What is the best way to help a believer struggling with sin?
Text: Galatians 6:1-10
Hosts:
J. Kent Edwards
Vicki Hitzges
Nathan Norman
Narrator: Brian French
The CrossTalk Podcast is a production of CrossTalk Global, equipping biblical communicators, so every culture hears God’s voice. To find out more, or to support the work of this ministry please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org
Produced by Nathan James Norman/Untold Podcast Production
© 2025 CrossTalk Global
Brian: Merriam Webster describes an intervention as an occurrence in which a person with a problem is confronted by a group of people, such as friends or family members, whose purpose is to compel the person to acknowledge and deal with the problem. An intervention is a serious and somber occasion that should not be done lightly, but there are occasions when interventions are necessary situations such as alcohol use disorder, prescription drug misuse, street drug misuse, compulsive eating, or compulsive gambling. During these interventions, caring individuals gather to confront their loved one, discuss the impact of their self destructive behavior, and urge them to accept treatment because this might be the only way for them to realize the long term consequences of their destructive behavior and be willing to make concrete, constructive life changes. Interventions aren't a pleasant experience, not for the people confronting or for the person being confronted. However, sometimes it's the only way to motivate someone to make the changes necessary to succeed in life. What many Christians don't realize, however, is that interventions are not only necessary to address alcohol, drug or gambling problems, but God also calls all of us to be prepared to help a fellow brother or sister in the Lord confront serious moral issues. If the questions what, how and why come to mind, you will want to join Vicki Hitchkis, Kent Edwards and Nathan Norman as they explore these questions from the Apostle Paul In Galatians, Chapter 6 welcome to CrossTalk, a Christian podcast whose goal is for us to encourage each other to not only increase our knowledge of the Bible, but to take the next step beyond information into transformation. Our goal is to bring the Bible to life, into all our lives. I'm Brian French. Today, Dr. Kent Edwards, Vicki Hitchkiss and Nathan Norman continue their discussion through the book of Galatians. If you have a Bible handy, turn to Galatians, chapter 6, verses 1 to 10 as we join their discussion.
Kent: Nathan Vicki, do you know people who were involved in some kind of, well, the kind of intervention that Brian just described?
Vicki: I've known people who were involved in interventions because of drugs and alcohol. I've never known the church to come together and say, you've got to quit sexual sin. And I think that would be marvelous.
Nathan: Yeah, I've known people with usually substance abuse issues where you gather together and have a conversation. There have been a few times where I've heard of churches doing kind of interventions. Typically it's done very poorly and kind of aggressively confrontational. But there have been a handful of times I've seen and been a part of conversations where a few people will sit down with someone and say, hey, there's an issue here. Let's work it through. Right. We're here to support you.
Vicki: Caveat. The person being confronted has to know they're loved, has to know that otherwise they're just being attacked and they're already in a bad place or they wouldn't be involved in that stuff.
Nathan: Right. You can't start it off, we love you, but uh huh huh, just we love you, we support you, we want to walk alongside of you in this.
Vicki: That's why we're here.
Nathan: Yeah. I've seen a family have to gather around a daughter, a sister who had a kid, but she just was filled with substance abuse issues, alcohol and drugs, and so neglectful to the kid and neglectful to herself and dangerous habits. And that, that was incredibly hard because the family essentially had to, well, you need to let us take care of the kid for now and you need to get sober or otherwise we've got to involve the authorities.
Kent: Yeah, those are hard conversations because obviously the person who is involved in that improper behavior, they've done it for a while and they seem to have reached a comfort level with it.
Nathan: Yeah. Or I mean, sometimes they know that they have a problem, but they can't stop.
Vicki: Right. Yeah. It's not just a just say no thing, just an okay.
Nathan: Wouldn't it be great if it was that easy?
Vicki: Yeah. Wouldn't it though?
Kent: And when a group of people come around and read the riot act, tell you the truth that you don't want to hear, that can be often very helpful. Sure.
Nathan: I don't like where this is going.
Vicki: Well, that's too bad, Nathan, because we're here today. Kidding, kidding, kidding.
Kent: This was just a setup so we could have this conversation with you.
Nathan: For those listening, right before I hit record, they just started laying into me about all sorts of things. I admitted to making a mistake and they just continue to lay it was a recording mistake.
Vicki: It was a recording mistake. He always gets it right. We always mess up. But anyway, okay, keep going here.
Kent: What I find fascinating as we come to the end of the book of Galatians, is that Paul, as Brian alluded to, turns his attention to people's spiritual life and says there are times when interventions are necessary. We're going to look at more detail at that, but I think it may be helpful for us just to back up a little bit and review the flow of thought in this letter to the Galatians that Paul wrote. He began back in chapter one, you remember from the first paragraph, emphasizing the doctrine of justification by faith as the core of Christianity, a doctrine that is our foundation and the mission of the church. But as chapter one continued, it was obvious that some heretical teachers called Judaizers argued that salvation was only possible for those who who believed in Christ, but also obeyed the Old Testament law. And Paul's letter, Quite frankly, the whole letter is an act of intervention. Nathan, how does Paul continue his argument, chapters one and two?
Nathan: Well, in chapters one and two, Paul established his credibility with his audience. He reminded them that his sermons had always been Bible based and that while he had demonstrated an attitude of submissiveness to authority, those authorities affirmed his teaching on justification. And he had shown in his confrontation with Peter that he was not afraid to speak truth to power to defend the core of Christianity. He'd done it in the past and he was doing it again right now.
Kent: Well, that certainly would give him credibility as he comes to these people. Vicki develops his argument in chapters three and four, doesn't he?
Vicki: Well, he outlined the biblical, the personal and the relational reasons why the Galatian Christians should reject the false teaching of the Judaizers and reaffirm their justification by faith. And he was powerful as only Paul can be.
Kent: Yeah, he assembled the evidence. In chapter five, Paul began dealing with the objections that the Galatians might have had to Paul's assertion that the Levitical laws of the Old Testament were not necessary. My hunch is that the Judaizers and those that bought their teaching were would say that by just relying on justification by faith. Maybe Paul was soft on sin. Maybe he was lowering God's standard of holiness. And boy, Paul responded, saying the opposite was true. You may remember in our last podcast, he pointed out that it was the Judaizers teaching, that it actually caused moral chaos in the churches. Their insistence that people needed to obey the law led to acts of the flesh. Vicki, do you remember what those acts of the flesh were?
Vicki: I do. And I remember reading it. I read it twice, two or three times in our last lesson. It's such an ugly list. And a lot of us can identify with things in this list. It's just an ugly list. It's acts of the flesh, sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. Those who live like this, Paul says, will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Kent: And the irony we saw was that the Judaizers who kept saying, if we keep the law, we'll be more holy. Well, the opposite happened, right? Instead, they descended further and Further into sin and all that evil behavior you just read. For Paul, the pathway to holiness is paved by the doctrine of justification by faith. Because as we saw, when we're saved by grace, we receive the Holy Spirit and God's Spirit transforms us from the inside out. He quite literally is the pathway to personal holiness. Because the fruit of the Spirit is what it's beautiful.
Vicki: It is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Kent: And in chapter six, Paul's going to explain that while the Holy Spirit enables us to live holy lives, he also provides us with a local church to support us when we stray from the right path. Look at how he begins in verse one. A single verse, but sure says a lot.
Vicki: He says, brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.
Kent: The phrase caught in sin is interesting. As I looked under the hood to see exactly what Paul was saying, it seems that there are two possible meanings. It could refer to a person who is unintentionally involved in some sin, some wrongdoing. The image that comes to mind is maybe they were kind of like a fish in a pond, minding their own business, surprised when somebody tasty treat suddenly appears before them. So obviously they bite it and then realize too late they've been caught by a fisherman's lure. So that's unintentional, it wasn't premeditated, they kind of fell into it, if you will. But it could also mean to be caught in sin is that there was an ongoing deliberate pattern of sinful activity that they were aware of and had tolerated and got caught in sin. Either way, Paul says we are to do what?
Vicki: To restore that person gently.
Kent: Restore? What does it mean to restore?
Nathan: It means to literally refit, repair and mend that which was broken. And just as an aside, here he is concerned with restoring their relationship with God and with the church. So sometimes you'll see, I don't know, some pastors abusing their power and authority and people say, ah, we need to restore them. And what they mean by that is put them back in the position that they abused and showed that they couldn't be trusted with. That's not what Paul is talking about here. He's concerned about their soul, their relationship with Jesus and their relationship with their brothers and sisters in Christ. Not a position.
Kent: Right?
Nathan: Yeah.
Kent: And that's not an easy task to restore, is it? I mean, that word restore, to fix, if you will, is used a couple times in the gospels to talk about the Fishermen fixing their nets. I can't imagine how difficult that would be, how many hours they must have spent trying to put broken nets back together again so they could catch fish. But that big task is what he calls us to just to put in.
Nathan: Our listeners ears the image of that. It's basically knitting. If you've ever seen somebody knitting right at a baseball game or whatever, making a scarf, that's essentially what mending your nets would look like. So just picture a bunch of burly, bare chested men with slightly larger knitting needles mending their nets, trying to get them back together so the fish don't go through the holes. That's the image that you should have. Okay.
Kent: Another image that comes to my mind is home renovations. When you've got a house and you realize just because you moved in or just because through the passage of time or some accident, you need to bring that back to life. Home renovations, man, they're not something I look forward to. Vicki, you've gone through that in the past, haven't you?
Vicki: Oh, I just bought a house two years ago and every room needed something. Just in the last two weeks I've done some things. I have these beautiful trees out in front and they have lights in them and some of them work and some of them don't. But the ones that concern me the most are way, way up and they're up in the twig and there's nothing to lean a ladder up against. And unless you have help from the Santini brothers, you can't get up there and there's no place to put, oh, it's just a pain. So I had a repairman here and I asked him if there's any way he was here to do. I can't remember what he was here to do, but if there's any way he could scamper up there and replace. I had the light bulb, if he could replace the light bulb for me. And he said he could and he would and he did. It was amazing to see. And he got up there and I was just like, oh, please God, don't let him fall. Please don't let him fall. Please don't let him fall. And he got up there and he reached way out there and changed the light bulb. And I was like, oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. And I went down there and I flipped the light on. Nothing happened.
Kent: Oh, gee.
Vicki: So now I've got to get an electrician and blah, blah, blah. So it's just a pain. And you know, it can be hard to help heal a Brother or a sister, for all kinds of reasons. They don't want to change. They don't think they can change. It can be hard. On the other hand, I have these beautiful pillows. One pillow on my bed. And it's made out of this, like, I don't know, fabric that was made in heaven. It's beautiful. And I thought, I'll never be able. And it gets holes in it. If you just touch it too much, it gets holes in it. And I just. Oh, I love those pillows. One of my friends, who's Hispanic, said to me, it's balsura. Vicki, it's balsura. It's trash. It's trash. Throw it out. It's just. It's not worth it. But, oh, I love it. So I took a needle and thread and I tried to fix it. You can't even tell. You cannot even. I'm no. Seems I'm no Betsy Ross. I'll tell you what. But you cannot even tell. So, anyway, it depends. And I tell you that story because I've told you this once before, but I had a friend, and we're not even that close, and she's a Christian, and she was sleeping with a guy. And I said to her, you know that's wrong. And she said, you are right, and thank you for telling me that. And she quit sleeping with him.
Nathan: Wow.
Kent: Easy.
Vicki: It was like, you know, reaching to a lamp and changing the light bulb and throwing the old one away. Thank you for telling me that you are right.
Kent: Well, I'm glad you did, because Paul in verse one is pretty explicit when he says, brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the spirit should restore that person gently. Who is to do the interventions?
Vicki: Brothers and sisters?
Kent: Yeah, you and me. Every one of us. We are to be involved in helping those who get caught into sin. So my question is, what happens if I don't? I mean, isn't it the pastor's job? Shouldn't we punt to the elders and let more spiritual people look after this problem?
Vicki: No. The answer to that is no.
Nathan: Well, why not?
Vicki: Because you have a relationship with that person. And it's easy to think somebody else could and should and would and all that. But if you have a relationship and they know you love them, that's your job.
Kent: Yeah, it is. And, Nathan, isn't this pretty much in sync with what Jesus said in Matthew 18?
Nathan: Absolutely. He said, if your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault. Just between the two of you, if they listen to you, you have won them over, just like Vicki's friend here, verse 16. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church. And if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Kent: So, as we've noted on other occasions, Jesus is concerned that we not go public if we don't need to go public. Right?
Nathan: Be as gentle as possible. The path of least resistance, you very slowly turn up the temperature in your confrontation.
Kent: And often we don't. Often we tend as lay people to ignore a situation not my business. I don't want to get involved. That's not love. Instead, we're told in verse two, carry.
Nathan: Each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Kent: Yeah, we carry each other's burdens. We don't ask one person or one group of people to take the whole load. We work together for the benefit of others. So what are we supposed to do? We're supposed to do interventions. We're supposed to reach out and do what we can to help a brother or sister in the Lord who is caught into sin. Okay, okay. But I don't know how to do it. I mean, I haven't been trained. Maybe someone will say, I haven't been to seminary like you, or had training in counseling or anything. How am I to do it?
Nathan: Let me tell you something. They don't teach us in seminary how to do this.
Kent: True, true, very true. But he does tell us how, if a brother and sister is caught into sin, you who live by the spirit. So that means everyone who is a believer should restore the person gently. Which means when you go to have this difficult conversation, don't go in hot. Do not be harsh, do not be condemning. You can be honest, but you don't have to be harsh. The image that comes to my mind is. Sorry, no.
Nathan: And I was going to say along with that, some gut check that I will do is if I'm accusatory about anything, that is the realm of Satan. He's the accuser.
Kent: Good point.
Nathan: Right? Everyone's favorite pastime. And so I am constantly, regularly, daily, multiple times in a day, checking my heart in things. Because if I start accusing people about things, especially when I have to confront them, then I know there's something not of God within me that's operating because he is the accuser. So it has to go gently. And gently is not taking a Baseball bat and writing gently across it. Right. You actually, as Vicki said, you love the person. You have to go in there with a spirit of love.
Vicki: And you know now that you have said those exact words, I would even say that to a person. Like, if I were going to confront you, I would say, if I'm coming across as an accuser, I want you to know that I know Satan is the accuser and I don't want any part of that. I want you to feel loved by me.
Kent: Yeah, I think as a doctor in an emergency hospital room would help a child with a broken arm. They will handle that arm to make sure that the bone is set right, but they won't use any undue force that's not necessary. They will only use the force that is required to heal that bone. It's obviously difficult to do this because of the latter part of verse one. Paul says, watch yourself, but watch yourself or you also may be tempted. That's interesting that there's a time that when we come and do an intervention with our brother or sister in Christ, we are liable to be tempted to do it wrong. You who live by the spirit, Paul says, should restore that person gently, but watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. The irony here is that it's possible to help someone with their sin, and while you're doing so, fall into sin yourself.
Vicki: When he says fall into sin, if I'm correcting somebody because they're stealing, that's not saying that I'm going to go start stealing. No, it's saying that I'm going to have the wrong attitude or the wrong approach, or I'm going to be a person that hopefully meant to do right. But I'm going to displease the Lord by my attitude. Right?
Kent: Yeah, but not only that, but we can commit the sin. Well, look at what he says in verses three to five.
Vicki: Okay, I'll read that. If anyone thinks they are something, if anybody thinks they're something when they're not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone without comparing themselves to someone else. For each should carry their own load. That saying, each should carry their own sinful load. Right?
Kent: Right.
Vicki: Yeah, yeah.
Kent: Reality is, when we come to someone and they get caught, maybe it's adultery, maybe it's theft, or who knows what the sin means. Whatever, you come to them and it's easy to come and say, man, you're really rotten. You're a zero on the scale of holiness. I'm a bit Better than that. I've never fallen for that sin. I would never do that. And it's true, you may never do that, but it's likely that you would have also done other things that are equally bad, just not imitate their particular sin.
Nathan: And it's also possible that on the spectrum that Paul is talking about here, maybe it's your attitude, like Vicki was saying, maybe it's a different sin on the list that we were reading. Vicki, go ahead, read that list one more time for us. No, but maybe it's something else on that list that you're saying, ha, ha, I would never participate in an orgy. And now you have fits of jealousy over here over something else. Right? Because that's how insidious sin works. But it could also be the same sin, right? Like if you're in a situation where somebody is an addict and you have addictive qualities and they come to you and they're like, oh man, I just gotta. I can't stay away from the alcohol, right? And you're having this conversation and you're realizing, okay, now I want to have this too. That's a problem. Or if you're somebody that you're attracted to is coming to confess their sexual sin to you right now, you're like, oh man, something's going on here. You could fall into that. That could be an issue. And so I think there's a whole spectrum of possible sins. Whether you're tempted with what they're struggling with, whether it's another sin that Satan's going to pop into your brain because out of your own self righteousness you're going to fall into. Or it could be your attitude that you're going into.
Kent: But it's important to note that each one should carry their own load. I can be tempted in some ways and fall in ways that you would not. You'd be tempted in some ways and I would not. And that doesn't mean I'm better or you're worse. It means that we all are tempted by sin. And we all will struggle with that at one time or another.
Nathan: Each of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us in our own way, our own unique, horrible way. Yeah.
Kent: So don't take pride in yourself. Examine yourself. Realize that you're coming as one sinner to a fellow sinner. I'm reminded of Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in chapter seven, remember that famous passage, in the same.
Vicki: Way you judge others, you will be judged. Why do you look at a speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye, you hypocrite. First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Kent: Good advice before we go to talk to someone else about their sin. But there's another reason in this text why we should come with sincere humility when we come to confront a brother or sister in the lord. In verse 6, Paul goes on in this topic to say, what?
Nathan: Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the Word should share all good things with their instructor.
Kent: This is a verse that on the surface can seem really confusing. What in the world?
Vicki: What is that?
Kent: Well, when it says, the one who receives instruction should share all good things with their instructor, the key is understanding the context. When you come to confront someone of their sin, you're acting as a spiritual instructor, right? So you are instructing this person that their behavior is evil and you are telling them that they need to repent, Correct?
Vicki: That they need to repent?
Kent: Yes. You're telling them because you're the instructor. So note carefully what Paul is saying. The one who receives instruction in the Word, who's that?
Vicki: The sinner.
Kent: The sinner should share all good things with their instructor. What's the good thing they share with their instructor? The same instruction that the instructor gave them. It's reciprocal. If you come to someone and you say with all sincerity and with the best possible motives, here is sin that needs to be addressed in your life. That's right and good. And if it's good for you to tell them, they have the right to come and tell you the same thing.
Vicki: What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
Kent: Because we're all sinners. Didn't you mention that earlier, Nathan?
Nathan: Yeah, I've heard something along those lines.
Kent: Correcting a sinner gently with humility is important because the day is coming when they meet may be correcting you. And you want to correct sinners gently so they will treat you with gentleness as well, because we will all need it. As Jesus said in Luke 6:31, he.
Vicki: Says, do unto others as you would have them do to you.
Kent: Good advice. Okay, we know what Paul is telling us to do. We are to do interventions. We're to go and restore people. We know how we are to do it because we're to do so with gentleness and humility. But why should we do it? I mean, why take the risk? It's so much easier to walk away and mind our own business. And as I said before, just let the pastor do it. He's the professional. Why should I get involved?
Nathan: Listen, I know a lot of pastors, and being one myself, we're not that impressive, really. Wouldn't trust us with much.
Kent: Well, that's true, and for the reasons I think. Vicki, you said earlier, because we have a relationship with them, often we could do a better job than someone that doesn't enjoy that same relationship. But Paul here goes deeper. He says that you and I should have the courage to confront people with their sins because of the urgency of the situation, of the eternal consequences of remaining in sin. I mean, look what he says starting in verse seven.
Vicki: He says, do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh from the flesh will reap destruction. Whoever sows to please the spirit from the spirit will reap eternal life.
Kent: That's straight talk, isn't it? If people decide they're going to live with sin and they're going to tolerate it, and it's really not all that bad, if they allow that sin, that seed to get into their heart, that's going to grow. And what is the result?
Nathan: It says destruction. Yeah, that's doesn't sound too positive.
Kent: That doesn't sound very positive. It doesn't sound like. Well, okay, I understand. You were under pressure or something. It says if you tolerate sin in your life, if you allow that to grow, the result is destruction. I mean, that's what he said to the Judaizers back in the last chapter in verse 19, right?
Nathan: Read it again, Vicki. Read it again.
Kent: The acts of the flesh are.
Vicki: They're obvious are sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, he says that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of.
Kent: God because the wages of sin are death. And God will not be mocked. Do not be deceived. There is no room in the kingdom of God for toleration of sin. And that's why the writer of the book of Hebrews said in chapter 10, verse 26 and 27, some of the scariest words I've ever heard.
Nathan: If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sin is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Vicki: Can I ask a question? Okay. So let's say that you are a believer and you're married, but you start having affairs and then you repent. Too bad.
Kent: No, there is forgiveness that comes with repentance, right? There are always consequences.
Vicki: No sacrifice for sins is left if.
Kent: We deliberately keep on sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, if we are comfortable with that sin. Okay? A good example would be when I was in. Nolan and I, years ago, were in New Orleans for a week and decided we didn't really like New Orleans because Bourbon street was terrible. So we went on a tour and just had some guide show us around and show the city. And he went to the Roman Catholic section of New Orleans. And that was interesting because those were apartments or condominiums, if you like, where the men would have lived out on their plantations, but they literally had back doors. They would sneak out of and spend time down on Bourbon street in these apartments. And they would go out and they would live the most debauched kind of lives. They would buy girls to be their sexual slaves. They would. I mean, it was just. But every Sunday they went and had mass. And because they had mass then, clean slate. So it didn't matter if they kept sinning as long as that. On the other side of town was the Protestant section. And the Protestant says, no, no, no, no, no. You don't get to do that. Holiness matters. What was fascinating is they had large houses, beautiful lawns, intact marriages. And the difference was one group of people decided they could tolerate and live with sin without consequences. And that led to all kinds of immorality. And the kind of people I think that the writer of Hebrews is talking about who deliberately go on sinning after they've received knowledge of the truth. No sacrifice for sin is available for you. No, forgiveness is not an option if you continue to tolerate and live in sin. If you repent and you stop, that's what God calls us to do. Does that make sense?
Nathan: There's a world of difference between someone who falls into sin and lacks the power to stop sinning and somebody who embraces their sin and loves their sin. Right? There's a world of difference between those two people.
Kent: Right? Well, brothers, if someone is caught in sin, we read you who are spiritual should restore them gently so restoration is possible. Right? That's the whole point. But if they absolutely refuse, then welcome to Hebrews 10 and Hebrews 6.
Vicki: And you're saying if you say, oh, I'm sorry every Sunday, knowing you're going to go back on Monday, you're not.
Kent: That's not repentance.
Nathan: Yeah.
Kent: How have you defined repentance for us in the past?
Vicki: I love that definition. I see that pastor do that. He's walking, walking, walking, walking. And repentance is he stops and he turns around and he goes back the other way.
Kent: So David sinned with Bathsheba greatly and he genuinely repented and he was forgiven. There were still consequences he faced in life because of that sin. Always consequences. But there is always the opportunity of forgiveness. If we genuinely repent, he will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So what is Paul telling us to do here? Well, if someone is caught in sin, our job is to restore that person. How are we to do it? We're to restore that person gently, without pride, without looking down, without being judgmental. Come as one sinner to another sinner, saying, how can I help you with this problem? What? How? Well, why? Well, do not be deceived. We're told a man reaps what he sows, and whoever sows to please the flesh will reap destruction. So that's why we go, because the consequences are enormous and because whoever sows to please the Spirit from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Interventions can seem very dangerous and we are wise to be cautious before entering into them if we don't need to. But they are an act of love because they give a person an opportunity for spiritual transformation. And Paul wants us to know here that this is not just a one time thing, but we should engage in this ministry of restoration on an ongoing basis. Vicki, what does he say in verses 9 and 10? How does he end this?
Vicki: He says in Galatians 6, 9, let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest. If you we do not give up. And therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Brian: You may know someone now who is involved in sin, and it's on your heart when that happens. We just heard how to restore Christians who sin. Confront them with humble tenderness. Act with loving urgency. Don't ignore talking to your friend or family member, because the Apostle Paul tells us sin has eternal consequences. Go wisely with God. I trust that today's discussion of God's Word has been helpful and served as an encouragement to not just be hearers of the Word, but doers together. Let's bring God's Word to life, to our lives. This week, the crosstalk podcast is a production of crosstalk Global, equipping biblical communicators so Every culture hears God's voice. To find out more about this educational nonprofit organization, please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org. we're getting ready for crosstalk. Events in Southern California and Moldova this month help us train the next generation of biblical communicators. All you have to do is click donate in the show notes and make a donation of any size. You can also support this show by rating it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find it. Be sure to listen next Friday as we conclude our journey through the book of Galatians. You won't want to miss it.
Nathan: But there are occasions when interventions are necessary. Situations such as alcohol use disorder. I said that way too cheerily. Prescription drug misuse, street drug misuse. Compulsive eating, Compulsive gambling. Kristen was a math intervention specialist was her title for years. And I would always laugh when I would hear that because I'm thinking like, you know, the kid would show up at home.
Vicki: Too much arithmetic.
Nathan: Yeah, well, kid would show up at home and all the families around, Kristen's there, and they're like, wait a minute. Is this a math intervention? During these interventions.
Vicki: What is that? Wait, what is that? You brought it up.
Nathan: She would take the lowest math performers in a class and identify them, take them out of class, and then work with them to bring them up or above grade level. And so.
Vicki: That's not what it sounds like.
Nathan: She was incredible. Well, she would have an intervention. She would intervene in their. Their low grades. So she would really do a good job of, you know, bringing kids up to grade level. She did it.
Vicki: Sounds like someone who solves for X too often.
Nathan: You gotta cut it out with this math garbage. Go out and touch grass.
Vicki: That's right. Okay, go on.
Nathan: During these interventions.
Kent: So we're not really gourmet people. You know, there was Michelin restaurants you could go to and stuff. And I'm like, I'm not. I'm not coming here to spend 400 for dinner.
Nathan: Like, I'm.
Kent: That would not be restful for me.
Nathan: I only found out last year that Michelin restaurant ratings is the same as Michelin tires.
Kent: They are.
Vicki: You just now figured that out?
Kent: Cause that doesn't.
Nathan: Who makes that? Who makes that connection?
Kent: Because when you travel in your car on Michel tires, they want to. It was a way to try and encourage people to drive more.
Nathan: Vicki, I'm gonna stick you in a tire changing place. Then you tell me how appetizing you feel after smelling that rubber for an hour. It doesn't make any sense, but, yes, you're right. So it started in Europe where they. In order to encourage people to drive more, they would start to rate these places. You could drive all around Europe to go to on these tires, which are longer lasting.
Kent: Right.
Nathan: So that makes sense. But you're not. No one's changing tires, going, like, you know, I could really go for a filet mignon.
Kent: No, but they wanted destinations, so Michelin invented a thing.
Nathan: I mean, it'd be like the equivalent of Roto Rooter putting out spa treatment locations, you know? Wow. Having. Having my pipes.
Kent: Yeah.
Nathan: Drill. That makes sense.
Kent: Yeah. I need.
Nathan: I need to take care of myself as well.
Kent: I don't think that. Yeah. If you're looking for metaphors for Sunday, you better spend a couple more minutes.
Vicki: Yeah.
Nathan: Tires equal food.
Vicki: Second that opinion.
Nathan: All right, let's. Let's pray and start for forgiveness. Oh, I'm tired of you guys dumping on me ever since we started.
Vicki: Yeah, it's been a hard day for you, hadn't it?
Nathan: I admit I'm wrong. And yet you keep record of wrongs. It's just brutal.