I was asked this simple question by a friend,

“I have a question for you that I need your advice on. My 9 yr old, Jonathan and I talk a lot about the Lord, and he always ends up with the same question, ‘Mom, if God created everything, WHO created God.’ I try to explain that that is one of those answers that we will know when we get to the other side, and that it’s not meant for us to understand it right now. This is not going over well, and he is really struggling w/ some major doubt. How have you handled this in the past & do you have any recomendations on what to tell him? To tell you the truth, this is a ? I’ve wrestled w/ myself! lol Thanks!”

This is a tough question, I believe, simply because of our view of who God is. I also believe that we must always go back to Scripture and that Scripture reveals all things. Let me say this about Scripture, I believe that God intentionally revealed to us through Scripture the mysteries and the “secrets”, if you will, of how to live a full and fullfilling life here on this earth as well as through eternity.

Let’s start by looking at this thought by Pastor Rob Bell: In the grand scheme of things we live between two trees:

Before the tree of life in Genesis God always was…..and after the tree of life in the book of Revelation…….God always will be.

Because we are human and live in a human world, we see everything as “matter”… and as having a physical form. Simply…we must put a face and form on God…usually of a human like us in some way or another, sitting on a throne up in the sky on the clouds.

You have asked….we will seek the answer……if we knock…..Jesus tells us the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7-8 ( TNIV )
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who asks receives; those who seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened.

What does the Bible tell us regarding who God is?

Who does God say He is?

Exodus 3:14 ( TNIV )
God said to Moses, “I am who I am…….”

God is described as existing outside of space and time:

God lives outside our three-dimensional physical world:

Jeremiah 23:23-24 ( TNIV )
“Am I only a God nearby,”…..“and not a God far away? …..“Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord. 

2 Peter 3:8 ( TNIV )
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 

God is Spirit:

Jesus is speaking to a Samaritin woman and says this:

John 4:24 ( TNIV )
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Jesus is speaking to the Apostle Peter (Simon) and tells him what God is not:

Matthew 16:17 ( TNIV )
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 

Additionally, in the Old Testament book of Numbers, chapter 23, verse 19, the writer tells us that, “God is not a human…”

These descriptions of God tell us that He is Spiritual and therefore lives outside our physical world.

God “WAS” from the beginning:

Romans 1:20 ( TNIV )
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Genesis 1:1-2 ( TNIV )
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

I would point out that God created time and existed before the creation of time. I believe that the statement in Genesis, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” is making reference to the creation of time.  You see also in the creation story (Genesis 1:1 to 2:3), many references to the creation of time.

Genesis 1 ( TNIV ):

5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.

 

1 Corinthians 2:7 ( TNIV )
No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

There are many instances in the New Testament where God was acting before time began:

1 Corinthians 2:7 ( TNIV )
No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 

2 Timothy 1:9 ( TNIV )
…….. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 

Titus 1:2 ( TNIV )
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, 

Everything that was created has a beginning:

Everything which has a beginning has a cause. Whether you look at this question of  God being created from a Biblical standpoint or from a scientific standpoint.

The universe has a beginning……..there is much scientific evidence that the universe had a beginning…..therefore the universe has a cause.

Time has a beginning……..Einstein’s theory of relativity….which is widely accepted…..shows that time is linked to matter and space. So time itself would have begun along with matter and space.

God, unlike the universe, and unlike time…..had no beginning, so.. doesn’t need a cause. As I have seen in Scripture, God created all matter as well as time. God created time and matter…therefore He lives outside time and matter…this is affirmed by his revealed Word….all of Scripture.

Isaiah 57:15 ( TNIV )
15 For this is what the high and exalted One says—  he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with those who are contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly  and to revive the heart of the contrite.     

Lastly, let’s take a look at John 1:1-5:

John 1:1-5 ( TNIV )
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was with God in the beginning.  3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people.  5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I would note that the word that we translate as “Word” in Greek is “Logos” [also the name of my favorite all time study tool].

The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus first used the term “Logos” around 600 years before Christ to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe.

God is the creator of all matter and time. God is not created. In the end…..this is a matter of faith….it’s easy to “overthink things”. However…..there is much evidence to be considered.

God inhabits all eternity….everything before the tree of life in Genesis….and everything after the tree of life in Revelation…….God is…..as He said…..”I am“……and we……..we live between those two trees!

Debra’s Personal Journey
Call to Christ:  I came to know Christ during my senior year at the University of Central Florida (UCF) when a staff woman from Campus Crusade for Christ shared the Gospel with me on January 12, 1993. I was immediately filled with so much gratitude for what Jesus did for me that I gave Him my life and wanted Him to use me and mold me into the person God created me to be.  Since that day, my journey has changed my life forever! It didn’t take long to realize that my life was not my own, but now belonged to God to use in whatever way He desired.

Call to Missions:
Just a few months later I was on a mission trip in Romania when I knew God gave me the desire to help young people know what I wish I knew growing up. I found out about Campus Crusade’s High School ministry called Student Venture and soon got involved. I started at headquarters as a receptionist and then I joined staff with Campus Crusade in 1995. I worked at Cypress Creek High School near Kissimmee and Lake Brantely High School in Longwood until 2002.  During this time I led mission teams to Italy three times, trained other new staff, led students to Christ, discipled them, and spoke at conferences around the country. The experience deepened my burden to help young girls dealing with sexual purity issues and I decided to follow my heart and transitioned to work at the Sanford Crisis Pregnancy Center from 2003-2009.

Pictured here are just a few girls I led to the Lord when they were freshman in High School. During their senior year they led a Bible study for sophomore girls and met with me for their own Bible study at 6 a.m. every Wednesday morning. As they invited their friends, the study grew to 12 girls and then the group wanted to meet again on Thursdays to share prayer requests and pray together too. All four of them travelled with me to Florence, Italy on a Student Venture mission trip to share the Good News of the Gospel with Italian students.  It was incredible to watch this movement happen by just being available to them and watching God work in their lives.

At the Sanford Crisis Pregnancy Center I counseled young women who were facing unplanned pregnancies and part of my role was to teach sexual integrity to our clients, as well as to youth groups in the Central FL area. I felt I was in the center of God’s will for my life and it was very fulfilling.

Steve enters the picture:
When Steve Burns moved to Lake Mary from Ohio, he was voluntarily leading the youth ministry at Lifepoint Christian Church. He asked the pastor for a referral of a woman that could talk to the girls about sexual purity and the pastor suggested he call the Sanford Crisis Pregnancy Center. God brought Steve Burns to the center where we first met in 2004. As we gradually began dating, we also served at Lifepoint together. The students got to witness our relationship grow week after week as we led the ministry and lived our lives before them. The best memories were made at the CIY Believe Conference and special events where we enjoyed quality time with the students.  Meeting someone who enjoyed ministering to the youth as much as I did was a gift from God!  Serving God together was an answer to both of our prayers.

Soon after we married in 2005, we bought a house in Deltona and attended Deltona Lakes Baptist Church. We felt led to serve in the middle school ministry because there was a need. It was fun to teach 70-80 teenagers from the local neighborhood who did not attend church with their parents. Sometimes it felt like we were just there for crowd control or to entertain the kids with games and food. I remember one girl who thought she couldn’t be a Christian because she was “American.”

After just two years, Steve was offered a new position in Jacksonville, if we were willing to move. After much prayer, we felt called to go. I was prayerfully seeking God for my new assignment too. I contacted the Student Venture city director, who has been leading the ministry for twenty years and found out that he needed an experienced staff woman to train a new staff girl coming to the city. I knew this was the answer to my prayers and exactly where I was needed! He has not had female staff for the past 10 years and now he was gaining two! Pictured on right with Christine Kennedy, new staff from Jupiter, FL.
 

The Ministry in Jacksonville:
Student Venture believes in winning students to Christ, building them up in their faith, and sending them to reach others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How do we do this? I will be going on campus to give motivational talks to the cheerleaders, athletic teams, and student clubs. We invite them to come back to a Student Venture outreach where the Gospel will be presented. In the past, I typically saw at least 10% of the students who have not been to church, pray to receive Christ at that very first meeting!  It is wonderful to witness God open the hearts and eyes of His children to receive His unconditional Love and Grace!  From there, I will follow up with each student and invite them to get involved in a Bible Study to further their understanding in their new relationship with God. We also encourage them to get involved in a local church.  Pictured here with Greta and Kimmie. Greta plays soccer at Creekside HS and we will be doing an outreach for her team and I will be leading a weekly Bible study for her and her friends.  Kimmie is on the dance team and we will be planning an evangelistic event for her friends too.

The Need:
I have the privilege to gather a team of partners to pray and invest in this ministry.  God has raised 30% of my monthly need. I was able to purchase the supplies I will need for Bible studies. 
I still need more partners.  What support do I need to impact students for Christ and to help keep just one young girl from making a mistake that could negatively impact her life?  I am praying for 100 partners to give $20 a month or 50 partners investing $40 a month.  But any amount is appreciated, as I know this economy has been hard on everyone.

If you choose to join my team, all donations made to Campus Crusade for Christ are tax-deductible.  If God is calling you to partner with me, thank you, if He has other plans for your giving, I understand and would appreciate your prayers. It may sound strange to support a missionary in Jacksonville, FL, but I know God has called me to serve here and there are lost and hurting teenagers who need to hear the Good News of the Gospel in every city of America.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration. 

Debra’s Contact Information: 
Email: debra.burns@studentventure.com
Website: www.svjax.blogspot.com  www.svjacksonville.com
Website: www.ccci.org/give/0437644
Home: 11345 Finchley Lane Jacksonville, FL 32223
Cell: 321-363-6369