Within a few weeks (May 22, to be exact) missionary Don Ross and family will be sailing for their third tour of service in Brazil. At present he is busily engaged in "olding forth the word of life" in his home state of California. If you should like to make a special offering toward his re-establishment on the mission field, you may write him:

    A month after Bro. Ross's departure, the Richard Ferris Family will be returning from Japan after four years of faithful and effective ministering in the area of Kunitachi -- a suburb of Tokyo. If you have not yet "fellowshipped" in the matter of finances for his passage, this would be an excellent time to send a liberal offering. Without doubt, such an act would redound to the honor, glory & praise of God.
Write him:
          Richard L. Ferris
          40-3 Kita 3-Chome
          Kunitachi - Shi
          Tokyo, Japan 186
    "But to do good and to communicate(fellowship, share) forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased", (Hebrews 13:16).

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    About 900 B. C. Beh-hadad and his Syrian army, accompanied by the forces of 32 allied kings, marched against Samaria with the boast that they would swallow up Israel and take away every pleasant thing from the land. Having taken counsel with the elders of Israel, King Ahab answered: "Let not him that girdeth on the harness boast himself as he that putteth it off", (I K. 20:11). At this word the Syrian ordered his servants to "set themselves in array against the city".
    Encouraged by a prophet, who as sured him of victory, King Ahab, according to the prophetic word, sent 232 "young men of the princes of the provinces" out against the Syrian, who ordered that they be "taken alive" whether they came for war or for peace. Instead, the princes of Israel made such a great slaughter of the Syrians that Ben-hadad and his army were put to flight.
    But Ben-hadad's servants encouraged him, saying: 'Their gods are

gods of the hills; wherefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they', (I K. 20:23). So, the Syrians came up to Aphek to fight against the children of Israel (7,000 in all) who were like "two little flocks of kids" before a host that overflowed the country.
    Once more a prophetic word comforted the heart of the wicked king Ahab. Not for Ahab's sake, but for His own name's sake, Jehovah would prove that He is "God of the valleys" also. A hundred thousand Syrian footmen were slain in a day. The rest fled for safety behind the walls of Aphek. The walls fell on them -- slaying another 27,000. It was a terrible defeat for Syria.
    The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the True and Living God -- the God for every need. Life has its mountain-peaks -- both in nature and in grace. Spiritually there are the hilltops of "first- love" and special experiences of joy and triumph. And we surely need God there; for on the heights one faces both special privileges and special temptations. The mountain peaks of Christian experience are safe only as we scale them in true humility and in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
    But there are also some valleys in the experience of every Christian -- anxieties, disappointments, frustrations and humiliations. Whatever men may say, our God is ruler of the valleys also. His grace is always sufficient there. The hills may often be taken for granted, but He is jealous for His glory in the lowlands where the enemy expects to overwhelm us.

    IV. THE DEVINE ORDER OF PASTOR - CHURCH RELATIONSHIP IS SET FORTH UNDER THE FIGURE OF A SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP; and anyone who can discern a "pure democracy" in THAT relationship has a far better imagination than I possess. It is not insignificant that God has referred to His people as a "flock", and the leaders of His covenant people as "shepherds", both in Israel and in the church.
    The pastoral office involves tremendous responsibility. A pastor must "take care" of the flock; feed the flock, (Acts 20:28; I Pet. 5:2) guard the flock -- as one who watches for their souls. This is necessary because enemies and dangers abound on every side. He must warn the flock -- reproving, rebuking and exhorting with all longsuffering and meekness, (2 Tim. 4:2). And he must be an EXAMPLE before the flock, (Phil. 3:17; 4:9; I Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7-8).
    The fulfillment of such obligationswould be impossible without adequate authority. Such authority has been granted in the divine "order"; a shepherd "rules" his sheep.
    Jesus Christ is the "chief shepherd" of every flock; the pastor is an "under-shepherd". The authority of Jesus is absolute and sovereign. That of the undershepherd is delegated for the sole purpose of enabling him to "care" for the Master's sheep, (Ezek. 34:1-10; Matt. 20:25- 28; I Pet. 5:1-4). The pastor is a STEWARD, who will be judged by his own Lord, (I Cor. 4:1-4; Matt. 24:45-51). God never intended that any pastor should be the SLAVE of a church -- subject to their every

fleshly whim. Rather, he is their servant "for JESUS' SAKE". Though not a the shepherd's authority to "rule" should be recognized by the flock; any flock that chooses to despise or reject God's order in this realm does so to its own eternal loss, (I Tim. 5:17-19; Heb. 13:7, 17). No one is ever jeopardized by yielding his life to God's order; God's plan is always designed for the good of His people.
    Nor are God's sheep left to wonder about their specific responsibilities to the under - shepherd -- set over them by the Holy Spirit to rule their common life "in Christ's stead". And the ancient warning: "touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm", is one that modern-day saints might do well to hear, and to HEAR DISTINCTLY! The sheep must LOVE their shepherd; respect him, (I Thes. 5:12-13); co-operate with him; pray for him, (2 Thes. 3:1-2); and share with him their material wealth, just as he shares with the the spiritual meat and drink which he regularly, lovingly and willingly sets before them, (Heb. 13:15-16; Gal. 6:6-8).
    Wherever a New Testament church faithfully follows the "order" that God has revealed in the Scriptures as His intention for His people; there, and there alone, may the world see a clear and unmistakable view of Christ incarnate today. According to the degree of their departure from this order does a church MISREPRESENT, disgrace and bring reproach on the name of her Savior and Living Head. E. G.

    "The happiness of your life depends on the character of your thoughts."

    Remember, dear friend, that when you enter into such a strait of trial that you know not where to turn; when you seem to be completely "shut up" in troubles; you are NEVER alone. The Lord is ever with His own in trials and temptations; the "rod and staff" of the faithful Shepherd are our comfort -- even in the valleys.

    Nothing is clearer than the fact that the Christian gets power from God in exact proportion to the extent of his self-surrender. The reason of this is obvious. It comes to pass by the action of a necessary law. In the human body the privation of any one of the senses intensifies the power of those that remain. If, for example, the sight is lost, the touch and taste become more acute. It is exactly so among the three factors of our life -- body, soul and spirit. Whatever any one surrenders is carried over to the credit of the others, and innures to their strength. "As the outward man perisheth, the inward man is renewed day by day".