Brethren: The Spirit of this Epistle

In what spirit does James write his epistle? In the times in which this was written, moreso than today, words were not used lightly; they meant something. James the Just begins this epistle with the words, "my brethren." In using these words, James identifies himself with the people of God, with these afflicted and persecuted brethren. He, in using this phrase, unites himself with them; they are "his" brethren. James understands that when one suffers, the whole body suffers. We must be close to the members of our church body; distant relationships are a snare of Satan. God has so gifted our brethren that we have need of them to minister to us, as we need to minister to them of the gifts that God has given us. Included in this sermon are reasons why we need our local church, and guidelines for manifesting love for the brethren there.