BRUNSWICK

“I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

— Luke 18:8 (New King James Version)

The Gospel writer Luke asks us to delve deep into our being.

“Find us faithful,” inspired by Luke 18:8, is this year’s Scriptural theme at Berean Baptist Church, on 15 Cumberland St.

Luke’s question as to whether Christ will find faith when he returns, says the Rev. Mark Rockwood, is telling.

“That’s truly a profound question,” Rockwood said. “Are we truly going to believe in Him and are we truly going to walk with Him?”

This year’s seven-part theme on the seven laws of spiritual life is based on a book by the Rev. Ray Pritchard, titled “He’s God and We’re Not: The Seven Laws of the Spiritual Life.”

As Pritchard outlines in his book notes, he set out several years ago on a journey to discover the basic laws of the Christian’s life. Not surprisingly, his journey began and ended in the same place — God. Romans 11:36 poetically proclaims “for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”

“All spirituality flows from a correct perspective of God, and all heresy begins with a misunderstanding of God,” Pritchard wrote.

Throughout the year at Berean Baptist, Rockwood will delve into the seven laws. The pastor outlines them as follows:

— The first law: “He’s God and we’re not.” Rockwood said that it’s a matter of recognizing who is sovereign, and in control.

“We need to trust God,” Rockwood said.

— The second law: “God doesn’t need us, but we desperately need Him.” Though that may be the case, Rockwood said, “God desires that relationship.”

— The third law: “What God demands, He supplies.” It’s all a matter of understanding God’s desire, the pastor said. God demands holiness and goodness, he said.

— The fourth law: “What you seek, you find.” This represents a pivotal juncture in the seven laws, Rockwood said.

“This is where the rubber hits the road,” he said. “If you feed the flesh, the flesh will win. If you feed the spirit, the spirit will win.”

— The fifth law: “Active faith releases God’s power.” We can’t be passive, Rockwood said. We must pursue faith.

— The sixth law: “There is no growth without struggle.” Not something that people easily recognize, especially today.

“We all want an easy Christianity,” the pastor said, “but that’s not what Christ promises us. He tells us there’s going to be trials and tribulations. The Christian road is the most trying there is.”

— The seventh law: “What God starts, He finishes.”

Rockwood referred to Phillipians 1:6, which reads, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Christians take comfort in that verse, which implies that God is sustaining us.

The pastor said, we must cast off things “that easily ensnare us.”

“We can’t just muddle through things,” he said. “We need clarity. As a preacher, I must say something that gives people an understanding of God. God doesn’t want to keep you guessing. He wants you to know that you have eternal life.”

Rockwood is beginning his 11th year at Berean Baptist, and preaches each Sunday to a congregation of between 130 and 140 people. His wife, Paula, is in the women’s ministry and chairs the deaconess board.

Brian Ritchie has been associate pastor at Berean Baptist since 2010. He has been a member of the church since 1995.

The Rockwoods have a son, Mark Jr., and two daughters, Erica Iles and Meagan.

Berean Baptist was born out of a revival in Topsham and Brunswick. During the revival, 152 people were added to the Topsham Baptist Church by immersion.

On Oct. 25, 1840, 44 of the Brunswick residents of the Topsham Baptist Church were dismissed from membership to form their own church in Brunswick “village.” The current church, at 15 Cumberland St., was dedicated on Jan. 9, 1890.

lgrard@timesrecord.com