According to a report from the National Reentry Resource Center, of 404,638 people released from state prisons in 30 states in 2005, 67.8 percent were arrested within 3 years of release, and 76.6 percent within 5 years of release. Why would so many people who have been granted freedom be willing give up their freedom so easily? This question is one we ask when we see people seemingly walk away from the freedom they have in Christ. Why would anyone who has experienced salvation willingly go back to an old, destructive, and enslaving way of life? This was Paul's question in Galatians 4 that is a part of this week's Explore The Bible Study: True Freedom.

This week's session is fairly simple, yet thought-provoking. It will lead your group to think about why people would want to become enslaved again to sin after experiencing freedom in Christ, how we should respond to helping them, and if we would allow someone to talk with us as Paul talked with the Galatian believers when they began to drift.

Ultimately, the session is designed to emphasize the fact that we have a choice in life as believers - to become enslaved by the sins and influences of the past, or to grow in our faith so we can experience the freedom Christ has provided for us.

LOOK UP IDEAS (For Introducing the Session)
Here are a few more statistics included in the downloadable teaching plan that you could use to introduce the session:

According to statistics from Promises Treatment Centers, the following takes place with people who have been freed from various additions.
(source: https://www.promises.com/articles/sobering-look-addiction-relapse-rates/)