It brought thoughtful reflections snuggled right up against outbursts of laughter, a touch of scolding soothed with an abundance of encouragement and a visual reminder of several past events in Alabama and Southern Baptist life.
But woven amid each aspect of the Alabama Baptist State Convention president’s address were the true appreciation and sincerity of heart that Mike Shaw, pastor of First Baptist Church, Pelham, consistently presents.
And while Shaw’s personal rendition of “I’m So Glad Jesus Lifted Me,” “Love Lifted Me” and “He Lifted Me” drew the audience in to sing with him softly and reverently, it was his emotional response to the special music just prior to his Tuesday morning address that snatched the hearts of those watching.
As Shaw’s wife, Mary, sang “When Jesus Comes,” he reached for a tissue as his eyes welled with tears. The song itself, his wife singing it and his moment to challenge Alabama Baptists to exalt the Savior left him a bit emotional — and gave the audience a peek into the tender spirit of the state convention president.
Preaching from Mark 9:14–29 in which a father brings his demon-possessed son to Jesus for healing, Shaw developed the sermon segment of his address around the same theme as the title of the song his wife sang.
“First we see the father’s dilemma … which is a lost world,” he said.
The father listens to Jesus and claims belief. “He needed hope and he needed help,” Shaw said.
Pointing to the immigration issue in Alabama, he said he believes his concern as “a preacher and a Christian” is not whether a person is legal or illegal but does he or she know Jesus as Lord and Savior? “Nothing else should matter to me,” Shaw said.
“We owe the gospel to everyone on this planet.
“Should the day ever come when anything else is more important to me than that, I will put my Bible down and never preach again,” he said.
“Second we see the failure of the disciples,” Shaw continued. “They had a problem with their walk with the Lord … in the Word … [and] in their work.
“The disciples had a problem with pride,” he said. “The disciples didn’t have any power because they had a problem with their walk. … We have to do God’s work, God’s way.
“The greatest danger in the ministry is pride,” Shaw said, noting, “Preachers have too much pride. … We need to get rid of pride in our churches.”
And “when attendance, baptisms and offerings are down, we need to ask the Lord, ‘What are we doing wrong?’” he said.
“Many churches … have forsaken what God has blessed in the past.
“My prayer is that we will plan revival services to get our hearts and the hearts of our people right with God. … We need a fresh touch from God.”
The final deliverance is that Jesus comes, Shaw said.
“When Jesus comes, He shows us His lordship over all things including demonic powers,” he said. “When Jesus does a work, He does it forever.
“God loves you and God loves your church,” Shaw said. “God doesn’t love anybody more than He loves you. You can’t do one thing to make God love you more, and you can’t do one thing to make God love you less.
“When you let Jesus come, your church will be alive,” he noted. “We see love, lordship and lifting.
“May God lift the Alabama Baptist State Convention and let people see Jesus in us.”
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