Reach: Mission

Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

On June 6th, 1944, nearly 7,000 ships and more than 3,000 airplanes and gliders delivered around 156,000 allied soldiers onto the beaches of Normandy for the D-Day invasion that marked a key turning point in World War II. Between bad weather and fierce German defenses, the initial landing forces were decimated. The fighting was some of the bloodiest, hardest fighting in history. Many paratroopers were shot by snipers before they even landed. Of 29 amphibious tanks, only 2 even made it to land. 

There is no sure count of the death toll among allied troops on D-Day. Estimates range from 5,000 to 12,000 lives lost5. Why was a sacrifice of such epic proportions necessary? To oversimplify, the situation was clear: defeat Hitler or become his slaves. The mission was simple: win a world war against one of the evilest regimes in history. Easy? No. Simple? Yes. 

Jesus Christ came to the world for a simple mission: to give his life a ransom for many. He came to defeat the power of Satan and free the world from his tyrannical rule once and for all. The work that Jesus did on the cross completed that mission. Just as D-Day broke the back of the Nazi forces, Jesus has broken the power of evil forever! However, there are still many captives suffering in prisons of sin unable to free themselves. We have been assigned the mission! It is our job to advance the Kingdom, pushing back the defeated yet still resistant enemy, and sharing the good news of spiritual freedom Christ has made available for all! 

RIGHT NOW: Jesus gave His life through death on the cross so that we could be free. Right now, He might not be asking you to die for Him, but to live for Him. Are you willing to allow yourself to be the conduit through which He can minister?