The Life and Times of Joe Suttle

Almost like Peter was collaborating with James and John. They all talk about how believers in Jesus were supposed to be different. Different enough that people could see it in the way they lived everyday! From the words, it's almost as if they wanted those early Christians to stand out in the crowd. It wasn't the way they dressed, or the neighborhoods where they lived. IT was how they lived and treated one another.

Peter is a little blunt in 1 Peter chapter 1 when he says "don't keep doing what you did when you were ignorant." (my translation of verse 14) Kind of reminds me of how little kids play games – "What boundaries, foul line, batter's box or double dribble?" As they grow older and learn the rules of a game, they play differently and expect others to play differently too.

OK, so what have I learned and how does that change how I live? What about you?

Right there in my Bible (First Peter) was a map. Clearly Peter was talking about Christians in the first century who were being persecuted – chased out and just plain "treated mean."

The map was showing the places where Christians had been "chased" to by the repressive Roman government. And right there was the word "Asia". It did not fit with where my brain had "Asia" located. After all, didn't the "Wise Men" come from the "east", like Asia?

My brain cried out "look again at that map!" In those days, "East" of Jerusalem were places like modern day India, Malayasia, Vietnam, China. Here Peter was, writing to the Christians in "Asia", living as aliens.

Now, I'm wondering what happened to all that elementary school geography? Did I just not listen, or was it all just "too far away to matter?" Whatever, it's all clear now, even if the point was that an oppressive government caused people to spread all over their world. And by so doing, they became examples for us – they suffered because of what they believed.

They rejoiced even in the midst of trials! Can we? Can I?