6 minute read 
by Bethany Rees

Masks Were Fun

It’s officially Halloween season and millions of kids are thinking about their next costumes for the spooky tradition of trick-or-treating. 

Kids ask themselves: “What character do I want to be? What mask will I wear? What costume will get me the most candy?” 

And as the adults giving candy, we delight in the imagination and wonder of our precious children. 

But Then Masks Became "Fun"damental

But long before the days of our youth fade away, the importance of continuing to wear a mask is established not just for the Halloween season, but for our entire lives. 

Our desire to hide the real us, the bumps, the bruises, the imperfections, the weakness, and even the truth is strong in modern society. 

Add to this the growing addiction of social media where we all have a public platform to showcase the best of our masks, and what we have here is a toxic spiral of an image/thought-managed society.

But wait, there’s more…

Now we also have the growing interest and demand for Artificial Intelligence. We are diving deeper into an altered global mask hiding the reality of who and what we all really are…we are becoming consumers of the artificial. With AI, we can completely alter not only our image but our words to appear more intellectual, persuasive, appealing, and even perfect.

While I've written about the importance of authenticity in a broader sense in two previous blogs (Let’s Be Real and Living Unpolished), I want to dive deeper by sharing what God showed me a week ago as I was reading in 1 Corinthians 1-2. 

The Mask of Edu-Tainment 

Paul had visited the southern Greek city of Corinth on his second missionary journey to spread the gospel to Gentiles (non-Jews). It was a place where many religions and cultures mingled with the populace loving a mixture of mythology, philosophy, persuasive arguments, plays, and fulfilling the desires of the flesh.

Displays of arrogance (“I’m better than you because…”) and self-centeredness (I have a right to do what I want when it comes to…”) were not only common, but encouraged.  

They loved the forward-facing "beauty" and imagination of cultural masks and edu-tainment. 

Corinthian society loved the public spectacle of brilliant speech and intellectual persuasion. It wasn’t necessarily the message that captivated them, but the spectacular delivery of the message that they craved and applauded. It was all about perception and not substance.  

Sound familiar? 

I thought so.

Man's Masked Image vs The Power of The Gospel

The Corinthian church was not exempt from this embedded pagan culture within their behaviors, and they had some real issues going on—including, but definitely not limited to, divisions due to arrogance about who was following the better preacher (Paul, Apollos, Cephas [Peter], or Jesus). 

Thus, one of the many reasons Paul wrote his first letter to them. In 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5, Paul reminds believers:

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." [emphasis added]

In the verses above, Paul reiterates that the power of the gospel message itself, not the man saying it—which ever preacher they encountered—made the impact that resulted in a believing church to be established. And yet, the Corinthian church continued to argue over polished speech and rhetoric. 

As I wrestle with the concept and use of AI (polished speech and rhetoric), I have to be honest in where God is leading my thoughts. I find myself sitting before God asking:

• Sure AI can be seen as a tool (a tool I have used by the way), but can't it also be seen as a mask hiding a modern day oracle where we go to seek answers?
• Is AI a distraction that masks and distorts truth?
• Does AI have people seeking out the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil so that we become wise like "gods" instead of enjoying a close relationship with God and having faith that leans on the power and discernment of the Holy Spirit?

"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." ~ Genesis 3:5-6 

 The Church is to be Set Apart & Mask Free

The desire for edu-tainment and the heart posture of arrogance, self-centeredness, image, and infatuation with rhetoric is to be expected of the “the world,” but NOT of the church.

Nope, the church was called to be set apart. To be in constant progress of sanctification (becoming more like Jesus) instead of assimilation to worldly values of status, knowledge, money, power, fame, persuasion, etc. 

Jesus, God’s own son, didn’t come with a brilliant appearance or a social media strategy for more algorithm hits to grow a worldly kingdom. Instead:

“...he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” ~ Isaiah 53:2a-3 [emphasis added]

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich [as the eternal Son of God in Heaven], yet for your sake he became poor [the humility of his incarnation and death], so that you by his poverty might become rich [be saved from sin].” ~ 2nd Corinthians 8:9 [emphasis added]

Jesus was humble, meek, and selfless. He never wore a mask to portray something the world wanted or valued. Instead, he showed up as who He was, God’s son, who obeyed his father by giving the world what it needed—salvation. 

Jesus was counter-cultural. His message of an upside down kingdom, where selfless love and sacrifice were promoted, was hard to internalize. And yet, hearts were drawn to Jesus and lives were changed; first “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8b).

Taking Off My Mask

So what does all of this mask-wearing/AI culture mean for you and me as believers?

Well, I can’t answer that for you, so pray and ask God to show you. But I can share what He’s transforming in me (and it's a constant work in progress as I continue to wrestle with my flesh in order to surrender it to God). 

For me as a believer, woman, wife, mom, entrepreneur, author, podcaster, and blog writer, I am being called to check my heart’s motivations in how I’m showing up online and in person. And in that "showing up" I'm having a real internal dilemma with the use of AI—again which I have used because I've always been an early adopter of technology.

This requires self-reflection asking: Does my pride (arrogance) cause me to strive for the mask of perfection (use of filters, "showy" trends, lofty speech and AI written language to enhance my image, prove my view, promote my services, or gain likes and algorithm hits)? Sadly, the Holy Spirit conviction says "yes." 

By focusing on a mask of perfection in how I show out, what it really does is delay my obedience to show up (to serve, witness, speak life, build up others); AND it dilutes my surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit. 

God showed me the selfishness in my approach of engagement with others (especially online). 

His truth is that all that I do online and in my business is not for me or about me. It’s about being obedient to show up when, where, and how God has called me to serve others.

I no longer have to pour my time, attention, and desire into presenting the mask of perfection or persuasion because God owns the outcome. I must show up as I am (as He created me), and then get out of the way to let the power of Holy Spirit work in me and whoever I’m engaging with. 

So, will I ever use the mask of AI again?

I don't know. But what I do know is that God is still working on me and in me and I'm taking a step back from it to ask for more discernment. 

My job is to show up, not show out! It is God that stirs hearts and transforms minds, not my filtered image or well crafted AI message. 

I just need to step into the purpose for engaging with others as I’m called, and trust that God’s got the rest. 

Know Better. Do Better. Live Better. Obedience & Authenticity over Artificial Masks!

Rocks before Sand!

P.S. Here is a behind the scenes look at me writing this blog post. No make up. No nice clothes. Just my freckles, glasses, hoodie, and delicious cup of coffee. Not one letter of this blog was written or “enhanced” with AI. 

Scripture: 

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." ~ 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5

Theme Songs:  Worship & Hip Hop Options

Worship: Let Them See You by JJ Weeks Band with lyrics

Hip Hop: Background lyrics - Lecrae Ft Andy Mineo, CLite

References Used:

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.