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I am a Stranger 1 Peter 1:1-12   Who wrote 1 Peter? Answer: Peter. Most people like Peter. Peter is a down to earth guy who spoke his mind, had a big mouth and said dumb things. He was a fisherman who was not educated. Who did he write to? Believers who lived in Asia Minor (Turkey); to predominantly Gentile believers living in various locations. When did he write? Around 60-65AD. The emperor of Rome was Nero. Nero killed his mother, his first wife and his second wife. Most believe that Nero, in July 64AD, started the fire in Rome that burned down the city. Historians believe he did it because he wanted to renovate the buildings in Rome. The Roman Senate did not approve, so, he burned it down. Nero had a public relations issue, so like any good politician, he blamed the city of Rome being burned on this new religious sect called The Way. (Christians). He intensified their persecution. He put them in the Circus, where they would be eaten by lions and wild dogs for entertainment. He poured hot wax on them and nailed them on a post and set them on fire to light his gardens like human candles. Why did he write it? To give answers to questions that were bothering these believers so; questions about suffering and feeling different. These early believers were real people, going through real suffering in a world that now felt strange to them. Peter is writing to encourage them that it’s ok to feel like a stranger in a hostile world, because that is who they are now in Christ. If you are a Christian, you have a living hope and lasting inheritance in Jesus that enables us to live as a stranger and sufferer in a broken, hostile world.