"What about baptisms for the dead?" The sudden hush could almost be measured in decibels - it was so quiet, it was almost loud. And, everyone was looking at me. "What is the Pastor going to say?" they wondered.

Unseen to our questioner, one fellow slapped his forehead, and leaned way back in the rocking chair, staring at the ceiling in disbelief. Heresy had peeked into the study.

The young man who asked the question had never been to this Wednesday evening Bible study, which was being held in our home. He had a background of Mormonism. Now, he wanted to know about this doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. He wanted to know if we thought that baptism for the dead was scriptural.

The pressure was on. Fortunately, I am very familiar with Mormon doctrine. It has been a specialty of mine for years. I thought to myself, "Now, we're havin' church!"

This young man ended up staying in fellowship with us for quite some time. Apparently, I had answered his question sufficiently to allow him other opportunities to visit us, and eventually to make our church his home. Perhaps it had nothing to do with how well I had answered the question. Perhaps it had everything to do with the fact that he was able to ask the question, and that he was not treated any differently for having spoken up.

O, how we hate the disruptions which ruin our order of service. They make church such a messy thing. As a small church pastor, I have learned that these disruptions are a normal part of the order of service. Not only have I come to expect these disruptions. I have come to anticipate them.

The drunk, who wandered into the service late, and then attempted to snuggle up to the single woman in the second row; the sudden question by the elderly woman who asked, "Well, what do you mean by that?" in the middle of the sermon; the two year old who wandered up to the musicians, and stood staring while they led the worship - all these have been opportunities to spontaneously teach the church vital lessons in Christianity. They have also been times in which I have been able to model the kind of leadership, which handles those strange, and unexpected surprises with grace.

The church has seen their pastor respond to false doctrines, throw drunken and disorderly individuals out of the service, answer honest, but poorly timed queries without becoming upset, and use the wide-eyed excitement of a toddler as an example of Christian living.

Do I enjoy every interruption? No. And, neither am I saying that church services should be undisciplined, unplanned, and orderless. But, I do believe that we often order the excitement right out of the church.

Whenever there is an unanticipated interruption, either by the working of the Holy Spirit, or by the honest desire of simple people who are seeking God the best way they know how, I am excited. My heart leaps, and I say to myself, "Now, we're havin' church!"

I wait for the day, in which people cry out in the middle of the sermon, "What must I do to be saved?" For now, I'll settle for, "What about baptisms for the dead?", and you can bet I'll be saying to myself, "Now, we're havin' church!"