Peter begins his letter: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen… (1 Peter 1:1 NAS).

Peter writes this letter from Rome where it is believed he was eventually martyred.  He writes to the Christians who lived in a particular region which is known today as Turkey.  He writes of the “living hope through the resurrection of Christ” (v. 3), which all believers have, therefore, we are to take heart and be of good courage when we go through tough times.

Peter begins his letter by addressing the Christians as “aliens”.  They “reside as aliens.”  Literally he’s referring to the Jewish Christians who lived away from Jerusalem.  They were away from their home country, but they had become believers in Christ, possibly because Peter had been there and preached the gospel to them.  The church as a whole was being persecuted, and he wrote this letter to encourage them.

As a believer in Christ you are an alien, a foreigner in this world.  This is the status of all believers in Christ.  We are “sojourners.”  Though you live in this world, it’s not your home.  It’s not your “home country”.  You’re just residing here for a while.  It’s a temporary residence.  We’re on the move.  Therefore, we need to travel lightly.  There is no reason to cling to what is of this world.  We’ve got to stay focused on the journey, focused on our objective along the journey, and focused on our destination – our real home.

Because you’re an alien, a foreigner in this world, those of the world may look at you as a stranger with strange habits and strange ideas.  You don’t completely fit in with the ways of the world and its culture.  Instead, you bring your own culture with you – the culture of Christ and His ways.

So, we live and function in a foreign culture as foreigners who don’t intend to stay or adopt the foreign culture of the world as our own.  However, we must keep in mind that we DO LIVE IN this world and to a degree relate to the culture on this foreign soil.  And as we journey through it, we have a God-given objective of persuading others to exchange their worldly residence for a Heavenly residence.  Jesus commissioned us in Matt. 28:19 … go and make disciples of all the nations…

We believers have been scattered among people of the world.  The word Peter uses for “scattered” also means “sown.”  The intent of the phrase, scattered throughout … is that all believers in Christ have been providentially placed among those who have yet to become fully devoted followers of Jesus.  In reality God has placed you where you are presently, among the people you’re with.  Oh, I know it doesn’t feel that way sometimes, and sometimes we would much rather be somewhere else.  And even though we “move to a different place or places”, the Bible teaches that God, in His sovereignty and infinite wisdom, places you where you are.

What the Lord is saying through Peter is that in His infinite wisdom He has scattered, sown, placed each of us where He wants us to be so that we can have an influence with the Good News of Christ and lead others to salvation in Him.  You are where you are, and I am where I am by God’s design.

Therefore, we do well to not decry our circumstances or complain about where we live or the people among whom we live.  Instead we can trust God with our circumstances, change what we can with His wisdom and strength, and love the people around us with His love.  To grasp this as God’s design for you gives worth to your situation, to who you are, and to what you do to make more devoted followers of Jesus.  It’s not about us against them.  It’s about the light of Christ among them.