Bethel Austin, Texas, recently returned to live worship services Father’s Day weekend as part of its reopening after the coronavirus pandemic. At the six o’clock Saturday evening service, Holy Spirit moved, and no sermon was given.
Some of Bethel’s team members gathered to discuss what happened on a recent episode of Bethel Austin Podcasts on the Charisma Podcast Network with host Seth Hall. Seth says, “Part of our core value is to gather around the presence, not a message. And so when God does this, I think sometimes that’s just making sure we’re calibrated to Him.”
Senior leader Joaquin Evans agrees. “Yes, absolutely. In those moments, I really believe that is what’s happening. … The end goal is that people are directly connected to the Father. They’re hearing His voice. He’s speaking to them. … We value teachers, we value good teaching, being in the Word together. … But the end result is that people are connected personally to the Father, and they’re hearing from Him.”
His wife, Renee Evans, who serves on the worship team, shares what God showed her during what she thought would be a time of transition into the sermon. “I think your heart when you’re trying to facilitate a service like that is to let God have His way and to not get in the way.”
And associate leader Eddie Tait, who had been scheduled to preach that evening when he says God “hijacked” the service adds, “We’re sensitive to what God’s doing, and we’re OK to let Him change our plans and our normal every day. We don’t have an agenda when we shop up; there’s no performance needed.”
To hear more about how God broke through in the service and how the Bethel leaders responded, listen to the entire podcast at this link. {eoa}
