyone needs love. And everyone needs something—or someone—to believe in. The Christian life is marked by three enduring gifts—faith, hope, and love. In Grow in Love, you’ll spend 30 days exploring the transforming power of God’s love, learning to receive it fully and share it generously with others. This book can be read on its own or alongside Grow in Faith and Grow in Hope as part of a devotional journey through the enduring gifts of faith, hope, and love.
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Featured Offer
Everyone longs for hope. Everyone needs love. And everyone needs something—or someone—to believe in. The Christian life is marked by three enduring gifts—faith, hope, and love. In Grow in Love, you’ll spend 30 days exploring the transforming power of God’s love, learning to receive it fully and share it generously with others. This book can be read on its own or alongside Grow in Faith and Grow in Hope as part of a devotional journey through the enduring gifts of faith, hope, and love.
About Open the Bible Minute
About Colin Smith
Colin Smith is senior pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church, a thriving, multi-campus church located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, and Founder and Teaching Pastor of Open the Bible.
Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, he trained at the London School of Theology where he earned the degrees of Bachelor of Theology and Master of Philosophy. Before coming to the States in 1996, Colin served as senior pastor of the Enfield Evangelical Free Church in London.
He is the author of several books including Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessings through the Beatitudes; Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross; Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life; The One Year Unlocking the Bible Devotional; 10 Keys for Unlocking the Bible; The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life; as well as others. His preaching ministry is shared around the world through Open the Bible.
Colin and his wife Karen reside in Arlington Heights, Ill., and have two married sons and five granddaughters.
Contact Open the Bible Minute with Colin Smith
info@openthebible.org
https://openthebible.org/
Open the Bible
P.O. Box 3454
Barrington, IL 60011
1-877-OPEN-365