Bobby Bosler: Welcome to the Thee Generation Podcast. I’m Bobby Bosler. And I’m Jim VanGeldren.

And we are here in the lobby, as you can definitely hear the noise here, of Falls Baptist Church. We just finished the final service here at the 2024 Thee Generation Youth Summit. And boy, it was a great time, Dr. Jim.

It was a great week. I call it a week. It was actually a couple days.

But you cram, how do I say this? We cram a week into two days, I think is the way we can put it. Yeah, for sure.

I actually felt kind of bad for the kids yesterday because we did four competitions yesterday, which has never, to my knowledge, been done in a D-Generation Youth Summit. And I was hearing from people that the kids were dead dog tired. Well, at least you get some of that nervous energy out.

So hopefully during the services, they’re listening. Yeah, right. Either that or they’re asleep.

No, I don’t think we had any of that. No, the preaching was great. Kids were, I think, drawn into the preaching, which is a wonderful thing.

Yes, this was actually a really powerful year. In many ways, the messages, the Lord just worked these messages together and weaved them in just a wonderful progression. Young people that are listening that maybe couldn’t come, I’m really looking forward to you all hearing these messages.

We’re going to be putting them out over the next several weeks in order, the order that they were delivered in. But it all began on Wednesday night. God put a burden on my heart to talk about what it means to present your body as a sacrifice, to yield your life to God as your one and only master.

And I really think in many ways that set the stage. That theme was developed throughout the week, and it was just neat to see how God put those things together. And then on Thursday, Joe Mueller hit the ball out of the park with two messages about leaving the place of blessing out of Psalm 1 and just walking away, listening to those ungodly influences, the point where you’re embracing ungodly.

I want to preach his message here. But it was many ways it set the stage for what was to come. And then Daniel, Daniel Van Gelderen, this is the first time we’ve had him speak at a TGYS.

He went after it, talking about Lot and pitching your tent towards Sodom. Very many, very helpful and insightful applications. And interspersed with all of this were the competitions.

Right, right. It was a busy day, a wonderful day. Yes.

Volleyball in the morning. Let’s see, we had Tube Tug, which was definitely the fan favorite this year. The kids absolutely loved four-way Tube Tug.

I don’t know what was different about it, but they just absolutely loved it. In the afternoon, we had a brand-new competition, human foosball, four-way, a bunch of different things tweaked to it that we’d never done before, and then spoke tackle in the afternoon. I’ve got good news.

Nobody died. Nobody died. Yeah, that’s good.

Yes. The competition was very… Well, all four teams really were even.

And honestly, as we came into the final point countdown today, anybody could have won it. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. You know, it’s funny. On the first day, Air Force was laying low.

Right. They had their little chair force theme going on, and it was almost like, you know, they were lagging behind. But, man, they worked it today.

They worked it today. They didn’t come back. They didn’t win.

Well, they won. They actually came in first on that last game. Yes.

But it wasn’t enough. Yes. Yes.

But they had a little momentum there. Definitely. So we had big ball basketball.

And it’s for those of you that are familiar with our war, we have a hoop that has four holes in it. One hole, you lose a point. Two holes, you get two points.

One hole, you get three points. And so it really is intense. And the win really added a dynamic to it.

Yes. Oh, yeah. It was crazy.

One of the things, though, I’ve heard over and over again regarding the preaching here this week was the discussion session, actually. Sure. We had a bunch of things kind of different.

We did that whole podcast live recording thing again. The Faith Talks Girls, they had several of the speaker’s wives come, and they had some questions that had been submitted. It was a great Q&A time.

Ryan Swanson was here with the Satisfied Podcast. He did a live recording session and then Pastor Gilmore as well. But later on, we had a time where all of us speakers and a few more, we sat down and the whole purpose was let’s let’s discuss an actual pathway so that these young people in this room can be used by God to win many young people to Christ.

And I don’t know, I just felt like there was something about, I don’t know if it was just the candidness with which we were sharing what God had done in our lives, or if it was just the fact that we were getting practical, making them think about it. But I really think God was talking to those young people, and I’ve heard nothing but great things. No, it was.

There was something about it. I don’t know how to describe it. It was organic.

It wasn’t contrived. It just happened. Obviously, the contributions from the panel God used is most of them were personal testimonies.

Challenging these young people to think outside the box, follow the Lord, however he leads in their evangelistic endeavors. Yes, yes. And honestly, tonight’s message really was a great capstone.

You want to summarize tonight’s message a little bit here, Dr. Jim? Yeah, well, of course, Ryan’s my son-in-law, and I’m certainly proud of him tonight. He really talked about the fact that, particularly for those that grew up in a Christian home, your father’s God is, you know, you kind of follow the Lord.

You perhaps are saved, but he hasn’t become your God yet. And he becomes your God when you begin to seek him and find him. And he begins to speak to you and he begins to lay out to you a vision for your life and steps to take that are clear.

And that becomes your God. When you begin to follow the Lord, you seek and find him. He begins to lead you.

He becomes your God. Oh, yeah. You’ve got to hear it, young people.

We’re going to be putting this out, like I said, on the podcast coming up here in a bit. But it was a home run, encouraging, great response of the invitation. And I really feel like with the young people here this week, we are going to see some real forward movement in gospel advance through these young people.

Like there’s there’s a sense of anticipation. They’re not just like kind of hoping that they’ll eventually turn the world upside down. These kids are going home planning to follow.

So planning to follow the specific leadership of God as he gives it in their lives to actually endeavor to make major gospel impact in their home areas. I heard of one person again. I don’t know if she’ll hear this or not on the podcast, but she I heard from one of the squad leaders.

They shared this with me. She said she lives right next to a park. She said that park is full of people who need Jesus.

And she said, I want to go down. I want to sit on the bench and read my Bible. And, you know, I think she’s thinking about engaging those people with the gospel.

It’s like those ideas where I didn’t know she lived next to a partner. Right, right. But God did.

And God was putting it on her heart. Oh, it’s so exciting. I’m so pumped.

I am so pumped. Amen. It was just a year.

I don’t know how to explain it. It was not dramatic, but there was a quiet moving of the Lord. Yeah.

And I sensed this afternoon when we asked how many had made a decision. that God had been moving in almost everybody’s heart. Something was going on somewhere in every heart.

Yes. Yes, actually, I was talking to somebody earlier, and he said, you know, sometimes it is the slow swell of God’s moving. And I feel like even year over year with these D-Generation Youth Summits, there are definitely some moments that are dramatic crises, if I can say it that way.

But there is, with many of them, just this growing desire to truly follow the Lord and to be surrendered to Him and dependent upon Him to turn the world upside down. And it’s just encouraging. God is raising up this generation.

We see Him right here. Yes, of course, the lobby is full of young people. In fact, I had a young man just come by, fist bump me.

And he’s from Inner City. And he came across our team doing more special forces. And he came here.

And God’s doing a great work in his heart. He’s a public school student. And he’s already been a witness in that school.

And I’m trusting that this week has stirred him to even be a more bold, vibrant, God-dependent witness. Amen. It stirred me, honestly, this week in many ways.

As God has been leading and guiding and enabling and working and convicting, it’s been definitely an encouraging time. And, you know, young people, I know some of you that are listening couldn’t come. Maybe because you’re an MK on the mission field somewhere.

or maybe because you just couldn’t get out here. But you can’t do the competition, sorry. We can’t put that one out there for you to participate in.

I wish we could in some ways. But you can participate by listening through the sermons. I would encourage you to do them in order because there are things that are referenced that happen in other messages and so on.

And let God work in your heart. Let him lead your life and yield to him. Present your body to him as a sacrifice.

And so, well, we really appreciate you tuning into this here. And we’re just grateful for all of the hands and hearts and people that made this event possible here this year. And, well, Dr. Jim.

Well, young people, this is what it’s all about. And we talk about it all the time on D-Generation. But it’s young people that really are willing to do God’s will.

They want fully God’s will. But they know they can’t do it in their own strength. There’s a dependence on God because He’s faithful.

If He calls you, He will do it. Amen. Amen.

Thanks for listening.