ON THE VANGUARD

FORCEFUL MEN
"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."
Matthew 11:12

History recalls the events of June 6, 1944, more commonly known as D-Day. For many soldiers who made the attack on Omaha Beach, this was their last stance. Many in the unit were drowned during the approach from ships offshore as they sank in waters. Of the 29 DD tanks filled with men on route toward Omaha, only 2 made it to the beach. An onslaught of German firepower met the remaining allied forces as they made their way on land, seeking shelter behind Hedgehogs and other obstacles where they were protected from gunfire. Under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Germans had found defense in their strong points and trenches. Omaha literally became a killing zone. Bodies lay dead floating in the water or scattered across the beach. Remains of Landing Craft littered the front.
By 7:30am a second wave of troops was released and hit the beach, joining the fight. At 8:30am the landings ceased and troops were left on their own to face danger without the possibility of retreat. In small groups the men made the deadly race across the beach to find little relief along the seawall. Navy Destroyers attacked with pounding arms against the German fortifications at close range. Within hours, German fire had decreased and defensive positions were taken from the rear. By nightfall, the remaining soldiers stood their ground around Vierville, Saint-Laurent, and Colleville. Four years of preparation for only hours of combat, and yet, the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, is said to be the beginning of the end of World War II.
As one who loves war history, I enjoy reading these stories of bravery and forceful advance. Recently, however, I read an article speaking on the forceful advance named in Matthew 11:12. The article was written to question our aggressiveness as believers. The author penned that if we are not aggressively righteous then we become passively wicked. He also stated that just because we are "Christian" does not guarantee our place in heaven. This is true as we read in Matthew 25:31-33 where Jesus writes of the separation of goats and sheep. So then the question begs first, are we sheep or goats? And then second, are we aggressive or passive?
In looking at Matthew 11:12, which I long ago coined as my main text for On The Vanguard Ministries, we see the passage can be broken into three sections. First we read a timeline, spanning from the days of John the Baptist until now. Second we read of what has been happening during that time frame, which so happens to be that the kingdom of heaven has been advancing with force. Lastly we are left with what I now see as a challenge more than a statement. "...and forceful men lay hold of it." Note that it is only the forceful who lay hold, not the casual, passive, or hardly trying.
The men who landed at Normandy and attacked on Omaha Beach were not casual. They were not passive or barely trying to make the plan work. They were forceful. Their mission was to forcefully take the Germans out, preventing them from attacking further. We as followers of Christ must also be forceful. The allowance of sin is the allowance of the enemy's attack. The forceful men lay hold of it, they cease the uprising and prevent the future attack. Let this be said of us, then. Let us become the forceful men.