Bobby Bosler: Welcome to the Thee Generation Podcast. I’m Bobby Bosler and I’m speaking to you today from Kettering, Ohio. Boy, we had a great couple of weeks here these last two weeks. We’ve been in Ohio this week and last week.

Last week we were just outside of Toledo, Ohio at Bethany Baptist Church in Grand Rapids. And this week we’ve been at Grace Baptist Church in Kettering, just outside of Dayton, Ohio. And boy, God has been on the move. God has been working.

And what I’d really like to do here today is something maybe a little bit unusual. I’d like to just start with one verse, and I’d just like to talk to you about what the Lord has been doing here this week. Romans chapter 1 verse 16 says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. And you know what?

The more I do what I do, the more I am convinced. The power is not in the preacher. It’s not in me, that’s for sure. The power is not in the program.

It’s not the Cola Clash or the war that saves. The power isn’t even in my rightness with God or my walk with God. The power is in the message. There’s something intrinsic to the gospel message itself that God uses.

And when anyone, myself or you, teenager, who are listening, when you will open your mouth and with God-given boldness and confidence declare the message, it can go forth not in word only but also in power and in much assurance. And you know what, young people? I am just encouraged with what the gospel has done these last couple of weeks. I mentioned we were in Grand Rapids, Ohio last week, and honestly, it was the kind of situation that seemed impossible.

We rolled into town, and literally it was corn as far as the eye can see, every single direction, with a little church planted in the middle of it. And I’m looking around, and I’m thinking, where in the world are we going to find the teenagers this week? This is impossible. Well, our team went out, and we tracked them down, and we found them.

We had to get a little bit creative, but God brought out quite a crowd. We had, I think, 93 young people who came out over three nights. And, you know, it was amazing. It was challenging, I’ll be honest with you.

It wasn’t exactly the easiest crowd to preach to. There was constant chitter-chatter. There was constant just challenges going on in almost every single message. The first night, I felt like I was in a zoo.

But you know what? That first night, even though people were jittery, even though they were talking amongst each other, they were listening, and God was working. There that night, I gave the invitation, and I think somewhere, I think it was 12, 13, 14, some young people responded to the invitation and trusted Jesus Christ. One of them, her name was Lexi.

In fact, Lexi’s story is kind of interesting because earlier that week, When one of our team members was out recruiting, he recruited her, and she said she was interested in coming to the Cola Clash. And later on that day, Erica, one of my team members, she ran into her again. And as she was talking to Lexi and her friends, they mentioned, they just happened to mention, hey, we know where people are. And throughout a few minutes of conversation, they agreed to go with Erica.

And basically, these girls hopped in the vehicle, and they went recruiting with her. Well, God brought Lexi and her friends and some of their friends, I believe. And on the first night in that message, Lexi got saved. And she was back all three nights.

In fact, I want to read a letter that she wrote to me after the final night was done. She said, Dear Mr. Pastor Man, thank you for sharing your message. My whole perspective on heaven has changed.

The things I depend on have changed. My morals have changed. And I made the decision, the decision to rely on nothing more or less than Jesus. He’s my one and only ticket to heaven.

I want to say yes to my pardon. I want to go on the right train to the right direction. And I want to believe Jesus is my one and only ticket. After these last few days, I can honestly say I can believe in all of those.

I want to use my elevator, not talk about it. And now I can. Thank you, Lexi. And you know what?

Honestly, that’ll bring a tear to your eye. And she was one of 38 young people last week that found Jesus Christ as their Savior. I’ll be honest with you, I was blown away. I wasn’t expecting that kind of an amazing harvest last week.

Maybe I should have. I don’t know. Well, you know what? Here tonight, we just finished up our final night here in Kettering.

Literally, the team’s packing up. I needed to get this podcast recorded here this evening. And I’m just reveling in the goodness of God here this week, in the power of the gospel. You know, on the first night, we had a couple folks that were maybe causing a little bit of trouble along the way.

But honestly, again, God was working. And on that first night, we had a ton of girls respond. I think there were 13 girls in the counseling room. I think there were four or five guys in the counseling room. and we were dealing with them and there were a number of girls they just weren’t ready and the way we do it we don’t push things we’re not going to force somebody into salvation decision we’re not going to wangle somebody into saying the right words so we can write a card and chalk it up on the charts or anything but but God was working I believe that night there were 14 salvation decisions or some really encouraging stories the next night last night we had a number more respond and a number more gets saved.

And in fact, one of the stories, there was a young man during registration. He came, he arrived, he went up to the registration table, and while he was there, his dad came to me, and his dad basically said, hey, you know, I just appreciate it, appreciate you inviting my son. He said he was sitting in a park when Andrew came up and talked to him, and he said, you know, honestly, he was at the end of his rope. His girlfriend had just dumped him.

It was a bad situation, and he just didn’t know where to turn, And he was sitting in a park bench mourning. And Andrew walked up to him and invited him to come. He said it was a God thing. Well, he came out that night.

You know, I had a sneaking suspicion God was going to do something in his heart. We had a great competition. And he was one of the young people that got saved that night. And I’ll tell you, he clearly got saved.

He was clearly lost as anything before. And he found Jesus as his Savior. And he was thrilled. He has been back all three nights.

And, you know, the Lord was working there. The Lord was moving. God was doing a work in hearts. Well, on the very first night, actually, when I gave the invitation, there was a young man sitting in the front.

And I remember when I gave the invitation, he just said out loud, he said, I’m going to burn. He didn’t go back in the invitation. He didn’t respond. He didn’t do anything.

He just sat there in his chair with his arms folded and said, I’m going to burn. He’s a little kid, probably barely junior high age. Well, we were praying for him. And in fact, his friends, three or four young ladies, they also, they did go back in the invitation, but they weren’t ready to understand the gospel.

And so anyway, they all came back the second night. And on the second night when I gave the invitation, we’d been praying for those girls and two of them got saved. But the young boys, they did not at that point. Well, tonight here, I remember I was preaching on God’s final call.

And one of the young men, both of the young men, actually, they went back in the invitation. And I remember talking to the one who said, I’m going to burn. And I said, you know, you realized you were guilty, didn’t you? He said, yeah, I did.

He said, but last night, you know what, I just couldn’t go to sleep. I said, honestly, I couldn’t go to sleep because I just, I was concerned I was going to go to hell. And I came here tonight and I knew I needed to get saved. And he did.

And, you know, the gospel has power. It’s not up to you to convince them. Though, you know what, you and I, we need to open. our mouth. We need to declare the message, but when you declare the message, God uses it to convince them.

I could tell you plenty of other stories here this evening, but you know, those are just a few of what God has been doing, and you know what? These are not stories that should be merely relegated to how God can use the Cola Clash team or Brother Bosler. Listen, write your own story. Maybe you’ve got a neighbor that needs to be saved, and you’ve been wondering, how is this person going to get saved?

Well, why don’t you go over and tell them the gospel? I remember one time I came home from college, and there were two kids on my street I had played with all growing up, and never once did I tell them about Jesus. And I remember I just decided one day I’m going to go tell them about Jesus. By the time the day was done, both of them in two different conversations had trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior.

You know what? you don’t have to wait until you’re in college for God to use you like that. Those of you that are in college, you don’t have to wait until you’re out of college for God to use you like that. Go and give the gospel now. It’s powerful.

You don’t have to be ashamed of it. If you declare it, God will use it, and you’ll have your own miracles to talk about. In fact, if you have, if God, listen, if as a result of this challenge today, you go and tell somebody about Jesus and God uses you, why don’t you go ahead and tell us? If you have a testimony of how God has been using you to tell somebody about Jesus, go ahead on the Your Story page right up there on the top of the website at thegeneration.org and tell us.

I’d love to share with some other folks what God is doing in your life. I know I’d be encouraged. And you know what? I know many other people will be encouraged by what God is doing.

But you know what? That’s what our mission is. Total surrender to the will of God and total dependence on his power to turn the world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for listening.

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