Let me ask you this morning, what would you have done?  The church is in its 2nd decade of existence, the believing Jews have been dispersed because of persecution, and the central church seems to be in danger of losing its influence.  So, what does James (the brother of Jesus) do?  He writes a letter to the Jewish churches as a guide to help Jewish Christians navigate cultures with completely different norms and their beliefs than those that existed in Jerusalem.  His writings apply in today’s world where social norms and beliefs often differ from those of Christianity.

During the 1st decade of the church, the church was mostly dominated by Jews who knew the Old Testament scripture and were still able to participate in the complex Jewish social structure.  During the 2nd decade, many non-Jews (Gentiles) became believers beginning when Peter was on the rooftop and received a vision and Cornelius was told by an angel to go get Peter, and then later with Saul’s conversion and Saul (Paul) being sent to the Gentiles during his missionary travels.  James probably stayed in Jerusalem instead of doing much traveling.  So, James writes a letter to the Jews living outside Jerusalem (James 1:1) to establish the Jews in applicable truth and conduct and to encourage them in their journey of faith.

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