I wish I had a hundred dollars from every occasion someone asked me what makes a great church. It happened again several times this week. And I always give the same answer.

Before I reveal it, let me hasten to say there are all sorts of Biblical ingredients that go into making a church what it should be. You could write a book on the subject, and many have.

But what if we could boil it down to something everyone could understand, remember and repeat — In other words, a short but accurate summary?

Here’s my contribution. There are three things a church absolutely must have if it aspires to meeting Biblical norms.

What is freedom? And what is freedom in Christ?

I spent six years (in the midst of church planting) trying to explain the latter thought in my PhD dissertation at Durham University.

The subject has resurfaced lately with the renewed emphasis on the historical wrongs of slavery. And if you understand slavery, you understand freedom.

When faced with a difficult situation, we all want that elusive magic answer. How much easier it is to press a button and see the solution instantly appear. Yet how rarely the Lord allows us to walk that way.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death God is with me. That was David’s comment on more than one life crisis he experienced. Paul took a similar view when he said God is with us in the midst of tribulation.

This past week we talked with couples in two different countries thinking of changing churches.

Both have been faithful, non-complaining members of their present churches for some period of time.

It would be nice if there were a simple set of instructions for when it is right to leave a church, but the truth is there isn’t. So when we feel a change might be on the way, how do we evaluate whether we are hearing from the Lord or not?

Any general would understand that if his army knew exactly who their enemy was, but failed to show up at the place the enemy army was gathered, they would lose the battle.

That is often what happens in spiritual warfare. Satan is a deceiver. He is our enemy, and both he and us know that. So we’re fighting the right battle. But if he can get us to show up in the wrong place, he’ll win.