Welcome to My Poetry Site
‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.’
Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.’
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 2: 36-41
The OMG thing. The price of petrol has gone up by 5 pence / cents OMG. I didn’t get a chance to eat my lunch today OMG. I left the washing out and it got soaked - OMG. I left my mobile at home. Oh My God.
When I have read the scripture above in the past, I have normally thought of how Peter got transformed from being a person of bravado who weeks beforehand denied Christ before the cock crowed; to boldly proclaiming Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. And that's good stuff to think about.
But when I read it recently, the same words kept coming to me. Oh My God! I don't think I have ever typed OMG before, but that's all about to change...
Peter speaks of someone being killed. Not the Queen, not the president, not Lassie – God in the form of man! OMG!
But not only killed, crucified. Gal 3:13 OMG! God was executed in the manner that a cursed person is executed. God. OMG!
Peter says: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. I understand that to mean that the people he was speaking to either directly or indirectly were involved in the process of having Christ killed. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine being one of those people?
I have a question:
What sins have you committed? How do they stack up against killing God in the form of man? Were you there back then? Were you one of the connivers who went against Him? Do you feel that you have committed unforgiveable sins? We have all done bad things – but killing God... OMG! Shouting 'Barrabas!' OMG! Shouting 'Crucify Him!' OMG! Spitting at Him and jeering Him. OMG! This is God we are speaking about here.
Can you imagine how you would feel if you were one of the crowd and it dawned on you that you had been involved in killing God? I've been thinking about it. It doesn't bear thinking about. It really doesn't. OMG!
It says in the reading that when they heard this 'they were cut to the heart'. I am surprised that is all they were. I am surprised there was not a mass suicide upon finding this out. We are talking about realising that they were involved in killing God. OMG! Dare to think it. Dare to put yourself in their shoes and look at hands with royal blood of the highest order on them.
.. and look what happened to these people. The ones who accepted the message that Peter gave and repented (turned from their ways towards God) were added to the number... OMG!
They received forgiveness of sins OMG. They received the gift of the Holy Spirit. What better can be received than this. OMG!!
They were added to the number. They became part of the church. They became part of Christ’s bride... the ones involved in His murder – OMG!!
Can you comprehend that? Let me tell you something.. that’s beyond my comprehension. That is amazing. I think an OMG belongs here and it is certainly not using God’s Name in vain. Are you like me? – just thinking how a b s o l u t e l y s t a g g e r i n g that is?? That is intergalactically, infinitely, gigantically huge! How do you articulate that scripture????? Can you exhaust that scripture?
When Peter was asked what they should do, he didn’t say there is nothing you can do – go and kill yourselves now (They killed God!) He said repent be baptised and you will receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit – and get added to the bride of Christ. Amazing.
Do you remember how Jonah reacted when God showed mercy to the repenting Ninivites? Jonah wanted them to pay! He was not happy! We can relate to that can’t we? I mean it was God they were disrespecting right?
But this other situation... these people killed God in the form of man.... and they were offered forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit and eternal life with God. OMG!
What happened to the body of Christ that day? 'about three thousand were added to their number that day' (v41) O M G ! !
So if that is what happened to those who killed God, how is He going to respond to you with your stack of sins (that don't include being part of the multitude involved in killing God?)
This love, this forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, eternity with God Himself has been made available to all of us. OMG!!
Who is this God?! Who is this God who does this for us?! What kind of amazing love is this?!
Steve Harewood
OMG!!!!