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The Meeting Place between God and Man

June 19, 2026
00:00

In the Old Testament, the tabernacle, and then later the temple, was where God met with men. But now, that “meeting place” is a Person—the Lord Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): Open the Bible with Colin Smith.

Colin Smith: Describing the birth of Jesus, John said, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Now "dwelt" literally means "tabernacled" or "pitched his tent." And since the tabernacle was where God came down among His people, John is telling us that the presence of God has come to us in Jesus Christ.

One day Jesus came to the temple and said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." Those who heard him thought that he was referring to the building, but Jesus was referring to his own body, indicating that he himself is the place where we meet with God.

The place where you meet with God is not a building in Jerusalem or anywhere else. If you want to meet with God, come to faith in Jesus.

Guest (Male): Is there someone in your life who needs to know the God of the Bible and might be open to take a journey through the Bible with you? Invite them to openthebible.org.

This transcript is provided as a written companion to the original message and may contain inaccuracies or transcription errors. For complete context and clarity, please refer to the original audio recording. Time-sensitive references or promotional details may be outdated. This material is intended for personal use and informational purposes only.

Featured Offer

Grow in Love by Colin Smith

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.

Past Episodes

About Open the Bible Minute

Open the Bible is the teaching ministry of Pastor Colin Smith. Our mission is to use a broad array of modern media to help people around the world meet Jesus. We do this by opening the Bible for them, helping them open the Bible themselves, and equipping them to open the Bible with others.

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

Mailing Address
Open the Bible
P.O. Box 3454
Barrington, IL 60011
Telephone
1-877-OPEN-365