As all eyes are on the war between Israel and Hamas, it is necessary to understand that the heritage of this conflict is actually written in prophecy from God.  Hamas is an Islamic Resistance Movement that was founded in 1987 and by 1997 the United States designated it as a foreign terrorist organization.  They have been responsible for killing thousands and taking many more as hostages.  The tension extends back to Abraham and his son of promise (Gen. 25).  The Arabic tradition says that Ishmael was the son of promise, rather than Isaac, and that Muhammed (the founder of Islam) was his descendant.  This is in direct contradiction to the biblical record which shows that Isaac was the son of promise, through whom Jesus would come as the Savior of the world (Gen. 17:19; 21:12; Luke 3:34; Gal. 3:16).
Since the Jews put much emphasis on being descendants of Abraham (John 8:33-39) and so do the Muslims, there has been constant conflict between the two groups.  Abraham knew that he was promised a great nation (Gen. 12:2) yet, he still had no children at the age of 85.  So, he tried to help the promise along by having a child with Hagar (Sarah’s maid; Gen. 16:1-4)—this child was Ishmael (Gen. 16:16). When Ishmael was 13, Abraham begged God to accept him as the son of promise (Gen. 17:18), but this was not God’s plan as He would establish His covenant with Isaac (Gen. 17:21). However, God would make a great nation for Ishmael too and he would be the father of the Arab nation (Gen. 17:20).
Before Ishmael was born, God gave an important preview of the kind of man Ishmael would be:  “And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him” (Gen. 16:12).  In other words, he would resist civilization with a haughty and defiant attitude living as everyone’s enemy and refusing to fit in.  So, conflict would be inevitable between the Jews and the Arabs.  Hagar and Sarah didn’t get along because of this situation and now their sons would not get along either.  Even when Isaac was just a toddler and Ishmael was a teenager, the persecution had already begun (Gen. 21:5-9; Gal. 4:29).  From this point forward, the Arab nation (as a whole) has continued to follow in the footsteps of Ishmael in conflict with other nations. 
Our goal is to be “followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love” (Eph. 5:1,2). We want to show the world that everyone can be children of Abraham not physically, but spiritually (Rom. 4:16; Gal. 3:7).  The physical nation of Israel is no longer God’s chosen nation, but the spiritual nation of Israel (the Lord’s church) is now the true nation of God (Gal. 6:16).
~Derrick Coble

Jesus was an innocent man slaughtered for a guilty world (Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:21).  Yet, He chose to give His life for the sheep (John 10:11).  For this reason, Jesus requires a willing sacrifice of all today who will hear His voice.  It is but a small price to pay in comparison to the pain and agony of the cross.  Paul wrote to the Galatians, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).  Again, he urged, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1).  Even Jesus Himself said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mat. 16:24). 
            No one said it would be easy following the Lord.  It takes effort and determination for one to sacrifice his hands in service being ready to every good work (Tit. 3:1).  It takes much commitment and zeal for one to sacrifice his feet in preaching the Gospel of peace (Rom. 10:15).  It takes time to give one’s mind over to the meditation of God’s Word and fervent prayer (Psa. 1:2; Psa. 119:164).  It takes courage to set one’s mouth to only speak the oracles of God (1 Pet. 4:11).  It takes motivation to sacrifice the ears and eyes in hearing and doing (Mat. 7:24), as well as, seeing and helping (Jam. 2:15,16).  It takes true love that seeks the ultimate good for everyone else to literally give one’s life.  “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:16-18).
            It took Jesus, the one and only Savior of mankind, to give His life so that the world might be saved (John 3:16,17).  It takes Christians, the only partakers of the heavenly calling, to give their lives over to Him in humble submission so that all will be done to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
My father’s house of light, my glory circled throne, I left for earthly night, for wanderings sad and lone; I left it all for thee, Hast thou left aught for me? I suffered much for thee, more than thy tongue can tell, of bitt’rest agony, to rescue thee from Hell; I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee, What hast thou borne for me? And I have brought to thee, down from my home above, salvation full and free, my pardon and my love; I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, What hast thou brought for me? (Frances R. Havergal; P.P. Bliss)    
​~Derrick Coble

Most people who know anything about the church of Christ know this one thing—there are no mechanical instruments used in worship to God.  That means there is: no piano, organ, or band, but simply singing: "lifting up the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips" (Heb. 13:15).  The reason for the absence of mechanical instruments is simple—there is no Bible authority for their use in New Testament worship. The only kind of music the early Christians used was "singing" to teach and admonish one another (Col. 3:16) and the only kind of instrument was the "heart" (Eph. 5:19).  Since we follow the apostle's doctrine today, this is our pattern for Scriptural worship (Acts 2:42).  Unfortunately, that pattern has been abandoned by many today even in some churches of Christ and it all stems back to one small instrument found in Midway, KY. 
During the mid 1800's the church of Christ was flourishing, especially in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. But, the controversy over instrumental music was growing.  Denominations had already started using them in worship and many brethren thought that they were behind the denominations by not using them.  So, in 1851 J.B. Henshall (editor of the Ecclesiastical Reformer) printed an article (among others) showing the drift toward using instruments in worship.  When Alexander Campbell (who was interested in staying true to the Scriptures) heard about it, he replied with the following:  "So to those who have no real devotion or spirituality in them, and whose animal nature flags under the oppression of church service, I think that instrumental music would be not only a desideratum, but an essential prerequisite to fire up their souls to even animal devotion.  But I presume, to all spiritually-minded Christians such aids would be as a cow bell in a concert.” Campbell understood that God was not pleased with such and urged others to consider this fact. 
So, how was this “cow bell in a concert” added into worship? In 1860, L.L. Pinkerton (preacher for the church in Midway, KY) stated that he was the only preacher in Kentucky who had publicly advocated the use of instruments in worship.  Even though some were probably using instruments around 1851, the church at Midway has the distinction of being the first congregation on record to introduce mechanical instrumental music to their worship.  The instrument was a melodeon which the members used to practice their singing on Saturday nights.  Then, the melodeon was moved into the church building to get the right pitch before singing.  Finally, it was decided that it should be used to accompany their singing in worship on the Lord's Day. Today, the use of instrumental music in worship is becoming more and more popular.  However, we can never allow what God does not authorize (Col. 3:17).  Unfortunately, many souls will be lost for following the wide path of the majority (Mat. 7:13,14).  We must “hold fast the form of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13). 
~Derrick Coble