I’m Working on a Building

I waited, sitting across from a top administrator at my new university, hopeful but also slightly anxious. What response would I receive? What if the administrator rejected my proposal, like before?

Some years previously, at a different university, the Lord revealed to me the need for an on-campus, non-denominational Bible study. As a local pastor and also a professor, I held a unique position serving the community in the pulpit Sunday and teaching ethics at the university during the week.

I approached a university official and asked about developing a Bible study on campus. The administrator expressed concern that the optics of such a venture might not be right and I may be accused of using my role to put pressure on students to embrace my religion.  I was therefore advised not to do it and I submitted to the institutional authority over me.

For the time being, I concentrated on my off-campus ministry. Perhaps the opportunity to actively lead a campus ministry was not in my future, I thought. I laid aside the blueprints for a campus Bible study but God did not neglect the foundation he started building in my heart.

The negro spiritual “Working on a Building” describes how the Christian labors to add to the “true foundation” laid by Christ. The song describes a tireless energy to build the kingdom of God before “Going up to heaven / To get my reward.”  To feel that kind of energy in the face of setbacks or discouragement can be difficult. However, with perseverance, the energy of the Spirit can and will sustain.

So here I waited, years later, sitting in front of an administrator at my new appointment, asking his permission to begin a campus Bible study. After my previous experience, I was wary and tried not to get my hopes too high. What if I received the same rejection?

But this time the response from the administrator was an emphatic and overwhelming “Yes! We could use more activities like that on campus!” Thus began the “Tigers In The Word” Bible study on campus.

Since the ministry began in January 2019, God has been doing a unique work through Tigers in the Word.  The study lasts one hour per week. A variety of speakers expose students to different messages from scripture. The students have become more comfortable with each other through discussion and dialogue. God’s stamp of approval has been all over it.

God’s assignments do not always come void of challenges and disappointments. Instead of allowing doubt to hinder our progress, we can utilize setbacks as stepping stones to God’s perfect will. An assignment delayed is not necessarily an assignment denied. I never tire of working on this building because working for the Master is its own reward!