18-Year-Old Brings Jesus to Public High Schools | David Bitok

What happens when an 18-year-old decides to bring Jesus into public high schools? In this episode of Beyond Belief, Tyler Redman sits down with David Bitok to talk about faith, Gen Z, discipleship, surrender, and the story behind Encounter Night—a student-led movement bringing worship, preaching, and the Gospel into public high schools. David shares how the idea began after seeing a college revival on Facebook and asking one question: What is stopping this from happening here? That question became action. David helped organize the first Encounter Night at Central High School, where he says approximately 300 people attended and 35 responded to the salvation call. Months later, a second Encounter Night at Hillcrest High School drew approximately 400 people, with another 25 responding. But David believes getting people into a worship night is only the beginning. In this conversation, David explains why he believes Gen Z has passion and hunger for God but desperately needs discipleship—the daily commitment to read Scripture, live differently, stay connected to the local church, and follow Jesus after the emotional moment is over. In this episode: • Why David had to discover faith for himself • Why Gen Z needs discipleship, not just worship experiences • How Encounter Night started in a public high school • What happened when hundreds of students gathered for worship • Why your lifestyle matters when sharing your faith • How students can start making a difference in their own schools • Why David chose ministry and biblical studies • What it means to pick up your cross daily • Why surrender matters more than platform • David's prayer for Gen Z and anyone who feels far from God Beyond Belief is a Christian podcast built around real people, real struggles, and real faith. Hosted by Tyler Redman, the show features honest conversations about Christian faith, testimonies, redemption, spiritual growth, difficult questions, culture, and what it actually looks like to follow Jesus in everyday life. If this conversation encouraged you, subscribe to Beyond Belief and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Have a prayer request? Leave it in the comments. We would be honored to pray with you. Question for the comments: What do you think Gen Z needs most from the Church right now? #ChristianPodcast #GenZFaith #ChristianTestimony Chapters00:00 Meet David Bitok 00:44 How Jesus Found David 02:51 Cap or Naw: Bible Edition 05:06 What Commitment Really Means 06:03 What Does It Mean to Be Holy? 08:02 Why Gen Z Needs the Church 08:46 Gen Z Needs Discipleship 10:07 The Story Behind Encounter Night 11:02 How a Facebook Post Sparked the Vision 12:26 Bringing Worship Into a Public High School 13:42 35 Students Respond to the Gospel 14:22 Taking Encounter Night to Another School 16:47 How Students Can Reach Their Schools 20:12 What's Next for Encounter Night? 24:43 David's Next Chapter 27:20 Following God's Call One Step at a Time 30:05 The Problem With Modern Church Culture 32:13 What It Means to Pick Up Your Cross 34:18 A Burden to Reach People 35:26 David Prays for Gen Z 37:02 Closing Conversation