A powerful Gospel message unfolded on “Star Search” Tuesday night as contestant Bear Bailey delivered a stirring performance of “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”
Bailey’s rendition of the song, made popular by Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake, transformed the moment into a clear presentation of Christian faith on one of the world’s largest streaming platforms.
Following his performance, Bailey openly shared his personal journey, speaking candidly about addiction, brokenness and finding salvation through Jesus Christ, while Jelly Roll responded by preaching about redemption, the Holy Spirit and God’s grace before a national audience.
“I’m a very imperfect person loved by a perfect God and Jesus. Jesus has redeemed me,” Bailey said moments after finishing the song.
“Drug addiction. I’ve lost everything because of addictions, and I’m not perfect, but I serve a God who is, and he believes in redemption. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being emotional. I’m just thankful for God. I thank you, Jesus.”
The moving moment was intensified by the revelation that Bailey had chosen the song before knowing Jelly Roll would be one of the judges, a surprise that left the artist visibly shaken and briefly unable to speak.
When Jelly Roll addressed the audience, he framed the moment as divinely orchestrated and used his platform to proclaim the Gospel directly.
“I prayed this morning. I said, God, give me an opportunity to talk about you,” he said. “Night one was great, but I didn’t get to live on my purpose yet. God, you called me here to talk about you.”
“What I just seen [sic] was a room full of people that might not have ever felt it before, but that is called the Holy Spirit of God,” adding, “He don’t [sic] care anything about your past. He doesn’t care what you’ve been through. He doesn’t care about your drug addiction. He is your Father.”
Jelly Roll then underscored the heart of the Christian message, pointing to redemption and hope through Christ.
“He hung so you can stand here and sing His name on the biggest streaming service in the world,” he said. “This is a God moment to show what God has done. He is a redeemer. He is for everybody. Jesus is for everybody. He doesn’t hate anybody. He loves everybody, and that’s what He stands for.”
Turning his attention to Bailey, Jelly Roll praised the performance, saying, “The voice wasn’t crazy. You took my song and made it your song. In fact, you took our song and you gave it to God. I know Brandon Lake somewhere, crying right now.”
When the judges revealed their scores, Teigen awarded Bailey four stars, while both Gellar and Jelly Roll gave him five stars. “We should only give fives to people that we think could actually win this show,” Jelly Roll said. “And you, my friend, can win this show.”
Netflix’s revival of “Star Search,” hosted by Anthony Anderson and judged by Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chrissy Teigen, currently ranks as the second-most-watched show on the platform.
