Masks are fun to wear, especially if you don't want someone to know who you are. Bandits wore them in every "Good verses Evil" movie we saw while growing up. Even some of the good guys wore masks to hide their identity when not on the job.

The problem is when people who are supposed to be transparent and vulnerable with each other resort to wearing them, and we're speaking specifically of the Church. "I'm fine," is the habitual response to "How are you?" though it may be far from the truth.

So, how do we fit together as the Body of Christ when we still feel like we can't be honest with each other? Can we really have "koinonia," TRANSPARENT ACCEPTANCE? Can we operate in God's love that says, "I know who and what you are...and I love you anyway?"

Today we look at how to "Love not only in word or talk but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18. Maskless and loved. What a concept!

Boat in the water - Good!

Water in the boat - Not Good!

This is not a new topic since Paul wrote about it to Timothy back in the early church times. The "Godlessness Invasion," however, has ramped up in ways we never would have imagined.

Lawlessness in the world is expected. Hey, sinners will sin. However, those of us who claim Christ as Lord and Savior cannot allow lawlessness and Godlessness in teh Church and in our lives, if we're going to draw people to Him.

From the un-Biblical attitudes and actions to sermons from pulpits that are devoid of truth, too many churches today are little more than social clubs where people come to either perform their due diligence or get their backs patted and told to be nice to each other.

With only nine percent of Christians reading their Bibles daily, the only thing that will keep Godlessness out of the Christian is being neglected. Opinions become gospel when this happens and the Church is sapped of its power to present hope to a hopeless world.

Don't settle for "fake ©Rolex watches." We want the real thing!

Well, is it either or both, when it comes to The Great Commission?

There's no question that it takes both of them to not only reach the lost but keep them solid in the faith. Evangelism alone boasts of about 5 - 15% of those who make a decision for Jesus are still walking with Him. Kind of a "been there, done that" as opposed to having their lives transformed.

True discipleship or disciple making builds the life of faith in a believer. Jay's book, "Jesus Follower - Beyond Belief" lays out great insight for anyone who chooses to be His disciple.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:16 to "be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." That's a huge statement. He takes on the responsibility to live a life of faith in such a way that as he walks in the footsteps of Christ, others can walk in his footsteps until they can walk in Christ's footsteps.

Discipleship is learning.

Today's medical advances are incredible. Some would call it miraculous. But there's a difference between medical miracles and God's kind.

Then there are those who deny the existence of God because of the suffering and, if He did exist, why His seeming lack of intervention when it comes to sickness and suffering?

Why do we become ill? Answering this important question gives us solid ground to respond to those who are in the midst of suffering or who are on the sidelines shaking their fist to the heavens.

Are there truly miraculous healings today? If so, why in such a limited proportion to the total amount of suffering? We share true life examples of God healing and encouragement to trust His sovereignty.

End time prophecy tells us that there will arise "the Man of Lawlessness."

But until then, everything will be peace and harmony, right? Absolutely not! And we're seeing lawlessness like we've not seen maybe ever. We're seeing violent behavior from people no one would expect to be the perpetrators.

We discuss in length moral relativism as opposed to moral absolutes and each of their sources. The "I do whatever I want to do whenever I want to do it" mentality is causing anarchy all across the country and the world. And the worst of it is, "And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold," Matthew 24:12.

What is the answer to this moral relativism pervading our world? Join the discussion.

Each new sitting President is evaluated after they've been in office for 100 days so we've taken the time to research what we've seen happen and what the media is reporting for President Donald Trump.

Proverbs states "The king's heart is a strem of water in the hand of the Lord: He turns it wherever He will." As believers, we believe what Paul wrote in Romans, "There is no authority except from God."

With this in mind, we pray for our representatives and leaders, but especially our President. The promises and policies should be for the benefit of our nation and what has been happening has caused some people to "go off the deep end" in opposition.

"Promises made, promises kept" is the mantra of this present administration. We look at those promises upon which President Trump ran his campaign and then evaluate if those promises were more than just smoke.

The Bible commands that we forgive as we've been forgiven. That's quite a challenge sometimes when we've been severely wronged.

But the question remains, can we forgive And forget? The Bible clearly states in both the New and Old Testament that God chooses to not remember our sins when we repent. The Bible emphatically declares Him saying He "will" remember our sins no more.

How about us? Can we really choose to not only forgive but to also forget wrongs? Jay and Tom discuss this in depth. And then they take it a step further, all clearly commanded by Jesus' very words.

Forgiving AND forgetting can reap wonderful benefits for the believer.

There is nothing more important than prayer - for a believer or an unbeliever.

For the unbeliever, it's the introduction to the God who loves them so much that He paid the sin penalty and set them free. It starts by asking.

For the believer, it's so much more than bringing a "grocery list" of requests to God. But even with this paradigm, so many Christians don't spend quality time with their heavenly Father.

This podcast deals with some of the reasons why so many people have ineffective and inconsistent prayer lives.

Jay and Tom also discuss prayer when the Church gets together. So many people are afraid to pray out loud, while others reverently bow their heads, close their eyes, maybe even fold their hands, and wait for someone to pray.

That's not completely wrong but it is so elementary. When the Body learns what it means to dive into a "symphony of prayer, there is a storming of heaven as well as the gates of hell. We're not told to be pious in prayer but to come boldly before the throne of God.

When we pray, just like when we worship, we enter the actual presence of God. When we realize that, it's no longer "long distance" to speak with Him.